Snacks & Kuih · Indonesia

How Many Calories in Cilok?

Also known as Cilok Bandung, Cilok Bumbu Kacang, Cilok Goreng, Pentol, Tapioca Balls.

Cilok, from aci dicolok (tapioca on a stick), is chewy balls of tapioca flour boiled and sold from carts outside every school in West Java with peanut sauce, kecap manis and sambal. Pentol is the East Java cousin.

320kcal / 1 cup (10 pieces with peanut sauce and kecap)
A Rp 5,000 cup of about 10 cilok with peanut sauce and kecap is about 320 calories. FatSecret Indonesia lists cilok at 266 calories per 100g and 40 calories per piece, with 88% of the energy from carbs. The peanut sauce and kecap add about 40 on top of the balls.

Nutrition facts

Per 1 cup (10 pieces with peanut sauce and kecap) (120g)AmountPer 100g
Calories320 kcal267 kcal
Protein3 g3 g
Carbs63 g53 g
Fat5 g4 g

Where the calories come from

Cilok, 10 pieces105g
280 kcal
Peanut sauce15g
40 kcal

The real talk

Cilok is tapioca starch and water, rolled into balls and boiled. That is the whole thing. FatSecret puts it at 266 calories per 100g with 58g of carbs and 2.5g protein, which makes it more carb dense than rice at 130 per 100g, because the balls are packed dough with very little water. Ten small pieces, about 105g, is 280 calories, and you can eat ten without thinking.

There is no protein worth mentioning. 3g in the whole cup, and that is mostly from the peanut sauce. Cilok isi (stuffed with a bit of minced meat or egg) helps a little, about 5g per cup. Compare it with bakso, where five meatballs give 17g protein for 285 calories. Cilok looks like bakso. It is not bakso. It is the dough without the meat.

The sauce is thinner than siomay sauce, 15g of it is about 40 calories, and the kecap and sambal squeeze is another 15. So a cup is 320, and the trouble is the cup is Rp 5,000 and it is on the way home from school. Two cups is 640 calories of starch before dinner.

Cilok goreng (fried) is about 30% more, roughly 420 a cup, because the balls pick up oil on the crispy outside. Cilok kuah (in broth) is the same balls at 300 with a bit of soup, and cilok bakar (grilled with kecap) is around 350 because of the sweet soy glaze.

How the portions compare

160 kcal
5 pieces with sauce
320 kcal
10 pieces with sauce
420 kcal
10 pieces cilok goreng with sauce

Cilok variants, ranked by calories

VariantCaloriesNotes
Cilok, 1 piece40 kcalFatSecret per piece
Cilok kuah, 10 pieces300 kcalIn light broth
Cilok bumbu kacang, 10 pieces320 kcalStandard cup
Cilok bakar, 10 pieces350 kcalGrilled with kecap glaze
Cilok goreng, 10 pieces420 kcalFried

How to eat it lighter

Common questions

How many calories in cilok?
About 40 calories per piece and 266 per 100g according to FatSecret Indonesia. A cup of 10 with peanut sauce is around 320.
Is cilok fattening?
It is nearly pure tapioca starch, 88% carbs, and a cup is 320 calories with no protein to fill you. It is easy to eat two cups, which is more than a plate of rice.
Cilok or bakso, which is healthier?
Bakso, easily. Five bakso give 17g protein for about 285 calories. Ten cilok give 3g protein for 320. Cilok is the dough without the meat.
How many calories in cilok goreng?
About 420 calories for 10 pieces with sauce. Frying adds roughly 10 calories per ball.
Berapa kalori Cilok?
Cilok mengandung sekitar 320 kalori per 1 cangkir (120g), dengan 3g protein, 63g karbohidrat dan 5g lemak. Angka ini perkiraan untuk porsi warung biasa, jadi bisa berbeda tergantung tempat dan ukuran porsi.

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

Calorie figure based on FatSecret Indonesia (cilok 266 kcal/100g, 40 kcal per piece, 319 kcal per 120g serving). Macros estimated from the ingredients.

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