Calories in Asian Food: Pho, Sushi, Ramen, Fried Rice and More

Asian food calories range from about 60 for a cup of miso soup to 660 for a cup of orange chicken, according to USDA data. The bigger swing is the restaurant plate: measured in Boston restaurants, General Tso's chicken with rice came to 1,960 calories, while beef yaki udon was 790. With Dietfit, you snap one photo of your plate and Deep Scan splits it into each dish, so you can see where the calories are before you eat.

Key takeaways

• Per cup, most Asian dishes in USDA data land between 200 and 350 calories. Battered dishes in sweet sauce, like orange chicken and sweet and sour chicken, pass 600.

• Restaurant portions decide the total. A Tufts University study of 364 restaurant meals found an average of 1,205 calories per meal, and Chinese food was among the three highest-calorie cuisines.

• Traditional Asian eating patterns are linked to good health, but takeout versions add oil, sugar and sodium. One tablespoon of soy sauce has 878 mg of sodium.

• Broth soups, steamed dumplings, sushi rolls without tempura and vegetable stir-fries are the lighter picks. Rice and noodle portions matter most.

How many calories are in Asian food?

Most popular Asian dishes have 200 to 350 calories per cup in USDA data, but a restaurant entrée is often 2 to 3 cups before rice. The table lists common takeout and restaurant dishes per standard serving, from lightest to heaviest.

Source: USDA FoodData Central (FNDDS survey foods). Restaurant recipes vary, so treat these as starting points and scale up for larger plates.

Is Asian food healthy?

Asian food can be very healthy, but it depends on how it is cooked and how much you eat. Traditional Asian meals are built on rice, vegetables, fish, soy foods and broth. American takeout versions often add batter, frying oil, sugary sauces and large portions.

The research shows both sides:

• Traditional diets score well. In a Japanese study of about 80,000 adults followed for 15 years, people who ate closest to Japan's national food guide had a 15% lower risk of death than those who ate furthest from it.

• Restaurant meals run high. Tufts University researchers measured 364 meals from 123 restaurants in Boston, San Francisco and Little Rock. The average meal had 1,205 calories, and 92% of meals had more calories than a person needs at one sitting. American, Chinese and Italian meals were the highest, at 1,495 calories on average.

• Sodium is the hidden cost. One tablespoon of soy sauce has 878 mg of sodium, 38% of the 2,300 mg Daily Value. In the table above, a single cup of orange chicken or miso soup has more than 1,100 mg.

So the question is less "is Asian food healthy?" and more "which dish, and how big is the plate?" A bowl of wonton soup and a plate of sweet and sour chicken come from the same menu, with 550 calories between them per cup.

Calories in Asian food by cuisine

Each cuisine has a light end and a heavy end. These are the dishes that decide where your meal lands.

Chinese takeout

Battered, sauced dishes are the heaviest: a cup of orange chicken has 660 calories, General Tso's 431. Stir-fries with vegetables are lighter, like kung pao chicken at 209 per cup. In Boston restaurant measurements, a full plate of General Tso's chicken with rice reached 1,960 calories and pork fried rice 1,670.

Japanese

Japanese food has some of the lightest options on any menu. A 6-piece California roll has about 170 calories and a cup of miso soup 59. Ramen is heavier at about 310 per cup, and a restaurant bowl often holds 2 to 3 cups. Tempura and teriyaki plates measured 1,150 to 1,180 calories with sides.

Korean

Korean meals swing on the grill. A restaurant bowl of bibimbap has about 710 calories, while 7 oz (200 g) of grilled pork belly has about 930. Banchan, the small vegetable side dishes, are mostly low in calories.

Thai

Pad Thai has about 310 calories per cup, but a measured restaurant plate came to 1,480. Coconut milk curries add fat quickly; a vegetable red curry with rice measured 870 calories.

Vietnamese

Vietnamese food is broth- and herb-heavy, which keeps many dishes moderate. A regular bowl of pho has about 350 to 500 calories, depending on the meat (see how many calories are in pho). Grilled pork rice plates and fried spring rolls are heavier; our guide on how to count calories in Vietnamese food breaks down the common dishes.

Indian

Indian curries are moderate on their own: a cup of chicken curry has about 260 calories. Cream, butter and bread push the plate up. A whole naan has 550 calories, and restaurant plates of chicken tikka masala and butter chicken measured 1,430 and 1,470 calories with rice and naan.

Where the calories hide in Asian food

The calories in Asian food rarely come from the meat or vegetables you can see. They come from four places:

• Oil. One tablespoon of cooking oil, including sesame oil, adds about 120 calories. Stir-fries and fried rice can soak up several tablespoons.

• Batter and sweet sauce. Breading plus a sugary glaze is why orange chicken has three times the calories of kung pao chicken per cup.

• Rice and noodles. One cup of steamed white rice adds 205 calories. A takeout side of rice is often more than one cup, and noodle dishes carry the starch inside the dish.

• Drinks. A 16 oz milk tea with tapioca pearls has about 300 to 450 calories at full sweetness, close to a second meal (see bubble tea calories).

How to order lighter at Asian restaurants

You don't have to skip your favorite dishes. Small changes to the order cut hundreds of calories:

• Start with broth or steam. Miso soup, wonton soup, steamed dumplings and edamame fill you up for under 250 calories.

• Pick stir-fried over battered. Kung pao chicken instead of General Tso's or orange chicken saves about 220 to 450 calories per cup.

• Ask for sauce on the side. Add it by the spoonful instead of letting the dish sit in it.

• Share the rice or noodles. Keep about 1 cup of rice on your plate, or split a noodle dish and add a vegetable side.

