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Calories in restaurant, Swiggy and Zomato food

Restaurant and delivery food usually has more calories than the same dish at home, mostly because of more butter, cream and oil and bigger portions. The honest way to count it is as a range, dish by dish.

Why outside food has more

Restaurant kitchens cook for taste and for portions that look generous. That usually means more ghee, butter and cream than a home kitchen uses, oil that's been used many times for frying, and bigger servings. None of it is printed on a menu, so the same dish can vary a lot from one place to the next.

Lab studies of street food in Delhi found samosas and kachoris with far more fat than home versions. A home samosa is about 165 calories; the street samosas measured came to about 160 to 285.

Ranges for common orders

These ranges come from the food pages on this site, each worked out from a recipe in grams with its assumptions stated:

Home value against a typical restaurant or delivery range. See each dish's page for how it was worked out.
DishHomeRestaurant or delivery
Paneer butter masala, one serving230390 to 725
Dal makhani, 200 ml katori200265 to 335
Butter chicken, one serving350400 to 675
Chicken biryani, one plate385425 to 815
Butter naan, one210420 to 630

How to count an order

  1. Count each dish as its own line: the curry, the naans, the rice, the raita.
  2. Use the restaurant range, not the home number. If you don't know, the middle of the range is a fair guess.
  3. Count breads by the piece. A large restaurant naan is about three times a home naan before any butter goes on.
  4. If you share, count your share: half a plate of biryani is half the number.
  5. Don't forget drinks and sides: a sweet lassi, a gulab jamun, papad.

Where Slate helps

In Slate, every line can be switched between "Outside" and "Made at home". Outside food, from restaurants, delivery, street stalls and canteens, is counted with more oil and a bigger portion than home food, and dishes usually eaten out, like chole bhature, pav bhaji and biryani, count as outside unless you switch them.

With Slate Plus, you can share a Swiggy or Zomato order to Slate or paste it into a new line. The order text is read on your iPhone, fees and totals are dropped, and each dish becomes its own line, counted as outside food. You check the list and tap Add. Slate never connects to those apps.

Questions people ask

Why does restaurant food have more calories than home food?

Mostly more butter, cream and oil, and bigger portions. Fried food from shops is often fried in oil that's used many times, which leaves more fat in each piece.

How many calories are in a Swiggy biryani?

No app can know a specific restaurant's recipe. As a range, a restaurant plate of chicken biryani is about 425 to 815 calories, depending on the ghee and the size.

How many calories are in a restaurant naan?

A large plain restaurant naan is about 525, and a large butter naan about 595.

Can Slate read my Swiggy or Zomato order?

Yes, with Slate Plus. Share or paste the order to Slate, check the list, and each dish is added as outside food. Slate only reads what you share and never connects to those apps.