Dals and legume curries
Calories in Dal Palak
One bowl of dal palak has about 213 kcal, with 8.3 g of protein, 19.2 g of carbohydrate and 11.1 g of fat. The Indian Nutrient Databank recipe is toor dal with spinach: 30 g of raw arhar dal, 50 g of spinach and 10 g of ghee in one bowl. With less ghee the same bowl is a good deal lighter.
Nutrition in 1 bowl of dal palak
| Nutrient | 1 bowl of dal palak | 2 bowls of dal palak |
|---|---|---|
| Energy | 213 kcal | 426 kcal |
| Protein | 8.3 g | 16.6 g |
| Carbohydrate (available) | 19.2 g | 38.4 g |
| Total fat | 11.1 g | 22.2 g |
| Dietary fibre | 5.2 g | 10.4 g |
| Sugars | 0.9 g | 1.8 g |
Of this energy, about 37% comes from carbohydrate, 48% from fat and 16% from protein.
1 bowl of dal palak is about 10% of the daily energy requirement of a sedentary adult man and 13% 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
Dal palak here means arhar (toor) dal cooked with spinach and tempered in ghee. The recipe behind the figure is short: 30 g of raw toor dal, 50 g of spinach and 10 g of ghee for one bowl, plus spices and salt. Since a teaspoon of ghee weighs about 5 g, that is a generous tadka for a single helping. The dal and spinach are an ordinary home quantity. Among the 20 dals and pulse curries in this set the bowl ranks 14, counting from the lightest.
Fat provides 48% of the energy, carbohydrate 37% and protein 16%. Toor dal has hardly any fat and spinach has none to speak of, so the 11.1 g of fat is the ghee, and largely saturated. The spinach matters for other reasons. It adds volume, and it brings some calcium and iron while costing almost nothing in calories. In other words, the palak makes this dal better and the ghee makes it heavier.
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 dal palak |
|---|---|---|
| Toor dal (arhar) | 30 g | 30 g |
| Spinach | 50 g | 50 g |
| Ghee | 10 g | 10 g |
What changes the number
- 01
Ghee in the tadka
The recipe uses 10 g of ghee in each bowl, and one teaspoon of ghee is about 5 g and 45 kcal. Tempering with a single teaspoon would take a large piece out of the fat. Adding one more teaspoon on top brings the bowl to about 258 kcal.
- 02
How much spinach
Spinach wilts to very little and adds scarcely any energy, so doubling the palak changes the look and the nutrients of the bowl, not the calories. Methi, bathua or amaranth leaves work the same way.
- 03
Dal to water
The 30 g of toor dal sets the base. A thin dal palak served over rice puts less dal in each katori; a thick one scooped with roti puts more. Judge by the dry dal that went into the pot and how many people it served.
- 04
Garlic, onion and tomato
A masala of onion, tomato and garlic changes the flavour but hardly the total, provided it is cooked in the fat already counted. A fresh spoon of ghee or butter for the garlic is where extra calories slip in.
How dal palak 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
A bowl of dal palak is about 10% of a sedentary man's daily energy requirement and 13% of a woman's. Two bowls come to 426 kcal and 16.6 g of protein. It covers two jobs on a plate, the dal and a green vegetable, and it brings 5.2 g of fibre. With rice or roti, the pulse and the grain make the meal's protein more complete. A squeeze of lemon over the bowl is worth the habit, because vitamin C helps the body absorb iron from plant foods.
Ways to keep it lighter
- Temper the dal with one teaspoon of ghee, or use oil, instead of the 10 g in the reference recipe.
- Double the spinach; the bowl grows and the calories barely move.
- Add the greens in the last few minutes so they keep their colour and more of their vitamins.
- Finish with lemon juice and roasted cumin in place of a second spoon of ghee.
Before you rely on the number
Two cautions come with this bowl. The ghee makes its fat largely saturated, and the recipe is salted as well. Spinach is also high in oxalate, which limits how much of its calcium and iron the body takes up. People who form kidney stones, or who have been told to limit salt or saturated fat, should ask their doctor or dietitian how often dal palak suits them.
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.
Dal Palak: common questions
How much protein is in a bowl of dal palak?
About 8.3 g, almost all from the 30 g of toor dal; spinach adds only a little. Two bowls give 16.6 g. Protein is 16% of the energy in this recipe, a share that rises if the ghee is reduced.
How many calories are in 2 bowls of dal palak?
About 426 kcal, with 16.6 g of protein, 38.4 g of carbohydrate and 22.2 g of fat, for two bowls like the reference one. Three bowls reach 639 kcal, and half a bowl is about 106 kcal.
Is dal palak good for weight loss?
The dal and the spinach are well suited to it: protein, fibre and a lot of volume. The ghee is what makes this version 213 kcal, with 48% of the energy from fat. Made with a teaspoon of fat it is a light, filling dish. Weight still follows the total eaten across the day.
Does dal palak have a lot of iron?
It has some, from the toor dal and the spinach together, though no iron figure is given on this page. Plant iron is absorbed less readily than iron from meat, and spinach's oxalate holds some of it back, so pair the dish with lemon, tomato or another source of vitamin C.
The recipe, the ingredients and related reading
Red gram (toor or arhar): nutrition per 100 g
Nutrients per 100 g, from IFCT 2017.
Spinach: 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 Dal Has the Most Protein? Raw, Cooked and per Katori
The portion-by-portion answer, in the NNWA journal.
Is Ghee Good for You? Cholesterol, Heart Health and Weight Loss
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.