Desserts

How Many Calories in Bubur Jagung?

Bubur Jagung is a warm sweet corn porridge cooked in coconut milk with sago pearls and sugar, a common dessert at pasar malam stalls and kopitiams across Malaysia.

360kcal / 1 bowl (hawker / kopitiam standard)
A standard hawker bowl of Bubur Jagung (280g) has about 360 calories. The corn itself is not the issue, only 70 calories worth. The real story is the 80g of full-fat coconut milk at 185 calories and another 97 calories from sugar, whether white sugar or gula Melaka. Add the sago pearls and you are already at 360 before you even pick up the spoon.

Nutrition facts

Per 1 bowl (hawker / kopitiam standard) (280g)AmountPer 100g
Calories360 kcal129 kcal
Protein4 g1 g
Carbs50 g18 g
Fat17 g6 g

Where the calories come from

Sweet corn kernels (cooked)80g
70 kcal
Full-fat coconut milk (santan)80g
185 kcal
Sugar (white + gula Melaka)25g
97 kcal
Cooked sago pearls30g
30 kcal

The real talk

Bubur Jagung is basically sweet corn swimming in santan and sugar. It is a warm dessert porridge, very common at pasar malam and kopitiam dessert stalls, and it looks totally harmless in the bowl. But 360 calories for a dessert portion is not nothing. To be upfront, the numbers here are a ballpark estimate because solid lab data for Malaysian hawker bubur jagung is thin. What we know for certain is that the fat comes almost entirely from the coconut milk (17g fat, mostly saturated) and the carbs come from corn, sago, and sugar stacked together. If you are someone trying to lose weight and you finish your nasi lemak and then bowl this down as an afterthought, that is an extra meal worth of calories you probably did not account for.

The version you get matters a lot. A stall using diluted or low-fat coconut milk drops the whole thing to around 220 calories. A generous pasar malam bowl with extra santan and gula Melaka can push past 450 calories. If the stall adds cubed sweet potato (ubi keledek), that is another 40 to 50 calories on top. The sago pearls themselves are pretty innocent at only 30 calories for 30g. Portion size is the other lever since most stalls just ladle freely, and a generous pour can easily be 320g to 340g instead of the standard 280g.

Bubur Jagung variants, ranked by calories

VariantCaloriesNotes
Santan rendah (light coconut milk)220 kcalMade with low-fat or diluted coconut milk; common in diet versions or budget stalls
Standard hawker bowl360 kcalFull-fat santan, white sugar or gula Melaka, with sago; typical pasar malam or kopitiam serving
With sweet potato added400 kcalSome stalls add cubed sweet potato (ubi keledek), adding ~40-50 kcal of starchy carbs
Rich pasar version (extra santan + gula Melaka)450 kcalHeavier coconut cream, generous gula Melaka; closer to MOH Bank Kalori dense 150g reference scaled up

How to eat it lighter

Common questions

How many calories in Bubur Jagung?
A standard hawker bowl of Bubur Jagung (280g) has about 360 calories. The coconut milk alone contributes 185 of those calories, with sugar adding another 97.
What exactly is Bubur Jagung?
It is a warm Malaysian dessert porridge made from sweet corn kernels cooked in full-fat coconut milk with white sugar or gula Melaka and sago pearls. You will find it at pasar malam stalls and kopitiam dessert corners, usually served warm in a bowl.
Is Bubur Jagung healthy?
The corn and sago themselves are fine. The issue is the full-fat santan and sugar, which push the calorie count to 360 per bowl with 17g of fat. It is not a diet food but having it occasionally as a proper dessert rather than an everyday snack is perfectly reasonable.

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.

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