Sugar (Cheeni) calories
per teaspoon, not per 100 g
The short answer
One teaspoon, weighed
20kcal 1 teaspoon — taken as 5 g — has about 20 calories, with 0.0 g protein, 5.0 g carbohydrate and 0.0 g fat. Two come to 40 kcal, three to 60 kcal.
Per 100 g, sugar (cheeni) carries 398 kcal and 0.0 g protein.
SOURCE·ICMR–NIN dietary guidance for Indians + weighed portions·1 teaspoon entered at 5 g·REVIEWED JUL 2026
Serving assumed: 1 teaspoon ≈ 5 g — one level teaspoon in your chai is 20 kcal. Change the portion and every number below changes with it.
SOURCE·ICMR–NIN dietary guidance for Indians + weighed portions·1 teaspoon entered at 5 g·REVIEWED JUL 2026
From a table row to one teaspoon
- Read the per-100 g row for sugar (cheeni) 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 398 kcal and 0.0 g protein per 100 g.
- Weigh what is actually served. This site enters 1 teaspoon at 5 g (one level teaspoon in your chai is 20 kcal). 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: 398 × 5 ÷ 100 = 20 kcal per teaspoon. Nothing is rounded up, adjusted or smoothed — two teaspoons 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 teaspoon = per 100 g × serving grams ÷ 100 Sugar (Cheeni) = 398 kcal × 5 g ÷ 100 = 20 kcal energy check = 4P + 4C + 9F ±15% (±20% if fibre ≥ 6 g)
Sugar (Cheeni), entered by the portion
The kitchen ledger: one teaspoon at 5 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 teaspoon | 5 g | 20 kcal | 0.0 g | 5.0 g | 0.0 g | 0.0 g |
| 2 teaspoons | 10 g | 40 kcal | 0.0 g | 10.0 g | 0.0 g | 0.0 g |
| 3 teaspoons | 15 g | 60 kcal | 0.0 g | 14.9 g | 0.0 g | 0.0 g |
| 1 tablespoon | 15 g | 60 kcal | 0.0 g | 14.9 g | 0.0 g | 0.0 g |
SOURCE·ICMR–NIN dietary guidance for Indians + weighed portions·1 teaspoon entered at 5 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 teaspoon (5 g) |
|---|---|---|
| Energy | 398 kcal | 20 kcal |
| Protein | 0.0 g | 0.0 g |
| Carbohydrate (available) | 99.5 g | 5.0 g |
| Fat | 0.0 g | 0.0 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 teaspoon of sugar (cheeni)
Minutes of activity for a 70 kg adult to spend 20 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 sugar (cheeni) sits in an Indian plate
Among the 20 basics, nuts & fruit entries on this site, sugar (cheeni) ranks 19th for protein (0.0 g per 100 g) and 7th for energy density (398 kcal per 100 g). The protein leader in the group is peanuts at 25.0 g.
Protein supplies only 0% of its energy, so treat it as an energy food rather than a protein food. 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 teaspoon?
About 20 kcal for 1 teaspoon, taken as 5 g (one level teaspoon in your chai is 20 kcal). Two come to roughly 40 kcal and three to 60 kcal. Per 100 g, sugar (cheeni) carries 398 kcal.
How much protein is in sugar (cheeni)?
0.0 g per 100 g, which works out to 0.0 g in 1 teaspoon. That is 0% of the energy in this food, and ranks 19th of 20 in the basics, nuts & fruit group on this site.
Is sugar (cheeni) good for weight loss?
At 398 kcal per 100 g it is energy-dense, so the portion decides everything. Protein is low, so eat it alongside a protein source rather than on its own. 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 one level teaspoon in your chai is 20 kcal. A restaurant version can be 30 to 60% higher.
Similar foods
Four more from basics, nuts & fruit, and three from elsewhere with a similar energy density.
Where this number comes from
Not in any composition table. Carbohydrate is available carbohydrate — dietary fibre excluded and listed separately.
IFCT 2017's sugars section contains exactly two foods, jaggery and sugarcane juice. There is no refined sugar entry. Sucrose is about 99.9 g of carbohydrate per 100 g and carries no fibre, so nothing here is in dispute, but it is not an IFCT citation.
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
The people behind these sites
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This site and nine others like it are built and photographed by two people: Amit Sharma — behind the build; Geeta Patel — the poses, demonstrated. New work goes up on Instagram and Facebook before it reaches a page here.
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