Calories in Arabic Food: Kabsa, Mandi, Shawarma, Falafel, Hummus and Dates
A medium plate of chicken kabsa (400 g) has about 529 calories, a chicken shawarma sandwich 491, one falafel 57 and a single date 23. Below are the calories and protein for about 30 popular Arabic and Gulf dishes, each number from Sufra's food table with its source.
Every number is for a set amount in grams. Recipes vary from home to home, so treat them as close estimates.
Calories in kabsa, mandi and other rice dishes
Rice dishes are the biggest source of calories at an Arabic table. The difference between them is mostly fat and cooking method: mandi and mansaf are higher because they carry more fat, while jareesh and saleeg are lighter per plate.
| Dish | Portion | Calories | Protein |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken kabsa1 | medium plate (400 g) | 529 | 33 g |
| Lamb kabsa2 | medium plate (400 g) | 550 | 29 g |
| Chicken mandi3 | medium plate (400 g) | 672 | 30 g |
| Lamb mandi4 | medium plate (400 g) | 803 | 43 g |
| Chicken machboos5 | medium plate (400 g) | 703 | 27 g |
| Mansaf2 | medium plate (400 g) | 959 | 49 g |
| Jareesh2 | medium plate (300 g) | 359 | 15 g |
| Saleeg2 | medium plate (300 g) | 335 | 20 g |
How many calories in a plate of kabsa, by size?
A small plate of chicken kabsa (250 g) has 331 calories, a medium plate (400 g) 529 and a large plate (600 g) 794: the large plate has more than twice the small one.
| Dish | Portion | Calories | Protein |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken kabsa1 | small plate (250 g) | 331 | 20 g |
| Chicken kabsa1 | medium plate (400 g) | 529 | 33 g |
| Chicken kabsa1 | large plate (600 g) | 794 | 49 g |
Calories in shawarma, falafel and sambousa
A chicken shawarma sandwich (491 calories) is close to a medium plate of kabsa. Falafel is small but fried: five pieces come to about 283 calories. A za'atar manakish is 394.
| Dish | Portion | Calories | Protein |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken shawarma sandwich6 | sandwich (182 g) | 491 | 36 g |
| Falafel sandwich7 | sandwich (215 g) | 570 | 13 g |
| Falafel8 | piece (17 g) | 57 | 2 g |
| Meat sambousa9 | piece (50 g) | 127 | 5 g |
| Cheese sambousa10 | piece (24 g) | 90 | 4 g |
| Za'atar manakish11 | piece (117 g) | 394 | 8 g |
Calories in hummus, mutabbal, tabbouleh and foul
Mezze is relatively light, but olive oil changes the number a lot: one tablespoon adds 119 calories. A small plate of hummus (100 g) has 229 calories, tabbouleh 203.
| Dish | Portion | Calories | Protein |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hummus12 | small plate (100 g) | 229 | 7 g |
| Mutabbal (eggplant dip)13 | small plate (100 g) | 183 | 5 g |
| Tabbouleh14 | small plate (160 g) | 203 | 3 g |
| Foul medames15 | small plate (138 g) | 225 | 7 g |
| Olive oil16 | tablespoon (14 g) | 119 | 0 g |
How many calories in Arabic bread and tamees?
A loaf of Arabic bread (60 g) has 165 calories, a small one (28 g) 77, and a tamees loaf 251. Bread is easy to forget, yet two loaves with a meal add more than 300 calories.
| Dish | Portion | Calories | Protein |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arabic bread (pita)17 | loaf (60 g) | 165 | 6 g |
| Small Arabic bread17 | small loaf (28 g) | 77 | 3 g |
| Tamees bread18 | loaf (88 g) | 251 | 7 g |
Calories in dates, Arabic coffee, laban and karak
Arabic coffee itself has almost no calories (under one per cup); they come from the dates served with it: three dates are about 68 calories. A large Medjool date alone has 66. A glass of laban is 99 and a small glass of karak 40.
| Dish | Portion | Calories | Protein |
|---|---|---|---|
| A date19 | date (8 g) | 23 | 0 g |
| A Medjool date20 | date (24 g) | 66 | 0 g |
| Arabic coffee21 | finjan (30 g) | 0 | 0 g |
| Laban22 | cup (249 g) | 99 | 8 g |
| Karak tea23 | small glass (102 g) | 40 | 1 g |
The date figure is for deglet noor dates (8 g each) from the USDA. We use it for Gulf varieties such as sukkari and khalas until there's an analysis of them.
