How many calories in a roti, chapati and paratha?
Roti is on almost every desi plate, two or three times a day. Knowing what one roti really adds is the easiest way to control your calories without giving up the food you love.
Quick answer
- One medium whole wheat roti or chapati (about 40 g) has about 110 calories.
- One plain paratha has about 260 calories, more than two rotis, because of the ghee or oil.
- Each teaspoon of ghee you spread on a roti adds about 45 calories.
- Most adults trying to lose weight do well with 1 to 2 rotis per meal, with a full plate of salan, daal or sabzi.
Calories in desi breads: the quick table
These are average values for a normal home or dhaba size. Your own roti may be bigger or smaller, so treat them as a good guide, not an exact number.
| Bread | Usual size | Calories | Carbs | Protein |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Roti / chapati (no ghee) | 1 medium, 40 g | 110 | 18 g | 3 g |
| Roti with 1 tsp ghee | 1 medium | 155 | 18 g | 3 g |
| Phulka (small, thin) | 1 small, 25 g | 70 | 12 g | 2 g |
| Tandoori roti | 1 piece, 70 to 80 g | 200 to 220 | 40 g | 6 g |
| Plain paratha | 1 piece, 80 g | 260 | 32 g | 5 g |
| Aloo paratha | 1 piece | 300 | 40 g | 6 g |
| Naan | 1 piece, 90 g | 260 | 45 g | 8 g |
| Puri (deep fried) | 1 piece, 25 g | 100 to 120 | 12 g | 2 g |
Look at the gap between a plain roti and a paratha. A paratha is made from the same atta, but it is folded with ghee and cooked in more ghee or oil. Fat has 9 calories in every gram, more than double the 4 calories in a gram of carbs or protein. That is why a small amount of ghee makes such a big difference.
Why the size of your roti matters so much
A "roti" at home can weigh 30 g, and a roti from a tandoor can weigh 80 g or more. That is the difference between about 80 and over 200 calories, for what we still call "one roti".
An easy way to check: weigh your atta. Most of the weight of a cooked roti comes from the flour. If you make 10 rotis from 300 g of atta, each roti has about 30 g of flour, which is roughly 100 to 110 calories. If you make 6 rotis from the same 300 g, each one is closer to 180 calories.
Is roti healthy?
Yes. A roti made from whole wheat atta is a good food. It gives you energy (carbs), some protein, and fibre that keeps you full and helps digestion. It is a much better choice than white bread, naan made from maida, or fried breads.
The problem is not roti itself. The problem is usually:
- Too many rotis in one meal, with only a small bowl of salan.
- Ghee on top of every roti, or parathas every morning.
- Very large tandoor rotis from hotels and dhabas.
- Maida instead of atta, which has less fibre and fills you up for a shorter time.
How many rotis should I eat to lose weight?
There is no single number for everyone. It depends on your total daily calories, which depend on your age, weight, height and how active you are. Our daily calorie calculator works this out for you.
As a rough guide for adults trying to lose weight:
- Most women: 1 roti per meal, or 2 if one meal of the day is very light.
- Most men: 2 rotis per meal.
- Very active people (labour work, daily sport): 2 to 3 rotis per meal can be fine.
The trick is to fill the rest of the plate with foods that are filling but lower in calories: daal, chana, chicken or fish salan, sabzi, raita and salad. Half the plate vegetables, a quarter protein, and a quarter roti or rice is a simple plate rule that works well with desi food.
7 easy ways to cut calories without giving up roti
- Make thinner, smaller rotis. Use a little less dough for each one. You will still eat "two rotis" but save 50 to 80 calories.
- Skip the ghee on top. This alone saves about 45 calories per roti.
- Swap the daily paratha for roti and egg. A paratha breakfast and a roti-with-anda breakfast feel the same, but the second has more protein and fewer calories.
- Use whole wheat atta. Try chakki atta, or mix in some jau (barley), bajra or besan for more fibre.
- Eat the salan and salad first, then the roti. You will often feel full sooner.
- Order chapati instead of naan when you eat out.
- Keep parathas for the weekend instead of every day.
Roti or rice: which is better?
For the same calories, both are fine. One cup of cooked white rice (about 160 g) has around 200 calories, which is close to two thin rotis. Whole wheat roti has more fibre than white rice, so many people feel fuller for longer after roti. If you love rice, brown rice or a smaller portion with more daal and sabzi works well too. What matters most for weight is your total calories over the day.
Common questions
How many calories are in 2 rotis?
Two medium whole wheat rotis without ghee have about 220 calories. With a teaspoon of ghee on each, it is about 310 calories.
Does a roti have more calories than a slice of bread?
A medium roti (about 110 calories) has a little more than one slice of white bread (about 70 to 80 calories), but it usually has more fibre and fills you up better.
Can I eat roti at night?
Yes. The time you eat matters much less than how much you eat in the whole day. If roti at dinner fits in your daily calories, it will not make you gain weight.
Is multigrain or bajra roti better for weight loss?
Bajra, jau and multigrain rotis have more fibre, which can keep you full for longer. Their calories are about the same as a wheat roti of the same size, so portion size still matters.
Sources
- Longvah T, Ananthan R, Bhaskarachary K, Venkaiah K. Indian Food Composition Tables 2017. National Institute of Nutrition, ICMR, Hyderabad.
- U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central: chapati or roti, whole wheat; paratha; naan. fdc.nal.usda.gov
- Planning Commission of Pakistan and University of Agriculture Peshawar. Food Composition Table for Pakistan, revised 2001.
- World Health Organization. Healthy diet, fact sheet. www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/healthy-diet
- Reynolds A, Mann J, Cummings J, et al. Carbohydrate quality and human health: a series of systematic reviews and meta-analyses. The Lancet, 2019;393:434-445. doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(18)31809-9
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