Snacks & Kuih · Vietnam

How Many Calories in Banh Cuon?

Also known as Bánh cuốn, Vietnamese Steamed Rice Rolls, Banh Cuon Thanh Tri.

Paper thin steamed rice sheets rolled around minced pork and wood ear mushroom, cut up, showered with fried shallots and served with slices of cha lua (pork loaf) and a bowl of warm nuoc cham. Hanoi breakfast, 25,000 to 35,000 dong.

300kcal / 1 plate with cha lua
A plate of banh cuon with cha lua is around 300 calories. The 200g of rice rolls with their pork and mushroom filling is about 220, the two slices of cha lua are 60, and the fried shallots and dipping sauce add 45. Plain banh cuon with only mushroom is about 200 a plate.

Nutrition facts

Per 1 plate with cha lua (280g)AmountPer 100g
Calories300 kcal107 kcal
Protein14 g5 g
Carbs42 g15 g
Fat9 g3 g

Where the calories come from

Steamed rice rolls with pork and mushroom200g
200 kcal
Cha lua pork loaf40g
60 kcal
Fried shallots5g
25 kcal
Warm nuoc cham50g
20 kcal

The real talk

Banh cuon is one of the lightest things you can eat at a Hanoi breakfast stall, and the reason is water. The rice batter is steamed on cloth into sheets a millimetre thick, so a 200g plate of rolls is only about 220 calories even with the pork and wood ear filling. Compare that with 180g of xoi at 600. The filling is minced pork shoulder, maybe 30g per plate, so 60 of the 220 is meat.

The sides are where the plate goes up. Cha lua, the smooth boiled pork loaf, is 130 calories per 100g, so the two slices you get are about 60. Fried shallots are 25 for a teaspoon and most sellers are generous. The nuoc cham is warm, sweet and diluted, around 20 calories a bowl. Some stalls add a drop of ca cuong essence, which is just aroma. That is 300 for the standard plate.

The heavier orders are banh cuon trung, with a soft egg steamed inside the roll, and banh cuon with nem chua ran (fried fermented pork) or a fried banh tom on the side. Egg adds about 80 per roll. A plate with cha, egg and two fried nem is around 450 to 500. The published range of 200 to 600 per plate covers plain rolls at the bottom and minced pork with all the extras at the top.

How the portions compare

200 kcal
Plain plate, mushroom filling
300 kcal
Standard plate with cha lua
480 kcal
With egg and 2 fried nem

Banh Cuon variants, ranked by calories

VariantCaloriesNotes
Banh cuon Thanh Tri (no filling)180 kcalPlain sheets with shallots
Banh cuon nhan moc nhi200 kcalMushroom only
Banh cuon thit300 kcalMinced pork, with cha lua
Banh cuon trung380 kcalSoft egg inside
Banh cuon full set with nem chua ran480 kcalTwo fried nem on the side

How to eat it lighter

Common questions

How many calories in banh cuon?
About 200 for a plain plate and 300 with cha lua. Versions with egg inside or fried nem on the side run 380 to 500.
Is banh cuon good for weight loss?
Yes, it is one of the lighter street breakfasts at 300 calories with 14g of protein. Add a boiled egg for protein and skip the fried sides.
Banh cuon or pho, which is lighter?
Banh cuon at 300 versus pho at 450. Pho has more protein though, 28g against 14g, so it keeps you full longer.
What is banh cuon made of?
A thin batter of rice flour and tapioca starch steamed into sheets, filled with minced pork and wood ear mushroom, and served with cha lua and diluted fish sauce.

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Calorie and macro figures are estimates for a typical street stall or quan serving. Actual numbers vary by stall, recipe and portion size. Use them as a guide, not gospel.

Calorie figure based on Pharmacity and Long Chau (200 plain, 300 with egg, up to 590 with pork and extras); component estimate at 300 for the standard plate. Macros estimated from the ingredients.

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