How Many Calories in Pisang Goreng?

Deep fried banana fritters. The banana is fine. The batter and the frying oil are the calories.

135kcal / 1 piece

One piece of pisang goreng is about 135 calories. The banana itself is maybe 60 of that. The rest is the batter and the oil it soaks up while frying. The problem is you never stop at one.

Nutrition facts

Per 1 piece (45g)	Amount	Per 100g
Calories	135 kcal	300 kcal
Protein	1 g	2 g
Carbs	18 g	40 g
Fat	7 g	16 g

Where the calories come from

Banana30g

60 kcal

Batter (flour)10g

35 kcal

Absorbed frying oil5g

40 kcal

The real talk

Pisang goreng feels innocent because it is just fruit right? Wrong bro. The banana is the healthy part. Then you coat it in flour batter and deep fry it in oil that has been sitting in the kuali all day. That batter drinks oil like a sponge. One piece is 135 calories, and a banana on its own is only about 90. So the batter and oil add more calories than the actual fruit.

The real trap is the quantity. They sell these in bundles for a few ringgit and you eat four while waiting for your teh tarik. That is 500 plus calories of snack you did not even sit down for. Tasty as hell, but know what it is.

How the portions compare

135 kcal

1 piece

405 kcal

3 pieces

675 kcal

Bundle of 5

How to eat it lighter

Eat one or two, not the whole bungkus. Easier said than done, I know.
Go for ones fried in fresh oil. Old dark oil means more soaked in and worse for you.
If you just want the banana taste, a plain ripe banana is 90 calories and zero oil.

Common questions

How many calories in one pisang goreng?

About 135 calories a piece. The banana is around 60 of that, the rest is the batter and the oil it absorbs while deep frying.

Is pisang goreng fattening?

One piece is not bad. The problem is they are cheap and moreish, so people eat four or five, which quickly becomes 500 plus calories of fried snack.

Is fried banana healthier than other snacks?

The banana gives you some fibre and potassium, but the deep frying cancels a lot of that out. A plain banana gives you the good parts for 90 calories and no 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 →