Not everyone is trying to lose weight — plenty of people want to gain it, healthily, whether to build muscle or simply to reach a comfortable weight. The principle is the mirror image of weight loss: eat a little more than you burn, keep protein high so you build muscle rather than just fat, and get those extra calories from real food. Here are the most calorie-dense Nigerian meals from Ilera's library.
Highest-calorie Nigerian meals
| Dish | Calories | Protein | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Efo riro & eba | 931 kcal | 38g | ₦1,265 |
| Okra soup & eba | 876 kcal | 34g | ₦1,021 |
| Egusi soup & pounded yam | 769 kcal | 46g | ₦1,640 |
| Plantain porridge | 683 kcal | 33g | ₦1,562 |
| Jollof rice, chicken & coleslaw | 606 kcal | 46g | ₦1,251 |
| Jollof rice, grilled chicken & salad | 597 kcal | 46g | ₦1,291 |
| Peppered liver & rice | 572 kcal | 47g | ₦1,350 |
| Chicken & vegetable sauce with rice | 559 kcal | 51g | ₦1,416 |
| White rice, stew & fish | 542 kcal | 48g | ₦1,279 |
| Sardine stew & rice | 537 kcal | 32g | ₦419 |
How to add calories the healthy way
- Fuller portions of swallow and rice. The easiest lever — a bigger serving of eba, pounded yam or jollof adds real energy.
- Keep protein high. Extra fish, chicken, meat, eggs or beans means the weight you gain is more muscle, less fat. See high-protein Nigerian foods.
- Snack on calorie-dense whole foods. Groundnuts, banana and groundnuts, and avocado pack a lot of energy into a small portion.
- Cook with a sensible amount of oil. A modest addition of healthy fat adds calories without adding bulk you have to chew through.
Want a plan that hits a calorie surplus and a protein target for lean gains? Ilera works out both from your details and builds the week around them — start free.