Pakora calories: 1 pakora, a takeaway portion and 100 g
Also called onion bhaji, bhajia, pakoda and onion pakora.
By Shivam Verma Updated 9 sources linked below
One onion pakora or bhaji made at home, 45 g, has about 93 calories, 2.5 g of protein and 5.7 g of fat, or 206 per 100 g. A takeaway bhaji fried to take up more oil is 119, and a 145 g takeaway portion about 361. A mixed vegetable pakora is 96.
93calories
Protein
2.5 g
Carbs
8.1 g
Fat
5.7 g
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About pakora
A pakora is sliced vegetables bound in a thick batter of besan, gram flour, and deep fried until crisp. The onion one is the classic, and in Britain it is sold as an onion bhaji, usually larger and rounder, the starter on almost every takeaway menu. Our home pakora is 10 g of besan, 25 g of onion and a little water, fried until the batter has taken up 5 g of oil and given up 3 g of water as steam. Besan is chickpea flour, so the batter brings real protein; the oil brings most of the rest.
Home vs takeout
All three are a single fritter. The home onion pakora takes up 5 g of oil; the takeaway bhaji is the same batter fried to take up 8 g; the mixed pakora swaps half the onion for potato and a little spinach.
| Version | 1 pakora | Protein, 1 pakora |
|---|---|---|
| Onion pakora, homeHeadlineBesan and onion, fried at home. | 93 | 2.5 g |
| Onion bhaji, UK takeaway styleThe same batter, more oil taken up. | 119 | 2.5 g |
| Mixed vegetable pakoraPotato, onion and spinach. | 96 | 2.7 g |
The oil a pakora drinks
Frying is where a pakora's calories come from. The 5 g of oil a home pakora takes up is 44 calories, 48 percent of the fritter. A takeaway bhaji, fried to take up 8 g, carries 71 calories of oil, 59 percent of its 119, and 8.7 g of fat. The batter and the onion are the same in both; the extra 26 calories are oil.
Gram for gram that is 206 calories per 100 g at home and 249 from the takeaway. At the same 145 g, a portion of home pakoras would be 299. The oil a batter takes up depends on how hot the oil is, how long the fritter stays in and how thick the batter is, so these are our stated amounts, not a measurement of any one kitchen.
safefood measured real takeaway onion bhajis in a laboratory: the average portion was 145 g and 429 calories, with 24.3 g of fat and 4.3 g of it saturated, 296 calories per 100 g. Our takeaway recipe at the same weight is 361, 16 percent below their figure, yet with more fat, 26.3 g against their 24.3 g. Their bhajis carried their extra energy in something other than oil, which points to more batter and less onion and water in each one.[8]
safefood's laboratory analysis of Indian takeaways in Ireland and Northern Ireland measured the average onion bhaji portion at 145 g and 429 calories, with 24.3 g of fat. Our recipe scaled to the same weight comes to 361 calories and 26.3 g of fat.
| Onion bhaji, 145 g | Calories | Fat |
|---|---|---|
| Our recipe (onion bhaji, uk takeaway style), scaled to the same weight | 361 | 26.3 g |
| safefood laboratory analysis, mean takeaway portion | 429 | 24.3 g |
safefood's figure is an outside measurement of real takeaways, not built from our recipe.
Batter, onion and oil
In the home pakora the besan brings 42 percent of the calories, the onion 11 percent and the frying oil 47 percent. Onion is mostly water, so it adds bulk and sweetness for little energy. The besan is the part worth having: 2.2 g of the pakora's 2.5 g of protein.
A mixed vegetable pakora, with potato, onion and spinach in the same batter, comes to 96 calories, 2.7 g of protein and 1.6 g of fibre, close to the onion one, because the batter and the oil are the same.
Pakora against samosa
Both are fried snacks with a chai, but they are not the same size. One home pakora is 93 calories; one medium samosa, 90 g, is 261. Three pakoras come to 279. Per 100 g the pakora is the lighter of the two, 206 against 290, because a samosa carries more oil for its weight: the oil rubbed into its pastry and cooked into its filling as well as what the fryer leaves. At a takeaway the other starter on the table is the poppadom, 76 calories for a fried one.
| Dish | Serving | Calories | Protein | Fat |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Samosa | 1 medium samosa (90 g) | 261 | 3.8 g | 15.3 g |
| Pani puri | 1 plate (6 puris, 197 g) | 270 | 6.1 g | 9.8 g |
| Poha | 1 plate (140 g) | 270 | 5.6 g | 10.2 g |
| Upma | 1 katori (150 g) | 235 | 6.6 g | 6.6 g |
| Chole bhature | 1 plate (2 bhature, 1 katori chole, 302 g) | 762 | 18.7 g | 32.0 g |
One serving of each, from its stated recipe. The servings differ, so compare a dish with its own serving before comparing two dishes.
