Bengal Gram Dal Calories & Nutrition Calculator

Dry chana dal absorbs approximately 1.5–2x its weight in water during cooking. One cup of dry dal (~200g) produces roughly 400–450g of cooked dal — the grains swell and soften but compact slightly, so the final volume is about 1.5 cups cooked rather than the 2.5–3x expansion seen in whole beans.

This has a direct impact on calorie tracking. Dry chana dal contains 378 calories per 100g, while the same dal after cooking drops to 164 calories per 100g — a 57% decrease caused entirely by water absorption. If you're measuring cooked dal by volume for your food journal, note that 1 cup of cooked chana dal (200g) delivers 328 calories and 17.8g protein.

The practical takeaway: always specify whether you're logging dry or cooked weight. A common logging error is recording '100g chana dal' without clarifying the state — the difference is 378 vs. 164 calories, more than double.

Besan (chickpea flour / gram flour) is ground from dried bengal gram and carries 387 calories, 22.4g protein, and 6.7g fat per 100g ^[1]. While it's an efficient protein source for flour-based recipes, it's also the base ingredient in pakoras, bhajias, and various coated snacks — where it absorbs cooking oil and dramatically increases the calorie count.

A thin besan batter coating on vegetables typically uses about 15–20g of besan per serving, adding roughly 60–77 calories before frying. After deep frying, oil absorption adds another 80–120 calories depending on the surface area and frying time. The finished pakora can carry 3–4x the calories of the vegetable alone.

For nutrition journaling of besan-based preparations, track the besan quantity separately from the oil used in cooking. The flour itself is nutrient-dense (high in protein, folate, and iron), but the preparation method determines whether it remains a moderate-calorie ingredient or becomes a high-calorie coating.

Cooked chana dal delivers 8.86g protein per 100g — placing it in the same range as cooked kidney beans (8.7g), cooked lentils (9.0g), and cooked chickpeas (8.9g). The protein content makes it one of the more concentrated plant-based protein sources among commonly consumed dals in South Asian cuisine ^[2].

The folate content at 172mcg per 100g cooked is particularly notable — a single cup (200g) of cooked chana dal provides 344mcg of folate, which is 86% of the Daily Value (400mcg). Combined with 5.78mg iron per cup (32% DV) and 582mg potassium (12% DV), chana dal packs significant micronutrient density relative to its calorie count.

For comparison, a cup of cooked white rice (158g) provides only 1.6mcg folate, 0.3mg iron, and 55mg potassium. This makes chana dal a substantially more micronutrient-dense option per calorie when comparing these two common meal components side by side.

Roasting desi chickpeas produces bhuna chana — a popular dry snack across India. The dry-roasting process removes residual moisture, concentrating the protein to approximately 22.5g per 100g — one of the highest protein-per-gram ratios among shelf-stable Indian snacks. By contrast, roasted peanuts provide 26g protein per 100g but with 49g fat; bhuna chana has only 5.2g fat ^[3].

A 30g handful of roasted chana delivers about 111 calories, 6.8g protein, and 5.4g fiber. This makes it a relatively high-protein, high-fiber snack option that does not require refrigeration. The fiber content (18g/100g) is also exceptionally high, roughly matching or exceeding that of dry chia seeds.

The key trade-off: roasted chana is very dense and compact, so 30g looks like a small handful. It's easy to consume 80–100g without realizing it, which would mean 295–369 calories. Weigh portions if tracking closely.

Bengal gram dal (chana dal) is made by splitting and hulling desi chickpeas — removing the outer seed coat and separating the two cotyledons. Note that the USDA data for dried chana dal (17.4g fiber per 100g) reflects the desi variety, while commonly cited 'whole chickpea' data (12.2g fiber per 100g) typically refers to the kabuli variety — making direct fiber comparison between these two database entries misleading. The splitting process does remove the hull, but variety differences dominate the fiber figures. The practical advantage of splitting is that it significantly reduces cooking time from 45–60 minutes to 20–30 minutes.

Nutritionally, the cooked values are nearly identical: both whole desi chickpeas and chana dal provide approximately 164 calories, 8.9g protein, and 2.6g fat per 100g cooked ^[1]. The primary difference is in texture and culinary application — chana dal cooks into a smooth, dal-like consistency, while whole chickpeas retain their shape.

This calculator uses USDA FDC data for mature chickpeas (desi variety) for the cooked and dry variants, and USDA chickpea flour data for the besan variant. If you're comparing this tool to the whole chickpeas calculator, you'll notice the per-100g cooked values are essentially the same — the split form is a processing distinction, not a nutritional one.