Okra Calories & Nutrition Calculator

Raw okra delivers 0.79mg manganese per 100g — 34% of the daily value — from just 33 kcal. This manganese density (0.024mg per calorie) surpasses brown rice (0.007mg/kcal), sweet potatoes (0.004mg/kcal), and even spinach (0.039mg/kcal, but spinach is rarely eaten in 100g raw portions). Manganese is a trace mineral that most people don't actively track, yet okra provides a third of the daily requirement in a single cup ^[1].

Cooking reduces manganese significantly: boiled okra has 0.29mg per 100g (13% DV) — a 63% loss due to water-soluble mineral leaching. A cup of cooked okra slices (160g) still provides 0.46mg manganese (20% DV). For maximum manganese, minimally cooked preparations (quick stir-fry, raw salad) are preferable.

For food journaling, manganese is often overlooked in tracking. If you eat okra regularly, you may be meeting a third of your daily manganese requirement without realizing it. One cup of raw okra slices provides 0.75mg — more than a cup of oatmeal (0.69mg).

Boiled okra has 22 kcal per 100g — a full 33% drop from raw okra's 33 kcal. This happens because okra absorbs water during cooking (water content rises from 89.6% to 93.4%), diluting the calorie density. Simultaneously, some soluble carbohydrates (the mucilage polysaccharides) leach into the cooking water ^[1][2].

Interestingly, sugars actually increase slightly in cooked okra (1.48g → 2.42g per 100g) as starch converts to sugars during heat exposure — but the overall carbohydrate content still drops from 7.45g to 4.51g because of the mucilage loss. This is why boiled okra is less slimy than raw or lightly sautéed okra.

For food journaling, the 33-to-22 calorie difference matters cumulatively. A 200g boiled okra serving has 44 kcal; the same raw weight would be 66 kcal. Use the cooked values for any preparation involving boiling, steaming, or prolonged cooking. For bhindi fry, the oil contribution vastly overshadows this difference.

Raw okra provides 60mcg folate per 100g (15% of the 400mcg daily value) alongside 82mg calcium (6% DV). This combination is unusual for a non-leafy vegetable — most high-folate vegetables are leafy greens (spinach: 194mcg, asparagus: 52mcg), while high-calcium vegetables tend to be cruciferous (kale: 254mg, broccoli: 47mg). Okra delivers both ^[1].

One cup of raw okra provides 60mcg folate. Cooked okra retains 46mcg per 100g (a 23% loss), but a full cup of cooked slices (160g) still provides 74mcg folate — 18% of the daily value. Calcium retention is better: 82mg raw → 77mg cooked, only a 6% loss.

For nutrition journaling, okra's folate and calcium contributions are meaningful cumulative additions. Combined with its 23mg vitamin C (26% DV) and 57mg magnesium (14% DV), raw okra is among the most micronutrient-dense vegetables per calorie in the 30-kcal bracket.

Okra's signature sliminess comes from mucilage — a soluble polysaccharide complex (galactose, rhamnose, and galacturonic acid) that's part of its 3.2g total dietary fiber per 100g. This mucilage is not found in any other common vegetable to this degree, making okra's fiber profile biochemically distinct from cellulose-dominant vegetables like French beans or ridge gourd ^[1][3].

Cooking method directly affects mucilage content. Boiling and draining removes the most mucilage (reducing sliminess and total fiber from 3.2g to 2.5g). High-heat stir-frying partially dehydrates the mucilage, reducing sliminess while retaining more fiber. Adding acidic ingredients (tomatoes, lemon, amchur) also reduces mucilage's viscosity.

For food journaling, note that okra's fiber is partially soluble mucilage — a different fiber type from most vegetables. The slimy texture isn't a flaw; it's a functional fiber component. If tracking fiber quality matters, okra provides a unique soluble fiber that most other vegetable sources don't.

Plain boiled okra: 22 kcal/100g. Bhindi masala (lightly sautéed with onion-tomato gravy): 80–120 kcal per serving. Bhindi do pyaza (stir-fried with double onion): 130–170 kcal. Kurkuri bhindi (besan-coated, deep-fried): 300–400 kcal per serving — up to 12x the boiled version. Okra's surface ridges and cut cross-sections trap oil, making it one of the most oil-absorbing vegetables when fried ^[1].

The oil absorption problem is specific to okra's shape: cutting okra into pieces creates star-shaped cross-sections with high surface area. Whole okra absorbs less oil than sliced okra. Keeping pieces larger and cooking at higher temperature reduces oil absorption, but deep-fried kurkuri bhindi remains a calorie-dense preparation.

For food journaling, bhindi fry is one of the most deceptive vegetable dishes — it looks like a vegetable side but can match the calories of a serving of dal-rice. Track the oil precisely: 2 tablespoons of oil (240 kcal) used for 200g of bhindi fry means the oil provides 75–80% of the total dish calories.