Rice Meals · Thailand

How Many Calories in Khao Pad Poo?

Also known as ข้าวผัดปู, Khao Pad Pu, Thai Crab Fried Rice, Kao Pad Poo.

Fried rice with lump crab meat, egg, garlic and spring onion, seasoned lightly with fish sauce and white pepper so the crab comes through. The most expensive fried rice at a Thai seafood restaurant, 120 to 300 baht depending on how much crab goes in.

560kcal / 1 plate
A 300g plate of khao pad poo is about 560 calories, using the Thai table figure of 300 calories per 160g scaled up to a full plate. Crab meat is lean at about 90 calories per 100g, so a plate with 50g of crab gets only 45 calories from the crab. The rice is about 260 and the wok oil and egg are around 210 between them.

Nutrition facts

Per 1 plate (300g)AmountPer 100g
Calories560 kcal187 kcal
Protein22 g7 g
Carbs68 g23 g
Fat22 g7 g

Where the calories come from

Cooked jasmine rice200g
260 kcal
Crab meat50g
45 kcal
Egg50g
75 kcal
Cooking oil15g
135 kcal
Garlic, spring onion, fish sauce, cucumber, lime35g
25 kcal

The real talk

People assume crab fried rice is the light option because crab is lean, and the crab part is: 50g of crab meat is 45 calories and 10g of protein. But it is still fried rice. A plate uses about 200g of cooked rice at 260 calories, one egg at 75, and a tablespoon or more of oil at 135. The Department of Health lists pork fried rice with egg at 557 for 315g, and crab fried rice lands in the same place, about 560 for 300g.

The price tells you the crab weight. A 60 baht stall plate has maybe 30g of crab, often mixed with crab stick, and is closer to 500 calories with a bit less protein. A 250 baht restaurant plate can carry 100g of lump crab, which adds protein (20g from crab alone) but only about 45 extra calories. If you are going to eat fried rice, the expensive one is the better deal per calorie.

The side plate matters too. Khao pad poo comes with cucumber, spring onion and a lime wedge, which is free, and a small bowl of prik nam pla (fish sauce with chili), which is about 5 calories. What is not free is the fried egg some places put on top for 10 baht: another 100 calories. Order the plate plain and the lime and prik nam pla do the work.

How the portions compare

300 kcal
Small stall plate (about 160g)
560 kcal
Standard plate (300g)
700 kcal
Restaurant plate with extra crab

Khao Pad Poo variants, ranked by calories

VariantCaloriesNotes
Khao pad goong (prawn fried rice)540 kcalPrawns are as lean as crab
Khao pad moo sai kai (pork with egg)557 kcalDepartment of Health figure, 315g
Khao pad poo, standard560 kcalAbout 50g crab
Khao pad poo with fried egg on top660 kcalAdds a 100 calorie egg

How to eat it lighter

Common questions

Is crab fried rice healthier than regular fried rice?
Marginally. It is about 560 calories a plate against 557 for pork fried rice, but it has less saturated fat and the same protein. The rice and oil are the same in both.
How many calories in crab meat?
About 90 calories per 100g, with 19g of protein and almost no fat. The 50g in a typical plate is only 45 calories.
How much protein is in khao pad poo?
About 22g in a standard plate: roughly 10g from the crab, 6g from the egg and 5g from the rice. A restaurant plate with 100g of crab is closer to 32g.

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

Calorie figure based on sanook.com Thai food calorie table khao pad poo 160g = 300 kcal, scaled to a 300g restaurant plate; Thai Department of Health khao pad moo sai kai 315g = 557 kcal for comparison. Macros estimated from the ingredients.

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