Skip to main content

Pupusa Calories: Cheese, Bean, Pork and Revuelta

A cheese pupusa has about 256 calories according to USDA, and a bean pupusa about 298 but with less than half the saturated fat. Here is every filling, what curtido and salsa add, and how pupusas compare with arepas and empanadas.

By Phu Le

A pupusa is a thick corn masa patty with the filling sealed inside, cooked on a griddle. The Smithsonian Folklife Festival lists the classic fillings as chicharrón (pork), refried beans, cheese and loroco flowers, alone or combined, with a revuelta mixing pork, beans and cheese. All four come out within about 45 calories of each other, but they are not the same food once you look past the calorie line.

Per pupusa, USDA: cheese 256 calories (3.5 oz) · bean 298 · pork 302 · pork and bean 299 (each 4.6 oz). The cheese pupusa is the smallest, yet it carries the most saturated fat; the bean pupusa has the most fiber.

Sources: Smithsonian Folklife Festival, "Salvadoran Recipes: Pupusas de Chicharrón and Curtido"; USDA FoodData Central (FNDDS).

Pupusa calories by filling

USDA's pupusa values come from pupusas bought at Latino restaurants. Per pupusa, at USDA's standard sizes:

Filling

Size

Calories

Per 3.5 oz

Protein

Saturated fat

Fiber

Sodium

Cheese

3.5 oz

256

256

11.7 g

6.5 g

2.9 g

400 mg

Bean

4.6 oz

298

229

7.3 g

2.8 g

7.5 g

397 mg

Pork (chicharrón)

4.6 oz

302

232

15.0 g

4.1 g

3.4 g

554 mg

Pork and bean

4.6 oz

299

230

11.1 g

3.5 g

5.5 g

476 mg

Source: USDA FoodData Central (FNDDS).

Pupusa Fillings Compared

Ounce for ounce, the cheese pupusa is the densest, and its 6.5 g of saturated fat is about a third of the 20 g Daily Value in one piece. The bean pupusa has the least saturated fat and the most fiber, 7.5 g, about a quarter of the 28 g Daily Value. Pork brings the most protein and the most sodium.

USDA has no separate entry for a revuelta. The closest is its pork-and-bean pupusa, built half from restaurant pork pupusas and half from bean ones.

Restaurant sizes vary

The pieces USDA weighed at restaurants were 4.1 to 4.4 oz: a cheese pupusa at 4.1 oz came to about 300 calories, a pork one at 4.3 oz to about 283 and a bean one at 4.4 oz to about 289. Packaged pupusas range further. Of 31 single-pupusa products in USDA's branded database, from 2.5 to 6.6 oz, the labels run from about 130 to 390 calories, with a middle value near 231.

Sources: USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy, FNDDS and Branded Foods; brand names not used); FDA Daily Values.

What is in a pupusa

The Smithsonian recipe is short:

  • Dough: masa harina, hot water, salt and about a tablespoon of vegetable oil for the whole batch

  • Filling: chicharrón browned in a little oil, with its fat kept for the filling; beans, cheese or loroco in the other versions

  • Cooking: an ungreased griddle or cast-iron pan over medium heat

Compared with a plain corn tortilla, the filling is what adds the fat. Per 3.5 oz, a plain corn tortilla has about 218 calories and 2.9 g of fat, according to USDA. A bean pupusa is barely denser at 229 calories and 9 g of fat; a cheese pupusa reaches 256 calories and 13.2 g.

Sources: Smithsonian Folklife Festival; USDA FoodData Central (FNDDS).

Curtido, salsa and a full plate

The Smithsonian recipe serves pupusas with curtido, a vinegar-dressed slaw of cabbage, carrot, onion, green pepper and oregano. Curtido, and a spoon of red salsa if you add one, barely move the count:

  • Curtido, 1/2 cup: about 14 calories if you count the raw cabbage, or about 35 using USDA's pickled green cabbage, the closest match it lists. Sodium depends on the salt in the brine; the pickled cabbage carries about 718 mg.

  • Red salsa, 2 tbsp: about 11 calories and 210 mg of sodium.

The number of pupusas is what moves a plate. Two examples built from USDA values:

Two bean pupusas with curtido and salsa, about 642 calories: 16 g of protein, 17 g of fiber and 5.6 g of saturated fat.

