Masala Chai calories
per cup, not per 100 g
The short answer
One cup, weighed
62kcal 1 cup — taken as 150 g — has about 62 calories, with 2.0 g protein, 8.7 g carbohydrate and 2.1 g fat. Two come to 123 kcal, three to 185 kcal.
Per 100 g, masala chai carries 41 kcal and 1.3 g protein.
SOURCE·ICMR–NIN dietary guidance for Indians + weighed portions·1 cup entered at 150 g·REVIEWED JUL 2026
Serving assumed: 1 cup ≈ 150 g — about 60 ml of full-cream milk and 1 teaspoon of sugar per cup. Change the portion and every number below changes with it.
SOURCE·ICMR–NIN dietary guidance for Indians + weighed portions·1 cup entered at 150 g·REVIEWED JUL 2026
From a table row to one cup
- Read the per-100 g row for masala chai out of the Indian Food Composition Tables 2017 — analysed on Indian samples, so Indian wheat and Indian milk are not swapped for American ones. It gives 41 kcal and 1.3 g protein per 100 g.
- Weigh what is actually served. This site enters 1 cup at 150 g (about 60 ml of full-cream milk and 1 teaspoon of sugar per cup). That weight is the number other calorie sites decline to state, and it is where their answers stop being answers.
- Multiply, linearly, and print the working: 41 × 150 ÷ 100 = 62 kcal per cup. Nothing is rounded up, adjusted or smoothed — two cups are exactly twice one.
- Reconcile the energy against its own macronutrients with Atwater factors on every build. A row more than 15% away from 4P + 4C + 9F (20% above 6 g of fibre) stops the build rather than shipping.
per cup = per 100 g × serving grams ÷ 100 Masala Chai = 41 kcal × 150 g ÷ 100 = 62 kcal energy check = 4P + 4C + 9F ±15% (±20% if fibre ≥ 6 g)
Masala Chai, entered by the portion
The kitchen ledger: one cup at 150 g, then two, then three. Every row is the row above multiplied — nothing is rounded up or quietly adjusted.
| Portion | Grams | Calories | Protein | Carbs | Fat | Fibre |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 cup | 150 g | 62 kcal | 2.0 g | 8.7 g | 2.1 g | 0.0 g |
| 2 cups | 300 g | 123 kcal | 3.9 g | 17.4 g | 4.2 g | 0.0 g |
| 3 cups | 450 g | 185 kcal | 5.9 g | 26.1 g | 6.3 g | 0.0 g |
| 1 large mug | 250 g | 103 kcal | 3.3 g | 14.5 g | 3.5 g | 0.0 g |
| 1 cutting glass | 100 g | 41 kcal | 1.3 g | 5.8 g | 1.4 g | 0.0 g |
SOURCE·ICMR–NIN dietary guidance for Indians + weighed portions·1 cup entered at 150 g·REVIEWED JUL 2026
Kept in kilocalories — the "calories" printed on a packet. Carbohydrate is available carbohydrate. Fibre is entered on its own line and is counted in neither the carbohydrate column nor the energy figure.
The 100 g column, kept for the record
Because every other site quotes it, and because you should be able to check our arithmetic against theirs.
| Nutrient | Per 100 g | Per 1 cup (150 g) |
|---|---|---|
| Energy | 41 kcal | 62 kcal |
| Protein | 1.3 g | 2.0 g |
| Carbohydrate (available) | 5.8 g | 8.7 g |
| Fat | 1.4 g | 2.1 g |
| Dietary fibre | 0.0 g | 0.0 g |
SOURCE·IFCT 2017 + published recipe weights·REVIEWED JUL 2026
What it takes to burn off 1 cup of masala chai
Minutes of activity for a 70 kg adult to spend 62 kcal, using MET values from the 2024 Adult Compendium of Physical Activities. This is a scale check, not a licence — appetite rises with activity and the two do not cancel neatly.
SOURCE·2024 Adult Compendium of Physical Activities·MET × 3.5 × 70 kg ÷ 200·REVIEWED JUL 2026
Calculated as MET × 3.5 × 70 kg ÷ 200 kcal per minute. Full working on the method page, and the whole activity dataset at BurnLab.
Where masala chai sits in an Indian plate
Among the 14 beverages entries on this site, masala chai ranks 8th for protein (1.3 g per 100 g) and 10th for energy density (41 kcal per 100 g). The protein leader in the group is thandai at 4.0 g.
Protein supplies 13% of its energy — respectable, but a plate built only on this will run short. Dal, curd, paneer or eggs close the gap cheaply. There is very little fibre here — 0.0 g per 100 g.
A realistic day matters more than any single dish. If you are building a meal, the thali builder adds several foods and their real servings together in one total.
Questions
How many calories are in 1 cup?
About 62 kcal for 1 cup, taken as 150 g (about 60 ml of full-cream milk and 1 teaspoon of sugar per cup). Two come to roughly 123 kcal and three to 185 kcal. Per 100 g, masala chai carries 41 kcal.
How much protein is in masala chai?
1.3 g per 100 g, which works out to 2.0 g in 1 cup. That is 13% of the energy in this food, and ranks 8th of 14 in the beverages group on this site.
Is masala chai good for weight loss?
At 41 kcal per 100 g it is on the lighter side, so portion size is forgiving. Protein is moderate, so pair it with dal, curd or a non-veg side to stay full. No single food makes or breaks a diet; the total for the day does.
Why does this differ from other calorie sites?
Two reasons. First, most sites publish a per-100 g figure from a US database and leave you to guess what a roti or a katori weighs; this page states the serving weight up front. Second, home-cooked Indian food varies enormously with oil and ghee — the figures here assume about 60 ml of full-cream milk and 1 teaspoon of sugar per cup. A restaurant version can be 30 to 60% higher.
Similar foods
Four more from beverages, and three from elsewhere with a similar energy density.
Where this number comes from
Recipe analysis from sourced ingredients. Carbohydrate is available carbohydrate — dietary fibre excluded and listed separately.
Recipe and finished weight: 60 g full-cream milk, 6 g sugar — a little over one teaspoon — spices and water. Finished weight 150 g, one cup.
Confidence in the quantities: high. Two or three ingredients, one of them dominant, little or no cooking fat. This dish does not move much between households.
Source row: IFCT 2017 L002, Milk, whole, Cow. Energy on this row is the Atwater sum of the ingredients above, not an independent measurement, so it reconciles by construction — that is a property of the method and not evidence that the quantities are right. The ingredient weights are this site's assumption; the table rows behind each ingredient are not. One ingredient here carries no table row of its own — sugar — so this dish inherits that gap and is no more checkable than that ingredient is.
Every food on this site carries this label. What each one means, and how many foods sit behind each, is set out on the method page.
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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