How many calories are in a Sunday roast?
A standard Sunday roast plate, beef with roast potatoes, a Yorkshire pudding, vegetables and gravy, comes to about 650 kcal. The number moves less than you would think for the meat and more than you would think for the potatoes: doing them in goose fat instead of oil adds about 85 kcal a portion on its own.
The plate, as served
Three slices of roast beef, four roast potatoes, one Yorkshire pudding, a serving of veg and two tablespoons of gravy.
Where the calories come from
| Nutrient | Grams | Calories | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Protein | 43g | 172 | 27% |
| Carbs | 56g | 224 | 35% |
| Fat | 28g | 252 | 39% |
| 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
| Roast beef, slicedThree slices, about 120 g | 250 kcal |
| Roast potatoes, in oilFour pieces, about 150 g | 220 kcal |
| Yorkshire puddingOne medium, about 40 g | 90 kcal |
| Mixed vegetables, boiledA serving, about 120 g | 55 kcal |
| GravyTwo tablespoons, about 60 g | 35 kcal |
The same dish, several ways
This is where the calories actually move. Not the ingredient, the cooking.
- The full pub version965+315
Stuffing, a second Yorkshire, and the potatoes in goose fat. This is what a carvery plate actually looks like.
- Potatoes done in goose fat735+85
The single biggest swing on the plate, and the one nobody counts.
- Roast chicken instead of beef700+50
Swapping the meat is the change people reach for first. It is worth less than the potatoes.
- Three slices of roast beef, four roast potatoes, one Yorkshire pudding, a serving of veg and two tablespoons of gravy.As served650
- Boiled potatoes, no Yorkshire495-155
Same meat, same veg, same gravy. Only the starches change.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Roast beef, sliced | Three slices, about 120 gRoasted topside, some visible fat. | 250 |
| Roast potatoes, in oil | Four pieces, about 150 gRoasted in about a tablespoon of vegetable oil across the tray. | 220 |
| Yorkshire pudding | One medium, about 40 gBaked in oil or dripping. | 90 |
| Mixed vegetables, boiled | A serving, about 120 gBoiled or steamed, no butter. | 55 |
| Gravy | Two tablespoons, about 60 gMade from granules. Made from the roasting-tin fat, roughly double. | 35 |
| Total | 650 | |
Sources: USDA FoodData Central. 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 500 to 1200 kcal quoted for this
Home plates sit at the lower end and carvery plates at the upper. The gap is almost entirely potatoes, Yorkshires and what the potatoes were roasted in, rather than the meat everyone worries about.
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 a Sunday roast?
- A standard home plate of beef, roast potatoes, one Yorkshire pudding, vegetables and gravy is about 650 kcal. A full carvery plate with stuffing, two Yorkshires and goose-fat potatoes is about 965.
- What is the highest calorie part of a roast dinner?
- The potatoes, by a distance, and specifically what they were roasted in. Four roast potatoes done in oil are about 220 kcal; the same four in goose fat are about 305. Most people assume it is the meat.
- Is a Sunday roast healthy?
- It is meat, potatoes and vegetables, which is a better-built plate than most takeaways. Whether it fits your day is a question about the size of the plate rather than the food on it.
- How do I make a roast dinner lower in calories without ruining it?
- Change the starch, not the meat. Boiled potatoes instead of roast saves about 65 kcal, and leaving the Yorkshire saves another 90. The beef and the gravy are not where the calories are, and they are usually the parts you would miss.
- Can I eat a Sunday roast and still lose weight?
- Yes. A 650 kcal plate is around a third of a typical day. It is one meal on one day of the week, and treating it as something to earn or repent for is how people end up quitting a diet over a roast dinner.
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