Calories in 1 Paratha: Plain, With Ghee, Oil, Butter or Egg

A plain paratha weighing 70 g has about 228 calories, with 4 g of protein, 32 g of carbs and 9 g of fat, based on USDA data. Every teaspoon of ghee, oil or butter you add brings 34 to 41 more calories, so the same paratha cooked with a tablespoon of ghee comes to about 351.

The calories in 1 paratha also depend on its size. A bigger paratha has more of everything, so the tables below go by weight.

Calories in 1 paratha by size

USDA FoodData Central lists a plain paratha at 326 calories per 100 g, with 6.36 g of protein, 45.35 g of carbs and 13.2 g of fat. USDA uses 70 g as the weight of one paratha, and that is the size we use on this page.

To work out your own paratha, multiply its weight in grams by 3.26. For a 70 g paratha, that is 70 × 3.26 = 228 calories.

Paratha weight	Calories	Protein	Carbs	Fat
50 g	163	3 g	23 g	7 g
70 g (USDA’s “1 paratha”)	228	4 g	32 g	9 g
79 g (USDA’s frozen piece)	258	5 g	36 g	10 g
100 g	326	6 g	45 g	13 g
120 g	391	8 g	54 g	16 g

These numbers are for a plain paratha with no stuffing and no extra fat on top. USDA’s data comes from a store-bought frozen whole wheat paratha, so a homemade one can be higher or lower depending on how much ghee or oil goes into the dough. Stuffed parathas, like aloo paratha, are a different food, because the filling adds its own calories.

Calories in 1 paratha with ghee, oil or butter

This is where the number climbs fastest. Ghee and oil are almost pure fat, and butter is about 81% fat, so even a small spoonful adds a lot.

Added fat	1 teaspoon	1 tablespoon
Ghee (desi ghee)	41 calories	123 calories
Cooking oil	40 calories	120 calories
Butter	34 calories	102 calories

How we got these: USDA lists ghee at 876 calories per 100 g, soybean oil at 884 and salted butter at 717. A tablespoon weighs 14 g for ghee, 13.6 g for oil and 14.2 g for butter, and a teaspoon of oil weighs 4.5 g. USDA gives no teaspoon weight for ghee or butter, so we used one third of a tablespoon, about 4.7 g.

Here is what that means for one 70 g paratha:

1 paratha (70 g) plus	Calories	Protein	Carbs	Fat
Nothing (plain)	228	4 g	32 g	9 g
1 tsp ghee	269	4 g	32 g	14 g
1 tbsp ghee	351	4 g	32 g	23 g
1 tsp oil	268	4 g	32 g	14 g
1 tbsp oil	348	4 g	32 g	23 g
1 tsp butter	262	4 g	32 g	13 g
1 tbsp butter	330	5 g	32 g	21 g

A few things people ask about:

• Desi ghee. Desi ghee is clarified butter, the same food as USDA’s “Ghee, clarified butter” entry, so use the ghee row.
• Refined oil. USDA lists soybean oil and canola oil at the same 884 calories per 100 g, so switching between them barely changes the count.
• A pat of butter. A small pat on top (5 g, as USDA measures it) adds about 36 calories.
• Without oil. A paratha already has fat in its dough and layers (13.2 g per 100 g in USDA’s data). Cooked on a dry tawa, it stays at the plain number: about 228 calories for 70 g. If you want fewer calories than that, a roti is the lighter swap (see below).

In calories, ghee and oil are close. In the type of fat, they are not: a tablespoon of ghee has about 8.7 g of saturated fat, against about 2.1 g in a tablespoon of soybean oil.

Paratha with 1 fried egg

A large fried egg (46 g) has about 90 calories, based on USDA’s 196 calories per 100 g. Add it to a plain 70 g paratha and you get:

• About 318 calories (228 + 90)
• About 11 g of protein, 32 g of carbs and 16 g of fat

The egg more than doubles the protein of the meal, from about 4 g to 11 g. A very oily fried egg will be higher, so count any extra spoonfuls of fat too. Having two eggs? That plate comes to about 408 calories (228 + 180). For more on eggs, see calories in 2 eggs.

Paratha roll and frozen parathas

Paratha roll. A roll is a paratha wrapped around a filling, so count the paratha first and then add what goes inside. For example, take a 70 g paratha (228 calories), half a cup of chopped roasted chicken breast (70 g, about 116 calories) and 1 teaspoon of oil (40 calories). Together they come to about 384 calories and 26 g of protein. Sauces such as mayo add more, so count them too.

Frozen parathas. Brands differ in size and recipe, so check the nutrition label on the pack. Look at the serving size in grams and whether one serving means one paratha. As a rough guide, USDA’s frozen whole wheat paratha has 326 calories per 100 g, about 258 for a 79 g piece. If you cook it in oil or ghee, add that on top.

Paratha vs roti

Gram for gram, paratha and roti are not far apart: 326 vs 299 calories per 100 g in USDA data. The real gap comes from size: a paratha usually weighs more than a roti, and it has more fat per gram too. A medium 7-inch roti weighs about 40 g and has about 120 calories and 4 g of fat. A plain 70 g paratha has about 228 calories and 9 g of fat, almost twice the calories. For roti sizes and more, see calories in 1 roti.

How to fit paratha into your day

• Weigh it once. Put one of your usual parathas on a kitchen scale and use the table above. After that, you can judge by eye.
• Measure the fat. Brush on 1 teaspoon of ghee instead of pouring from the jar. That keeps a 70 g paratha near 270 calories instead of about 350.
• Add protein. A fried egg adds about 6 g of protein for 90 calories.
• Look at the whole day. A paratha with a teaspoon of ghee and two fried eggs is about 450 calories, so plan lunch around it. If lunch is biryani, check calories in chicken biryani too.
• Log it. MacroScout is built for desi food like paratha. Snap a photo of your plate (a Pro feature) and adjust the estimate before you save it, or type in the numbers from this page yourself on the free plan.

This article is for general information and is not medical advice. Talk to your doctor before changing your diet, especially if you have a health condition.