How Many Calories in Siew Mai?

The open-faced pork and prawn dumplings with the orange dot on top. Higher protein, a bit more fat than har gao.

260kcal / 1 basket (4 pieces)

A basket of 4 siew mai (the open-topped pork-and-prawn dumplings, usually with a little crab roe or carrot on top) is about 260 calories, roughly 65 each. The filling is mostly minced pork and prawn, so it is high in protein but carries more fat than har gao because pork is fattier.

Nutrition facts

Per 1 basket (4 pieces) (150g)	Amount	Per 100g
Calories	260 kcal	173 kcal
Protein	16 g	11 g
Carbs	18 g	12 g
Fat	13 g	9 g

Where the calories come from

Pork and prawn filling110g

210 kcal

Thin wonton skin (4)30g

40 kcal

Topping and oil10g

10 kcal

The real talk

Siew mai is the other smart order at dim sum bro. Mostly meat, steamed, no batter, no deep frying. A basket of 4 is around 260 calories and packs 16g of protein. That is genuinely good. The only reason it is not as light as har gao is the pork. Pork mince has fat in it and that is where the extra calories live.

The thing people get wrong is treating the whole trolley the same. Siew mai and har gao are the protein. The buns, the fried taro, the radish cake, those are the carb-and-oil bombs. If half your table order is steamed dumplings, you can eat a proper amount of food and still walk out under control.

How the portions compare

130 kcal

2 pieces

260 kcal

1 basket (4)

520 kcal

2 baskets (8)

How to eat it lighter

Stick to steamed siew mai. Avoid the deep-fried variants some places do.
Two baskets of siew mai plus a pot of tea is a legit high-protein meal for around 520 calories.
Skip the extra soy sauce drowning. The dumplings are already seasoned, and you do not need the sodium load.

Common questions

Is siew mai high in protein?

Yes. A basket of 4 has about 16g of protein from the pork and prawn filling. For a dim sum item it is one of the most protein-dense things you can order, which makes it a good pick if you are trying to stay full.

Why is siew mai higher in calories than har gao?

Because of the pork. Siew mai uses minced pork which carries more fat than the pure prawn in har gao. The extra fat is what pushes it from about 55 to about 65 calories per piece.

Can I eat siew mai on a diet?

Yes, in sensible amounts. Steamed siew mai is meat-heavy and filling. The trap is not the dumplings, it is everything fried that comes with them. Keep the order steamed and you are fine.

Go Deeper

Read the full dim sum calorie guide: what to order and skip →

Related foods

See all Dim Sum calories, ranked →

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 →