How Many Calories in Roast Duck (Siu Ngap)?

Cantonese roast duck, marinated with five-spice and roasted until the skin is crisp and the meat juicy.

480kcal / quarter duck

A quarter roast duck (around 200g with the bone) comes in roughly 480 calories, with a big 40g of protein, almost no carbs, and 34g of fat. Duck meat is leaner than people think, but the skin and the layer of fat right under it are rich, and that is where most of the fat and calories come from. Eat it with the skin off and the numbers drop fast.

Nutrition facts

Per quarter duck (200g)	Amount	Per 100g
Calories	480 kcal	240 kcal
Protein	40 g	20 g
Carbs	4 g	2 g
Fat	34 g	17 g

Where the calories come from

Duck meat (cooked, off the bone)120g

280 kcal

Crispy skin and fat layer35g

190 kcal

Bone (no calories, part of the quarter weight)45g

0 kcal

The real talk

Roast duck, siu ngap, is one of those roast shop orders that is actually a decent protein play if you are smart about it. A quarter duck gives you a massive 40g of protein, which is more than most lauk on this site. The duck meat itself is leaner than people assume, darker and more flavourful than chicken but not crazy fatty. The catch is the skin. That crispy five-spice skin and the fat layer right under it are where a big chunk of the 34g of fat hides. At around 480 calories for a quarter, it is a fair trade for the protein, but the skin is doing a lot of the calorie work.

Here is the useful part: roast duck is one of the few roast meats where you have a real lever, and that is the skin. Pull the skin off and you can cut the fat noticeably, dropping a quarter duck toward 350 calories while keeping almost all of that 40g protein. That is a genuinely good macro profile. Compared to siu yoke, duck is the smarter order because the protein is much higher and the fat is more removable. Bone weight also means the calories per actual bite of meat are lower than the gram count suggests. Eat the meat, go easy on the skin, pair with rice and greens, and a quarter duck is a solid meal.

How the portions compare

190 kcal

A few slices for taste (80g)

240 kcal

Eighth of a duck

480 kcal

Quarter duck

Roast Duck (Siu Ngap) variants, ranked by calories

Variant	Calories	Notes
Roast duck, skin removed	350 kcal	Pulling the skin and fat layer off cuts a big chunk of fat
Roast duck leg portion	420 kcal	Leg is slightly leaner per gram than the breast and skin section

How to eat it lighter

Pull the skin off, or at least most of it. The crispy skin and the fat under it are where the bulk of the fat lives.
Pick duck over siu yoke if you want a roast meat. Way more protein, and the fat is more removable.
Remember the quarter includes bone, so eat the meat and do not feel you have to finish every fatty scrap.
Pair it with plain rice and greens instead of ordering it next to char siew and siu yoke all at once.

Common questions

How many calories in a quarter roast duck?

Around 480 calories for a quarter (about 200g with bone), with a strong 40g of protein and 34g of fat. Remove the skin and it drops toward 350 while keeping most of the protein.

Is roast duck healthier than roast pork?

For protein, yes. A quarter duck gives you about 40g of protein, far more than siu yoke, and the fat sits mostly in the skin so you can remove it. Duck meat itself is leaner than most people expect.

Where does the fat in roast duck come from?

Mostly the skin and the layer of fat directly under it. The duck meat itself is reasonably lean, so if you pull the crispy skin off you cut a big share of the 34g of fat right away.

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 →