Onion Pakora Calories: Less Oil and More Oil

By NYUS Inc. · Published 3 November 2026

The figures on this page are built from IFCT 2017 Table 1 rows and, where Table 1 has no row, USDA FoodData Central SR Legacy records. No primary table has an onion pakora record: IFCT 2017, the Indian Food Composition Tables from ICMR-NIN, prints raw foods (its few cooked rows are boiled and omelette eggs and roasted vermicelli), has an onion row but no besan or chickpea flour row, and has no onion pakora, no fried dish and no cooking oil row, and USDA FoodData Central SR Legacy has no onion pakora record. So this page does not quote a number. It works one plate out line by line: the onion, green chilli and cumin seeds from named IFCT rows, the besan from a USDA record from named rows and the oil from a USDA record, with weights that are our assumptions and the oil shown apart so you can see what it adds, once with 15 g of oil and once with 30 g. They are estimates, shown so you can change the weights to match your pan. For other pakoras see our pakora guide, for a chicken version our chicken pakora guide, for besan by the cup our besan and flour per cup guide, for another fried snack our sabudana vada guide, and for the spoon values our ghee, oil and sugar guide.

The short answer

By our working, one plate of onion pakora with a little oil (100 g raw sliced onion, 50 g besan (USDA chickpea flour), 3 g green chilli and 1 g cumin seeds and 15 g of peanut oil (about 3.3 teaspoons)) is about 378.4 kcal and 12.9 g protein, and one plate with more oil (100 g raw sliced onion, 50 g besan (USDA chickpea flour), 3 g green chilli and 1 g cumin seeds and 30 g of peanut oil (about 2.2 tablespoons)) is about 511.0 kcal and 12.9 g protein. Scaling the raw sliced onion from 80 to 120 g (every other ingredient scaled with it) and the oil from 10 to 20 g the less oil plate runs 285.0 to 471.8 kcal, and with 25 to 40 g of oil the more oil plate runs 417.6 to 648.6 kcal. These are estimates from the weights below, not measured values, not from an onion pakora record and not a shop or restaurant figure. Our reading: the parts of the less oil main case rank the besan 193.5 kcal, the oil 132.6 kcal, the onion 48.0 kcal, the green chilli and cumin seeds 4.3 kcal; the parts of the more oil main case rank the oil 265.2 kcal, the besan 193.5 kcal, the onion 48.0 kcal, the green chilli and cumin seeds 4.3 kcal; and the more oil plate is 132.6 kcal above the other because only the oil differs.

Table rows used, per 100 g

IFCT 2017 Table 1 prints, per 100 g edible portion, water, protein, ash, total fat, total dietary fibre, insoluble and soluble fibre, carbohydrate and energy in kJ. We read these 3 rows from the PDF text on 3 November 2026, as the mean of the regions shown (PDF pages in the Sources); the kcal is ours (kJ divided by 4.184, to 0.1). IFCT prints no portion weights; every row here is raw, so we count raw weight, and the batter water, the water the onion gives up and the weight the pakoras gain or lose in frying are not printed in any table; the onion is counted raw and the besan is the USDA chickpea flour record, which is not the same as every packet.

The oil and besan (chickpea flour): USDA SR Legacy, per 100 g

IFCT 2017 Table 1 has no cooking oil row and no besan or chickpea flour row, so those come from USDA FoodData Central SR Legacy; they are US records. Energy is USDA's kcal with the kJ beside it; water, protein, total fat and carbohydrate (by difference) are in g, then fibre (g), total sugars (g) and sodium (mg), all per 100 g.

The data-type label on each USDA field, as the record shows it

USDA's record page shows a data-type label beside some fields and none beside others. This table copies what the record shows, read field by field from the nutrient table of the record page; "no label shown" means the record prints no label there, and "not printed" means the record has no row for that field. We do not interpret the labels beyond printing them. IFCT 2017 prints no such labels.

The household portions USDA prints for the USDA records

These are the entries in the records' Measures lists, as printed; the other entry is 100 g. This page counts the oil in grams and takes 1 teaspoon as 4.5 g and 1 tablespoon as 13.5 g, the oil record's own measures. The kcal in the last column is ours: the printed kcal per 100 g times the grams, divided by 100, shown to 0.1.

