Meat, Grills & Lauk · Philippines

How Many Calories in Crispy Pata?

Also known as Crispy Pork Leg, Deep Fried Pork Knuckle, Pata.

A whole pork leg boiled until tender, dried, then deep fried until the skin blisters. Served with soy, vinegar and chili, and meant to be shared by 4 people.

560kcal / 1 serving (quarter of a leg, about 200g)
A quarter share of crispy pata is about 560 calories for roughly 200g of skin, fat and meat. A whole pata as served in a restaurant is around 2,200 to 2,500 calories before the rice. The skin and the fat under it carry most of that, since crispy pork skin is close to 550 calories per 100g.

Nutrition facts

Per 1 serving (quarter of a leg, about 200g) (200g)AmountPer 100g
Calories560 kcal280 kcal
Protein40 g20 g
Carbs3 g2 g
Fat43 g22 g

Where the calories come from

Crispy pork skin60g
330 kcal
Pork fat layer40g
130 kcal
Pork leg meat90g
90 kcal
Soy vinegar dip20g
10 kcal

The real talk

Crispy pata is one of the few Filipino dishes where the skin is the main event, and pork skin fried until it shatters is about 550 calories per 100g. A whole front leg gives you around 800g of edible skin, fat and meat after frying, which is where the 2,200 plus figure comes from. Kawaling Pinoy's recipe card lands at 560 calories per serving when a leg is split 4 ways, and that matches what you get at a restaurant table.

The meat underneath is actually fine. Pork leg meat with the fat trimmed is about 180 calories per 100g, similar to a pork chop. The problem is that nobody eats it that way. A typical share is a piece of skin, the fat layer under it and the meat, and the ratio is roughly 30 percent skin, 30 percent fat, 40 percent meat. That is how 200g lands at 560 calories instead of 360.

A whole crispy pata costs 600 to 900 pesos in a restaurant and is usually eaten by 3 or 4 people with a platter of rice. Four people, one pata, one cup of rice each: about 820 calories per person. Two people finishing it, which happens, is about 1,100 calories each before rice. The soy-vinegar dip adds almost nothing, maybe 15 calories, so use as much as you like.

How the portions compare

380 kcal
Meat only with a bit of skin
560 kcal
Quarter share (skin, fat, meat)
1120 kcal
Half a pata

Crispy Pata variants, ranked by calories

VariantCaloriesNotes
Pata tim or paksiw na pata, 1 serving400 kcalBraised, not fried
Crispy pata, quarter share560 kcalRestaurant portion
Crispy pata, half share1120 kcalTwo people splitting
Whole crispy pata2300 kcalBefore rice and drinks

How to eat it lighter

Common questions

How many calories in a whole crispy pata?
About 2,200 to 2,500 calories for a whole front leg after frying, with roughly 800g of edible skin, fat and meat. Split 4 ways that is about 560 each.
Is crispy pata worse than lechon kawali?
Per serving they are close. Lechon kawali is about 520 per serving and crispy pata about 560. Lechon kawali uses belly so it has a bit more fat per bite, but pata has more skin.
How many calories in crispy pata skin?
About 550 calories per 100g. A single piece of skin the size of your palm is about 30g, so around 165 calories.
Can I eat crispy pata on a diet?
As an occasional shared dish, yes. Stick to the meat, keep the skin to one piece and stop at 1 cup of rice, and you are around 500 calories for the meal.

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

Calorie figure based on Kawaling Pinoy recipe card (560 kcal per quarter serving); pork skin and leg meat from USDA. Macros estimated from the ingredients.

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