# Big Pau Calories and Every Singapore Pau, Ranked by HPB Data

> HPB puts a big pau (chicken) at 270 kcal for its 113g bun and a big pau (pork) at 318 kcal for 142g. Every pau, mantou and dim sum bun on real HPB data.

*By the NutriKaki Team · Data sourced from HPB Singapore · Updated September 2026*

**The short answer: a big pau is 270 kcal if it is chicken and 318 kcal if it is pork**, using HPB Singapore's default portions of one 113g bun and one 142g bun respectively. Per 100g, big pau (chicken) is 239 kcal and big pau (pork) is 224 kcal.

Those two numbers cross over, and that is the whole problem with pau. The chicken version is *denser* per 100g, but HPB records the pork bun as nearly 30g heavier, so it wins on calories per bun. Ask "how many calories in a big pau" without saying which one and which weight, and you can be 48 kcal out before you start.

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. No portion weight here was estimated by eye.

> **HPB has two "big pau" entries and two "pau" entries for the same fillings.** Big pau (chicken) and chicken pau are separate records with different nutrient values, and so are big pau (pork) and pork pau. They are not duplicates and they do not agree. Every row below names the exact HPB entry and the gram weight it is based on, so you can match the one in your hand instead of averaging them.

## Every Pau, Ranked by Calories Per HPB Portion

| Pau | HPB default portion | Calories | Protein | Sugar | Per 100g |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| **Pork pau** | 1 whole bun, 150g | **381 kcal** | 13.1g | 15.1g | 254 kcal |
| **Big pau (pork)** | 1 whole bun, 142g | **318 kcal** | 12.9g | 14.2g | 224 kcal |
| **Big pau (chicken)** | 1 whole bun, 113g | **270 kcal** | 10.8g | 13.2g | 239 kcal |
| Chicken pau | 1 whole bun, 115g | 247 kcal | 11.7g | 9.9g | 215 kcal |
| Sweet corn pau | 1 whole bun, 75g | 203 kcal | 4.3g | 11.7g | 271 kcal |
| Red bean pau (tau sar pau) | 1 whole bun, 63g | 197 kcal | 4.2g | 12.3g | 312 kcal |
| Lotus paste pau | 1 whole bun, 65g | 194 kcal | 4.2g | 11.9g | 299 kcal |
| Tau kwa pau | 1 piece, 120g | 187 kcal | 12.6g | 0.0g | 156 kcal |
| Vegetable pau | 1 whole bun, 80.33g | 150 kcal | 3.9g | 3.5g | 187 kcal |
| Char siew pau | 1 whole bun, 56g | 147 kcal | 5.6g | 5.7g | 262 kcal |
| **Vegetarian char siew pau** | 1 whole bun, 49g | **123 kcal** | 5.4g | 6.5g | 250 kcal |

**How these were calculated:** HPB's per-100g value × (HPB's default portion weight ÷ 100) × (edible portion % ÷ 100). Every pau in this table has an edible portion of 100%, so the bun weight is doing all the work. Sodium for each row is in the section below.

## The Small Bun Wins the Per-Bun Race, Not the Per-100g One

Char siew pau looks like the diet option at 147 kcal a bun. It is not a light food — it is a *small* food. At 262 kcal per 100g it is denser than a big pau (chicken) at 239 kcal per 100g, and denser than chicken pau at 215 kcal per 100g. HPB simply records its bun at 56g against the big pau's 113g.

| Ranked per 100g | Calories per 100g | Carbs per 100g | Sugar per 100g |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| **Red bean pau** | **312 kcal** | 54.25g | 19.45g |
| Lotus paste pau | 299 kcal | 50.95g | 18.3g |
| Sweet corn pau | 271 kcal | 48g | 15.6g |
| Char siew pau | 262 kcal | 38.05g | 10.1g |
| Pork pau | 254 kcal | 31.35g | 10.1g |
| Vegetarian char siew pau | 250 kcal | 39.26g | 13.3g |
| Big pau (chicken) | 239 kcal | 29.75g | 11.72g |
| Big pau (pork) | 224 kcal | 28.13g | 10.03g |
| Chicken pau | 215 kcal | 30.55g | 8.65g |
| Vegetable pau | 187 kcal | 34.92g | 4.3g |
| **Tau kwa pau** | **156 kcal** | 7.8g | 0g |

> **Key takeaway:** the sweet-filled pau are the calorie-dense ones by weight — red bean pau is 312 kcal per 100g against big pau (pork)'s 224 kcal per 100g. The savoury pau only top the per-bun table because HPB records them as much bigger buns. If your stall's tau sar pau is a generous one, that ranking closes fast.

