The objective of the research study was to determine the effect of seed germination on the content of selected carbohydrates and total polyphenols in the white kidney bean beverages. The  research material consisted of beverages made on the basis of white beans called ‘Piękny Jaś Karłowy’ (Phaseolus vulgaris L.). The beverages were made from the beans with or without  controlled germination. The determination of the content of selected carbohydrates (fructose, sucrose, maltose, raffinose and stachyose) was carried out using a high-performance liquid  chromatography (HPLC) with a refractometric detection. The total content of polyphenols was determined with the use of Folin-Ciocalteu method and expressed as gallic acid equivalents. It was proved that the application of the germination process significantly impacted both the content of total polyphenols and that of the sucrose, raffinose and stachyose in the bean-based beverages  tested. In the case of the bean-based beverages made from 3-day germinated seeds, an increase was reported in the content of polyphenols as was a decrease in the content of the carbohydrates  indicated. The hitherto research, in which changes were studied in the content of polyphenols and carbohydrates as a result of the germination process, concerned mainly legume seeds. There  are no studies dealing with the impact of that process on the legume-based beverages. The germination process contributed to the breakdown of oligosaccharides appearing non-digestible in the  human gastrointestinal tract and, as for the bean-based beverages tested, it caused the content of polyphenols to increase. Germination is a process that makes it possible to make legume- based beverages with an increased nutritional value.