How Many Calories in a Poppadom? 65 Each, and Here Is the Catch
One takeaway poppadom is about 65 calories at roughly 13 g. Sounds harmless, and it is, until you see the per-100 g figure: 501 kcal, denser than almost anything else on the curry table. The thinnest item in the meal is also the most fried one.
You'd need to walk about 13 minutes to burn the 65 calories in one takeaway poppadom (~13 g).
How long does it take to burn off a poppadom?
One takeaway poppadom (~13 g) is 65 kcal. Enter your weight and the amount you ate to see how long it takes you to burn that off:
lb
| Activity | Time to burn 65 kcal |
|---|---|
| Walking, brisk | 13 min |
| Cycling, moderate | 8 min |
| Swimming, moderate | 9 min |
| Jogging | 8 min |
| Weight training, moderate | 14 min |
Times are for a 154 lb (11 st) adult at a steady pace; change the weight to see yours. The amount is set to the portion in the text (13 g); change it to what you actually ate. BodyPal works this out from your steps automatically.
On this page
- Poppadom nutrition at a glance
- The basket maths
- Takeaway fried against packet
- Why something so thin costs so much
- How does a poppadom compare?
- Most popular poppadom brands
- FAQ
Poppadom nutrition at a glance
| Nutrient | Per 100 g | Per poppadom (~13 g) | %RI* per poppadom |
|---|---|---|---|
| Energy | 501 kcal / 2,096 kJ | 65 kcal / 272 kJ | 3% |
| Protein | 11.5 g | 1.5 g | 3% |
| Carbohydrate | 28.3 g | 3.7 g | 1% |
| of which sugars | 0 g (trace) | 0 g | – |
| Fat | 38.8 g | 5.0 g | 7% |
| of which saturates | 8.0 g | 1.0 g | 5% |
| Fibre | 6.3 g | 0.8 g | – |
| Salt | – | – | – |
*%RI = percentage of the reference intake for an average adult (2,000 kcal; 70 g fat, 20 g saturates, 260 g carbohydrate, 90 g sugars, 50 g protein, 6 g salt). CoFID does not publish a salt figure for papadums; packet brands vary, so check your label.
Verified nutrition data
Numbers on this page come from CoFID, the UK government’s Composition of Foods Integrated Dataset, and from manufacturer labels where a branded product is named. Last verified August 2026. How we verify our data →
Read the fat line twice: 38.8 g per 100 g. More than a third of a fried poppadom's weight is oil, which is how a cracker made from lentil flour ends up in the same energy league as biscuits. The single-poppadom numbers stay small purely because a poppadom weighs almost nothing.
The basket maths
| Portion | Weight | Calories |
|---|---|---|
| One poppadom | ~13 g | 65 kcal |
| Two, while choosing | ~26 g | 130 kcal |
| The shared basket of four | ~52 g | 260 kcal |
| Basket plus the chutney tray | – | 260 kcal + dips |
The basket arrives before the menu decisions are finished, and that is the whole problem. Four poppadoms are 260 kcal eaten standing at the starting line, before a grain of rice lands on a plate. Mango chutney and raita add their own numbers on top, and nobody has ever dipped once.
If you are planning the night, one poppadom with restraint at the dips is a 100-calorie opening. The basket-and-tray ritual is closer to 400.
Takeaway fried against packet
Restaurant and takeaway, fried: 501 kcal per 100 g. The CoFID figure, and the one to use for curry-house baskets. These are fried to order and carry the most oil.
Packet poppadoms: about 450 kcal per 100 g. Averaged across dozens of UK supermarket products, ready-to-eat packet versions come in roughly 10% lighter, and brands that grill or microwave rather than fry sit lower still. The packet label wins on precision here, since CoFID has no salt figure and packets do.
The lentil base is the quiet upside either way: 11.5 g of protein and 6.3 g of fibre per 100 g, respectable numbers that most fried snacks cannot show. Set against the 30 g of daily fibre the NHS recommends, a single poppadom's 0.8 g is a token gesture, but it is not nothing.