## The Sugar Surprise: Savoury Pau Are Not Low-Sugar

This is the finding most people do not expect. The dough of a savoury pau is sweetened, and in HPB's data a big pau carries as much sugar as a dessert pau — sometimes more. For reference, the WHO's daily guideline is 50g of sugar.

| Pau | Sugar per HPB portion | Sugar per 100g | % of 50g daily guideline |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| **Pork pau** (1 bun, 150g) | **15.1g** | 10.1g | 30% |
| **Big pau (pork)** (1 bun, 142g) | **14.2g** | 10.03g | 28% |
| **Big pau (chicken)** (1 bun, 113g) | **13.2g** | 11.72g | 26% |
| Red bean pau (1 bun, 63g) | 12.3g | 19.45g | 25% |
| Lotus paste pau (1 bun, 65g) | 11.9g | 18.3g | 24% |
| Sweet corn pau (1 bun, 75g) | 11.7g | 15.6g | 23% |
| Chicken pau (1 bun, 115g) | 9.9g | 8.65g | 20% |
| Vegetarian char siew pau (1 bun, 49g) | 6.5g | 13.3g | 13% |
| Char siew pau (1 bun, 56g) | 5.7g | 10.1g | 11% |
| Vegetable pau (1 bun, 80.33g) | 3.5g | 4.3g | 7% |
| **Tau kwa pau** (1 piece, 120g) | **0.0g** | 0g | 0% |

A big pau (pork) at 14.2g of sugar in one bun beats a red bean pau at 12.3g. Choosing the savoury pau because "it isn't a dessert" does not buy you what you think it does. What it does buy you is a very different sodium number, in the wrong direction.

## Sodium: Where Sweet and Savoury Genuinely Split

HPB's daily sodium limit for adults is 2,000mg. On sodium, the sweet pau are close to free and the savoury pau are not.

| Item | HPB default portion | Sodium | % of 2,000mg limit | Sodium per 100g |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| **Tau kwa pau** | 1 piece, 120g | **751mg** | 38% | 626mg |
| **Pork pau** | 1 bun, 150g | **544mg** | 27% | 363mg |
| **Big pau (pork)** | 1 bun, 142g | **488mg** | 24% | 344mg |
| Big pau (chicken) | 1 bun, 113g | 436mg | 22% | 386mg |
| Chicken pau | 1 bun, 115g | 385mg | 19% | 335mg |
| Vegetable pau | 1 bun, 80.33g | 222mg | 11% | 276mg |
| Vegetarian char siew pau | 1 bun, 49g | 205mg | 10% | 419mg |
| Char siew pau | 1 bun, 56g | 166mg | 8% | 297mg |
| Lotus paste pau | 1 bun, 65g | 40mg | 2% | 61mg |
| Red bean pau | 1 bun, 63g | 39mg | 2% | 62mg |
| **Sweet corn pau** | 1 bun, 75g | **33mg** | 2% | 44mg |

> **Tau kwa pau is the one to watch.** It is the best macro profile in this guide — 12.6g of protein and zero sugar for 187 kcal in HPB's 120g piece — and simultaneously the saltiest thing here at 751mg of sodium, about 38% of a day's limit. At 626mg per 100g it is about ten times as salty by weight as a red bean pau. If you are watching sodium for blood pressure, this is not the light snack it looks like.

## Mantou: Steaming vs Frying

Fried mantou (za man tou) is the same bun with oil added, and HPB's numbers show exactly what that costs.

| Mantou | HPB default portion | Calories | Fat | Per 100g | Fat per 100g |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| **Steamed mantou** | 1 piece, 52g | **132 kcal** | 1.4g | 254 kcal | 2.6g |
| **Fried mantou** | 1 piece, 45g | **179 kcal** | 8.6g | 397 kcal | 19.1g |

Per 100g the fried version is 143 kcal heavier and carries 16.5g more fat. The per-piece gap looks smaller only because HPB's fried piece is 45g against the steamed piece's 52g — a *smaller* piece that still costs 47 kcal more. Steamed mantou is also the lowest-calorie item in this entire guide per piece, at 132 kcal, and one of the lowest in sodium at 69mg.

