Vegetables and mushrooms · IFCT 2017
Bottle gourd (lauki): nutrition per 100 g
Per 100 g, raw bottle gourd gives only 11 kcal, 0.5 g protein, 1.7 g carbohydrate and 2.1 g fibre, according to IFCT 2017. It is 95.2 g water and has the lowest energy value of any food in the tables. Its most useful nutrient is folate, 42 micrograms per 100 g. Lauki is mild, cheap and endlessly adaptable, but a bitter-tasting lauki should never be eaten or juiced.
About bottle gourd (lauki)
Bottle gourd, Lagenaria vulgaris, is the long or round pale green gourd that hangs from vines over rooftops and fences across India. It is lauki or ghiya in the north, dudhi in Gujarat and Maharashtra, lau in Bengal, Assam and Odisha, sorakaya in Andhra, sorekai in Karnataka, suraikkai in Tamil Nadu and cheranga in Kerala. IFCT 2017 records names in 17 languages and analyses three types: long pale green, on this page, at 11 kcal per 100 g; round pale green at 14 kcal; and long dark green at 13 kcal, with a little more iron and calcium.
Its soft, faintly sweet flesh soaks up whatever it is cooked with. North India makes lauki chana dal, lauki kofta, lauki raita and even lauki halwa. Gujarat grates it into handvo batter and dudhi thepla. Bengal cooks lau ghonto and lau chingri with prawns, and the south makes sorakaya pappu, suraikkai kootu and mor kuzhambu.
What bottle gourd (lauki) brings to a meal
- 01
The lightest vegetable in the set
At 11 kcal per 100 g, bottle gourd sits at the very bottom of IFCT 2017 for energy, with just 0.1 g fat. It adds bulk and moisture to dals and kofta without adding much energy.
- 02
Folate is the standout
Lauki carries 42 micrograms of folate per 100 g, ranking 79th of 197 foods and 16th of 39 vegetables. For a woman, that is 19 per cent of the daily requirement in a single 100 g of gourd.
- 03
Mostly water, low in minerals
With 95.2 g water per 100 g, lauki is low in most minerals: 15 mg calcium, 0.26 mg iron and 124 mg potassium. Its protein, 0.5 g, ranks 38th of 39 vegetables.
- 04
Naturally low in sodium
Bottle gourd has just 1 mg sodium per 100 g, so a lauki dish is only as salty as the cook makes it. That suits people on a salt-restricted diet.
Bottle gourd (lauki) nutrition facts per 100 g
Every value IFCT 2017 reports for the edible portion, with the share of an adult's daily need that 100 g covers where ICMR-NIN sets a requirement.
| Nutrient | Per 100 g | Adult man | Adult woman |
|---|---|---|---|
| Energy and macronutrients | |||
| Energy | 11 kcal | 1% | 1% |
| Protein | 0.5 g | 1% | 1% |
| Carbohydrate (available) | 1.7 g | ||
| Dietary fibre | 2.1 g | ||
| Free sugars | 0.4 g | ||
| Total fat | 0.1 g | ||
| Water | 95.2 g | ||
| Fats | |||
| Saturated fat | 0.04 g | ||
| Monounsaturated fat | 0 g | ||
| Polyunsaturated fat | 0.06 g | ||
| Omega-3 (alpha-linolenic acid) | 25 mg | ||
| Cholesterol | 0 mg | ||
| Minerals | |||
| Calcium | 15 mg | 2% | 2% |
| Iron | 0.26 mg | 1% | 1% |
| Zinc | 0.15 mg | 1% | 1% |
| Magnesium | 11 mg | 3% | 3% |
| Phosphorus | 16 mg | ||
| Potassium | 124 mg | ||
| Sodium | 1 mg | ||
| Copper | 0.05 mg | ||
| Selenium | 1.8 µg | ||
| Vitamins | |||
| Vitamin C | 4.3 mg | 5% | 7% |
| Beta-carotene | 44 µg | ||
| Thiamine (B1) | 0.03 mg | 2% | 2% |
| Riboflavin (B2) | 0.01 mg | 0% | 0% |
| Niacin (B3) | 0.14 mg | 1% | 1% |
| Vitamin B6 | 0.02 mg | 1% | 1% |
| Folate (B9) | 42 µg | 14% | 19% |
| Vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol) | 0.01 mg | ||
| Vitamin K1 | 2.1 µg | ||
Values per 100 g of the edible portion. Source: Longvah T, Ananthan R, Bhaskarachary K, Venkaiah K. Indian Food Composition Tables 2017. National Institute of Nutrition, Indian Council of Medical Research, Hyderabad. Daily-need shares use the ICMR-NIN 2020 recommended dietary allowances for a 65 kg man and a 55 kg woman doing sedentary work (ICMR-NIN brief note). Nutrients IFCT did not analyse for this food are left out rather than shown as zero.
