Desserts

How Many Calories in Bubur Cha Cha?

Sweet potato and yam cubes with sago bobbing around in pandan-scented coconut milk, served warm or cold. One of those desserts that tastes like your grandma made it.

360kcal / 1 bowl
One bowl of Bubur Cha Cha (around 300g) comes in at roughly 360 calories. That's not outrageous for a dessert, but it's not light either. The coconut milk broth alone contributes about 120 calories, and then gula melaka adds another 95. So nearly 60% of your calories are just from the liquid before you even get to the sweet potato and yam. Still, 360 calories for a full bowl that genuinely satisfies a sweet craving is pretty decent compared to, say, a slice of cake or a bubble tea.

Nutrition facts

Per 1 bowl (300g)AmountPer 100g
Calories360 kcal120 kcal
Protein3 g1 g
Carbs62 g21 g
Fat12 g4 g

Where the calories come from

Coconut milk broth (santan + water + pandan)130g
120 kcal
Palm sugar / gula melaka dissolved25g
95 kcal
Sweet potato cubes (cooked)60g
52 kcal
Yam / taro cubes (cooked)55g
55 kcal
Sago pearls and tapioca jelly30g
38 kcal

The real talk

360 calories per bowl is honestly fair for a dessert, but know what you're paying for. The gula melaka and santan together are about 215 calories before the solid stuff even touches your lips. The sweet potato (52 cal), yam (55 cal), and sago (38 cal) are the innocent bystanders here. Carbs are high at 62g, fat is moderate at 12g, and protein is basically nothing at 3g. Worth flagging that these numbers are a ballpark estimate because hard nutrition data for hawker Bubur Cha Cha is genuinely thin. Different stalls vary a lot in how heavy-handed they are with the coconut milk and sugar. Take the 360 as a reasonable middle-ground figure, not gospel.

What actually swings the number is how much santan they pour. A kopitiam version that's thick and creamy can push you to 430 calories no problem, while a lighter street stall version might land closer to 300. If you're served extra gravy (the broth part), you're adding roughly 10 to 15 calories per extra 10g of that liquid. The sago and tapioca jelly are basically pure carbs but they're not the main offender. Cold versus warm makes zero difference to your calorie count, so don't kid yourself that ais version is the diet option, bro. If you want to actually reduce it, the only real lever is asking for less gravy.

Bubur Cha Cha variants, ranked by calories

VariantCaloriesNotes
Cold (iced)360 kcalSame ingredients served cold over ice; calories identical
Standard warm360 kcalTypical hawker serving with moderate santan
Rich santan version430 kcalHeavier coconut milk ratio, common at some kopitiam stalls

How to eat it lighter

Common questions

How many calories in Bubur Cha Cha?
A standard bowl of Bubur Cha Cha (about 300g) has around 360 calories. The coconut milk and gula melaka account for most of it, roughly 215 calories combined.
Is Bubur Cha Cha fattening?
It is not the worst dessert choice at 360 calories a bowl, but it has very little protein and about 62g of carbs, so it does not keep you full for long. If you are counting calories, one bowl is fine as your dessert for the day. Two bowls lah, that's when it becomes a problem.
Is the cold or warm version of Bubur Cha Cha lower in calories?
Neither. The calories are identical at 360. Serving it over ice does not change what's in the bowl. The ice just dilutes the broth slightly as it melts, so if anything the iced version might taste a bit lighter but the calorie content is the same.

Related foods

See all Desserts calories, ranked →

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

New to all this? Read how I went from 128kg to 86kg without cutting rice →

Want to know how many calories you actually need?
Use The Calculator