Dal makhani calories and protein: per katori, with and without paneer.
Dal makhani is black lentils simmered with tomato, butter and something creamy. The lentils are modest; the paneer, the butter and the cream decide most of the number. Here are the figures for GymTribe's dal makhani with paneer, and how a katori, a plate and the restaurant version compare.
3 min read
01 / One serving
How many calories and how much protein are in dal makhani?
GymTribe's dal makhani with paneer is 250 g of cooked black lentils, 100 g of paneer, 150 g of tomato puree, 60 ml of milk and a tablespoon of butter. One 545 g serving is 790 calories, 47 g of protein, 70 g of carbs, 38 g of fat and 23 g of fiber, or about 145 calories and 9 g of protein per 100 g.
The lentils are about 290 calories and 22 g of protein, the paneer about 300 calories and 20 g, the tomato puree 57, the milk 37 and the butter about 102. So the dal itself is less than half of the plate; the paneer and the butter are the rest.
02 / By portion
Per 100 g, per katori, per plate.
| Calories | Protein | Fat | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 100 g | 145 | 9 g | 7 g |
| 1 katori, about 150 g | 217 | 13 g | 10 g |
| Half plate, 270 g | 391 | 23 g | 19 g |
| Full plate, 545 g (the recipe) | 790 | 47 g | 38 g |
A katori is the small steel bowl dal is served in, about 150 g when full. Restaurant portions are usually one to two katoris of dal with the bread on the side.
03 / Paneer, butter and cream
What makes one plate 490 calories and another 960.
- Without the paneer. Plain dal makhani, the same pot with no paneer, is about 490 calories and 27 g of protein. The 100 g of paneer adds 300 calories and 20 g of protein, most of it fat.
- Half the paneer. 50 g of paneer instead of 100 g gives about 640 calories and 37 g of protein.
- Cream instead of milk. Two tablespoons of cream in place of the 60 ml of milk takes the plate to about 855 calories, with the protein unchanged.
- More butter. An extra tablespoon of butter adds about 102 calories: 892 for the plate. Butter is where restaurant dal makhani gets its shine.
- Restaurant style. Extra butter and cream together, the way it is usually served out, is about 958 calories and 46 g of protein, with 58 g of fat.
04 / With roti or rice
The bread doubles the carbs.
Two rotis made from 50 g of whole-wheat flour add about 170 calories and 7 g of protein: 960 calories and 54 g of protein for the full plate with paneer. 150 g of cooked rice adds about 195 calories: 985 calories and 51 g. A more usual meal, one katori of dal makhani with two rotis, is about 387 calories and 20 g of protein.
| Serving | Calories | Protein | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dal makhani with paneer | 545 g | 790 | 47 g |
| Mixed dal with roti | 270 g | 460 | 22 g |
| Rajma with rice | 455 g | 540 | 18 g |
| Chole with roti | 275 g | 470 | 19 g |
| Palak paneer | 390 g | 810 | 45 g |
| Kadai paneer | 555 g | 780 | 40 g |
05 / Logging it
How to log your own dal makhani.
Find dal makhani with paneer in the GymTribe food catalog and set the amount: 150 g for a katori, 545 g for the full plate. If yours had no paneer, log the dal and the paneer separately. For a restaurant plate, photograph it with the AI calorie counter and check the portion before saving.
For the lighter dals, see dal calories and protein. For the paneer side of the plate, see paneer calories and protein and rajma calories and protein.
Keep it simple
The dal is modest. The paneer, butter and cream are not.
Log the katori count and whether it had paneer, and you are close enough. These numbers come from GymTribe's recipes; they are estimates, not medical or clinical nutrition advice.