## Dim Sum: Nobody Eats One Piece

Siew mai and xiao long bao look trivial as single pieces, because HPB's default portion for both is one piece. The basket is what matters.

| Item | HPB default portion | Per piece | A 4-piece basket | Sodium per 4 pieces |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| **Siew mai** | 1 piece, 30g | 67 kcal | **266 kcal** | 580mg (29% of daily limit) |
| **Xiao long bao** | 1 piece, 23g | 44 kcal | **174 kcal** | 328mg (16% of daily limit) |

Per 100g, siew mai is 222 kcal with 13.3g of fat and 483mg of sodium; xiao long bao is 189 kcal with 9.45g of fat and 356mg of sodium. Four siew mai land within 4 kcal of a big pau (chicken), and carry more sodium than one. The four-piece figures above are simple multiples of HPB's single-piece portion, not separate HPB entries — count what is actually in your basket.

## The Bakery Counter Next Door

Kopitiam bakery buns sit beside the steamer and get compared to pau constantly. They are a different proposition: more fat, less protein, and HPB records some of them as very calorie-dense by weight.

| Bun | HPB default portion | Calories | Fat | Sodium | Per 100g |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| **Otah bun** | 1 whole bun, 92g | **268 kcal** | 10.4g | 373mg | 291 kcal |
| **Coffee bun** (roti boy) | 1 whole bun, 50g | **215 kcal** | 11.5g | 140mg | 429 kcal |
| Kaya bun | 1 whole bun, 62g | 200 kcal | 6.4g | 128mg | 323 kcal |
| Salted egg yolk custard bun (liu sha bao) | 1 whole bun, 43g | 142 kcal | 5.9g | 69mg | 330 kcal |

Coffee bun is the standout: 429 kcal per 100g is the highest density in this guide, above every pau and above fried mantou's 397 kcal per 100g. It reads as a modest 215 kcal only because HPB's bun is 50g. Liu sha bao is the same trap in miniature — 330 kcal per 100g, but a 43g bun, so 142 kcal a piece. Order three and you are past a big pau.

## How to Order at the Pau Steamer

- **✅ One big pau is a meal, not a snack** At 270–318 kcal it is over half a chicken rice plate. Budget it as food. *(Win: honest counting)*
- **✅ Char siew pau if you want a small one** 147 kcal and 166mg sodium for HPB's 56g bun. *(Save: ~171 kcal vs a big pau (pork))*
- **✅ Vegetable pau is the lightest filled pau** 187 kcal per 100g and only 3.5g of sugar in its 80.33g bun. *(Save: 6.5g sugar vs a chicken pau bun)*
- **✅ Steamed mantou over fried** 132 kcal vs 179 kcal per HPB piece, and 7.2g less fat. *(Save: 47 kcal, 7.2g fat)*
- **⚠️ Sweet pau are not "just a bit of sugar"** A 63g red bean pau is 12.3g of sugar — a quarter of the WHO daily guideline. *(Watch: 25% of daily sugar)*
- **⚠️ Tau kwa pau: great macros, hard sodium** 12.6g protein and 0g sugar, but 751mg sodium per HPB's 120g piece. *(Watch: 38% of daily sodium)*

## How a Pau 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 |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Pork pau (1 bun, 150g) | 381 kcal | 78% |
| Big pau, pork (1 bun, 142g) | 318 kcal | 65% |
| Big pau, chicken (1 bun, 113g) | 270 kcal | 55% |
| Otah bun (1 bun, 92g) | 268 kcal | 55% |
| Siew mai (4 pieces, 120g) | 266 kcal | 55% |
| Chicken pau (1 bun, 115g) | 247 kcal | 51% |
| Red bean pau (1 bun, 63g) | 197 kcal | 40% |
| Tau kwa pau (1 piece, 120g) | 187 kcal | 38% |
| Xiao long bao (4 pieces, 92g) | 174 kcal | 36% |
| Char siew pau (1 bun, 56g) | 147 kcal | 30% |
| Steamed mantou (1 piece, 52g) | 132 kcal | 27% |
| Vegetarian char siew pau (1 bun, 49g) | 123 kcal | 25% |

