Desserts · Singapore

How Many Calories in Tau Suan?

Also known as Tau Suan with You Tiao, 豆爽, Split Mung Bean Dessert, Tau Suan Dessert.

Tau suan is the Teochew dessert of split mung beans in a thick, clear sweet soup thickened with starch and scented with pandan, served warm with pieces of crisp you tiao on top from Singapore hawker dessert stalls.

293kcal / 1 bowl with you tiao
A standard bowl of tau suan with you tiao is about 293 calories for a 300g serving, with around 5g of fat. The 60g of split mung beans is about 100 calories, the sugar and starch soup about 100, and the half pair of you tiao on top another 95.

Nutrition facts

Per 1 bowl with you tiao (300g)AmountPer 100g
Calories293 kcal98 kcal
Protein8 g3 g
Carbs55 g18 g
Fat5 g2 g

Where the calories come from

Split mung beans60g
100 kcal
Sweet starch soup200g
100 kcal
You tiao, half pair35g
95 kcal

The real talk

Mung beans are the good part. 60g of cooked split mung beans is about 100 calories with 7g of protein and a fair amount of fibre. The soup is where it gets sweet. It is water, sugar, sweet potato starch and pandan, thickened until it coats the spoon, about 100 calories for 200ml, nearly all sugar. Then the you tiao, cut into pieces and dropped on top, about 95 for the usual half pair. That is 293 for a dessert most people think of as light because it is not coconut based.

It is still one of the lighter hawker desserts. Cheng tng is about 160, tau suan 293, bubur cha cha 360, and the coconut based ones like pulut hitam with santan are around 290 as well. The difference is where the calories come from. Tau suan is sugar and fried dough on a base of beans. Bubur cha cha is coconut milk. Neither is a problem once a week. Both are a problem after a 700 calorie lunch.

The you tiao is optional and the stall will leave it out. Without it a bowl is about 200 calories, and with a small spoon of you tiao on top rather than the full handful it is about 240. The beans are the same. If the stall uses less starch and the soup is thinner, that is another 20 to 30 saved without asking.

How the portions compare

200 kcal
Bowl without you tiao
293 kcal
Standard bowl with you tiao
390 kcal
Large with extra you tiao

Tau Suan variants, ranked by calories

VariantCaloriesNotes
Tau suan, no you tiao, less sugar160 kcal
Tau suan, no you tiao200 kcal
Tau suan with you tiao293 kcalHPB figure
Tau suan with a full pair of you tiao390 kcal

How to eat it lighter

Common questions

How many calories in tau suan?
About 293 calories for a standard bowl with you tiao. Without the you tiao it is about 200. The split mung beans are around 100 of that and the sweet soup about 100.
Is tau suan healthy?
It is one of the better hawker desserts. Mung beans give about 8g of protein and some fibre, and there is no coconut milk, so the fat is around 5g. The sugar in the soup, about 25g, is the main downside.
Is tau suan or cheng tng lower in calories?
Cheng tng at about 160 is lower. Tau suan at 293 has the starch thickened soup and the you tiao. Without you tiao, tau suan is about 200, closer to cheng tng.
What is tau suan made of?
Split mung beans, steamed until soft, in a soup of water, sugar and sweet potato starch with pandan leaf. It is served warm with pieces of you tiao on top.
Berapa kalori dalam Tau Suan?
Tau Suan ada kira-kira 293 kalori untuk satu hidangan biasa (300g), dengan 8g protein, 55g karbohidrat dan 5g lemak. Angka ini anggaran untuk hidangan gerai biasa, jadi ia berbeza ikut kedai dan saiz hidangan.

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See all Desserts calories, ranked ›

Calorie and macro figures are estimates for a typical hawker centre or kopitiam serving. Actual numbers vary by stall, recipe and portion size. Use them as a guide, not gospel.

Calorie figure based on HPB iDAT via danielfooddiary.com 2015. Macros estimated from the ingredients.

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