How many calories are in my homemade recipe?
Packaged foods come with a nutrition label — home-cooked meals don’t. This free recipe nutrition calculator works out the calories and macronutrients in any recipe you cook: just add each ingredient and its weight, then the number of servings. It is ideal for family dishes such as biryani, dal, chicken curry, hummus, overnight oats or a protein smoothie, and for meal prep.
How the recipe calculator works
- Each ingredient in our list has average nutrition values per 100 g from USDA FoodData Central.
- For every ingredient: nutrient amount = value per 100 g × grams used ÷ 100.
- All ingredients are added together for the whole recipe, then divided by the number of servings.
Example: 200 g cooked basmati rice (260 kcal) + 150 g cooked chicken breast (248 kcal) = 508 kcal. Split into 2 servings, that is about 254 kcal and 26 g protein per serving.
Can’t find an ingredient? Choose “Other” and enter the values from the food’s packet label (per 100 g).
What is a low, normal or high-calorie meal?
Use these general guides for a main meal for adults (based on three meals a day):
| Per main meal | Low | Balanced | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| Calories | Under 350 kcal | 400 – 700 kcal | Over 800 kcal |
| Protein | Under 15 g | 20 – 40 g | Over 50 g |
| Fibre | Under 4 g | 8 – 12 g | Over 15 g (fine for most) |
| Total sugars | Under 5 g | 5 – 15 g (mostly from fruit, veg, milk) | Over 22 g |
| Fat | Under 10 g | 15 – 25 g | Over 35 g |
A “low” value is not always bad — a 300 kcal salad can be perfect at lunch — but a meal very low in protein or fibre may leave you hungry soon after.
Benefits of knowing your recipe’s nutrition
- Portion control: see how much one plate of your family favourite really contains.
- Healthier swaps: try less oil or ghee, more vegetables or brown rice, and watch the calories drop.
- Meal prep and macros: plan meals that fit your macro targets and calorie target.
- Diabetes and PCOS support: keep an eye on carbohydrate per serving.
- Know your protein: make sure each meal helps you reach your daily protein.
Health warnings
- Values are averages; brands, cooking methods and ripeness change the real numbers.
- Cooked and raw weights differ greatly (100 g dry rice becomes about 300 g cooked). Choose the matching entry.
- Don’t forget cooking oil, ghee, butter, sugar and sauces — they add a lot of calories.
- If you have kidney disease, diabetes, food allergies or a medical diet, ask a dietitian to review your recipes.
- Calorie counting should support health, not cause stress. If it does, take a break.
Tips for lighter home cooking
Measure oil with a spoon instead of pouring (1 tablespoon ≈ 120 kcal), bake or air-fry instead of deep-frying, use Greek yoghurt instead of cream, bulk up curries with vegetables and lentils, and serve rice and bread in measured portions. Read our guides on reading food labels and portion size.
Frequently asked questions
How do I calculate the calories in a recipe?
Weigh each ingredient, multiply its calories per 100 g by the grams used and divide by 100, add all ingredients together, then divide by the number of servings. The calculator above does this automatically.
Should I weigh ingredients raw or cooked?
Use the weight that matches the entry you choose. For example, use “Rice, white, uncooked” for dry rice, or “Rice, white, cooked” if you weigh it after cooking.
How accurate is a recipe nutrition calculator?
It gives a good estimate, usually within 10–15%, as long as you weigh ingredients and include oils and sauces. Brand and cooking differences cause small variations.
How many calories are in a plate of biryani?
A typical home-style plate of chicken biryani (about 350–400 g) contains roughly 550–750 kcal, depending on the oil, ghee and rice-to-chicken ratio. Add your own recipe to the calculator for an exact estimate.
Where do the nutrition values come from?
The built-in ingredient list uses average values from USDA FoodData Central. For packaged products, enter the values from the label using the “Other” option.
Sources
- U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central (SR Legacy and Foundation Foods).
- NHS. Food labels – how to read nutrition labels.