Pongal Calories: Home-Style vs Ghee-Rich

By NYUS Inc. · Published 30 October 2026

"Pongal calories", with "ven pongal", "per 100g", "1 bowl" and "and protein", is searched in India, and the answers online differ. No primary table has a pongal 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) and no pongal, khichdi or other cooked rice and dal dish, and no ghee row in Table 1 (ghee appears only in Table 12, the fatty acid profile of edible oils and fats, PDF pp. 474 and 475, which prints no energy), and USDA FoodData Central SR Legacy has no pongal record. So this page does not quote a number. It works one portion out line by line: the raw rice, moong dal, cashew, pepper, cumin, ginger and curry leaves from named IFCT 2017 rows and the ghee from a USDA record, with weights that are our assumptions and the ghee shown apart so you can see what it adds, once as a home-style pot and once as a ghee-rich pot with more cashew. They are estimates, shown so you can change the weights to match your pot. For the plainer rice and dal bowl see our moong dal khichdi guide, for what usually sits beside it our sambar and rasam guide, and for the spoon values our ghee, oil and sugar guide.

The short answer

By our working, one portion of home-style pongal (50 g raw rice, 25 g raw moong dal, cashew 5 g, ginger 3 g, black pepper 1 g, cumin seeds 1 g, curry leaves 2 g and 5 g of ghee) is about 341.8 kcal and 11.3 g protein, and the ghee-rich portion (50 g raw rice, 25 g raw moong dal, cashew 15 g, ginger 3 g, black pepper 1 g, cumin seeds 1 g, curry leaves 2 g and 20 g of ghee) is about 535.1 kcal and 13.2 g protein. Across 40 to 60 g of raw rice (with 20 to 30 g of dal) the home-style runs 244.9 to 438.7 kcal with 0 to 10 g of ghee and the ghee-rich 393.2 to 677.0 kcal with 10 to 30 g, with the cashew in every cell. These are estimates from the weights below, not measured values, not from a pongal record and not a temple or restaurant figure. Our reading: the parts of the home-style main case rank the rice 178.2 kcal, the moong dal 81.4 kcal, the ghee 45.0 kcal, the cashew 29.1 kcal, the pepper, cumin, ginger and curry leaves 8.1 kcal; the parts of the ghee-rich main case rank the ghee 180.0 kcal, the rice 178.2 kcal, the cashew 87.4 kcal, the moong dal 81.4 kcal, the pepper, cumin, ginger and curry leaves 8.1 kcal; and the ghee-rich portion is 193.3 kcal above the home-style one at the same 50 g of rice and 25 g of dal.

IFCT 2017 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 7 rows from the PDF text on 30 October 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; the rice and dal rows are raw, so we count raw weight, and the water they take up and the cooked weight of a pongal are not printed in any table. A015 is the generic raw milled rice and B010 is split green gram (moong dal); black pepper is G031 (the neighbouring G030 is long pepper, not used).

The ghee: USDA SR Legacy, per 100 g

IFCT 2017 has no ghee energy row (ghee appears only in its Table 12 of fatty acid percentages, which prints no energy), so the ghee comes from USDA FoodData Central SR Legacy; it is a US record. 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 ghee

The ghee record's Measures list has only the 100 g entry: it prints no teaspoon, tablespoon or cup weight, so this page counts ghee in grams, and the gram weights below are our assumptions, not USDA's. By the same arithmetic as the lines (printed kcal per 100 g times the grams, divided by 100, to 0.1) 5 g of ghee is 45.0 kcal, 10 g 90.0 kcal, 20 g 180.0 kcal and 30 g 270.0 kcal.

Worked example 1: home-style pongal

Every weight here is our assumption for one portion, counted raw: rice, moong dal, cashew, black pepper, cumin seeds, ginger and curry leaves, with ghee for the tempering. Each IFCT line is the kJ divided by 4.184, times the grams, divided by 100, to 0.1 kcal; the ghee line is USDA's 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, asafoetida, coconut, green chilli and turmeric are not counted.

The grid varies the raw rice and dal (40 and 20 g, 50 and 25 g, or 60 and 30 g) and the ghee (0, 5 or 10 g); the cashew (5 g), pepper, cumin, ginger and curry leaves stay as above.

Worked example 2: ghee-rich pongal

Same method and the same 50 g of rice, 25 g of dal and spices; the cashew goes up to 15 g and the ghee to 20 g. This is our assumed recipe for a richer pot, not a measured temple or restaurant pongal.

The grid varies the raw rice and dal (40 and 20 g, 50 and 25 g, or 60 and 30 g) and the ghee (10, 20 or 30 g); the cashew (15 g), pepper, cumin, ginger and curry leaves stay as above.

