How many calories are in idli with sambar?
Two idli with a bowl of sambar and a spoon of coconut chutney come to about 330 kcal. Nothing on the plate is fried, and the idli themselves are 130 for both. The chutney is the only line with real fat in it.
The plate, as served
Two steamed idli, a bowl of sambar, and two tablespoons of coconut chutney.
Where the calories come from
| Nutrient | Grams | Calories | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Protein | 11g | 44 | 13% |
| Carbs | 46g | 184 | 55% |
| Fat | 12g | 108 | 32% |
| Fibre | 7g | counted within carbs | |
The ring is sized by calories, not grams: protein and carbs are 4 kcal a gram, fat is 9. Drawn by grams, fat would look like a sliver of what it actually contributes.
What is on the plate
| IdliTwo, about 100 g | 130 kcal |
| SambarA bowl, about 150 g | 110 kcal |
| Coconut chutneyTwo tablespoons, about 40 g | 90 kcal |
The same dish, several ways
This is where the calories actually move. Not the ingredient, the cooking.
- Four idli, the way it is usually served460+130
Two is a polite portion. Four is a normal breakfast.
- With ghee on the idli420+90
A teaspoon each. Small, and it is the only thing here that adds fat quickly.
- Two steamed idli, a bowl of sambar, and two tablespoons of coconut chutney.As served330
- Sambar only, no chutney240-90
The chutney is ground coconut, so it is the fattiest thing on a very lean plate.
Where each number comes from
Composition tables list ingredients, not dinners. There is no row anywhere for this plate, so it is built from its parts, and the preparation assumed for each part is written next to it, because that assumption is usually worth more calories than the ingredient.
| Component | Portion and preparation | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Idli | Two, about 100 gSteamed, no fat added. The lightest base on this list. | 130 |
| Sambar | A bowl, about 150 gToor dal and vegetables with a light tempering. | 110 |
| Coconut chutney | Two tablespoons, about 40 gGround coconut with a tempering of oil and mustard seed. | 90 |
| Total | 330 | |
Sources: Indian Food Composition Tables 2017 (ICMR-NIN). Every figure is an estimate with a range around it, and is rounded to the nearest 5 kcal rather than pretending to a precision that does not exist.
Why you will see 150 to 600 kcal quoted for this
Idli count. Two, four or six are all published as "idli sambar", and each idli is about 65 kcal, so the count decides the number entirely.
Which is why this page shows the sum instead of asserting a total. Build the plate you actually eat and the number is yours rather than an average of strangers.
Build your own plateCommon questions
- How many calories are in idli sambar?
- About 330 kcal for two idli with sambar and coconut chutney. Four idli takes it to about 460.
- How many calories is one idli?
- About 65 kcal. They are steamed fermented rice and urad dal with no fat added in cooking, which is what makes them so light.
- Is idli good for weight loss?
- It is one of the better breakfasts for it. Steamed, low in fat, with fermented grains and a lentil sambar alongside for protein and fibre.
- Idli or dosa for fewer calories?
- Idli, clearly. A dosa is cooked with oil on a tawa and comes in at about 165 kcal against 65 for an idli.
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