Jalebi Calories and the Indian Sweet Stall, Ranked by HPB Data
The short answer: one jalebi is 359 kcal and 31.5g of sugar, using HPB Singapore's default portion of one 114g piece. Per 100g, jalebi is 315 kcal and 27.6g of sugar.
That single piece carries roughly 63% of the WHO's 50g daily sugar guideline, and about three-quarters of the calories in a whole plate of steamed chicken rice (488 kcal per HPB's 346g plate). It is the kind of number that sounds wrong until you look at how large a jalebi actually is.
Every figure below is computed the same way, from HPB Singapore's own database: the per-100g nutrient values multiplied by HPB's own recorded default portion weight. Nothing here is eyeballed from a photo of a plate.
Indian Sweets, Ranked by Calories Per HPB Portion
| Sweet | HPB default portion | Calories | Sugar | Fat | Per 100g |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gulab jamun | 1 piece, 13g | 40 kcal | 5.7g | 1.2g | 310 kcal |
| Rasgula | 1 piece, 30g | 82 kcal | 16.8g | 1.2g | 272 kcal |
| Laddu | 1 piece, 53g | 216 kcal | 20.1g | 11.0g | 407 kcal |
| Athirasam (adhirasam) | 1 piece, 55g | 238 kcal | 20.2g | 9.5g | 433 kcal |
| Mysore pak | 1 piece, 44g | 250 kcal | 17.2g | 15.7g | 569 kcal |
| Kesari (rava kesari) | 1 plate, 107g | 261 kcal | 16.6g | 8.2g | 244 kcal |
| Barfi | 1 piece, 50g | 271 kcal | 22.0g | 16.7g | 541 kcal |
| Rice kheer (payasam) | 1 bowl, 218g | 353 kcal | 15.5g | 13.7g | 162 kcal |
| Jalebi | 1 piece, 114g | 359 kcal | 31.5g | 8.6g | 315 kcal |
| Suji halwa | 1 plate, 133g | 378 kcal | 36.3g | 15.0g | 284 kcal |
| Rasmalai | 1 piece, 252g | 451 kcal | 57.0g | 15.4g | 179 kcal |
How these were calculated: HPB's per-100g value × (HPB's default portion weight ÷ 100) × (edible portion % ÷ 100). Every sweet in this table has an edible portion of 100%, so the weight is doing all the work. Protein and sodium for each row are in the sections below.
The Ranking Flips When You Measure Per 100g
Jalebi tops the per-piece table, but it is nowhere near the most calorie-dense thing on the counter. By weight, the ghee-and-sugar sweets are far heavier:
| Ranked per 100g | Calories per 100g | Fat per 100g |
|---|---|---|
| Mysore pak | 569 kcal | 35.7g |
| Barfi | 541 kcal | 33.4g |
| Athirasam | 433 kcal | 17.3g |
| Laddu | 407 kcal | 20.7g |
| Jalebi | 315 kcal | 7.5g |
| Gulab jamun | 310 kcal | 9.07g |
| Suji halwa | 284 kcal | 11.28g |
| Rasgula | 272 kcal | 4.03g |
| Kesari | 244 kcal | 7.63g |
| Rasmalai | 179 kcal | 6.1g |
| Rice kheer (payasam) | 162 kcal | 6.3g |
The Sugar Story
Sugar is where this counter does its real damage. For reference, the WHO's daily guideline is 50g of sugar, and HPB advises keeping sugar under 10% of daily calories.
| Sweet | Sugar per HPB portion | Sugar per 100g | % of 50g daily guideline |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rasmalai (1 piece, 252g) | 57.0g | 22.6g | 114% |
| Suji halwa (1 plate, 133g) | 36.3g | 27.31g | 73% |
| Jalebi (1 piece, 114g) | 31.5g | 27.6g | 63% |
| Barfi (1 piece, 50g) | 22.0g | 44g | 44% |
| Athirasam (1 piece, 55g) | 20.2g | 36.7g | 40% |
| Laddu (1 piece, 53g) | 20.1g | 38g | 40% |
| Mysore pak (1 piece, 44g) | 17.2g | 39.2g | 34% |
| Rasgula (1 piece, 30g) | 16.8g | 56.16g | 34% |
| Kesari (1 plate, 107g) | 16.6g | 15.53g | 33% |
| Rice kheer (1 bowl, 218g) | 15.5g | 7.1g | 31% |
| Gulab jamun (1 piece, 13g) | 5.7g | 43.97g | 11% |
Rasgula is the clearest example of why the two columns must be read together. Per HPB's 30g piece it is a modest 16.8g of sugar — but at 56.16g of sugar per 100g, it is the sugariest item on the counter by weight. In HPB's data, rasgula's carbohydrate content and its sugar content are identical: 56.16g per 100g. It is syrup in solid form.
The Savoury Side of the Same Stall
Most Indian sweet counters in Singapore also sell fried savoury snacks. These swap the sugar problem for a sodium one. HPB's daily sodium limit for adults is 2,000mg.
| Snack | HPB default portion | Calories | Protein | Sodium | % of 2,000mg limit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Muruku (murukku) | 1 piece, 22g | 110 kcal | 2.4g | 178mg | 9% |
| Vadai with kacang hitam | 1 piece, 60g | 131 kcal | 5.0g | 391mg | 20% |
| Vadai (plain) | 1 piece, 60g | 168 kcal | 5.0g | 368mg | 18% |
Per 100g, muruku is 500 kcal and 811mg of sodium. The sodium figure is in a class of its own here — the next saltiest item on the whole stall is vadai with kacang hitam at 651mg per 100g, and every sweet in this guide is under 65mg. Muruku only looks harmless because HPB's recorded piece is 22g. Three or four pieces from a snack tin and you are at jalebi territory for calories, with several hundred milligrams of sodium on top.