Against USDA's survey record
USDA's survey record for pakora is 125 calories per 100 g; ours is 65 percent above it. It weighs one pakora at 12 g and a serving at 48 g. The record is a different build: vegetables in a much wetter batter, with about 3.4 g of oil in every 100 g of its recipe against 11.1 g in ours, so it is far lighter per gram than a crisp fried fritter.[7]
Is pakora healthy?
On its own numbers one home pakora is a small fried snack: 5.7 g of fat, 0.9 g of it saturated, 2.5 g of protein, 2.7 g per 100 calories, and 1.5 g of fibre. The count is what moves it: a plate of three, or a takeaway portion of 145 g at 361, is a meal's worth of fried food.
One pakora of pakora carries 2.5 g of protein and 5.7 g of fat, 0.9 g of it saturated: 2.7 g of protein for every 100 calories. The ghee page sets the NHS and American Heart Association limits for saturated fat side by side.
What studies of fried food found
In one pakora of pakora, the oil soaked up in the fryer is 5.0 g, 44 of the 93 calories. A meta-analysis of observational studies compared people who ate the most fried food with those who ate the least: across 17 studies, the highest intake was associated with a relative risk of 1.28 for major cardiovascular events, from 1.15 to 1.43. It found no clear link with dying of cardiovascular disease or of any cause.[9]
The authors themselves ask readers to weigh the high heterogeneity between studies, 82 percent, and possible recall and misclassification biases in how fried food was reported. These are observational studies: they show an association, not that fried food causes heart disease, and they say nothing about a single plate.
Related guide: Indian Takeaway Calories: The UK Lab Figures
How we calculated this
Every number on this page is for 1 pakora (45 g), worked out from the recipe below. Piece and 100 g figures are scaled from it.
- Besan (gram flour)10 g
- Onion, sliced25 g
- Water, in the batter8 g
- Chilli, ajwain, coriander, salttrace
- Oil absorbed in frying5 g
- Water lost in frying3 g lost
One home onion pakora of 45 g: besan, onion and water, with the oil absorbed in frying as its own line and the water lost to steam as another.
USDA FoodData Central SR Legacy for every ingredient, with USDA's survey record for pakora as a cross-check and safefood's laboratory analysis of takeaway onion bhajis as an outside figure.
Confidence: medium
Sources
- USDA FoodData Central 174288: Chickpea flour (besan)
- USDA FoodData Central 170000: Onions, raw
- USDA FoodData Central 170923: Spices, cumin seed
- USDA FoodData Central 171411: Oil, soybean, salad or cooking
- USDA FoodData Central 170026: Potatoes, flesh and skin, raw
- USDA FoodData Central 168462: Spinach, raw
- USDA FoodData Central 2710066: Pakora
- safefood. What's in your Indian takeaway? Laboratory analysis of 280 takeaway samples from 36 outlets, September 2015.
- Qin P, Zhang M, Han M, et al. Fried-food consumption and risk of cardiovascular disease and all-cause mortality: a meta-analysis of observational studies. Heart, 2021;107(19):1567-1575.
Common questions
How many calories in 1 pakora?
About 93 for a home onion pakora of 45 g, with 2.5 g of protein and 5.7 g of fat.
How many calories in an onion bhaji?
About 119 for one takeaway style bhaji of 48 g, and 93 made at home with less oil.
How many calories in a takeaway portion of onion bhajis?
About 361 for a 145 g portion on our takeaway recipe. safefood's laboratory measured 429 for the same average portion.
How much oil does a pakora absorb?
We count 5 g for a home pakora, 44 calories, and 8 g for a takeaway bhaji.
Are pakoras healthy?
One home pakora is 93 calories with 5.7 g of fat, and the besan gives it 2.5 g of protein. It is fried, and a portion of several adds up quickly.
How many calories in a mixed vegetable pakora?
About 96, with 1.6 g of fibre: the batter and oil are the same as the onion one.
Is a pakora lighter than a samosa?
Per piece and per gram, yes in our recipes: 93 against 261 a piece, and 206 against 290 per 100 g.
How many calories in 100 g of pakora?
206 for home onion pakoras and 249 for the takeaway style.
These figures are estimates from stated recipes, for general information. They are not medical or dietary advice. If you manage a health condition, check with a registered dietitian or your doctor.
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