Cite this page
NNWA Nutrition and Wellness Academy. Bottle gourd (lauki): nutrition per 100 g. Data: Indian Food Composition Tables 2017, ICMR-National Institute of Nutrition. https://nnwa.in/foods/vegetables/bottle-gourd-lauki/
Where bottle gourd (lauki) sits among Indian foods
Ranked per 100 g against the other 38 vegetables and mushrooms and every food in the tables.
| Nutrient | Per 100 g | In vegetables and mushrooms | Among all foods |
|---|---|---|---|
| Folate (B9) | 42 µg | 16th of 39 | 78th of 197 |
| Beta-carotene | 44 µg | 20th of 31 | 79th of 160 |
| Vitamin C | 4.3 mg | 33rd of 36 | 113th of 130 |
| Omega-3 (alpha-linolenic acid) | 25 mg | 23rd of 36 | 150th of 202 |
| Dietary fibre | 2.1 g | 30th of 39 | 153rd of 182 |
Every form of bottle gourd (lauki) in IFCT 2017
The tables analyse these separately. The figures above are for the row marked first.
| Form | Energy | Protein | Fibre | Iron | Calcium |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bottle gourd, elongate, pale green (shown above) | 11 kcal | 0.5 g | 2.1 g | 0.26 mg | 15 mg |
| Round, pale green | 14 kcal | 0.4 g | 2.1 g | 0.28 mg | 15 mg |
| Elongate, dark green | 13 kcal | 0.5 g | 2.1 g | 0.34 mg | 17 mg |
How bottle gourd (lauki) is eaten
- Lauki chana dal: cubes of bottle gourd cooked with chana dal, tomato and a cumin and hing tadka.
- Lauki kofta: grated gourd bound with besan, fried or baked, and simmered in an onion and tomato gravy.
- Handvo and dudhi thepla in Gujarat: grated lauki mixed into a fermented rice and lentil batter or a spiced wheat dough.
- Lau ghonto in Bengal: lauki cooked with moong dal, ginger and a little milk, or with small prawns as lau chingri.
- Suraikkai kootu in Tamil Nadu: lauki with moong dal and a coconut and cumin paste.
Recipes in the NNWA database that use it
Cooked dishes that use it, with calories per serving
Before you plan around it
Bottle gourd occasionally contains high levels of cucurbitacins, natural compounds that make it taste bitter. A bitter lauki can cause severe vomiting, diarrhoea and, rarely, dangerous illness, especially when drunk as raw juice. Always taste a small piece of raw lauki before cooking or juicing it, and discard the whole gourd if it is bitter. Do not mix lauki juice with other bitter juices such as karela. For people on potassium restriction, lauki is one of the lower-potassium vegetables.
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.
What people ask about bottle gourd (lauki)
Is lauki juice safe?
Fresh lauki juice made from a sweet-tasting gourd is generally safe in moderate amounts. A bitter gourd, though, can contain toxic levels of cucurbitacins and has caused serious illness. Taste a raw piece first and throw away any lauki that tastes bitter. Never add other bitter vegetables to the juice.
Is lauki good for weight loss?
Lauki is the lowest-energy food in IFCT 2017, at 11 kcal per 100 g, and it is 95.2 g water, so it adds volume to meals with very few calories. Cooked in dal or as a sabzi with little oil, it is a sensible choice for anyone watching their weight.
Is bottle gourd good for health?
It is light, easy to digest and low in sodium, with 42 micrograms of folate per 100 g. It is not rich in protein or minerals, so it works best alongside dal, curd or greens rather than as a meal on its own.
Which bottle gourd type is best to buy?
IFCT 2017 shows little difference between the three types. Choose a gourd that is firm, glossy and heavy for its size, with smooth skin you can dent with a fingernail. Very large, hard-skinned gourds are older and seedier.
Related foods and tables
Ash gourd (petha)
Nutrition per 100 g, from IFCT 2017.
Ridge gourd (turai)
Nutrition per 100 g, from IFCT 2017.
Snake gourd
Nutrition per 100 g, from IFCT 2017.
Tinda (round gourd)
Nutrition per 100 g, from IFCT 2017.
Bengal gram (chana)
Nutrition per 100 g, from IFCT 2017.
Folate (vitamin B9) content of Indian foods
Every food in the tables, ranked by folate (vitamin b9) per 100 g.
Beta-carotene content of Indian foods
Every food in the tables, ranked by beta-carotene per 100 g.
Vitamin C content of Indian foods
Every food in the tables, ranked by vitamin c per 100 g.
All vegetables and mushrooms
39 foods in this group, compared.
Learn to use this data
Certification in Nutrition
Reading food composition tables and turning them into meal plans is taught in this NNWA course.