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Calories in common Nigerian foods
Updated September 2026 · Ilera
Knowing roughly how many calories are in your favourite meals makes eating well far easier — you can spot the heavy plates, balance them out, and stop guessing. Below are real Nigerian dishes with their calories, protein and cost per serving, straight from Ilera's data. Two things matter most: portion size and how much oil goes in.
Breakfasts
Main meals
| Dish | Calories | Protein | Cost |
|---|
| Fish pepper soup | 311 kcal | 59g | ₦1,451 |
| Goat meat pepper soup | 312 kcal | 56g | ₦3,537 |
| Grilled chicken & salad | 317 kcal | 49g | ₦1,516 |
| Chicken pepper soup | 326 kcal | 58g | ₦1,475 |
| Catfish pepper soup | 343 kcal | 42g | ₦1,099 |
| Beans & sweet potato | 396 kcal | 18g | ₦315 |
| Sweet potato porridge & fish | 411 kcal | 37g | ₦1,227 |
| Grilled tilapia, rice & greens | 472 kcal | 50g | ₦1,350 |
| Beans, egg & plantain | 480 kcal | 23g | ₦469 |
| Beans & plantain | 486 kcal | 19g | ₦370 |
| Asaro (yam porridge) with fish | 519 kcal | 37g | ₦1,597 |
| Vegetable soup & pounded yam | 521 kcal | 39g | ₦1,674 |
| Grilled turkey, rice & efo | 535 kcal | 51g | ₦2,885 |
| Sardine stew & rice | 537 kcal | 32g | ₦419 |
| White rice, stew & fish | 542 kcal | 48g | ₦1,279 |
| Chicken & vegetable sauce with rice | 559 kcal | 51g | ₦1,416 |
| Peppered liver & rice | 572 kcal | 47g | ₦1,350 |
| Jollof rice, grilled chicken & salad | 597 kcal | 46g | ₦1,291 |
| Jollof rice, chicken & coleslaw | 606 kcal | 46g | ₦1,251 |
| Plantain porridge | 683 kcal | 33g | ₦1,562 |
| Egusi soup & pounded yam | 769 kcal | 46g | ₦1,640 |
| Okra soup & eba | 876 kcal | 34g | ₦1,021 |
| Efo riro & eba | 931 kcal | 38g | ₦1,265 |
Snacks & fruit
What drives the numbers
- The swallow and the rice. Eba, pounded yam and a big plate of rice are calorie-dense — the portion is what moves the total most.
- Oil. Palm and vegetable oil are pure calories; a heavy hand quietly adds hundreds per plate.
- Protein and vegetables are the most filling calories, which is why protein-rich, veg-heavy meals keep you satisfied for longer. See high-protein Nigerian foods.
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Frequently asked questions
- How many calories are in a plate of jollof rice?
- A serving of jollof rice with grilled chicken and salad is about 597 kcal, with roughly 46g of protein. Plain jollof on its own is lower, but the rice portion is the biggest driver — a large plate can carry far more.
- Which Nigerian foods are lowest in calories?
- Pepper soups, vegetable-heavy dishes and fruit are among the lowest-calorie options, because they are mostly protein, vegetables and water rather than swallow, rice or oil. Portion size and how much oil is used make the biggest difference to any dish.
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General information only, not medical or dietary advice. Calorie and cost figures are per-serving estimates from Ilera's dish data and move with the market. Ilera is for adults — see the health disclaimer.