How Many Calories in Tub Tim Grob?

Also known as ทับทิมกรอบ, Red Rubies, Thai Red Ruby Dessert, Tab Tim Krob, Water Chestnuts in Coconut Milk.

Diced water chestnut dyed red, coated in tapioca flour and boiled until the shell turns chewy and clear, then served in sweetened coconut milk over crushed ice, sometimes with jackfruit. The dessert that looks like pomegranate seeds.

250kcal / 1 bowl

A standard 200g bowl of tub tim grob with crushed ice is about 250 calories. The rubies themselves, about 60g of water chestnut and tapioca, are only 80 of that. The 60g of coconut milk is 110 and the sugar syrup is 60. Half the bowl is ice, which is why it feels lighter than it is.

Nutrition facts

Per 1 bowl (200g)	Amount	Per 100g
Calories	250 kcal	125 kcal
Protein	2 g	1 g
Carbs	40 g	20 g
Fat	10 g	5 g

Where the calories come from

Water chestnut rubies in tapioca60g

80 kcal

Coconut milk60g

110 kcal

Sugar syrup40g

60 kcal

Crushed ice40g

0 kcal

The real talk

Tub tim grob is one of the better Thai desserts to order, and the reason is the ice. A 200g bowl is about 40% crushed ice, so the actual food is 120g. Water chestnut is 100 calories per 100g and mostly water and crunch; the tapioca coat adds starch, so the rubies come to about 80 for a normal scoop. The rest is coconut milk at 110 and the syrup it is sweetened with at 60. Two hundred and fifty for a dessert you eat with a spoon for 10 minutes is a fair trade.

The MGR calorie table lists it at 250 per cup, which matches a dessert stall bowl. Restaurants pour more coconut milk and add jackfruit or young coconut strips, and that version is closer to 350. The coconut milk is the lever. It is 220 calories per 100ml, and a heavy pour is the difference between a 250 bowl and a 350 one. The rubies are never the problem.

Compare it to the other things on the same dessert cart. Khao niao mamuang (mango sticky rice) is 380 and up. A bowl of bua loy in warm coconut milk is 300. Lod chong is about 280. Tub tim grob is the lightest of the coconut milk desserts because half of it is crunch and ice rather than rice or dough.

How the portions compare

190 kcal

Small cup, less coconut milk

250 kcal

Standard bowl

350 kcal

Restaurant bowl with jackfruit

Tub Tim Grob variants, ranked by calories

Variant	Calories	Notes
Tub tim grob, less coconut milk	190 kcal	Ask ka ti noi
Tub tim grob, standard	250 kcal	MGR table figure
With jackfruit and young coconut	350 kcal	Restaurant version
Tub tim grob with mango sticky rice on the side	630 kcal	The combo plate

How to eat it lighter

Ask for less coconut milk (ka ti noi). It drops the bowl to about 190 and the rubies still taste of coconut.
Skip the jackfruit and young coconut. Each adds 40 to 50 calories to the bowl.
Get it with plenty of ice. More ice, same rubies, less coconut milk per spoon.
Share a restaurant bowl. Those are closer to 350 because of the heavy pour.
Pick this over mango sticky rice when you want something sweet. It is about 130 calories lighter.

Common questions

What are the red rubies in tub tim grob?

Diced water chestnut dyed red and coated in tapioca flour, then boiled. About 80 calories for a normal 60g scoop.

Is tub tim grob healthy?

For a coconut milk dessert it is one of the lightest at 250 calories a bowl, because half the bowl is ice and the rubies are mostly water chestnut.

Is tub tim grob vegan?

Yes, water chestnut, tapioca, coconut milk and sugar. Some stalls use a rose syrup that is still plant based.

Tub tim grob or mango sticky rice, which is lower?

Tub tim grob at 250 against mango sticky rice at 380 or more. The rubies win by about 130.

Related foods

Mango Sticky Rice (Pulut Mangga)

380 kcal per 1 plate

Cendol

330 kcal per 1 bowl

Khanom Krok

360 kcal per 1 box (8 pieces)

Cha Yen

300 kcal per 1 glass (16 oz)

UFO Tart

200 kcal per 1 tart

Egg Tart

195 kcal per 1 tart

See all Desserts calories, ranked ›

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 (ทับทิมกรอบ 1 cup = 250 kcal); components cross checked at 60g coconut milk. Macros estimated from the ingredients.

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