Short answer: one cup (about 200 g) of homemade moong or masoor daal with a normal tarka has roughly 220–290 calories. Per 100 g, that works out to 110–140 kcal. Daal is one of the kinder dishes on a Pakistani plate for anyone counting calories, because the lentils themselves are fairly lean. Almost all the variation comes from the tarka on top.
Plain boiled lentils sit at about 115 kcal per 100 g, with 9 g of protein and roughly 8 g of fiber (USDA FoodData Central). Home daal runs thinner than that because of the extra water and masala, but then the tarka adds fat back in. A teaspoon of ghee is about 40 calories, so the gap between a light tarka and a generous one is bigger than the gap between moong and masoor.
What decides where yours lands
Thickness first. A thick, scoopable daal has more lentils per spoon than a thin, soupy one, and the calorie count follows the lentils. If your household makes daal on the watery side, log toward the bottom of the range.
Then the tarka. Half a teaspoon of oil spread across the pot is a rounding error; two tablespoons of ghee sizzling in the tadka pan adds 200+ calories to the whole pot. Most home cooks land somewhere in the middle. Restaurant daal fry nearly always lands at the top, because dhaba cooks treat oil as flavor, and they are not wrong about that part.
The daal type matters least. Moong, masoor, and mash all cook up close to the same numbers. Chana daal is the one exception: chickpea-family lentils are denser, closer to 130–160 kcal per 100 g cooked.
Daal calories and macros
| Daal | Portion | Calories | Protein | Carbs | Fat |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Moong / masoor, homemade, normal tarka | 100 g | 110–140 | 6–8 g | 17–21 g | 2–5 g |
| Moong / masoor, homemade, normal tarka | 1 cup (~200 g) | 220–290 | 12–16 g | 34–42 g | 4–10 g |
| Daal fry / tarka, ghee-heavy | 100 g | 130–170 | 6–8 g | 16–20 g | 5–9 g |
| Daal makhani, with cream and butter | 100 g | 90–160 | 4–6 g | 10–13 g | 4–8 g |
| Chana daal, cooked | 100 g | 130–160 | 8–10 g | 21–24 g | 2–4 g |
The table anchors on the USDA's cooked lentil numbers and moves up with the tarka. Packaged tarka dal labels sit in the same neighborhood: Kohinoor lists 86 kcal per 100 g and Waitrose lists 114 (fatsecret), both with a factory-standard oil level most homes exceed. Daal makhani varies the most of all: lighter restaurant versions land near 90 kcal per 100 g while rich ones push 160 (Clearcals, Nutribit). It is a different dish wearing daal's name.
Daal makhani is a different dish
This one deserves its own warning because the name misleads. Daal makhani starts with black urad daal and rajma, then simmers for hours with butter and cream. The lentils are the same story, but the fat is doing most of the talking. If you are eating it at a restaurant, log it generously. If someone at home makes a "light" daal makhani with a spoon of cream, the bottom of the range is fair. Our table keeps it separate for exactly this reason.
The protein case for daal
A cup of daal gives you 12–16 g of protein, which is more than most people expect from something this humble. It is not a complete protein on its own, which is why daal with roti or rice is such a durable pairing: the grains and lentils cover each other's gaps. For vegetarians, daal is usually doing the heavy lifting on protein for the whole day.
To put it in context, a sedentary adult needs about 0.8 g of protein per kilogram of body weight daily, and active people need more. Our protein guide walks through the math. One cup of daal with two rotis gets a 70 kg adult noticeably closer to the target before dinner even shows up.
How to track daal in seconds
In CalsFlow, type:
"1 cup moong daal, light tarka, 1 roti"
You get the calorie and macro estimate plus the assumptions behind it: the cup weight it guessed, the oil it allowed for in the tarka, the roti size. Had daal fry at a dhaba with ghee you could see? Say so in the entry, and the estimate moves up with it. The trick with daal is naming the tarka, not the daal type. "Moong" versus "masoor" barely moves the number; "light tarka" versus "ghee-heavy" moves it a lot.
This is the same honest-entry approach as our guide to counting calories in Pakistani and desi food: describe what is actually in front of you, check the assumptions, adjust what is wrong.
Daal in a weight-loss diet
Daal is one of the easier foods to keep while cutting. The protein and fiber keep you full relative to the calories, and a cup of daal with one roti is a genuinely satisfying 400-ish kcal meal. The failure mode is never the daal. It is the daal going down with three ghee-soaked rotis, or a second helping of rice. Keep the bread honest and the daal can stay in your diet every day. Full numbers for the bread side of that meal are in our roti calories guide.
FAQs
How many calories are in 1 cup of daal? About 220–290 kcal for a 200 g cup of homemade moong or masoor daal with a normal tarka. Ghee-heavy daal fry runs 260–340 per cup.
Is daal good for weight loss? Yes, mostly. It is filling relative to its calories, high in fiber and protein, and cheap enough to eat daily. The tarka is the only part to watch.
Does daal have a lot of protein? More than its reputation suggests: 12–16 g per cup for moong or masoor daal. Paired with roti or rice it covers a real share of daily needs.
How many calories in daal chawal? A typical plate is one cup of daal plus a cup of cooked rice, which lands near 450–550 kcal depending on your portions and the tarka. The daal is the lighter half of the plate; the rice does most of the damage.
The bottom line
Daal: 220–290 kcal per cup, 110–140 per 100 g, with the tarka deciding almost everything. Name the tarka when you log it and your numbers stay honest. Eating daal tonight? Describe it in CalsFlow with the tarka spelled out and get your real number.
CalsFlow provides nutrition estimates, not medical advice.