Three cheese pupusas with salsa, about 779 calories: 36 g of protein, 9 g of fiber and 19.4 g of saturated fat, nearly the full 20 g Daily Value.

Sources: Smithsonian Folklife Festival; USDA FoodData Central (FNDDS: green cabbage, pickled green cabbage, red salsa, pupusas); totals worked out from the values for each item; FDA Daily Values.

Pupusa Plate Calories

Pupusas vs arepas, tamales and empanadas

One piece of each, ranked by calories at USDA's standard sizes:

  • Small beef empanada (1.2 oz): 117

  • Plain arepa (3.5 oz): 215

  • Meat tamale (4.9 oz): 244

  • Cheese pupusa (3.5 oz): 256

  • Bean pupusa (4.6 oz): 298

  • Arepa with 1 oz white cheese: 299

  • Large beef empanada (4.6 oz): 433

Source: USDA FoodData Central (FNDDS and SR Legacy).

A pupusa lands in the middle: it comes already filled, so it is closer to a filled arepa than to a plain one, and well under a large pastry empanada. For the full breakdowns, see arepa calories, tamales calories and empanada calories.

Lighter pupusa swaps

Swap

What changes

Stop at two pupusas, not three

Saves 256 to 302 calories

Cheese pupusa to bean pupusa

About 42 more calories, but 3.7 g less saturated fat and 4.6 g more fiber

Cheese pupusa to pork pupusa

About 46 more calories, 2.4 g less saturated fat and 3.3 g more protein

A third pupusa to a second 1/2 cup of curtido

About 14 to 35 calories instead of 256 or more

Source: USDA FoodData Central (FNDDS).

The swaps show why the calorie line alone can mislead here: the bean pupusa is a little higher in calories than the cheese one, yet lower in saturated fat and far higher in fiber. If you use a meal tracker like Dietfit, log each pupusa by its filling rather than as a generic "pupusa."

The bean pupusa is also one of the picks in our guide to healthy Latin food.

FAQ

Question

Answer

How many calories are in one pupusa?

About 256 to 302, depending on the filling, at USDA's standard sizes (3.5 to 4.6 oz). Pupusas USDA weighed at restaurants came to about 283 to 300 calories each.

How many calories are in a cheese pupusa?

About 256 for a 3.5 oz pupusa, with 6.5 g of saturated fat. A 4.1 oz restaurant cheese pupusa came to about 300.

How many calories are in a bean and cheese pupusa?

USDA lists bean (298) and cheese (256) pupusas separately. Packaged bean-and-cheese pupusas in its branded database list about 210 to 360 calories per piece.

How many calories are in a pupusa revuelta?

USDA's closest entry, its pork-and-bean pupusa, has about 299 calories for 4.6 oz. One packaged revuelta pupusa (4 oz) lists 329.

Are pupusas healthy?

It depends on the filling and how many you eat. A bean pupusa brings 7.5 g of fiber and 2.8 g of saturated fat; a cheese pupusa carries a third of the day's saturated fat. Each has about 400 to 550 mg of sodium.

How many pupusas should I eat?

There is no official serving. Two bean pupusas with curtido come to about 642 calories, and three cheese pupusas with salsa to about 779.

References

Blog

More posts

View all posts

Rice and Beans Nutrition: Calories, Protein and Fiber per Cup

A cup of black beans and white rice has about 272 calories, 10 g of protein and 8.5 g of fiber, according to USDA. Here is how the bean, the rice, the restaurant and the box change those numbers, and what the pairing really does for protein.

By Ngoc Hoang

Arepa Calories: From Plain to Reina Pepiada

A plain 3.5 oz arepa has about 215 calories according to USDA, about 65 more than two slices of white bread. The filling decides the rest: about 300 with white cheese, 460 as a reina pepiada and 600 stuffed pabellón style.

By Khanh Phan

Empanada Calories: Small vs Large, Beef to Veggie

A large beef empanada has about 433 calories according to USDA, and a small one about 117. About 60% of those calories come from the pastry. Compare fillings, sizes, store-bought empanadas and dips, plus ways to make them lighter.

By Phat Nguyen
dietfit

Your next meal,
a little better understood.

Get the app