Hyperlipidemia is closely related to oxidative stress, and it has been proved that the intake of legumes can protect the body from chronic diseases related to oxidative stress. In this study, we investigated the protective effects of mung beans and peas against high‐fat‐diet‐induced rats. It was found that, with 50% addition of mung beans or peas, the intake of mung beans and peas could significantly restore the levels of serum total cholesterol, low‐density lipoprotein cholesterol, and high‐density lipoprotein cholesterol. Liver staining also showed that high‐fat diet (HFD) led to liver lesions, whereas whole‐grain intake could significantly relieve these symptoms. Compared with the HFD group, the antioxidant defense system and antioxidant gene expression in administered legume groups improved markedly. Furthermore, the antioxidant activities of the two legume extracts were determined. Characterization showed that the ethanol extracts of mung beans and peas possessed high antioxidant activities, for their ability to scavenge ABTS and DPPH, reduce Fe³⁺ and their antilipid peroxidation capacity. Treatments with ethanol extracts at different doses could restore the levels of intracellular lipid, malondialdehyde, and antioxidant enzyme activities in oleic acid‐induced HepG2 cells. All these results suggested that mung beans and peas or their extracts may be utilized as good candidates of natural antioxidant agents.