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One gulab jamun is about 150 kcal, one jalebi about 135 and one kaju katli about 80. Here are the approximate calories per piece for 15 popular Indian sweets, so a festival box of mithai holds fewer surprises.
| Sweet | Weight | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Rasmalai (1 piece) | ~60 g | ~150 |
| Mysore pak (1 piece) | ~30 g | ~180 |
| Motichoor ladoo (1) | ~40 g | ~190 |
| Besan ladoo (1) | ~35 g | ~170 |
| Gulab jamun (1 medium) | ~40 g | ~150 |
| Coconut barfi (1 piece) | ~30 g | ~140 |
| Jalebi (1 piece) | ~30 g | ~135 |
| Soan papdi (1 piece) | ~25 g | ~120 |
| Milk barfi (1 piece) | ~30 g | ~120 |
| Rasgulla (1, with syrup) | ~40 g | ~110 |
| Peda (1) | ~25 g | ~100 |
| Kaju katli (1 piece) | ~15 g | ~80 |
Our approximate estimates for typical halwai pieces. Sizes differ a lot between shops and homes, so treat each number as a ballpark, not a measurement.
| Sweet | Portion | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Suji halwa / sheera (1 katori) | ~100 g | ~260 |
| Gajar halwa (1 katori) | ~100 g | ~230 |
| Kheer (1 katori) | ~120 g | ~200 |
Approximate. Ghee, khoya, sugar and dry fruits change these numbers a lot.
Three things carry most of the calories: sugar, ghee or oil and milk solids such as khoya. A teaspoon of sugar is roughly 20 kcal and a teaspoon of ghee roughly 45 kcal, and a single piece of mithai can contain several teaspoons of each. That is why a small kaju katli (about 80 kcal) and a motichoor ladoo (about 190 kcal) are so far apart even though both feel like "one sweet".
Syrup-based sweets such as gulab jamun, rasgulla and jalebi get a large share of their calories from the sugar syrup they soak up. Fried sweets such as jalebi and mysore pak add oil or ghee on top.
It can help to compare with something familiar. A medium roti is about 120 kcal, so using the approximate numbers above:
A simple way to enjoy festival sweets: cut a piece in half. Half a gulab jamun is about 75 kcal and half a besan ladoo about 85 kcal, and it still tastes like the sweet. On the numbers above, rasgulla, kaju katli and peda come in lowest per piece.
A "piece" is not a standard unit. Mithai shops cut barfi into squares of very different sizes, and a gulab jamun at a wedding can be double the size of a packet one. If you want a closer number, weigh one piece on a kitchen scale and scale the table: for example, a 60 g gulab jamun is roughly 1.5 times the 40 g figure.
These are approximate numbers for typical pieces, not exact ones, and they are not advice about what you should eat. If you have diabetes or another health condition, how many sweets suit you is a question for your doctor or dietitian, not a general table.
About 150 kcal for a medium gulab jamun of around 40 g with its syrup. Larger ones can be double that.
About 135 kcal for a piece of around 30 g. Jalebi are fried and soaked in sugar syrup, so thicker pieces have more.
About 80 kcal for one piece of around 15 g, which makes it one of the lighter sweets per piece.
On these approximate numbers, kaju katli (about 80 kcal), peda (about 100 kcal) and rasgulla (about 110 kcal) are lowest per piece. Per gram, the picture can look different.
Take a photo and Nutrisnap shows an approximate calorie range. It is an AI guess, for fun.
Scan your food Track todayPer-piece figures on this page are our own approximate calculations from typical recipes and piece weights. They are estimates, not laboratory measurements. This article is educational information, not medical or nutrition advice.
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