💡 Quick Answer
A home plate of chicken biryani (about 400 g) has roughly 650 kcal and 32 g protein; one katori (150 g) is about 245 kcal. Mutton biryani is about 700 kcal, egg biryani about 690 kcal and veg biryani about 560 kcal per plate. These are calculated from a stated recipe, not official values.
- Rice supplies about half the calories; the 15 g of oil and ghee supplies about a fifth.
- Protein per plate: chicken ~32 g, mutton ~35 g, egg ~21 g, veg ~11 g.
- Restaurant plates are bigger and oilier. Treat 750-1,050 kcal as the realistic range for chicken biryani.
- Serving size changes the answer more than the type of meat does.
Portion calculator
1 plate of home chicken biryani ≈ 32 g protein · 650 kcal
Scaled from the figures on this page. Brands and recipes vary.
Biryani is the dish where calorie counts disagree the most. A home-style plate and a restaurant plate can differ by 300 kcal or more, and "one plate" itself is vague. The fastest way to get a usable number is to build it from a recipe: how much raw rice, how much meat and how much fat goes into each serving. That is what this page does, and it shows the assumptions so you can change them to match your own pot.
How These Numbers Were Calculated
A plate of biryani has no single official value. These figures are calculated for one home serving using USDA FoodData Central values per 100 g: raw long-grain white rice 365 kcal and 7.1 g protein, raw chicken thigh meat 121 kcal and 19.7 g, raw goat meat 109 kcal and 20.6 g, whole egg 143 kcal and 12.6 g, plain whole-milk yogurt 61 kcal and 3.5 g, raw onion 40 kcal, ripe tomato 18 kcal, vegetable oil 884 kcal and butter oil (ghee) 876 kcal. Paneer is taken as 18.9 g protein per 100 g (IFCT 2017) and about 305 kcal, typical of full-fat packaged paneer. Our protein in paneer guide uses the same protein figure.
Every version shares one base per serving: 90 g raw basmati or long-grain rice (it cooks to roughly 270 g, about 1.8 katori of rice), 10 g oil and 5 g ghee in total, 40 g onion (fried), 40 g curd in the marinade and 20 g tomato. Spices are ignored. The cooked plate is assumed to weigh about 400 g, and one katori is taken as 150 g. The raw-to-cooked yield is an assumption, so a biryani cooked drier or wetter will shift the per-100 g figures. What changes between versions:
| Variation (one serving) | Added to the common base |
|---|---|
| Chicken biryani | 120 g boneless chicken thigh |
| Mutton biryani | 130 g boneless goat meat, plus about 6 g of fat from the cut |
| Egg biryani | 2 boiled eggs (100 g), fried in 1 tsp extra oil |
| Veg biryani | 120 g peas, carrot, beans and cauliflower |
| Paneer biryani | 60 g paneer with 60 g peas, carrot and beans |
Calories in Biryani: Per Plate and Per Katori
| Home biryani | Per plate (~400 g) | Protein per plate | Per katori (150 g) | Per 100 g |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken biryani | ~650 kcal | ~32 g | ~245 kcal, ~12 g protein | ~160 kcal, ~8 g protein |
| Mutton biryani | ~700 kcal | ~35 g | ~265 kcal, ~13 g protein | ~175 kcal, ~9 g protein |
| Egg biryani | ~690 kcal | ~21 g | ~260 kcal, ~8 g protein | ~175 kcal, ~5 g protein |
| Veg biryani | ~560 kcal | ~11 g | ~210 kcal, ~4 g protein | ~140 kcal, ~3 g protein |
| Paneer biryani | ~720 kcal | ~21 g | ~270 kcal, ~8 g protein | ~180 kcal, ~5 g protein |
Basis: USDA FoodData Central values for rice, meat, egg, curd and vegetables; paneer protein from IFCT 2017, paneer kcal typical of full-fat packaged paneer. Plate and katori weights are assumptions. Per-katori values assume the plate is evenly mixed, but a katori scooped from the top is usually richer in rice and one from the bottom holds more meat.
If you only remember one number: a home plate of chicken biryani is about 650 kcal and 32 g protein. Half a plate is about 325 kcal. The rice alone, about 1.8 katori of it, is already about 330 kcal, so the chicken, curd and fat add roughly 320 kcal on top.
Chicken vs Mutton vs Veg vs Egg Biryani
Chicken gives the best protein for the calories: 120 g of thigh adds about 24 g protein for about 145 kcal. For other cuts, see our protein in chicken breast guide.
Mutton is usually goat in India. USDA lists goat as very lean, but shop cuts carry visible fat, so we added about 6 g of fat (54 kcal) to the plate. A fattier cut will push it higher. That puts a plate near 700 kcal and 35 g protein.
Egg biryani with two boiled eggs, lightly fried in a teaspoon of oil, gives about 21 g protein, about the same as paneer biryani. See protein in egg for one-egg numbers. Veg biryani is the lightest at about 560 kcal, but with only about 11 g protein it is mostly rice. Swapping some vegetables for 60 g of paneer takes it to about 720 kcal and 21 g protein.
