Moong Dal vs Chana Dal

Both sides computed from the same table, at the serving each is actually eaten in.

Moong Dal

128

kcal per 1 katori cooked dal (150 g) · 85 kcal/100 g

Chana Dal

180

kcal per 1 katori cooked dal (150 g) · 120 kcal/100 g

More energy-dense

The short answer

Which one is heavier

Per 100 g, chana dal is heavier — 120 kcal against 85 kcal for moong dal, about 41% more. Per real serving the picture changes: 1 katori cooked dal of moong dal is 128 kcal, while 1 katori cooked dal of chana dal is 180 kcal, because the portions are not the same size. On protein, chana dal wins with 5.5 g per 100 g.

SOURCE·ICMR–NIN dietary guidance for Indians + weighed portions·1 katori cooked dal entered at 150 g·REVIEWED JUL 2026

Side by side

	Moong Dal	Chana Dal
Serving assumed	1 katori cooked dal · 150 g	1 katori cooked dal · 150 g
Calories per serving	128	180
Calories per 100 g	85	120
Protein per 100 g	4.2 g	5.5 g
Carbs per 100 g	10.5 g	14.5 g
Fat per 100 g	2.6 g	4.0 g
Fibre per 100 g	2.0 g	3.6 g
Walking to burn one serving	30 min	42 min

SOURCE·IFCT 2017 + published recipe weights·REVIEWED JUL 2026

How two dishes are made comparable

Both columns start from the same source — the per-100 g rows for moong dal and chana dal in the Indian Food Composition Tables 2017. Neither side is taken from a different database to win an argument.
Each dish keeps its own serving weight: 1 katori cooked dal at 150 g, 1 katori cooked dal at 150 g. Forcing both onto a shared 100 g is what makes most food comparisons useless.
Both rows are then scaled the same way and printed side by side, so the per-gram ranking and the per-plate ranking can visibly disagree — which, on Indian food, they routinely do.

Moong Dal           85 kcal/100 g × 150 g ÷ 100 = 128 kcal
Chana Dal          120 kcal/100 g × 150 g ÷ 100 = 180 kcal

The full method, and where it is weakest →

How to read this

Per-100 g comparisons flatter whatever is eaten in small portions. Chana Dal is denser per gram, but people do not eat by the gram — moong dal arrives as 1 katori cooked dal and chana dal as 1 katori cooked dal, and that is where the real difference shows up.

Chana Dal carries more protein, which matters more than the calorie gap if you are trying to stay full. Both figures assume home cooking with a measured amount of oil; a restaurant plate of either can run 30 to 60% higher.

Questions

Which has more calories, moong dal or chana dal?

Which has more protein, moong dal or chana dal?

Chana Dal — 5.5 g per 100 g against 4.2 g. Per real serving that becomes 8.3 g in 1 katori cooked dal against 6.3 g in 1 katori cooked dal.

Why do the two comparisons disagree?

Because a per-100 g comparison flatters whatever is eaten in small portions. 1 katori cooked dal of moong dal weighs 150 g and 1 katori cooked dal of chana dal weighs 150 g, so the per-gram ranking and the per-plate ranking are answering different questions. The serving row is the one that decides what you ate.

Nutrient values are averages for the stated preparation, based on the Indian Food Composition Tables 2017 (ICMR–NIN) and standard recipe analysis. Energy is reconciled against the macronutrients with Atwater factors on every build. General information only — not medical or nutrition advice. Home-cooked Indian food varies enormously with oil, ghee and portion size; every value here is an average for a stated serving, with the assumption shown.

SOURCE·IFCT 2017 + published recipe weights·REVIEWED JUL 2026

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