The portion sums: 171410 1 tsp (4.5 g): 884 × 4.5 / 100 = 39.78, so 39.8 kcal; 171410 1 cup (216 g): 884 × 216 / 100 = 1909.44, so 1909.4 kcal; 171410 1 tbsp (13.5 g): 884 × 13.5 / 100 = 119.34, so 119.3 kcal; 174288 1 cup (92 g): 387 × 92 / 100 = 356.04, so 356.0 kcal. By the same arithmetic 5 g of oil is 44.2 kcal and 10 g 88.4 kcal.

Worked example 1: onion pakora with a little oil

Every weight here is our assumption for one plate, counted raw: sliced onion mixed with besan batter, green chilli and cumin seeds and deep-fried in small portions, counted as one plate from the raw weights (our assumptions: 100 g of onion and 50 g of besan); the oil is the oil the pakoras take up in frying, an amount we assume, not the oil put in the pan. Each IFCT line is the kJ divided by 4.184, times the grams, divided by 100, to 0.1 kcal; each USDA line is the printed kcal per 100 g times the grams, divided by 100; protein is the table's protein per 100 g times the grams, divided by 100. Salt and spice powders are not counted.

The grid varies the raw raw sliced onion per plate (80, 100, 120 g, with every other ingredient scaled by the same factor and rounded to 0.1 g) and the oil (10, 15, 20 g); the weights in the table above are the 100 g main case.

Worked example 2: onion pakora with more oil

Same method and the same 100 g raw sliced onion, 50 g besan (USDA chickpea flour), 3 g green chilli and 1 g cumin seeds; the 15 g of oil becomes 30 g. This is our assumed recipe, not a measured plate.

The grid varies the raw raw sliced onion per plate (80, 100, 120 g, with every other ingredient scaled by the same factor and rounded to 0.1 g) and the oil (25, 30, 40 g); the weights in the table above are the 100 g main case.

The two main cases side by side

These are the single examples used in the short answer; each follows from the tables above and from the weights in the cell.

What stands out in the numbers

• Less oil, part by part: the besan 193.5 kcal, the oil 132.6 kcal, the onion 48.0 kcal, the green chilli and cumin seeds 4.3 kcal. Raw onion is 48.0 kcal per 100 g (IFCT G017), besan 387 kcal per 100 g (USDA 174288) and the oil 884 kcal per 100 g (USDA 171410).
• More oil, part by part: the oil 265.2 kcal, the besan 193.5 kcal, the onion 48.0 kcal, the green chilli and cumin seeds 4.3 kcal; against the less oil plate the oil is 132.6 kcal higher, and that is the whole difference between the plates.
• Size against oil: on the less oil plate the raw sliced onion weight (80 to 120 g) moves it more than the oil (10 to 20 g): 98.4 kcal against 88.4 kcal; on the more oil plate the oil (25 to 40 g) moves it more than the raw sliced onion weight (80 to 120 g): 132.6 kcal against 98.4 kcal. Each 5 g of oil is 44.2 kcal.
• Protein: about 12.9 g in either plate (the oil adds none).
• These are estimates: no onion pakora record exists, the weights are ours, and a different weight of any ingredient in the tables above will change them.

Why these are estimates, not your onion pakora

• No record exists for the dish. IFCT 2017 prints raw foods and no cooked dish, and the USDA SR Legacy searches found no onion pakora record (0 results for onion pakora, 0 results for onion fritter, 0 results for pakora). There is no SR Legacy record for onion pakora, onion fritter or pakora at all (0 results for each); besan is used as a separate ingredient record.
• The weights are assumptions. No table prints how much of each ingredient or of the oil a plate takes; ours are stated so you can replace them.
• Raw weights. No table prints the weight of the onion pakora after cooking, so the page counts raw weight and cannot give a per 100 g or per plate figure.
• Only the oil in the pan is counted. Oil used any other way, or left in the pan, is not counted unless it is in the oil weight.
• US data. The oil row and the besan (chickpea flour) row are US records; IFCT Table 1 has no oil row.
• Labels are printed, not judged. Calculated and Assumed zero are USDA's words on the record; we print them and draw no conclusion from them.

How to log it so the numbers hold

• Log it by parts. Weigh the raw ingredients once for your usual pan, and log the oil by its own weight (weight × figure ÷ 100); our ghee, oil and sugar guide has the spoon values.
• Say how much oil. It is an input this page cannot know; 5 g of oil is 44.2 kcal.
• Say how the pan was divided. The page gives one plate from raw weights; divide the pan's total by the portions you actually made.
• Say what else went in. Anything not in the listed ingredients is not counted.

