How many calories in simit?
Last updated: · Prepared by: QuickCalo Team
Short answer
One piece of simit (about 105 g) has about 355 kcal and 10 g of protein; 100 g has about 337 kcal. What changes the calories most is the size of the ring and the amount of sesame. The values are for a bakery simit dipped in grape molasses water and coated in sesame.
Simit is a ring of bread dipped in grape molasses water and rolled in sesame seeds before baking, which gives it a crunchy, nutty crust. In Istanbul and across Turkey it is sold from street carts in the morning and eaten with tea, cheese or on its own.
It looks similar to a bagel but is not boiled, so it is crisper and less dense. The sesame coating adds healthy fats and a little protein, which is why a simit has more fat than plain white bread.
| Serving | Grams | Calories (kcal) | Protein (g) | Carbs (g) | Fat (g) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 piece | 105 | 355 | 10 | 57 | 10 |
| 100 g | 100 | 337 | 9.7 | 54.2 | 9.4 |
What changes the calories in Simit (Turkish sesame bread ring)?
- Size: simit sizes vary a lot between bakeries and street carts.
- Sesame: a thick sesame crust adds fat.
- What goes with it: cheese, butter or chocolate spread turn it into a bigger breakfast.
How to enjoy Simit (Turkish sesame bread ring) a little lighter
- Pair it with cheese, tomato and cucumber rather than butter and jam.
- Share a large simit or have half with a protein-rich side.
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 1000 g, cooked weight 850 g.
8 pieces; dipped in grape molasses water and coated in sesame. With no USDA record for grape molasses, about 40 g of sugar transferred from the molasses is counted.
| Ingredient | Grams | Calories (kcal) | Protein (g) | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| wheat flour | 500 | 1820 | 51.7 | USDA FDC 168894 |
| water | 300 | under 5 | 0 | USDA FDC 173647 |
| dry yeast | 10 | 33 | 4 | USDA FDC 175043 |
| sugar | 40 | 155 | 0 | USDA FDC 169655 |
| sesame seeds | 150 | 860 | 26.6 | USDA FDC 170150 |
Spices (under 5 g in total per recipe) are not counted.
Serving weights:
- 1 piece: one of 8 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 Simit (Turkish sesame bread ring) 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 piece of simit weigh?
On this page, one piece of simit is taken as about 105 g (one of 8 equal portions of the recipe). The real weight depends on the recipe, the size and how it is served.
How much protein is in simit?
One piece of simit has about 10 g of protein; 100 g has 9.7 g.
Is simit the same as a bagel?
They look alike, but simit is dipped in molasses water rather than boiled, so it is thinner, crunchier and coated in sesame.
Similar foods
- Lahmacun
- Pide with minced meat (kiymali pide)
- Sigara boregi (cheese rolls)
- Cheese gozleme
- Arabic bread (pita)
- Manakish za’atar
Sources
- USDA FoodData Central — SR Legacy (2018) and FNDDS 2021–2023 datasets; accessed 16 October 2026
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