AbstractCowpea flour, starch and protein were successfully used as substituents in a wide range of food products, either as protein supplements or alternative ingredients. Acceptable soft buns were produced from ingredients in which wheat flour was substituted at the level of 10%, by weight, with dry‐ or wet‐dehulled cowpea flour, or 20% with dry‐milled cowpea protein fraction. Protein‐fortified cookies of satisfactory sensory quality could be produced by replacing up to 50%, by weight, of wheat flour in the recipe with either dry‐ or wetdehulled cowpea flour, or up to 35% with cowpea protein fraction. Acceptable emulsion‐type sausage was produced by replacing 5%, by weight, of its lean pork with dry‐milled cowpea starch or protein fraction, or wet‐dehulled cowpea flour, or 10% with dry‐dehulled cowpea flour. Transparent noodles produced from wet‐milled red cowpea starch had similar quality to those from mung bean starch. When, cowpea flour or protein fraction was used as a substituent in the products, protein content of the products could increase by 4–72%.