How Many Calories in Thosai (Tosai)?

A fermented rice and lentil crepe cooked on a hot tawa, thosai is one of the few mamak orders that won't immediately wreck your day.

170kcal / 1 piece plain

Plain thosai is 170 calories for one piece (about 85g), making it one of the lighter options you can order at a mamak. The batter itself is fairly low calorie at around 125 calories, and the thin spread of cooking oil on the tawa adds another 45. Where it gets interesting is the variants: paper thosai creeps up to 200 kcal, thosai telur hits 280, and masala thosai with that potato filling lands at 320. On its own, plain thosai is genuinely not bad for the calories.

Nutrition facts

Per 1 piece plain (85g)	Amount	Per 100g
Calories	170 kcal	200 kcal
Protein	5 g	6 g
Carbs	30 g	35 g
Fat	4 g	5 g

Where the calories come from

Fermented rice and urad dal batter (cooked)75g

125 kcal

Cooking oil (thin spread on tawa)5g

45 kcal

The real talk

Plain thosai at 170 calories is honestly decent for a mamak. The batter is fermented rice and urad dal, so there's a bit of protein in there (about 5g), and the carbs come in at 30g. The fat is low because a plain thosai only gets a thin wipe of oil on the tawa, around 5g of oil adding 45 calories. Compare that to roti canai which is slathered in ghee, and thosai starts looking pretty smart. Fair warning though: these are ballpark estimates. Hard nutritional data for mamak dishes is thin, and every stall's batter thickness and oil use varies, so treat 170 as a reasonable middle number, not a lab result.

The number that changes everything is what you do with it. Order masala thosai and you're at 320 calories because that spiced potato filling adds 120 to 150 kcal on its own. Thosai telur adds one egg (roughly 70-80 kcal) and puts you at 280. Then there's the sambar and coconut chutney on the side. Sambar is actually fine, maybe 30-40 kcal for a small bowl. Coconut chutney is where people get caught, it can add another 60-80 kcal depending on how oily the stall makes it. If you're watching your numbers, plain thosai with sambar is a solid 200-calorie breakfast. Add a thosai telur and you're still at a reasonable 320 with actual protein to show for it.

Thosai (Tosai) variants, ranked by calories

Variant	Calories	Notes
Plain (kosong)	170 kcal	Thin crispy crepe, minimal oil, no filling
Paper thosai	200 kcal	Larger and thinner than standard; more surface area means slightly more oil
Thosai telur (egg)	280 kcal	One egg cracked and spread over batter while cooking, adds ~70-80 kcal
Masala thosai	320 kcal	Spiced potato filling (aloo masala) inside; filling adds ~120-150 kcal

How to eat it lighter

Order plain (kosong) instead of masala. That alone saves you 150 calories from skipping the potato filling.
Go with sambar over coconut chutney. Sambar is mostly lentil broth and vegetables. Coconut chutney has a lot more fat and calories.
Thosai telur is actually a good trade if you're hungry. You add one egg for 70-80 kcal but you get proper protein which keeps you full longer.
Ask the uncle to go easy on the oil. Most will do it if you ask. It won't crisp up the same but you're saving maybe 20-30 kcal.
Two plain thosai is about 340 calories total and genuinely filling. That beats one masala thosai at 320 because you're getting more volume and less potato carbs.

Common questions

How many calories in Thosai (Tosai)?

A plain thosai is 170 calories for one piece (85g). Paper thosai is around 200 kcal, thosai telur is 280, and masala thosai is 320 calories.

Is thosai good for weight loss?

Plain thosai is one of the lighter mamak options at 170 calories a piece. It's not a protein powerhouse (only 5g protein), but paired with sambar and maybe a thosai telur, it's a reasonable low-calorie breakfast that won't leave you starving by 10am.

Which is healthier, thosai or roti canai?

Plain thosai wins easily. One plain thosai is about 170 calories with 4g fat. One roti canai plain is around 300 calories with significantly more fat from the ghee and dough folding. If you're at the mamak and watching calories, thosai is the smarter pick.

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 →