• Choose rolls without tempura or mayo. A plain California or tuna roll has about 170 calories for 6 pieces.

• Plan the rest of the day. A big takeout dinner fits better after a lighter, higher-protein lunch. Our guide to eating out while losing weight covers the same habits for any restaurant.

How to log Asian food with Dietfit

Asian meals are hard to log by hand: shared plates, mixed stir-fries and sauces you can't see, often from dishes that barcode databases don't list. With Dietfit, you track calories from a photo. Quick Scan gives a fast estimate, and Deep Scan outlines each part of the dish on your photo with its own calories. If it missed something, type it in plain words, like "add oil" or "half the rice".

In the example below, Deep Scan split a Japanese set meal of ramen, sushi, tempura and gyoza into each part, for 2,320 calories in total.

After you log the meal, Meal Score shows how well it fits your goal, and AI Coach Sara suggests what to eat next. Dietfit rolls over up to 200 unused calories to the next day, so a lighter day before a big takeout dinner gives you room for it.

FAQ

Is Asian food healthy?

Asian food can be healthy, especially traditional meals built on rice, vegetables, fish, soy and broth. American takeout versions are often fried, sauced and served in large portions, so pick broth soups, steamed dishes and vegetable stir-fries, and watch the sodium.

What is the lowest-calorie Asian food?

Miso soup is one of the lowest, at about 60 calories per cup, followed by wonton soup at about 80 and steamed dumplings at about 85 for three pieces. Edamame and plain sushi rolls are also under 250 calories per serving.

What is the highest-calorie Asian takeout dish?

Battered chicken in sweet sauce is usually the highest. Orange chicken has about 660 calories per cup and sweet and sour chicken about 630. A restaurant plate of General Tso's chicken with rice measured 1,960 calories.

How many calories are in an Asian restaurant meal?

In a Tufts University study of 364 restaurant meals, the average meal had 1,205 calories, rice and sides included. Measured plates of chicken pad Thai, chicken tikka masala and pork fried rice ranged from 1,430 to 1,670 calories.

Is Asian food high in sodium?

Many Asian dishes are high in sodium because of soy sauce, fish sauce and broth. One tablespoon of soy sauce has 878 mg, and a cup of orange chicken or miso soup has more than 1,100 mg, about half the 2,300 mg Daily Value.

References

• https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jand.2015.11.009, Urban LE, Weber JL, Heyman MB et al., "Energy Contents of Frequently Ordered Restaurant Meals and Comparison with Human Energy Requirements and US Department of Agriculture Database Information: A Multisite Randomized Study", Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics

• https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/01/160120091704.htm, "Meals at 92 percent of dining establishments tip the scales", Tufts University news release on the study above

• https://www.cspinet.org/article/counting-calories-thai-chinese-mexican-italian-and-other-cuisines, "Counting calories in Thai, Chinese, Mexican, Italian, and other cuisines", Center for Science in the Public Interest (dish values measured by Tufts researchers in Boston restaurants)

• https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27005903/, Kurotani K, Akter S, Kashino I et al., "Quality of diet and mortality among Japanese men and women: Japan Public Health Center based prospective study", BMJ, 352:i1209

• https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/food-details/2707455/nutrients, FoodData Central, "Soup, miso or tofu", FDC ID 2707455, U.S. Department of Agriculture

• https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/food-details/2709160/nutrients, FoodData Central, "Soup, wonton", FDC ID 2709160

• https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/food-details/2708708/nutrients, FoodData Central, "Wonton, dumpling or pot sticker, steamed", FDC ID 2708708

• https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/food-details/2708961/nutrients, FoodData Central, "Sushi roll, California", FDC ID 2708961

• https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/food-details/2708702/nutrients, FoodData Central, "Egg roll, with beef and/or pork", FDC ID 2708702

• https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/food-details/168878/nutrients, FoodData Central, "Rice, white, long-grain, regular, enriched, cooked", FDC ID 168878

• https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/food-details/2706796/nutrients, FoodData Central, "Kung pao chicken", FDC ID 2706796

• https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/food-details/2707436/nutrients, FoodData Central, "Edamame, cooked", FDC ID 2707436

• https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/food-details/2706437/nutrients, FoodData Central, "Chicken curry", FDC ID 2706437

• https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/food-details/2708803/nutrients, FoodData Central, "Lo mein, with chicken", FDC ID 2708803

• https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/food-details/2708806/nutrients, FoodData Central, "Pad Thai with chicken", FDC ID 2708806

• https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/food-details/2709155/nutrients, FoodData Central, "Ramen bowl with chicken", FDC ID 2709155

• https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/food-details/2708953/nutrients, FoodData Central, "Rice, fried, with chicken", FDC ID 2708953

• https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/food-details/2706738/nutrients, FoodData Central, "Beef and broccoli", FDC ID 2706738

• https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/food-details/2706794/nutrients, FoodData Central, "General Tso chicken", FDC ID 2706794

• https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/food-details/2707613/nutrients, FoodData Central, "Bread, naan", FDC ID 2707613

• https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/food-details/2706435/nutrients, FoodData Central, "Sweet and sour chicken or turkey", FDC ID 2706435

• https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/food-details/2706443/nutrients, FoodData Central, "Orange chicken", FDC ID 2706443

• https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/food-details/171016/nutrients, FoodData Central, "Oil, sesame, salad or cooking", FDC ID 171016

• https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/food-details/174277/nutrients, FoodData Central, "Soy sauce made from soy and wheat (shoyu)", FDC ID 174277

• https://www.fda.gov/food/nutrition-facts-label/daily-value-nutrition-and-supplement-facts-labels, Daily Value on the Nutrition and Supplement Facts Labels, U.S. Food and Drug Administration