Restaurant and Takeaway Biryani
These are estimates, not calculated values. Restaurant plates are commonly larger (roughly 450-550 g), cooked with more ghee or oil, and often come with a piece or two of extra meat. As a rough guide:
| Restaurant biryani (estimate) | Per plate (~450-550 g) | Protein |
|---|---|---|
| Chicken biryani | 750-1,050 kcal | 30-40 g |
| Mutton biryani | 800-1,150 kcal | 32-42 g |
| Egg biryani | 700-950 kcal | 20-28 g |
| Veg biryani | 600-850 kcal | 10-16 g |
If you eat out, log it at the top of the range, not the bottom. A 150 g katori of raita made with regular curd adds about 90 kcal (see protein in curd), and a gulab jamun at the end is a separate entry.
One more factor is the cooking method. Dum biryani, where raw marinated meat and par-boiled rice are sealed and steamed together, keeps the fat in the pot and spreads it through the rice. Pulao-style or tawa biryani uses less fat in some kitchens and more in others, so the figures here fit a typical home pot with the measured fat shown above, not every style.
Eating Biryani on a Calorie Target
- Eat a katori, not a plate. One katori (150 g) of chicken biryani is about 245 kcal and 12 g protein. Fill the rest of the meal with salad and raita.
- Go meat-heavy. Ask for an extra piece of chicken instead of extra rice. See calories in rice for what each katori of rice costs.
- Measure the fat when cooking. In this recipe each extra teaspoon of ghee adds about 44 kcal to a plate.
- Plan the whole day rather than skipping the next meal. The calorie and macro calculator gives you a daily number to work from, and the protein calculator shows how much of it should be protein.
For other common mixed dishes in one table, see the Indian food calories and protein chart.
How to Make Biryani Higher in Protein
Chicken and mutton biryani already carry 30 g or more of protein per plate. Veg biryani is the one that needs help, at about 11 g. The veg rows start from one home plate of veg biryani (about 560 kcal and 11 g protein); the non-veg rows start from a home plate of chicken biryani (about 650 kcal and 32 g).
| Type | Plate | Calories | Protein |
|---|---|---|---|
| Veg | Veg biryani + 25 g dry soya chunks, soaked | ~645 kcal | ~24 g |
| Veg | Veg biryani + 100 g boiled chana | ~720 kcal | ~20 g |
| Veg | Veg biryani + 150 g dahi raita | ~650 kcal | ~16 g |
| Non-veg | Chicken biryani (home plate) | ~650 kcal | ~32 g |
| Non-veg | Chicken biryani + 1 boiled egg | ~720 kcal | ~38 g |
| Non-veg | Chicken biryani + 150 g dahi raita | ~740 kcal | ~37 g |
If you are vegetarian: Soya chunks are the usual stand-in for meat and take on the masala well: 25 g dry more than doubles the protein of a veg plate. Chana works the same way with more calories. Raita adds a little protein and no cooking.
If you eat eggs or chicken: Chicken biryani needs little help. A boiled egg, which many biryanis come with anyway, and raita on the side take a home plate close to 40 g of protein.
Add-in values use the figures in our guides to eggs, chicken breast, paneer, soya chunks, curd, chana and peanuts.
Frequently Asked Questions
How can I make biryani higher in protein?
For veg biryani, cook in 25 g of dry soya chunks: a home plate goes from about 11 g to about 24 g of protein, at about 645 kcal. For chicken biryani, a boiled egg takes a home plate to about 720 kcal and 38 g, and raita adds about 5 g more.
How many calories are in 1 plate of chicken biryani?
A home plate of chicken biryani of about 400 g, made with 90 g raw rice, 120 g boneless chicken and 15 g oil and ghee, has roughly 650 kcal and 32 g protein. A restaurant plate is often 750 to 1,050 kcal.
How many calories are in 1 katori of chicken biryani?
One 150 g katori of home-style chicken biryani is about 245 kcal and 12 g protein, which is just over a third of the 400 g plate.
Which has more calories, mutton or chicken biryani?
Mutton biryani is usually a little higher. Using lean goat meat plus 6 g of fat from the cut, a home plate is about 700 kcal against about 650 kcal for chicken. Fattier mutton cuts push it higher.
How much protein is in a plate of biryani?
About 32 g in chicken biryani, 35 g in mutton, 21 g in egg and 11 g in veg biryani for a home plate of about 400 g. Paneer biryani is about 21 g.
How many calories are in egg biryani and veg biryani?
A home plate of egg biryani with two boiled eggs is about 690 kcal and a plate of veg biryani about 560 kcal. Restaurant versions are estimated at 700 to 950 kcal and 600 to 850 kcal.
Sources: USDA FoodData Central for raw white rice, chicken thigh meat, goat meat, whole egg, whole-milk yogurt, onion, tomato, vegetables, vegetable oil and butter oil (ghee); IFCT 2017 (ICMR-NIN) for paneer protein (18.9 g per 100 g), as used in our paneer guide; paneer energy (about 305 kcal per 100 g) is a typical value for full-fat packaged paneer. All biryani values are calculated from the stated home recipe and are estimates; restaurant ranges are estimates only.
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