How many calories in bakso?
Last updated: · Prepared by: QuickCalo Team
Short answer
One bowl of bakso (about 530 g) has about 480 kcal and 21 g of protein; 100 g has about 91 kcal. What changes the calories most is the number of meatballs and the noodles. One bowl with five meatballs, noodles, greens and broth was calculated; a single meatball is listed too.
Bakso are springy beef meatballs made with tapioca, served in a clear broth with rice vermicelli, yellow noodles, greens and fried shallots. Bakso carts are a familiar sight in every Indonesian neighbourhood.
The tapioca gives the meatballs their bounce and adds carbohydrate. Large meatballs filled with egg, cheese or chopped tendon are heavier than the small smooth ones.
| Serving | Grams | Calories (kcal) | Protein (g) | Carbs (g) | Fat (g) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 bowl | 530 | 480 | 21 | 44 | 24 |
| 100 g | 100 | 91 | 4 | 8.3 | 4.6 |
| One meatball only — 1 ball | 25 | 65 | 3 | 4 | 4 |
What changes the calories in Bakso (Indonesian meatball soup)?
- Meatballs: large or filled ones add more.
- Noodles: two kinds of noodles add carbohydrate.
- Extras: fried wontons and tofu add fat.
How to enjoy Bakso (Indonesian meatball soup) a little lighter
- Ask for fewer noodles.
- Skip the fried wontons and add greens.
How were these values calculated?
No official record matches this dish directly, so the values come from a recipe calculation: the nutrients of each ingredient were taken from USDA FoodData Central, added up and divided by the cooked weight. Raw total 548 g, cooked weight 530 g.
One bowl: five beef and tapioca meatballs with rice vermicelli, yellow noodles, greens and broth. Fried wontons and tofu not included.
| Ingredient | Grams | Calories (kcal) | Protein (g) | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ground beef (20% fat, raw) | 100 | 254 | 17.2 | USDA FDC 174036 |
| tapioca | 20 | 72 | 0 | USDA FDC 169717 |
| cooked rice noodles | 50 | 54 | 0.9 | USDA FDC 168914 |
| cooked egg noodles | 50 | 69 | 2.3 | USDA FDC 169732 |
| spinach | 20 | 5 | 0.6 | USDA FDC 168462 |
| water | 300 | under 5 | 0 | USDA FDC 173647 |
| shallots | 5 | under 5 | 0.1 | USDA FDC 170499 |
| sunflower oil | 3 | 27 | 0 | USDA FDC 171025 |
Spices (under 5 g in total per recipe) are not counted.
Other rows in the table:
- One meatball only: Recipe calculation. Five meatballs from 100 g beef and 20 g tapioca.
Serving weights:
- 1 bowl: the whole recipe
Calories per 100 g are rounded to a whole number and macros to one decimal; serving calories to the nearest 5 and protein to a whole gram.
Can you count the calories in Bakso (Indonesian meatball soup) from a photo?
Yes: in QuickCalo, snap a photo of your plate or type what you ate, and get the calories and protein in seconds.
Frequently asked questions
How much does one bowl of bakso weigh?
On this page, one bowl of bakso is taken as about 530 g (the whole recipe). The real weight depends on the recipe, the size and how it is served.
How much protein is in bakso?
One bowl of bakso has about 21 g of protein; 100 g has 4 g.
What are bakso meatballs made of?
Mostly minced beef mixed with tapioca starch and seasoning, then boiled.
Similar foods
Sources
- USDA FoodData Central — SR Legacy (2018) and FNDDS 2021–2023 datasets; accessed 16 October 2026
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