Vermicelli Calories & Nutrition Calculator

Dry wheat vermicelli contains 371 calories per 100g — but after boiling, the same amount of pasta absorbs water and roughly doubles in weight. One cup of cooked wheat vermicelli (140g) delivers approximately 221 calories, while the same cup measured dry (~112g) would contain about 415 calories ^[1]. That's an 88% difference from a single unit conversion mistake. If you log '100g vermicelli' without specifying raw or cooked, your calorie estimate could be off by more than half.

The confusion intensifies with Indian preparations. Vermicelli upma starts with dry roasted strands (which concentrates calories slightly to ~378 kcal/100g), then absorbs water and oil during cooking — landing at roughly 148 kcal per 100g cooked weight. Seviyan kheer (milk pudding) runs 142 kcal/100g because the milk replaces some of the caloric density, while a richer payasam made with ghee and jaggery climbs to 178 kcal/100g ^[1].

Practical rule: always weigh cooked prepared dishes, not the dry strands. A single serving of cooked vermicelli (140g) provides a reliable starting point for logging. From there, add the calories from your specific preparation — ghee, sugar, milk, vegetables, or soy sauce — using the calculator above.

Vermicelli — from the Italian 'little worms' — refers to thin, extruded pasta strands typically 1.5–2mm in diameter, thinner than [spaghetti](/tools/spaghetti-nutrition-calculator) (which runs 2–2.5mm) ^[6]. In South Asia, vermicelli is called sewai (Hindi), seviyan (Urdu), semiya (Tamil), and shavige (Kannada) and is one of the most widely consumed quick-cook foods, used in both savoury and sweet dishes.

The wheat variety that concerns this tool is made from refined or whole wheat flour (sometimes from [durum wheat semolina](/tools/semolina-nutrition-calculator)), water, and sometimes a small amount of oil. The dough is cold-extruded through thin dies and then sun-dried or machine-dried ^[1]. This is nutritionally distinct from [rice vermicelli](/tools/rice-vermicelli-nutrition-calculator) (which is gluten-free, lower in protein, and made from rice starch) and [mung bean vermicelli](/tools/mung-bean-vermicelli-nutrition-calculator) (glass noodles, which are nearly pure starch).

Key nutritional difference: wheat vermicelli provides 13g protein per 100g dry — roughly 2.7× more than rice vermicelli (~4.8g) and over 100× more than mung bean glass noodles (~0.1g). It also delivers 3.2g of fibre per 100g dry compared to just 1.6g in rice noodles. If you're choosing between vermicelli types for protein value, wheat wins by a wide margin.

Wheat vermicelli provides 13g of protein per 100g dry weight — a respectable amount for a grain product, comparable to [semolina](/tools/semolina-nutrition-calculator) (12.68g) and higher than white [rice](/tools/rice-nutrition-calculator) (7.13g). However, research by Mogra & Midha (2011) highlighted a key limitation: wheat flour is deficient in lysine, one of the nine essential amino acids, which limits its protein quality score ^[2].

Their study measured the Net Dietary Protein Calories (NDpCal%) of plain whole wheat vermicelli at just 3.74% — well below the FAO/WHO recommended minimum of 8% for growing children and 5% for adults. However, when vermicelli was prepared with green gram (33%), spinach, and sago, the NDpCal% jumped to 18.3% — nearly a 5× improvement. The lysine chemical score rose from 26.4 to 37.5, and all other essential amino acid levels improved significantly ^[2].

The practical takeaway: pair wheat vermicelli with any legume or dairy at the same meal to compensate for its lysine deficit. A bowl of vermicelli upma served with [cooked lentils](/tools/red-lentils-nutrition-calculator) or [cowpea](/tools/cowpea-nutrition-calculator) sambar, or a serving of seviyan kheer (which uses milk), naturally addresses this gap. Traditional Indian meal patterns have always combined these foods for good reason.

Standard wheat vermicelli has a clean but narrow nutritional range. Research has shown that blending wheat with nutrient-dense ingredients transforms the profile significantly. Mogra & Midha's malted wheat + green gram + spinach + sago (MGSS) vermicelli achieved 13.5% protein, 5.9mg iron, 45mg calcium, and 456mg potassium per 100g — with the iron and calcium representing substantial improvements over plain wheat vermicelli (which contains 1.3mg iron and 21mg calcium per 100g unenriched) ^[2].

Separately, Goel et al. (2021) developed barnyard millet vermicelli optimised through response surface methodology, achieving 10.07% protein, 3.81mg iron, and 1,039μg beta-carotene per 100g by incorporating millet flour, green gram malt, carrot powder, and fenugreek ^[4]. The millet base also provided 8.5g dietary fibre per 100g — nearly triple that of regular wheat vermicelli.

These value-added options are increasingly available in specialty stores and online. When shopping, check the ingredients list — if the label shows added legume flour, millet, or vegetable powders, the product will typically offer meaningfully higher iron, fibre, and overall micronutrient density than standard refined wheat vermicelli.

Like its parent grain wheat, vermicelli is a strong source of selenium — delivering 63.2μg per 100g dry (115% of the 55μg daily reference intake) ^[1]. This value is consistent across both enriched and unenriched versions since selenium is not part of the enrichment process. This places it alongside [semolina](/tools/semolina-nutrition-calculator) (66.6μg) as one of the top food sources of this trace mineral in a typical kitchen. Even after cooking, a single 140g serving of boiled vermicelli retains approximately 37μg of selenium (67% DV).

The B-vitamin profile is where enrichment status matters most. Enriched wheat vermicelli provides 0.89mg thiamine (B1), 7.14mg niacin (B3), and 237μg folate per 100g dry — all well above 50% of daily reference values ^[1]. Unenriched vermicelli, commonly sold in South Asian markets, delivers significantly less: just 0.09mg thiamine, 1.7mg niacin, and 18μg folate per 100g — roughly 10× less thiamine and 13× less folate. This matches the pattern between enriched and unenriched [semolina](/tools/semolina-nutrition-calculator).

Niacin is particularly notable in enriched varieties: a single 56g dry serving of enriched wheat vermicelli provides 4.0mg niacin — about 25% of the daily reference. Since niacin is heat-stable, most of this survives cooking. For B-vitamin intake tracking, enriched wheat vermicelli offers one of the better grain-based delivery mechanisms. Unenriched varieties deliver roughly 1mg per 56g serving — still meaningful, but significantly lower.

The calorie range across vermicelli dishes spans nearly 4× from lightest to richest. Here's what each major preparation actually delivers per standard serving:

Soup (250g bowl): ~105 kcal — the lightest option, where vermicelli strands float in broth and account for only a fraction of volume.

Boiled & Drained (140g cup): ~221 kcal — baseline for logging. Comparable to cooked [spaghetti](/tools/spaghetti-nutrition-calculator) at the same weight.

Vermicelli Upma (180g serving): ~266 kcal — savoury breakfast favourite, with oil-roasted strands, vegetables, and tempering adding both calories and flavour.

Stir-Fried (175g serving): ~284 kcal — the soy-sauce-based pan-fried version popular in Southeast Asian cooking, higher in sodium (910mg) due to soy sauce.

Vermicelli Pulao (200g serving): ~310 kcal — a biryani-style preparation with spiced oil and mixed vegetables.

Seviyan Kheer (150g serving): ~213 kcal — the milk-based dessert, with sugar contributing roughly 40% of total calories.

Semiya Payasam (150g serving): ~267 kcal — the richer South Indian variant with ghee and jaggery, pushing fat contribution to 33% of calories.