How many calories in koshari?
Last updated: · Prepared by: QuickCalo Team
Short answer
One plate of koshari (about 412 g) has about 585 kcal and 18 g of protein; 100 g has about 142 kcal. What changes the calories most is the fried onions and the amount of starch. One plate of rice, lentils and pasta with chickpeas, crispy onions and tomato sauce was calculated.
Koshari is Egypt's favourite street food: rice, brown lentils and small pasta mixed in one bowl and topped with chickpeas, crispy fried onions and a tangy tomato sauce with vinegar and garlic. Specialist shops sell it in several sizes.
Koshari is vegetarian and filling, with protein from lentils and chickpeas and plenty of carbohydrate. The crispy onions soak up oil and are the main source of fat in the bowl.
| Serving | Grams | Calories (kcal) | Protein (g) | Carbs (g) | Fat (g) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 plate | 412 | 585 | 18 | 93 | 16 |
| 100 g | 100 | 142 | 4.4 | 22.5 | 3.9 |
What changes the calories in Koshari?
- Fried onions: absorb a lot of oil.
- Bowl size: large sizes double the calories.
- Rice and pasta: add carbohydrate.
How to enjoy Koshari a little lighter
- Order a small size with fewer fried onions.
- Have more sauce and chickpeas, less rice.
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 2685 g, cooked weight 2060 g.
Five plates of rice, brown lentils and pasta with chickpeas, crispy fried onions (about 60 g of oil absorbed) and spiced tomato sauce.
| Ingredient | Grams | Calories (kcal) | Protein (g) | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| white rice (raw) | 200 | 730 | 14.3 | USDA FDC 168877 |
| green lentils (raw) | 150 | 528 | 36.9 | USDA FDC 172420 |
| vermicelli/pasta (dry) | 150 | 557 | 19.6 | USDA FDC 169736 |
| canned chickpeas (drained) | 150 | 209 | 10.6 | USDA FDC 173800 |
| onion | 400 | 160 | 4.4 | USDA FDC 170000 |
| sunflower oil | 70 | 619 | 0 | USDA FDC 171025 |
| tomato | 400 | 72 | 3.5 | USDA FDC 170457 |
| tomato paste | 30 | 25 | 1.3 | USDA FDC 170459 |
| garlic | 15 | 22 | 1 | USDA FDC 169230 |
| vinegar | 20 | under 5 | 0 | USDA FDC 172237 |
| water | 1100 | under 5 | 0 | USDA FDC 173647 |
Spices (under 5 g in total per recipe) are not counted.
Serving weights:
- 1 plate: one of 5 equal portions of the 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 Koshari 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 plate of koshari weigh?
On this page, one plate of koshari is taken as about 412 g (one of 5 equal portions of the recipe). The real weight depends on the recipe, the size and how it is served.
How much protein is in koshari?
One plate of koshari has about 18 g of protein; 100 g has 4.4 g.
Is koshari vegan?
The traditional recipe has no meat or dairy; it is built on legumes, grains and vegetables.
Similar foods
Sources
- USDA FoodData Central — SR Legacy (2018) and FNDDS 2021–2023 datasets; accessed 16 October 2026
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