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

• Home-style, part by part: the rice 178.2 kcal, the moong dal 81.4 kcal, the ghee 45.0 kcal, the cashew 29.1 kcal, the pepper, cumin, ginger and curry leaves 8.1 kcal. Raw milled rice is 356.4 kcal per 100 g (IFCT A015) and raw split moong dal 325.8 kcal (B010).
• Ghee-rich, part by part: the ghee 180.0 kcal, the rice 178.2 kcal, the cashew 87.4 kcal, the moong dal 81.4 kcal, the pepper, cumin, ginger and curry leaves 8.1 kcal; against the home-style pot the extra cashew adds 58.3 kcal and the extra 15 g of ghee 135.0 kcal.
• Rice and dal weight against ghee: in the home-style version the rice and dal weight (40 to 60 g of rice) moves it more than the ghee (0 to 10 g): 103.8 kcal against 90.0 kcal; in the ghee-rich version the ghee (10 to 30 g) moves it more than the rice and dal weight (40 to 60 g of rice): 180.0 kcal against 103.8 kcal. Each 5 g of ghee is 45.0 kcal.
• Protein: about 11.3 g in the home-style main case and 13.2 g in the ghee-rich one; the 50 g of rice and 25 g of dal supply 10.0 g of it and the ghee none.
• These are estimates: no pongal record exists, the weights are ours, and coconut, jaggery, more ghee or a bigger portion will change them.

Why these are estimates, not your pongal

• No record exists for the dish. IFCT 2017 prints raw foods and no cooked dish, and USDA SR Legacy has no pongal record.
• The weights are assumptions. No table prints how much rice, dal, cashew or ghee one portion takes; ours are stated so you can replace them.
• Raw weights. Rice and dal take up a lot of water in cooking and no table prints the cooked weight, so the page counts raw weight and cannot say how many bowls or plates the portion makes.
• Generic rice. The IFCT row is raw milled rice; there is no separate raw-rice-variety row, so the figures are an approximation for any particular rice.
• No temple or restaurant figure. The ghee-rich version is a recipe we assumed; no table prints a temple, canteen or restaurant weight or fat use.
• No per 100 g figure. No table prints a cooked pongal weight, so a calories-per-100-g number cannot be derived from these rows.
• US ghee data. The ghee row is a US record; IFCT 2017 prints no ghee energy.
• Labels are printed, not judged. Label claim and the other labels 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 rice and the dal raw before cooking, weigh the cashew, and log the ghee by its own weight (weight × figure ÷ 100); our ghee, oil and sugar guide has the spoon values.
• Say how much ghee. It is an input this page cannot know; 5 g of ghee is 45.0 kcal.
• Say what else went in. Coconut, jaggery (sakkarai pongal) and milk are not counted; the extra cashew is 58.3 kcal here.
• Log the sambar or chutney separately. They are not in these figures.

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 pongal 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 rice, dal or ghee 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.
• Coconut, green chilli, turmeric, asafoetida, milk, salt, and other versions such as sweet pongal (sakkarai pongal), millet pongal or instant pongal mixes: not covered here; log them from their own rows (our moong dal khichdi guide works a plainer rice and dal bowl out).
• Temple, restaurant, canteen and packaged pongal: no table prints a restaurant weight or fat use, so we give no such figure; read the pack for packaged ones.
• 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 30 October 2026): A015 Rice, raw, milled (6 regions, 1491 kJ, PDF p. 41); B010 Green gram, dal (6 regions, 1363 kJ, PDF p. 42); G031 Pepper, black (6 regions, 910 kJ, PDF p. 55); G025 Cumin seeds (6 regions, 1274 kJ, PDF p. 54); G014 Ginger, fresh (6 regions, 230 kJ, PDF p. 54); G010 Curry leaves (6 regions, 266 kJ, PDF p. 54); H005 Cashew nut (6 regions, 2438 kJ, PDF p. 55). IFCT 2017 prints raw foods (its few cooked rows are boiled and omelette eggs and roasted vermicelli) and no pongal, khichdi or other cooked rice and dal dish, and no ghee row in Table 1 (ghee appears only in Table 12, the fatty acid profile of edible oils and fats, PDF pp. 474 and 475, which prints no energy) (PDF text searched for pongal, khichdi, rice and dal dishes, and ghee; the rows used are A015 raw milled rice and B010 split green gram (moong dal), and Table 1 has no ghee row).
• USDA FoodData Central, SR Legacy 171314 (Butter, clarified butter (ghee)): Energy 900 kcal (3770 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 Label claim (back calculated from label by NDL staff; Calculated from label claim/serving (g or %RDI), carbohydrate by difference Label claim (back calculated from label by NDL staff; Calculated from label claim/serving (g or %RDI), total sugars Label claim (back calculated from label by NDL staff; Calculated from label claim/serving (g or %RDI), fibre Label claim (back calculated from label by NDL staff; Calculated from label claim/serving (g or %RDI), kJ Label claim (back calculated from label by NDL staff; Calculated from label claim/serving (g or %RDI), water Taken from another source--other tables of food composition, protein Label claim (back calculated from label by NDL staff; Calculated from label claim/serving (g or %RDI), fat Label claim (back calculated from label by NDL staff; Calculated from label claim/serving (g or %RDI), sodium Label claim (back calculated from label by NDL staff; Calculated from label claim/serving (g or %RDI); portions used: (read 30 October 2026).
• nyus.in, the NYUS landing page, read on 30 October 2026 for the app statements in the NYUS section and the CTA.

The ingredient weights, 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 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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