How many calories in rasam?
40–90 kcal
A katori of rasam is only about 40–90 calories. It is essentially spiced tamarind broth with a little dal, which makes it one of the lightest things on a South Indian plate.
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 katori (~150 ml) | 40–90 |
| 1 cup, drunk on its own | 50–100 |
| 1 ladle over rice | 30–60 |
| Per 100 g | 25–55 |
Per one katori: 1–3 g protein · 5–10 g carbs · 2–4 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.
- How much dal is in it. A rasam made with a spoonful of cooked toor dal is heavier than a clear one. This is the main difference between recipes.
- The tempering. A teaspoon of ghee is 40 calories and can double a light rasam.
- What it is eaten with. Rasam rice is mostly rice — a cup of that carries 200–250 calories before the rasam is counted.
- Sugar or jaggery. Some recipes include a little; it adds 15–30 calories.
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 — "rasam 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
How many calories in rasam?
About 40–90 for a standard katori, making it one of the lightest South Indian preparations. A clear rasam with little dal sits at the bottom of that range.
Is rasam good for weight loss?
Yes, as far as any single dish is. It is filling for very few calories and adds flavour to a meal without adding fat. The rice it is usually poured over is the part worth watching.
Which is lighter, rasam or sambar?
Rasam, by a clear margin — roughly half. Sambar contains considerably more dal and vegetables, which also makes it the more nutritious of the two.
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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