Meat, Grills & Lauk

How Many Calories in Telur Dadar (Malaysian Omelette)?

Malaysian-style fried omelette, eggs beaten with onion and chili and fried until puffy and crisp at the edges.

290kcal / 1 omelette
A telur dadar made with 2 to 3 eggs comes in around 290 calories, with 17g protein, 4g carbs and 23g fat. The eggs themselves are a cheap, solid protein, but telur dadar is fried in a decent slick of oil to get those crispy puffy edges, and that oil is where a lot of the fat comes from. The eggs alone would be a lot lighter.

Nutrition facts

Per 1 omelette (140g)AmountPer 100g
Calories290 kcal207 kcal
Protein17 g12 g
Carbs4 g3 g
Fat23 g16 g

Where the calories come from

Eggs (2 to 3, beaten)130g
190 kcal
Frying oil absorbed11g
95 kcal
Onion, chili, seasoning15g
10 kcal

The real talk

Telur dadar is the cheap, reliable lauk everyone has had a hundred times. Eggs beaten with sliced onion and a bit of chili, poured into hot oil and fried until the edges go crispy and the middle puffs up. At around 290 calories for a 2 to 3 egg version, it is honestly a decent protein-per-ringgit deal, 17g of protein for cheap. The thing people forget is the oil. To get that proper crispy fried-omelette texture, the kampung way uses a generous amount of oil, and the egg soaks a fair bit of it up. So a chunk of that 23g of fat is not the eggs, it is the frying oil.

The swing factor is purely how much oil it is fried in. A non-stick pan with a light film of oil keeps it close to 220, while the traditional deep-ish fry in a wok with plenty of oil for that lacy crispy edge can push it to 330 or more. Adding extras like minced meat, prawns or anchovies bumps it up too. The good news is this is one lauk where you genuinely control the outcome if you cook it at home: less oil, same protein. At a stall you have less say, but it is still a more honest protein choice than most fried dishes here. Pair it with rice and sambal and it is a simple, filling plate.

How the portions compare

145 kcal
Half an omelette
220 kcal
Two-egg omelette
290 kcal
Three-egg omelette

Telur Dadar (Malaysian Omelette) variants, ranked by calories

VariantCaloriesNotes
Telur dadar, pan-fried with little oil220 kcalLight film of oil in a non-stick pan, mostly just the eggs
Telur dadar with minced meat or prawns340 kcalAdded protein and a bit more oil push it higher

How to eat it lighter

Common questions

How many calories in telur dadar?
A 2 to 3 egg telur dadar is around 290 calories, with 17g protein, 4g carbs and 23g fat. Pan-fried with little oil it drops toward 220, while a heavily oil-fried crispy version can hit 330.
Why is telur dadar higher in calories than boiled eggs?
The frying oil. To get those crispy puffy edges, telur dadar is fried in a generous amount of oil that the egg soaks up. That absorbed oil adds fat that you would not get from a boiled or poached egg.
Is telur dadar a good cheap protein?
Yes. For the price it gives you about 17g of protein per omelette. If you want to keep it lean, fry it in a non-stick pan with minimal oil, since the oil is what drives most of the fat.

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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.

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