Dals and legume curries
Calories in Chole
One bowl of chole has about 196 kcal, with 7.3 g of protein, 24 g of carbohydrate and 8.2 g of fat. The Indian Nutrient Databank recipe is a home-style chickpea curry: 30 g of raw white chana with tomato, onion and one and a half teaspoons of oil. Street-style chole and anything eaten with bhature come to more.
Nutrition in 1 bowl of chole
| Nutrient | 1 bowl of chole | 2 bowls of chole |
|---|---|---|
| Energy | 196 kcal | 392 kcal |
| Protein | 7.3 g | 14.6 g |
| Carbohydrate (available) | 24 g | 48 g |
| Total fat | 8.2 g | 16.4 g |
| Dietary fibre | 5.7 g | 11.4 g |
| Sugars | 5.7 g | 11.4 g |
Of this energy, about 48% comes from carbohydrate, 37% from fat and 15% from protein.
1 bowl of chole is about 9% of the daily energy requirement of a sedentary adult man and 12% 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 recipe behind the number is a plain household chole, not the dark, oily version sold with bhature. One bowl uses 30 g of raw white chana (kabuli chana), 50 g of tomato, 25 g of onion and one and a half teaspoons of oil. That quantity of dry chickpeas cooks into a small katori of curry. A plate at a chole bhature stall typically gives more chickpeas, more oil and a thicker masala, so it will sit above this figure. In this set of 20 dals and pulse curries the bowl ranks tenth from the lightest, level with soyabean curry at 196 kcal.
Carbohydrate is the main source of energy at 48%, followed by fat at 37% and protein at 15%. Chickpeas are starchier than most dals, which is why the carbohydrate, 24 g, runs higher than in a bowl of moong or sabut masoor. The 8.2 g of fat comes partly from the chickpeas, which hold a little more fat than other pulses, and mostly from the cooking oil. The bowl also carries 5.7 g of fibre.
What goes into one serving
The recipe INDB analysed makes 1 bowl. These are its main ingredients; spices, salt and water are left out.
What changes the number
- 01
Oil and the style of masala
The home recipe uses one and a half teaspoons of oil in a bowl. Pindi or Amritsari chole made for sale is cooked with much more, and often finished with a ladle of hot oil or ghee. Each added teaspoon of oil is about 44 kcal; a teaspoon of ghee on this bowl makes it about 241 kcal.
- 02
Bhature, kulche or roti
Chole is rarely the heavy part of chole bhature. A bhatura is refined flour deep-fried in oil, and it is not in the 196 kcal. The same chole with roti, kulcha or rice makes a very different meal.
- 03
Chickpeas to gravy
A bowl thick with chickpeas has more energy than a bowl that is mostly gravy. The reference bowl holds 30 g of dry chana. Two such bowls come to 392 kcal, and half a bowl to about 98 kcal.
- 04
Potato, paneer and souring agents
Aloo chole adds starch from the potato, and paneer chole adds fat and protein. Dried amla or tea used to darken the chickpeas, and anardana or amchur for sourness, change the colour and taste without changing the calories.
How chole 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) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rasam | 1 bowl of rasam | 104 | 4.4 |
| Moong Dal | 1 bowl of moong dal | 139 | 7.4 |
| Kala Chana Curry | 1 bowl of kala chana curry | 169 | 6.8 |
| Rajma | 1 bowl of rajma | 172 | 7.1 |
| Lobia Curry | 1 bowl of lobia curry | 179 | 7.3 |
| Urad Dal | 1 bowl of urad dal | 182 | 7.4 |
| Mixed Dal | 1 bowl of mixed dal | 184 | 7.5 |
| Sabut Moong Dal | 1 bowl of sabut moong dal | 184 | 7.7 |
| Sabut Masoor Dal | 1 bowl of sabut masoor dal | 185 | 7.8 |
| Chole | 1 bowl of chole | 196 | 7.3 |
| Soyabean Curry | 1 bowl of soyabean curry | 196 | 12.5 |
| Kulthi Dal | 1 bowl of kulthi dal | 201 | 10.5 |
| Lauki Chana Dal | 1 bowl of lauki chana dal | 204 | 7.8 |
| Dal Palak | 1 bowl of dal palak | 213 | 8.3 |
| Dal Dhokli | 1 bowl of dal dhokli | 231 | 10 |
| Sambar | 1 bowl of sambar | 249 | 8.6 |
| Dal Makhani | 1 bowl of dal makhani | 262 | 11.7 |
| Chana Dal | 1 bowl of chana dal | 291 | 12.1 |
| Dalma | 1 bowl of dalma | 314 | 12.9 |
| Panchmel Dal | 1 bowl of panchmel dal | 335 | 13.9 |
In a meal and in a day
One bowl of chole is about 9% of a sedentary man's daily energy requirement and 12% of a woman's. Two bowls come to 392 kcal and 14.6 g of protein, three to 588 kcal and 21.9 g. With 7.3 g of protein a bowl, chole is a fair protein source but not a concentrated one, and roti or rice with it makes the meal's protein more complete. Paired with two rotis and a salad it is an everyday lunch. Paired with bhature it is an occasional one, because of the frying, not the chickpeas.
Ways to keep it lighter
- Eat chole with roti, plain kulcha or rice and keep bhature for now and then.
- Cook the masala in a measured teaspoon of oil and skip the tempering of ghee at the end.
- Serve it as a chaat with chopped onion, tomato, cucumber and lemon for a filling snack.
- Thicken the gravy by mashing some of the chickpeas, not by frying extra onion in more oil.
Before you rely on the number
The home recipe is salted in the ordinary way, and stall-made chole with pickled onions and chutney is usually saltier. Chickpeas are also well known for causing gas; long soaking, discarding the soaking water and thorough cooking reduce it. Anyone who has been told to limit salt for high blood pressure, or pulses for a kidney condition, should check the chole portion with their doctor or dietitian.
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.
Chole: common questions
How many calories are in chole bhature?
This data covers only the chole: about 196 kcal for a home-style bowl. Bhature are deep-fried and are not included, and no figure for them is given here. As a rule the bhature and the oil in stall-style chole contribute most of the plate's energy, so the total is far above the chole alone.
How much protein is in a bowl of chole?
About 7.3 g from 30 g of raw white chana, and 14.6 g in two bowls. Protein supplies 15% of the bowl's energy, a modest share, because chickpeas are starchy and the curry includes oil.
Is chole good for weight loss?
A home-style bowl can be: 196 kcal with 5.7 g of fibre and 7.3 g of protein, and chickpeas are satisfying. The problem dishes are the fried bread and the oil-rich versions. Body weight responds to total intake over time, so chole with roti and salad is the easier form to fit in.
Which has more calories, chole or rajma?
Chole, slightly, in this data: 196 kcal a bowl against 172 kcal for rajma, with 7.3 g and 7.1 g of protein. Both recipes use the same weight of pulse and the same oil, so the gap reflects the chickpeas themselves, which are a little higher in fat and starch.
The recipe, the ingredients and related reading
Chole (Punjabi Chickpea Curry)
The recipe on this site, step by step.
Tomato: nutrition per 100 g
Nutrients per 100 g, from IFCT 2017.
Onion: nutrition per 100 g
Nutrients per 100 g, from IFCT 2017.
Which Dal Has the Most Protein? Raw, Cooked and per Katori
The portion-by-portion answer, in the NNWA journal.
Vegetarian Protein Sources in India: Full Food List
The portion-by-portion answer, in the NNWA journal.
The North Indian diet: what it gets right, and where it needs work
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.