Background; Current issues surrounding meat consumption and changes in eating habits have motivated the development of meat substitutes. Vegetable proteins, especially legume proteins, are of interest. Soybean is the most widely used legume crop for food, but due to some negative aspects, it may be relevant to develop soybean substitutes.Scope and approach; Pea is a possible alternative to soybean and the latter was thus compared with pea to determine if pea would be a good substitute. This review provides a brief insight into the similarities and differences between soybean and pea regarding composition and nutrition as well as physicochemical and sensory aspects impacting their food uses.Key findings and conclusions; As pea is less allergenic than soybean but has similar nutritional and functional properties, it could be a great alternative to soybean. Nevertheless, some particularities of the pea composition can lead to a stronger “beany” off-flavor and so a less acceptable product. In addition, the isoenzymes involved in the development of off-flavor are more varied in the pea. The pea off-flavor may thus be more complicated to control.