Protein: Only Two Items Are Worth Anything
Almost everything on the sweet counter is sugar, flour and fat. Two exceptions stand out, both milk-based:
| Item | HPB default portion | Protein | Calories |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rice kheer (payasam) | 1 bowl, 218g | 14.2g | 353 kcal |
| Rasmalai | 1 piece, 252g | 13.6g | 451 kcal |
| Jalebi | 1 piece, 114g | 5.0g | 359 kcal |
| Vadai | 1 piece, 60g | 5.0g | 168 kcal |
| Suji halwa | 1 plate, 133g | 3.7g | 378 kcal |
| Kesari | 1 plate, 107g | 3.3g | 261 kcal |
| Laddu | 1 piece, 53g | 2.7g | 216 kcal |
| Barfi | 1 piece, 50g | 2.6g | 271 kcal |
| Muruku | 1 piece, 22g | 2.4g | 110 kcal |
| Athirasam | 1 piece, 55g | 2.0g | 238 kcal |
| Mysore pak | 1 piece, 44g | 1.2g | 250 kcal |
| Rasgula | 1 piece, 30g | 0.8g | 82 kcal |
| Gulab jamun | 1 piece, 13g | 0.5g | 40 kcal |
Rice kheer is the outlier of the whole guide: 162 kcal per 100g is the lowest density on the counter, and 14.2g of protein in HPB's 218g bowl is the highest protein figure of any portion here — nearly three times what a 60g vadai gives you. It is still a dessert with 15.5g of sugar in that bowl, but as desserts go, it is the one that behaves most like food.
How to Order at the Mithai Counter
How a Sweet Compares to a Hawker Main
Useful context for anyone budgeting a day: HPB's whole-dish figure for a plate of steamed chicken rice is 488 kcal (346g plate, 93.35% edible portion).
| Item | Calories | Share of a chicken rice plate |
|---|---|---|
| Rasmalai (1 piece, 252g) | 451 kcal | 92% |
| Suji halwa (1 plate, 133g) | 378 kcal | 77% |
| Jalebi (1 piece, 114g) | 359 kcal | 74% |
| Rice kheer (1 bowl, 218g) | 353 kcal | 72% |
| Barfi (1 piece, 50g) | 271 kcal | 56% |
| Mysore pak (1 piece, 44g) | 250 kcal | 51% |
| Vadai (1 piece, 60g) | 168 kcal | 34% |
| Rasgula (1 piece, 30g) | 82 kcal | 17% |
| Gulab jamun (1 piece, 13g) | 40 kcal | 8% |
Frequently Asked Questions
Per HPB Singapore's data, jalebi is 315 kcal per 100g. HPB's default portion is 1 piece weighing 114g, which works out to 359 kcal for that whole piece. If the piece at your stall is smaller or larger, scale from the per-100g figure rather than assuming 359 kcal.
Jalebi contains 27.6g of sugar per 100g in HPB's data. On HPB's default 114g piece that is 31.5g of sugar in one piece — roughly 63% of the WHO's 50g daily sugar guideline, from a single sweet.
HPB records suji halwa at 284 kcal per 100g, with a default portion of 1 plate weighing 133g. That plate is 378 kcal and 36.3g of sugar — the highest sugar figure of any single sweet portion in this guide apart from rasmalai.
By HPB's default portion, gulab jamun is lowest at 40 kcal — but only because HPB records its piece at just 13g. Rasgula is next at 82 kcal for a 30g piece. Judged per 100g instead, rasgula (272 kcal) is the lighter of the two and gulab jamun (310 kcal) is higher. Always check which basis a number is on.
They fail in different directions. Per HPB's default pieces, vadai is 168 kcal for a 60g piece with only 0.8g of sugar but 368mg of sodium — about 18% of HPB's 2,000mg daily sodium limit. Jalebi is 359 kcal for a 114g piece with 31.5g of sugar but just 50mg of sodium. Vadai is the lighter and lower-sugar option; jalebi is by far the lower-sodium one.
Measured per 100g, mysore pak is the densest at 569 kcal, followed by barfi at 541 kcal and muruku at 500 kcal — all higher than jalebi's 315 kcal per 100g. Jalebi only tops the per-piece ranking because HPB's recorded piece is large (114g).
Nutrition data sourced from the Health Promotion Board (HPB) Singapore food composition database. Every per-piece, per-plate and per-bowl figure in this article was computed as HPB's per-100g value multiplied by HPB's own recorded default portion weight and edible portion percentage — no portion weight was estimated by eye. Per-100g values are HPB's directly. Values are approximate and vary by stall, recipe, and portion, so check the gram weight before applying a per-portion figure to what is actually in front of you. This article is for general wellness purposes only and does not constitute medical or dietary advice. Nutrition data referenced in this article is used under licence from the Health Promotion Board (HPB) of Singapore and may not be redistributed, republished, or reused commercially without NutriKaki's prior written permission.