Vegetable and paneer dishes
Calories in Aloo Methi
One bowl of aloo methi has about 276 kcal, with 4.6 g of protein, 17.3 g of carbohydrate and 20.5 g of fat. The Indian Nutrient Databank works this out from a recipe of 100 g of potato, 75 g of fenugreek leaves and 1.5 tablespoons of oil for a single bowl. Most of that energy is the oil.
Nutrition in 1 bowl of aloo methi
| Nutrient | 1 bowl of aloo methi | 2 bowls of aloo methi |
|---|---|---|
| Energy | 276 kcal | 552 kcal |
| Protein | 4.6 g | 9.2 g |
| Carbohydrate (available) | 17.3 g | 34.6 g |
| Total fat | 20.5 g | 41 g |
| Dietary fibre | 6 g | 12 g |
| Sugars | 1.1 g | 2.2 g |
Of this energy, about 25% comes from carbohydrate, 68% from fat and 7% from protein.
1 bowl of aloo methi is about 13% of the daily energy requirement of a sedentary adult man and 17% of a sedentary adult woman's (ICMR-NIN, 2020).
These figures are from the Indian Nutrient Databank (INDB), which calculates each dish from a standard recipe using Indian food composition data. They describe that recipe and that serving: a larger portion, or more oil, ghee or sugar, gives more. Source: Vijayakumar A, Dubasi HB, Awasthi A, Jaacks LM. Development of an Indian Food Composition Database. Current Developments in Nutrition. 2024;8(7):103790 (Indian Nutrient Databank, INDB).
What this figure covers
The number belongs to one standard recipe: 100 g of potato and 75 g of fresh methi leaves cooked in 1.5 tablespoons of oil, all of it counted as one bowl. That is a full serving of dry sabzi, with a good heap of leaves that wilts down to very little. A katori at home may hold less than this, and a cook who uses less oil than the recipe does will put a lighter bowl on the table than 276 kcal. A version fried until the potato is crisp may use as much oil or more.
Fat provides 68% of the energy here, carbohydrate 25% and protein 7%. The recipe uses more oil than any other potato sabzi in this comparison, which is why aloo methi lands at 276 kcal while aloo ki sabzi, made with the same weight of potato, is 181 kcal. The methi leaves themselves add almost no energy. The bowl has 6 g of fibre, most of which the leaves bring along with some iron and calcium, and the potato supplies the starch. The leaves are light, the potato is moderate and the oil decides the total.
What goes into one serving
The recipe INDB analysed makes 1 bowl. These are its main ingredients; spices, salt and water are left out.
| Ingredient | In the recipe | In 1 bowl of aloo methi |
|---|---|---|
| Fenugreek leaves (methi) | 75 g | 75 g |
| Potato | 100 g | 100 g |
| Oil | 1.5 tbsp | 1.5 tbsp |
What changes the number
- 01
One and a half tablespoons of oil
This is the figure to look at first. A teaspoon of oil is about 44 kcal, and a cook who adds one more teaspoon than the recipe takes the bowl to 320 kcal. Methi is often fried hard to tame its bitterness, and that is where the oil creeps up.
- 02
Potato against leaves
The recipe has 100 g of potato to 75 g of methi. More potato means more starch and more energy; more leaves add bulk, fibre and bitterness for hardly any energy. A bowl that is mostly leaves with a few potato cubes is the lighter one.
- 03
Fresh leaves or kasuri methi
The recipe counts fresh fenugreek leaves. Aloo made with a pinch of dried kasuri methi for flavour is a different dish: it has the potato and oil but little of the leaf, so less fibre than the figure here.
- 04
Serving size at home
The whole recipe is treated as one bowl of aloo methi. Half of it, which may be nearer to a katori served with dal and roti, is 138 kcal.
How aloo methi compares
Other dishes of the same kind, one serving each, lightest first. Serving sizes differ, so read the serving before the number.
