Short answer: one plain homemade paratha (about 60 g) has roughly 150–220 calories. Per 100 g, expect 240–300 kcal. A paratha is basically a roti that got cooked in oil or ghee, and that fat is what moves the number.
The dough is nearly identical to a roti: whole wheat flour, water, salt. The difference happens on the tawa. A spoon of ghee or oil goes in, sometimes more gets folded between the layers. One teaspoon of ghee adds about 40 calories; a tablespoon adds about 115. Most home cooks never measure either one, which is why two parathas that look the same can sit 80 calories apart.
What decides where yours lands
The fat is most of the story. A paratha brushed lightly with oil versus one fried in a pool of ghee is a 100+ calorie difference per piece. Size comes next: homemade parathas range from small 40 g rounds to large 100 g ones, and weighing one just once will fix your estimates permanently. Stuffing adds another layer. Plain is dough and fat; aloo brings potato and more oil; anda brings a whole egg at roughly 70 calories.
Then there are restaurant versions. Dhaba and restaurant parathas tend to be bigger, cooked in more ghee, and served with an extra dollop melting on top. Always log those at the high end.
Paratha calories and macros
| Paratha | Portion | Calories | Protein | Carbs | Fat |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plain, homemade (light oil) | 100 g | 240–290 | 6–8 g | 44–48 g | 7–11 g |
| Plain, homemade | 1 piece (~60 g) | 150–220 | 4–5 g | 27–30 g | 4–7 g |
| Plain, with 1 tsp ghee on top | 1 piece (~60 g) | 190–260 | 4–5 g | 27–30 g | 9–12 g |
| Aloo paratha | 1 piece (~100 g) | 220–320 | 5–7 g | 38–44 g | 7–12 g |
| Anda paratha | 1 piece (~90 g) | 220–300 | 8–10 g | 30–36 g | 9–13 g |
| Restaurant / dhaba paratha | 1 piece | 280–400 | 6–9 g | 45–55 g | 14–22 g |
These ranges line up with packaged parathas in USDA-branded nutrition data, which sit at roughly 300–340 kcal per 100 g for plain versions (commercial ones are fattier than home cooking), and Haldiram's aloo paratha at 230 kcal per 100 g. Homemade with light oil comes in lower. Ranges beat single numbers here precisely because the fat is so variable.
Paratha vs roti: the one real difference
A roti and a paratha start from the same dough. The roti is roasted dry; the paratha is cooked in fat. That one step means a paratha carries roughly 50–100% more calories than an equivalent roti. Full numbers are in our roti calories guide. For anyone cutting, swapping one daily paratha for a roti is the easiest calorie saving in a Pakistani diet. Nobody will congratulate you for it. It works anyway.
Making paratha work in a diet
Paratha is not diet food, but nothing about it is banned either. The moves that matter: brush the oil on instead of pouring it, measure your ghee for one day so you know what your "spoon" actually adds, and prefer protein stuffings like anda or qeema over plain carbs on carbs. Two eggs scrambled into an anda paratha buys you 10 g of protein that a plain paratha simply doesn't have.
And the honest one: eat one paratha slowly with salan instead of three fast ones. That sounds like something your mother would say. She is right.
How to track paratha in seconds
In CalsFlow, type:
"2 aloo parathas, homemade, light oil, with dahi"
You get the calorie and macro estimate plus the assumptions behind it: the piece weight it guessed, the oil it allowed for, the dahi portion. Had a dhaba paratha cooked heavy with ghee? Bump the oil assumption up and the number moves with it. For the broader playbook, our guide to counting calories in Pakistani and desi food covers the same honest-entry approach across the whole cuisine.
FAQs
How many calories are in 1 plain paratha? Roughly 150–220 kcal for a ~60 g homemade piece cooked with light oil. Add a teaspoon of ghee on top and you are at 190–260.
How many calories are in 1 aloo paratha? About 220–320 kcal for a ~100 g piece, depending on oil. Packaged versions sit near 230 kcal per 100 g; restaurant ones run higher.
Does paratha have more calories than roti? Yes. Same dough, but the paratha is cooked in oil or ghee while the roti is roasted dry. Expect 50–100% more calories per piece.
Is paratha good for weight loss? It can fit. Use less oil, keep portions honest, and pair it with protein like eggs, dahi, or salan. The fat is the lever. Control that and the paratha stays in your diet.
The bottom line
Paratha: 150–220 kcal per plain piece, 220–350 for aloo or ghee-heavy versions, with fat and size deciding almost everything. Measure your oil once and you never have to guess again. Paratha on the menu tomorrow morning? Describe it in CalsFlow and get your real number, assumptions spelled out.
CalsFlow provides nutrition estimates, not medical advice.