Dals and legume curries
Calories in Urad Dal
One bowl of urad dal has about 182 kcal, with 7.4 g of protein, 17.3 g of carbohydrate and 8.8 g of fat. The Indian Nutrient Databank works this out for washed white urad: 30 g of raw dal cooked with 2 teaspoons of oil. Less oil gives a lighter bowl, and a ghee tadka a heavier one.
Nutrition in 1 bowl of urad dal
| Nutrient | 1 bowl of urad dal | 2 bowls of urad dal |
|---|---|---|
| Energy | 182 kcal | 364 kcal |
| Protein | 7.4 g | 14.8 g |
| Carbohydrate (available) | 17.3 g | 34.6 g |
| Total fat | 8.8 g | 17.6 g |
| Dietary fibre | 4.5 g | 9 g |
| Sugars | 1 g | 2 g |
Of this energy, about 39% comes from carbohydrate, 44% from fat and 17% from protein.
1 bowl of urad dal is about 9% of the daily energy requirement of a sedentary adult man and 11% 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 figure is plain dhuli urad, the white split dal with the black skin removed. One bowl is cooked from 30 g of raw dal, 10 g of onion and 2 teaspoons of oil, with only spices and salt besides. Urad turns thick and slightly sticky as it cooks, so it is usually served as a dense dal with roti, and a full home katori of it can easily hold as much raw dal as the reference bowl or more. It sits sixth from the lightest among the 20 dals and pulse curries in this comparison.
Fat is the largest single source of energy here: 44% of the 182 kcal, against 39% from carbohydrate and 17% from protein. The dal is not the reason. Urad is a lean pulse, and almost all of the 8.8 g of fat is cooking oil. Moong dal made from the same weight of dal with half the oil comes to 139 kcal in the same data, with the same 7.4 g of protein. The lesson of this bowl is that a teaspoon of oil changes a dal more than the choice of pulse does.
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 urad dal |
|---|---|---|
| Black gram (urad) | 30 g | 30 g |
| Onion | 10 g | 10 g |
| Oil | 2 tsp | 2 tsp |
What changes the number
- 01
Two teaspoons of oil
A teaspoon of oil is about 44 kcal, and this recipe uses two for one bowl. Cooking the same urad dal with one teaspoon would take a clear slice off the 182 kcal. Going the other way, a teaspoon of ghee added to the finished bowl brings it to about 227 kcal, and two teaspoons to about 272 kcal.
- 02
How much dal reaches the katori
Urad swells and thickens, so it is rarely served thin. The figure assumes 30 g of raw dal in the bowl. A household that cooks urad dal thick and serves a full katori will usually have more than that in each helping.
- 03
Washed urad or whole urad
This page is about the white, skinned dal. Whole black urad, the base of dal makhani, keeps its skin and is normally cooked with butter and cream; that dish comes to 262 kcal a portion in the same data. Do not use one figure for the other.
- 04
Onion, tomato and garlic
The reference recipe has only 10 g of onion as a masala base. A fuller tadka of onion, tomato, ginger and garlic adds flavour and a little bulk for few calories, provided it is fried in the oil already counted and not in an extra spoonful.
How urad dal 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 urad dal is about 9% of a sedentary man's daily energy requirement and 11% of a woman's. Two bowls come to 364 kcal and 14.8 g of protein, three to 546 kcal and 22.2 g, and by then the oil is doing much of the work: two bowls carry 17.6 g of fat. Urad dal with roti or rice gives a more complete protein than the dal or the grain alone. The bowl has 4.5 g of fibre, so vegetables on the side still matter.
Ways to keep it lighter
- Use one teaspoon of oil for the tadka in place of two; the dal, the protein and the taste of the spices stay.
- Stir in chopped spinach or methi near the end so the bowl gets bigger without more dal or oil.
- Serve a level katori with a salad, since a thick urad dal is easy to over-serve.
- Leave the ghee off the top if the dal has already been tempered in oil.
Before you rely on the number
Salt goes into urad dal as it cooks, and that is before any pickle or papad on the plate. Urad is also one of the pulses many people find heavy or gassy; soaking the dal and cooking it until completely soft, with hing and ginger in the tadka, is the usual kitchen answer. Anyone told to restrict pulses or protein, for instance for kidney disease or raised uric acid, should keep to the urad dal portion their doctor or dietitian has set.
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.
Urad Dal: common questions
How much protein is in a bowl of urad dal?
About 7.4 g in a bowl cooked from 30 g of raw dal. Protein accounts for 17% of the energy, a smaller share than the dal deserves, because the 2 teaspoons of oil dilute it. Cook the same urad with less oil and the protein stays at 7.4 g while the calories fall.
How many calories are in 2 bowls of urad dal?
Roughly 364 kcal, with 14.8 g of protein, 34.6 g of carbohydrate and 17.6 g of fat, when each bowl matches the reference serving. Three bowls reach 546 kcal. Most of that fat is cooking oil, which makes it the easiest part to cut.
Which is lighter, urad dal or moong dal?
In these recipes moong dal is lighter: 139 kcal a bowl against 182 kcal for urad dal, with 7.4 g of protein in each. The difference comes from the oil in the two recipes, not from the pulses, so urad dal cooked with a single teaspoon of oil would land much closer to moong.
Is urad dal good for weight loss?
It can be part of a weight-loss diet, though this version is not the leanest dal on the list. Its protein and fibre help a meal satisfy, while 44% of its energy is oil that can be cut back. What the scale does depends on total intake across the day, including the roti and rice eaten with the urad dal.
The recipe, the ingredients and related reading
Black gram (urad): 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.
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.