Snacks & Kuih · Thailand

How Many Calories in Roti Gluay?

Also known as โรตีกล้วย, Thai Banana Roti, Banana Pancake, Roti Kluay, Thai Roti.

Stretched dough fried on a flat griddle in a big knob of margarine, folded around sliced banana, then cut into squares and drowned in condensed milk and sugar. The night market dessert at every tourist strip and most local ones, 30 to 60 baht.

500kcal / 1 roti
A standard roti gluay, about 180g cut into squares, is roughly 500 calories. The MGR calorie table puts the egg, sugar and condensed milk version at 590. The banana is only 70 of it. The dough is 240, the margarine it fries in is 110 and the condensed milk and sugar on top add 85.

Nutrition facts

Per 1 roti (180g)AmountPer 100g
Calories500 kcal278 kcal
Protein8 g4 g
Carbs64 g36 g
Fat24 g13 g

Where the calories come from

Roti dough80g
240 kcal
Margarine for frying15g
110 kcal
Banana80g
70 kcal
Condensed milk20g
65 kcal
Sugar on top5g
20 kcal

The real talk

Watch the cart for 30 seconds and you see where the calories are. The cook drops a lump of margarine the size of a golf ball on the griddle, and it all goes into the dough. That is 15g of pure fat, 110 calories, before the banana touches it. The dough itself is 80g of white flour made with oil and egg, another 240. Then the condensed milk goes on with a heavy hand, 20g for 65 calories, and a spoon of white sugar for 20 more. The banana is the healthiest thing on the plate and it is 14% of the total.

The number climbs fast with the extras. An egg cracked into the dough adds 75. Chocolate sauce or Nutella is 100 for the drizzle. Roti gluay kai with chocolate is 650 to 700 calories, more than a plate of pad kra pao with rice. It is a 10 minute walk to buy and 3 minutes to eat, and it comes after dinner, not instead of it.

A plain roti with nothing on it is about 350 and it is genuinely good, crisp and salty. If you want the banana, ask for no sugar on top (mai sai nam tan) and the vendor skips the white sugar and often goes lighter on the condensed milk too. That puts banana roti at about 430. Still a dessert, but 100 calories less than the default, and you did not have to give anything up that you would actually miss.

How the portions compare

350 kcal
Plain roti, no filling
500 kcal
Banana roti
670 kcal
Banana egg roti with chocolate

Roti Gluay variants, ranked by calories

VariantCaloriesNotes
Plain roti with condensed milk350 kcalNo filling
Banana roti, no sugar on top430 kcalAsk mai sai nam tan
Banana roti, standard500 kcalThe default
Banana egg roti590 kcalMGR table figure
Banana egg roti with Nutella690 kcalTourist strip special

How to eat it lighter

Common questions

How many calories in Thai banana roti?
About 500 for a standard one with condensed milk and sugar. With egg it is 590 and with chocolate sauce on top around 670.
Is roti gluay the same as roti canai?
Same dough family. Thai roti is fried in margarine and served sweet at 350 to 500 calories. Malaysian roti canai is about 300 plain and comes with curry.
Is banana roti healthy?
No. It is white flour, margarine, condensed milk and sugar, with a banana in the middle. A dessert at 500 calories.
What is the lowest calorie roti at a Thai cart?
Plain roti with a little condensed milk, about 350. Every filling and sauce adds 70 to 100 on top.

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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 MGR Online Thai calorie table (โรตี with egg, sugar and condensed milk = 590 kcal); banana roti without egg built from components at 500. Macros estimated from the ingredients.

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