Calories in luqaimat, basbousa, kunafa and Umm Ali
Arabic sweets are rich in sugar and ghee: a piece of basbousa (250 calories) is close to a tamees loaf, and a plate of Umm Ali is 626. One luqaimat ball is 79 calories without date syrup or sugar syrup, which add more.
| Dish | Portion | Calories | Protein |
|---|---|---|---|
| Luqaimat (without syrup)24 | piece (25 g) | 79 | 2 g |
| Basbousa25 | piece (68 g) | 250 | 3 g |
| Kunafa with cheese26 | 100 g | 279 | 6 g |
| Umm Ali27 | plate (256 g) | 626 | 13 g |
Why do calories differ from place to place?
- Portion: the same dish on a bigger plate means more calories.
- Oil and ghee: they change the number the most.
- Recipe: every home and restaurant cooks its own way.
That's why every number here is for an amount in grams, and the math is simple: grams × calories per 100 g ÷ 100. For example: 400 g of chicken kabsa × 132.26 ÷ 100 = 529 calories.
Frequently asked questions
How many calories are in a plate of kabsa?
A medium plate of chicken kabsa (400 g) has about 529 calories, a small plate (250 g) 331 and a large plate (600 g) 794. Lamb kabsa is a little higher: 550 calories for a medium plate.
How many calories are in a shawarma sandwich?
A chicken shawarma sandwich in Arabic bread (about 182 g) has about 491 calories and 36 g of protein.
How many calories are in one date?
A regular date (8 g) has about 23 calories, and a large Medjool date (24 g) 66. Three dates with Arabic coffee come to about 68 calories.
Is Arabic food healthy?
No food is simply healthy or unhealthy; portions and cooking make the difference. Dishes like jareesh, foul and tabbouleh have fewer calories per plate, while mandi and mansaf are higher because they carry more fat. Knowing the number helps you pick the portion that fits your day.
This is general information about food, not medical advice. If you have a health condition, ask your doctor or a dietitian.
Sources
27 sources
- Chicken Kabsa (Munaty Cooking)
- Comprehensive nutritional compositions of traditional dishes from five Saudi regions using ESHA Food Processor software (Basaqr R, Bakr E-S, Ibrahim Y, Bujan Y, Alqasimi K, Aljaadi A; Front Nutr 2025, doi:10.3389/fnut.2025.1658078) · Frontiers in Nutrition (PMC12641437)
- Chicken Mandi (K&N's Smart Cooking)
- Fall Apart Lamb Mandi (Hungry Paprikas)
- Chicken Machboos, chef Musabbeh Al Kaabi (Gulf News)
- شاورما بالخبز العربي (أطيب طبخة) · Atyab Tabkha
- Falafel sandwich (FDC 2707483, Survey (FNDDS)) · USDA FoodData Central
- Falafel, home-prepared (FDC 172455, SR Legacy) · USDA FoodData Central
- Saudi Sambosa, mung bean and meat samosas (But First Chai)
- Cheese Sambousek (The Mat'bakh)
- Za'atar Manakish (Mission Food)
- Hummus, commercial (FDC 321358, Foundation) · USDA FoodData Central
- Eggplant dip (FDC 2710049, Survey (FNDDS)) · USDA FoodData Central
- Tabbouleh (FDC 2709131, Survey (FNDDS)) · USDA FoodData Central
- Foul Mudammas Yemeni Style (Qulaba) (Munaty Cooking)
- Oil, olive, salad or cooking (FDC 171413, SR Legacy) · USDA FoodData Central
- Bread, pita, white, enriched (FDC 174915, SR Legacy) · USDA FoodData Central
- خبز التميس السعودي (موضوع) · Mawdoo3
- Dates, deglet noor (FDC 171726, SR Legacy) · USDA FoodData Central
- Dates, medjool (FDC 168191, SR Legacy) · USDA FoodData Central
- Beverages, coffee, brewed, prepared with tap water (FDC 171890, SR Legacy) · USDA FoodData Central
- Milk, buttermilk, fluid, cultured, lowfat (FDC 170874, SR Legacy) · USDA FoodData Central
- Emirati recipes: chai karak (Smithsonian Folklife Festival) · Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage
- Luqaimat (Chocolates & Chai)
- Basbousa (SBS Food)
- Development of a Lebanese food exchange system based on frequently consumed Eastern Mediterranean traditional dishes and Arabic sweets (Hoteit M, Zoghbi E, Rady A, Shankiti I, Al-Jawaldeh A; F1000Research 2021, 10:12, doi:10.12688/f1000research.27461.1)
- Umm Ali (Munaty Cooking)