Brinjal Calories & Nutrition Calculator

Raw brinjal has 25 kcal per 100g, but boiled and drained brinjal has 35 kcal per 100g — a 40% increase. This is unusual among vegetables, where cooking typically maintains or reduces calories. The explanation is water loss: raw brinjal is 92.3% water, but cooked brinjal drops to 89.7% water, concentrating the remaining carbohydrates per gram ^[1][2].

Carbs increase from 5.9g to 8.7g per 100g (raw to cooked), not because new carbohydrates are created, but because the same carbs are packed into a slightly smaller, denser mass. This means a cup of cooked brinjal cubes (99g) has approximately 35 kcal, while a cup of raw cubes (82g) has approximately 21 kcal — the cooked version is 67% more calorie-dense per cup.

For food journaling, always specify whether you're logging raw or cooked brinjal. The difference is modest in absolute terms (10 kcal per 100g) but matters for precision tracking. However, the truly significant calorie multiplier is cooking oil — which is where the next section becomes critical.

Brinjal's spongy, air-pocket-rich flesh makes it one of the most oil-absorbent vegetables in common cooking. When sliced and fried, brinjal can absorb 3–5 tablespoons of oil per medium eggplant (200g), adding 360–600 kcal of pure fat to a vegetable that started at 50 kcal. Fried brinjal slices can reach 200–300 kcal per 100g ^[3].

Baingan bharta (roasted and mashed) uses less oil — typically 1–2 tablespoons — bringing a 200g serving to approximately 130–200 kcal total. Boiled or steamed brinjal remains at 35 kcal/100g. The same vegetable ranges from 35 to 300 kcal per 100g depending entirely on the cooking method and oil quantity.

For food journaling, measuring oil separately from brinjal is essential for accuracy. The vegetable's own calorie contribution is negligible compared to the absorbed oil. If you sauté brinjal, measure the oil before and after cooking (by weighing the bottle) to estimate actual absorption. Some techniques reduce oil absorption: salting slices before cooking draws out moisture and partially collapses the air pockets.

Raw brinjal contains 3.0g dietary fiber per 100g with 5.9g total carbs, yielding just 2.9g net carbs. This fiber-to-net-carb ratio (~1:1) is unusually favorable compared to other nightshades: raw tomatoes have 1.2g fiber and 2.7g net carbs, and raw bell peppers have 1.7g fiber and 4.6g net carbs per 100g ^[1].

Cooked brinjal retains 2.5g fiber per 100g — a 17% reduction from raw. The fiber is primarily in the skin and seeds, which survive cooking well. For maximum fiber retention, cook brinjal with the skin on. Peeled brinjal loses approximately 30–40% of its fiber content.

For nutrition journaling, one medium brinjal (200g raw) provides approximately 6g fiber — 21% of the daily recommended intake. This makes brinjal a meaningful fiber contributor in curries and stews, even though its calories are minimal before oil is added.

Raw brinjal provides 0.23mg manganese per 100g — 10% of the 2.3mg daily value. This places brinjal among the better vegetable sources of manganese, exceeding raw carrots (0.14mg), raw tomatoes (0.11mg), and raw bell peppers (0.12mg). One medium brinjal (200g) delivers approximately 0.46mg manganese — 20% of the daily value ^[1].

Cooking halves the manganese: boiled brinjal has 0.11mg per 100g (5% DV). The loss occurs through leaching into cooking water. If manganese tracking matters, use cooking methods that retain the cooking liquid (curries, stews) rather than boiling and draining.

For food journaling, manganese from brinjal is worth noting because few vegetables provide this much per serving. Combined with the fiber and low calorie count, brinjal contributes meaningful micronutrients. However, iron and zinc are both low (0.23mg and 0.16mg raw), so brinjal is not a significant source of those minerals.

Raw brinjal has 229mg potassium per 100g, but boiling and draining reduces this to 123mg — a 46% loss. This is one of the steeper potassium reductions among vegetables. For comparison, potatoes lose ~28% and carrots lose ~20% of potassium when boiled ^[1][2].

The reason is brinjal's spongy structure: the same porosity that absorbs oil also allows minerals to leach rapidly into cooking water. If potassium retention matters, roasting or grilling brinjal (as in baingan bharta) preserves more potassium than boiling because there's no water to leach into.

For food journaling, a cup of boiled brinjal cubes (99g) provides approximately 122mg potassium — only 3% of the daily adequate intake. By contrast, the same weight of raw brinjal in a salad provides 227mg. Choose the right variant in your food journal based on the actual cooking method used.