| Dish | One serving | Energy (kcal) | Protein (g) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bharwa Bhindi | 1 bowl of bharwa bhindi | 104 | 2.3 |
| Cabbage Matar | 1 bowl of cabbage matar | 106 | 5.4 |
| Sookhe Aloo | 1 bowl of sookhe aloo | 109 | 1.7 |
| Sarson ka Saag | 1 bowl of sarson ka saag | 124 | 4.3 |
| Aloo ki Sabzi | 1 bowl of aloo ki sabzi | 181 | 3.1 |
| Bhindi Sabzi | 1 bowl of bhindi sabzi | 184 | 3 |
| Soya Chunks Curry | 1 bowl of soya chunks curry | 184 | 6.8 |
| Aloo Gobi | 1 bowl of aloo gobi | 187 | 3.3 |
| Aloo Palak | 1 bowl of aloo palak | 192 | 5.5 |
| Beans Thoran | 1 bowl of beans thoran | 197 | 3.9 |
| Baingan Bharta | 1 bowl of baingan bharta | 212 | 4.5 |
| Masala Arbi | 1 bowl of masala arbi | 215 | 3.5 |
| Dahi Aloo | 1 bowl of dahi aloo | 227 | 5.9 |
| Paneer Butter Masala | 1 bowl of paneer butter masala | 228 | 11 |
| Palak Paneer | 1 bowl of palak paneer | 230 | 11.9 |
| Bharwa Karela | 1 bowl of bharwa karela | 231 | 1.4 |
| Matar Mushroom | 1 bowl of matar mushroom | 259 | 10.7 |
| Aloo Methi | 1 bowl of aloo methi | 276 | 4.6 |
| Aloo Matar | 1 bowl of aloo matar | 280 | 9.7 |
| Kadai Paneer | 1 bowl of kadai paneer | 344 | 13.8 |
| Matar Paneer | 1 bowl of matar paneer | 374 | 18.3 |
| Paneer Tikka | 1 plate of paneer tikka | 412 | 22.4 |
In a meal and in a day
One bowl of aloo methi takes up about 13% of a sedentary man's daily energy requirement and 17% of a woman's. Two bowls are 552 kcal and 41 g of fat, which is a lot of oil for a vegetable side. The bowl is low in protein at 4.6 g, so it needs dal, curd or another protein food next to it. Eaten with rotis, it also stacks potato starch on wheat starch; a smaller helping of aloo methi with a larger helping of dal balances the plate better.
Ways to keep it lighter
- Use 2 teaspoons of oil and cook the potato covered, so it steams in its own moisture before the methi goes in.
- Boil the potato first; it then needs only a short time in the pan with the leaves.
- Increase the methi and reduce the potato to make a bigger bowl for less energy.
- Salt the chopped leaves and squeeze them to cut the bitterness, instead of frying them longer in more oil.
Before you rely on the number
Fenugreek is often talked about for blood sugar, but nothing in these figures supports treating aloo methi as anything other than a potato sabzi cooked in a generous amount of oil: 17.3 g of carbohydrate and 20.5 g of fat in a bowl. Anyone managing diabetes should rely on the plan from their doctor or dietitian, not on the methi.
Food composition is general information, not a diet plan. Anyone managing a medical condition should plan their diet with a doctor or a registered dietitian.
Aloo Methi: common questions
How many calories are in 2 bowls of aloo methi?
Two bowls of this recipe come to about 552 kcal, with 9.2 g of protein, 34.6 g of carbohydrate and 41 g of fat. Three bowls are 828 kcal. If the katori is smaller than the recipe's bowl, or the cook uses less than 1.5 tablespoons of oil, the real figure will be lower.
Is aloo methi good for weight loss?
As this recipe makes it, aloo methi is one of the heavier sabzis: 276 kcal a bowl, ranked 18 of 22 with the lightest first, and 68% of that is fat. Cooked with far less oil and more leaves it becomes a light, high-fibre dish. Either way, body weight follows the full day's intake, so the bowl of aloo methi has to be counted with everything else eaten.
Why does aloo methi have more calories than aloo gobi?
Because of the oil and the potato, not the leaves. This recipe uses 1.5 tablespoons of oil and 100 g of potato, and comes to 276 kcal; aloo gobi is 187 kcal a bowl and aloo palak 192 kcal. Only aloo matar, at 280 kcal, is higher among the potato sabzis.
How much protein is in aloo methi?
About 4.6 g in a bowl, which is 7% of its energy. The methi leaves add a little, but aloo methi is a dish of starch and oil, not of protein. Dahi aloo gives 5.9 g a bowl and aloo matar 9.7 g; beside aloo methi, a katori of dal or curd has to cover the protein of the meal.
The recipe, the ingredients and related reading
Fenugreek leaves (methi): nutrition per 100 g
Nutrients per 100 g, from IFCT 2017.
Potato: nutrition per 100 g
Nutrients per 100 g, from IFCT 2017.
Iron-rich Indian foods, and why eating them is not enough
The portion-by-portion answer, in the NNWA journal.
Which Cooking Oil Is Best in India? Mustard, Groundnut, Rice Bran and More
The portion-by-portion answer, in the NNWA journal.
Indian food calorie chart: household portions, not per 100 g
The portion-by-portion answer, in the NNWA journal.
Indian food calorie counter
Add up a whole plate in rotis, katoris and cups.
Calories in every dish
All the cooked dishes, with calories per serving.
Learn to read a plate
Certification in Nutrition
Estimating what is on a plate and turning it into a meal plan is taught in this NNWA course.