Where NYUS fits (our app)

We make NYUS, so read this as ours. NYUS is an AI fitness and nutrition coach in early access on Android, with no ads and no data selling. You log foods yourself by searching 8,900+ Indian and global foods or by barcode, and a weekly check-in adjusts your calories, macros and step goal once enough is logged. Barcode coverage of Indian packaged foods is not complete, so search by name when a scan finds nothing.

What this page leaves out

• A measured calorie figure for onion pakora as a dish: no primary record prints one, so every figure here is an estimate from stated weights.
• A calorie target, and any claim about what the ingredients or the oil do to your body: we have not looked up any for any person, so we give none. If you have a medical condition or are pregnant, ask your doctor or dietitian.
• Other versions and add-ins, such as rice flour in the batter, spinach, potato or paneer pakoras, air-fried pakoras and a street-stall or restaurant plate: not counted here; log them from their own rows (other pakoras are in our pakora guide, chicken in our chicken pakora guide, besan by the cup in our besan and flour per cup guide).
• Other fats: ghee, butter and other oils were not looked up for this page.
• Shop, restaurant and packaged onion pakora: no table prints a weight or oil use, so we give no such figure; read the pack for packaged ones.
• Per 100 g and per plate figures: no table prints a cooked weight, so none is given here.
• Nutrients beyond energy, water, protein, fat, carbohydrate, fibre, total sugars and sodium: not covered here.

Sources

• ICMR-NIN, Indian Food Composition Tables 2017 (IFCT 2017), Table 1, per 100 g edible portion, mean of the regions shown (read from the PDF text 3 November 2026): G017 Onion, big (6 regions, 201 kJ, PDF p. 54); G008 Chillies, green - all varieties (6 regions, 177 kJ, PDF p. 53); G025 Cumin seeds (6 regions, 1274 kJ, PDF p. 54). IFCT 2017 prints raw foods (its few cooked rows are boiled and omelette eggs and roasted vermicelli), has an onion row but no besan or chickpea flour row, and has no onion pakora, no fried dish and no cooking oil row (PDF text searched on 3 Nov for pakora, pakoda and besan (0 matches each); the rows used are G017 onion, big (PDF p. 54), G008 green chilli (p. 53) and G025 cumin seeds (p. 54)).
• USDA FoodData Central, SR Legacy 171410 (Oil, peanut, salad or cooking): Energy 884 kcal (3700 kJ), protein 0 g, total fat 100 g, carbohydrate by difference 0 g, fibre 0 g, total sugars 0 g, sodium 0 mg per 100 g; labels as printed: kcal Calculated, carbohydrate by difference no label shown, total sugars Assumed zero (Insignificant amount or not naturally occurring in a food, such as fiber in meat); portions used: 1 tsp (4.5 g); 1 cup (216 g); 1 tbsp (13.5 g) (read 3 November 2026).
• USDA FoodData Central, SR Legacy 174288 (Chickpea flour (besan)): Energy 387 kcal (1620 kJ), protein 22.4 g, total fat 6.69 g, carbohydrate by difference 57.8 g, fibre 10.8 g, total sugars 10.8 g, sodium 64 mg per 100 g; labels as printed: kcal Calculated, carbohydrate by difference Calculated, total sugars Based on another form of the food or similar food; Concentration adjustment; Solids; Retention factors not used, fibre Analytical, kJ Calculated, water Analytical, protein Analytical, fat Analytical, sodium Analytical; portions used: 1 cup (92 g) (read 3 November 2026).
• USDA FoodData Central, SR Legacy searches run on 3 November 2026 (control 'roll dinner' 11 results): onion pakora 0 results, onion fritter 0 results, pakora 0 results.
• nyus.in, the NYUS landing page, read on 3 November 2026 for the app statements in the NYUS section and the CTA.

The ingredient weights, the scaling, the kJ to kcal conversions, the line values, the sums, the grids, the portion kcal, the rounding, the comparisons and every sentence starting "Our reading" are NYUS's own assumptions, arithmetic or opinion, not from USDA or IFCT. The totals add the rounded line values, so a total can differ from the unrounded sum by a rounding step. The IFCT values are the means printed in IFCT 2017 Table 1; the USDA values, data-type labels and Measures-list portions are exactly as shown on the USDA record page. The names in the first column are the tables' own names.

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