How Many Calories in Muruku?

One 30g handful of muruku is about 155 kcal. Crunchy, salty, impossible to stop at one.

155kcal / 1 handful (30g)

A 30 gram handful of muruku is around 155 calories. It is rice flour and dhal flour mixed with spices, piped into spirals and deep fried, so it is basically crunchy fried carbs with a good amount of oil. The serving size is the killer here, nobody eats just 30 grams from a Deepavali tin.

Nutrition facts

Per 1 handful (30g) (30g)	Amount	Per 100g
Calories	155 kcal	517 kcal
Protein	3 g	10 g
Carbs	17 g	57 g
Fat	8 g	27 g

Where the calories come from

Rice and dhal flour23g

90 kcal

Frying oil absorbed7g

60 kcal

The real talk

Muruku is the festive trap. The tin sits on the table, you walk past, you grab a piece, crunch crunch, you walk past again. Each 30g handful is 155 calories and you will do that handful five times in one afternoon without blinking.

Five casual handfuls is close to 800 calories of fried snack, more than a full meal, and you got zero satisfaction from it because you were watching TV. If you want muruku, put one handful on a small plate and close the tin lah.

How the portions compare

78 kcal

Small handful (15g)

155 kcal

1 handful (30g)

775 kcal

5 handfuls (festive grazing)

Muruku variants, ranked by calories

Variant	Calories	Notes
Spicy masala muruku	160 kcal	30g, similar oil content
Thin omapodi style	150 kcal	30g, slightly less dense

How to eat it lighter

Portion one handful onto a plate and put the tin away, out of sight
Pick baked or less oily brands if you can find them
Pair it with unsweetened tea so you are not adding sugar drink calories on top

Common questions

How many calories in muruku per 100g?

Muruku runs roughly 500 calories per 100g because it is deep fried flour. A 30g handful is about 155.

Is muruku good for a diet?

Only in small, measured amounts. It is calorie dense and easy to overeat, so portion it on a plate instead of grazing from the tin.

Is muruku high in protein?

Not really. The dhal gives it a little, about 3g per handful, but it is mostly carbs and oil.

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 →