Plain paratha calories
One plain paratha, about 27 g of atta cooked with 2 teaspoons of oil, has about 165 calories; 2 are about 330. A teaspoon of ghee on top takes one to about 210. Oil or ghee is the biggest variable, at about 40 to 45 calories a teaspoon. A dhaba paratha, bigger and richer, runs about 165 to 290.
A plain paratha is whole-wheat dough rolled out, brushed with oil or ghee, folded into a triangle or a square and rolled again, then cooked on the tawa with more fat. The folds make the layers. Lachha paratha is rolled into a coil for more layers and usually takes more ghee.
The atta is the same as in a roti, so the fat is what sets a paratha apart. In this textbook recipe, the oil is close to half of each paratha's calories.
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 plain paratha?
| Portion | Cals | Protein | Carbs | Fat |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 plain paratha (27 g atta, 2 tsp oil) about 49 g | 165 | 3 g | 17 g | 9 g |
| 2 plain parathas about 99 g | 330 | 6 g | 34 g | 19 g |
| 1 paratha with 1 tsp butter on top (5 g) about 49 g | 200 | 3 g | 17 g | 14 g |
| 1 paratha with 1 tsp ghee on top (5 g) about 49 g | 210 | 3 g | 17 g | 14 g |
| 100 g cooked paratha about 100 g | 335 | 6 g | 35 g | 19 g |
How does home plain paratha compare with outside?
Dhaba and restaurant parathas are often bigger than home ones and are cooked or finished with more ghee or butter. A lachha paratha has more layers and more fat again.
The range below runs from a paratha like this one up to one about 1.4 times the size with half as much fat again. The larger size matches USDA's 70 g paratha; the extra fat is our assumption.
| Version | Cals | Fat |
|---|---|---|
| Home | 165 | 9 g |
| Dhaba or restaurant | 165 to 290 | 9 to 20 g |
Calories in plain paratha as a meal
| Portion | Cals | Protein | Carbs | Fat |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 parathas with curd about 99 g | 390 | 9 g | 39 g | 22 g |
| 2 parathas and a cup of chai | 395 | 7 g | 45 g | 20 g |
What changes the calories in plain paratha?
- Oil or ghee is the biggest variable. Each teaspoon used in the layers or on the tawa adds about 40 to 45 calories.
- A teaspoon of butter on top adds about 35 calories, and a teaspoon of ghee about 45.
- Parathas vary in size more than rotis. USDA's paratha weighs about 70 g cooked; this one about 49 g.
- Kerala parotta is made with maida and more fat, and stuffed parathas carry their filling, so both have their own values. See aloo paratha, gobi paratha, paneer paratha, methi paratha and mooli paratha.
How were these numbers worked out?
The plain paratha is the one in The Art & Science of Cooking (via the Indian Nutrient Databank): 80 g of whole-wheat atta and 2 tablespoons of oil for the layers and the tawa, making 3. All 27 g of oil is counted as eaten, and its type makes no difference, because IFCT 2017, the source of every value here, applies one fat factor to every oil. The cooked weight is the atta's solids plus the oil at the 33.5% water of USDA's cooked paratha, about 148 g for 3, so one paratha is a third of the batch, 165 calories, and the batch is 335 per 100 g. Two checks agree within 15%: ICMR-NIN's paratha at 150 calories and USDA's paratha at 326 per 100 g. The dhaba range runs the size up to USDA's 70 g paratha, 1.4 times this one, with up to 1.5 times the oil. Every dish on Slate is worked out the same way: how Slate counts calories.
| Ingredient | Raw | Values from |
|---|---|---|
| Wheat flour, atta | 80 g | IFCT 2017 A019 |
| Groundnut oil 2 tablespoons, for the layers and the tawa | 27.2 g | IFCT 2017 T005 |
| Water 4 tablespoons, to make a soft dough | 60 g | no calories |
Sources
- ICMR-NIN, Indian Food Composition Tables 2017. Wheat flour, atta (A019), groundnut oil (T005) for the fat factor, ghee (T013); values read from github.com/nodef/ifct2017
- Vijayakumar et al., Indian Nutrient Databank (INDB), Current Developments in Nutrition, 2024. The Art & Science of Cooking recipe ASC097, plain paratha
- ICMR-NIN, Dietary Guidelines for Indians: A Manual (2011). Annexure 8: paratha 150 kcal
- USDA FoodData Central, FNDDS Bread, paratha (2707715). 70 g per paratha, 326 kcal and 33.5% water per 100 g
- USDA FoodData Central, Butter, without salt (173430). Butter on top
Questions people ask
How many calories are in 1 paratha?
A plain paratha made with about 27 g of atta and 2 teaspoons of oil has about 165 calories. ICMR-NIN counts one paratha at 150, close to this.
How many calories are in a paratha with ghee?
About 210 with a teaspoon of ghee on top, and about 200 with a teaspoon of butter.
Which has more calories, paratha or roti?
A paratha, because of the oil or ghee folded into it. A plain paratha is about 165 calories against about 95 for a medium roti, which has a little more atta.
How many calories are in a paratha without oil?
Without any fat it's a thick roti. The 27 g of atta in this paratha has about 85 calories on its own.
How much protein is in a paratha?
About 3 g in one plain paratha. The rest is mostly carbohydrate and fat: about 17 g and 9 g.
How many calories are in 2 parathas with curd?
About 390 calories for 2 parathas and a 100 g katori of curd. Two parathas with a cup of masala chai with 2 teaspoons of sugar come to about 395.