📖 **Related:** [Kaya Toast & Kopitiam Breakfast Calories](https://nutrikaki.com/blog/kaya-toast-breakfast-calories) · [Singapore Kueh Calories — All 12 Types Ranked](https://nutrikaki.com/blog/singapore-kueh-calories-guide) · [The Sodium Problem in Singapore Hawker Food](https://nutrikaki.com/blog/sodium-hawker-food-singapore) · [Chwee Kueh Calories — Breakfast Kueh Compared](https://nutrikaki.com/blog/chwee-kueh-calories-singapore)

## Frequently Asked Questions

**How many calories are in a big pau?**

It depends which filling, because HPB Singapore records two separate entries. Big pau (chicken) is 239 kcal per 100g with a default portion of one whole bun weighing 113g, which works out to 270 kcal for that bun. Big pau (pork) is 224 kcal per 100g with a default portion of one whole bun weighing 142g, which works out to 318 kcal for that bun. The pork version is lower per 100g but higher per bun, because HPB records it as the heavier bun.

**How many calories are in a char siew pau?**

HPB records char siew pau at 262 kcal per 100g, with a default portion of one whole bun weighing 56g. That bun is 147 kcal. Char siew pau is denser per 100g than a big pau (chicken) at 239 kcal per 100g, but the bun is half the weight, so it lands at roughly half the calories.

**Which pau has the fewest calories?**

Of the pau in HPB's database, vegetarian char siew pau is lowest per bun at 123 kcal for a 49g bun, followed by char siew pau at 147 kcal for a 56g bun and vegetable pau at 150 kcal for an 80.33g bun. Measured per 100g instead, tau kwa pau is the lightest at 156 kcal and vegetable pau is next at 187 kcal, and the small char siew pau bun only wins on the per-bun ranking because of its size.

**Do sweet pau have more sugar than savoury pau?**

Barely. In HPB's data a big pau (pork) carries 14.2g of sugar in its 142g bun, which is more than the 12.3g in a 63g red bean pau. The dough itself is sweetened, so a savoury pau is not a low-sugar choice. What separates them is sodium: red bean pau has 39mg per bun while big pau (pork) has 488mg.

**Is tau kwa pau healthy?**

It is the highest-protein and lowest-sugar item in this guide — 12.6g of protein and 0g of sugar in HPB's 120g piece, for 187 kcal — but it is also by far the saltiest. That piece carries 751mg of sodium, about 38% of HPB's 2,000mg daily limit, from a snack of under 200 calories. Good macros, difficult sodium.

**How many calories are in siew mai and xiao long bao?**

Per HPB's default single pieces, siew mai is 67 kcal for a 30g piece and xiao long bao is 44 kcal for a 23g piece. Nobody eats one, though. A standard four-piece basket is about 266 kcal and 580mg of sodium for siew mai, or 174 kcal and 328mg for xiao long bao.

**Is steamed mantou better than fried mantou?**

Yes, by a wide margin. HPB records steamed mantou at 254 kcal per 100g and fried mantou at 397 kcal per 100g — the frying adds roughly 143 kcal and 16.5g of fat per 100g. Per HPB's default pieces, steamed mantou is 132 kcal for 52g and fried mantou is 179 kcal for a smaller 45g piece.

*Nutrition data sourced from the Health Promotion Board (HPB) Singapore food composition database. Every per-bun and per-piece 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. The four-piece siew mai and xiao long bao figures are multiples of HPB's single-piece portion, not separate HPB entries. 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.*

Full nutrition data for dishes in this guide

- [Char siew pau · 262 kcal/100g](https://nutrikaki.com/nutrition/char-siew-pau)
- [Chicken pau · 215 kcal/100g](https://nutrikaki.com/nutrition/chicken-pau)
- [Siew mai · 222 kcal/100g](https://nutrikaki.com/nutrition/siew-mai)
- [Xiao long bao · 189 kcal/100g](https://nutrikaki.com/nutrition/xiao-long-bao)

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Full article: https://nutrikaki.com/blog/pau-calories-singapore