Idli sambar calories
Two medium idlis with a 200 ml katori of sambar have about 305 calories and 10 g of protein. Three idlis with the same sambar are about 355, four about 410. The idlis are plain; the sambar's thickness and coconut set most of the difference between kitchens. Chutney isn't counted here. A restaurant plate runs about 225 to 400.
Idli sambar is the south Indian breakfast that travels everywhere: steamed rice and urad dal cakes with a katori of sambar poured over or alongside, and usually coconut chutney. In Tamil Nadu and Karnataka it's an everyday morning; in office canteens across India it's the light option.
This page adds up the site's own idli and sambar pages into one plate, so the number is exactly the sum of its parts. Coconut chutney has no page here yet, so it isn't counted: ICMR-NIN puts 2 tablespoons at about 120 calories, which is worth adding yourself.
Typical values for a home kitchen, for the portion named next to each number. Other sites often show bigger numbers because they count a bigger serving or a restaurant recipe. Your own katori, roti and oil change the number; Slate adjusts for them.
How many calories are in idli sambar?
| Portion | Cals | Protein | Carbs | Fat |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 plate (2 medium idlis, a 200 ml katori of sambar) | 305 | 10 g | 43 g | 9 g |
| 1 idli and a katori of sambar | 255 | 9 g | 32 g | 9 g |
| 3 idlis and a katori of sambar | 355 | 12 g | 54 g | 10 g |
| 4 idlis and a katori of sambar | 410 | 14 g | 64 g | 10 g |
| 2 large idlis and a katori of sambar | 340 | 12 g | 50 g | 9 g |
| 1 plate with 1 tsp ghee (5 g) | 350 | 10 g | 43 g | 14 g |
How does home idli sambar compare with outside?
Restaurant idlis are often larger than home ones, sometimes with ghee or podi oil, while restaurant and canteen sambar is usually thinner than the textbook one and refilled freely.
No lab has measured a plate of idli sambar, so the range below is the two dish pages' outside ranges added together: the low end is 2 medium idlis with a thin sambar, the high end 2 large idlis with ghee and a thick sambar.
| Version | Cals | Fat |
|---|---|---|
| Home | 305 | 9 g |
| Udupi restaurant or canteen | 225 to 400 | 6 to 15 g |
What changes the calories in idli sambar?
- How many idlis. Each medium idli adds about 50 calories: 1 idli with sambar is about 255, 2 about 305, 3 about 355, 4 about 410.
- The size of the idli. Two large idlis with the same sambar are about 340; restaurant idlis are often this size.
- The sambar. A thin everyday sambar without coconut is close to half this one per katori (see sambar), which takes a plate of 2 idlis down to about 225.
- Chutney and ghee. Coconut chutney isn't counted here; ICMR-NIN counts 2 tablespoons at about 120 calories. A teaspoon of ghee takes the plate to about 350.
- Podi mixed with oil, or a fried medu vada on the side, adds more than the idlis do.
How were these numbers worked out?
The plate is 2 medium idlis and a 200 ml katori of sambar, each made exactly as on its own page, added from the pages' unrounded values and rounded once, so the plate equals its parts. The idli is the textbook batter in The Art & Science of Cooking, 15 g of rice and dal in a medium idli with no oil; the sambar is the same book's recipe, 50 g of toor dal with vegetables, coconut and 2 teaspoons of oil for 2 bowls, with a katori at 1 g per ml; IFCT 2017 supplies every value. The plate is 305 calories, and coconut chutney is left out because the site has no chutney recipe. No analysed plate of idli sambar exists, so there is no cross-check here; the parts are checked on the idli and sambar pages. The Udupi range is the two pages' outside ranges added together: bigger idlis with up to a teaspoon of ghee and a thinner restaurant sambar. Every dish on Slate is worked out the same way: how Slate counts calories.
| Dish | Portion | Cals |
|---|---|---|
| Idli | 2 × 1 medium idli (15 g rice and dal) | 100 |
| Sambar | 1 katori (200 ml) | 200 |
Sources
- Writeonslate, Idli calories. The idli recipe (The Art & Science of Cooking ASC144 via the Indian Nutrient Databank), its sizes, its outside range and its sources
- Writeonslate, Sambar calories. The sambar recipe (The Art & Science of Cooking ASC167), its thickness range, its outside range and its sources
- ICMR-NIN, Dietary Guidelines for Indians: A Manual (2011). Annexure 8: coconut chutney 120 kcal per 2 tablespoons, quoted because chutney is not counted here
Questions people ask
How many calories are in idli sambar?
About 305 calories for 2 medium idlis with a 200 ml katori of sambar, before chutney. One idli with the same sambar is about 255.
How many calories are in 2 idli sambar?
About 305 calories: 2 medium idlis at 105 and a 200 ml katori of sambar at 200. With a thin canteen sambar it's closer to 225.
How many calories are in 4 idli sambar?
About 410 calories for 4 medium idlis with a 200 ml katori of sambar. Three idlis with the same sambar are about 355.
How much protein is in idli sambar?
About 10 g in a plate of 2 idlis with sambar, from the urad dal in the idlis and the toor dal in the sambar. Four idlis with sambar have about 14 g.
Does idli sambar with chutney have more calories?
Yes. Coconut chutney isn't counted on this page; ICMR-NIN counts 2 tablespoons at about 120 calories, so a plate of 2 idlis with sambar and chutney would be closer to 305 plus that.
Which has fewer calories, idli sambar or dosa sambar?
Idli sambar: about 305 calories for 2 idlis with a katori of sambar against about 345 for a plain dosa with the same sambar, because the dosa is cooked in oil.