How many calories in poha?
250–330 kcal
A standard plate of poha is about 250–330 calories. Flattened rice absorbs oil readily, which is why the figure is higher than the light texture suggests.
By serving
Serving by serving.
Ranges rather than single numbers. Home cooking has no standard serving, and the same dish made in two kitchens genuinely differs by this much — a single figure would be false precision.
| Serving | Calories |
|---|---|
| 1 plate (~150 g cooked) | 250–330 |
| 1 plate with peanuts and extra oil | 320–400 |
| 1 small katori | 150–200 |
| Per 100 g, cooked | 165–200 |
Per one plate: 4–6 g protein · 40–48 g carbs · 7–12 g fat
Why the range
What moves this number.
If you want a better estimate than the table gives, these are the things worth paying attention to. Everything else is noise by comparison.
- Oil. Poha is usually made with one to two tablespoons for two servings. That alone is 60–120 calories per plate.
- Peanuts. A generous handful adds 80–120 calories and a useful amount of protein and fat.
- Sev on top. Fried sev is 40–90 calories per serving and is easy to forget.
- Potato. Poha made with aloo is noticeably heavier than the plain version.
Logging it
You do not need this table every day.
Looking a number up works once. Doing it for every item of every meal is the reason most people stop tracking within a fortnight.
BetterCal has no database to search. Say or type the meal the way you would describe it to a person — "poha and dal" — and it is logged with calories and macros in one go. If your version differs from the estimate, correct it once and it remembers, so over a few weeks the numbers converge on your kitchen rather than an average of everyone else's.
Frequently asked questions
Is poha good for weight loss?
It can be, but it is not as light as its reputation suggests. Made with a measured teaspoon of oil and plenty of onion it is a reasonable breakfast; made generously with peanuts and sev it is a full meal's worth of calories.
How much protein is in poha?
Only 4–6 g a plate, and most of that comes from the peanuts. It is a carbohydrate breakfast; pairing it with curd or eggs makes it a more balanced one.
Why is this a range and not one number?
Because the honest answer is a range. Serving sizes are not standardised and cooking fat varies enormously between kitchens. A single confident figure would be more convenient and less true. See how accurate calorie estimates really are.
Do I need to weigh food to track it properly?
No. Weighing improves precision that you mostly do not need — being consistently within 10% is enough to lose or gain weight predictably. The easiest way to track calories covers the method.
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