Why something so thin costs so much
A poppadom starts as a disc of lentil-flour dough with almost no fat in it. Seconds in hot oil change that: the disc puffs, the surface blisters, and every blister is a pocket that holds oil. Thin foods have enormous surface area for their weight, so frying transforms them more than it transforms anything thick.
That is the same physics that makes crisps dense and fish and chips a special occasion, and it is why the honest comparison for a poppadom is not bread but a crisp. The NHS Eatwell Guide treats fried extras as the discretionary layer of a meal, which is exactly what the basket is.
How does a poppadom compare?
| On the table | Per typical serving | Per 100 g |
|---|---|---|
| Poppadom | 65 kcal (one) | 501 kcal |
| White bread | 85 kcal (slice) | 236 kcal |
| Boiled rice | 236 kcal (180 g portion) | 131 kcal |
The verdict: per 100 g the poppadom is nearly four times the rice and twice the bread; per serving it is the smallest number on the table. Both facts are true, and the portion is the one that matters at dinner. One poppadom is the cheapest crunch of the evening. The basket is a starter you did not order, and alongside a doner kebab or a full curry it is the difference that never gets logged.
Most popular poppadom brands in the United Kingdom
Ranked by how widely each product appears among foods sold in the United Kingdom, from the BodyPal food database of over 3.3 million products. Calories are the figures printed on each label.
| Product | Calories (per 100 g) |
|---|---|
| Sharwood’s Plain Poppadoms (low fat) | 295 kcal |
| Asda Poppadoms | 442 kcal |
| Tesco Mini Poppadoms | 565 kcal |
Brand popularity: BodyPal food database. Nutrition: manufacturer labels.
Frequently asked questions
How many calories are in a poppadom?
About 65 kcal for a standard takeaway poppadom weighing around 13 g. The per-100 g figure is 501 kcal because they are fried, but a single poppadom is light enough that one with your curry barely moves the evening's total.
Why are poppadoms so high in calories per 100 g?
Frying. A poppadom's huge surface area for its weight soaks up oil, and fat ends up at 38.8 g per 100 g, over a third of its weight. The lentil disc itself is modest; the oil bath is what puts it at 501 kcal per 100 g.
Are packet poppadoms lower in calories?
Usually, at around 450 kcal per 100 g against 501 for restaurant-fried, and grill-at-home or microwave versions drop lower again. Packets also print a salt figure, which the government database does not publish for papadums, so the label is worth reading.
How many calories in a basket of poppadoms?
A shared basket of four is about 260 kcal before the chutney tray, and dips add their own totals. Eaten while reading the menu, it is effectively an unplanned starter. One poppadom and a light hand at the raita is closer to 100 kcal.
Do poppadoms have any protein or fibre?
More than most fried snacks: 11.5 g of protein and 6.3 g of fibre per 100 g, thanks to the lentil flour. Per poppadom that is 1.5 g and 0.8 g, small absolute amounts, but the base ingredient is more nutritious than a wheat cracker's.
How much salt is in a poppadom?
The UK food database does not publish a salt figure for papadums, so there is no honest single number. Packet brands print their own, and they vary meaningfully between products, which makes the label the only reliable source here.
Is a poppadom better than naan with a curry?
One poppadom at 65 kcal is far lighter than any bread portion, simply because it weighs 13 g. The comparison flips if the basket empties: four poppadoms plus dips overtake a modest bread serving. Decide by count, not by category.
Are poppadoms gluten-free?
Traditional papadums are made from lentil or chickpea flour rather than wheat, so many are naturally free of gluten, but recipes and kitchens vary. If it matters to you, check the packet or ask the restaurant rather than assuming.
Similar foods
- Doner kebab — 377 kcal per 100 g meat
- Cheese and onion pasty — 436 kcal a Greggs bake
- Cheese on toast — 336 kcal for two slices
- Burger — 288 kcal per 100 g
- Bacon sandwich — 314 kcal, 388 with butter
- Greggs Chicken Bake — 420 kcal per bake
Count the basket, not just the curry
BodyPal logs the poppadoms, the dips and the plate that follows from one photo each, so curry night adds up out loud instead of quietly.
