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Calories · American & British

Calories in a bowl of chili con carne

A typical restaurant serving of a bowl of chili con carne (one bowl, about 1½ cups, of chili with meat and beans, about 383 g) is about 450 calories, usually 300–630.

Restaurant portions vary; this is a typical estimate, not a label. Also called chili, beef chili, chili with beans, bowl of chili.

~450
Chili con carne

The usual range

Drawn on one 0–2,000 scale shared by every dish page, so plates compare at a glance.

Protein, carbs and fat

  • Protein38 g
  • Carbs39 g
  • Fat17 g

One serving

Serving
one bowl, about 1½ cups, of chili with meat and beans
Weight
~383 g
Per 100 g
~118

The dish

About a bowl of chili con carne

Chili con carne is ground beef and beans simmered with tomatoes, chiles and spices. USDA puts chili with meat and beans at about 118 per 100 g, so a 1½-cup bowl is about 450 and a cup about 300. Cheese and sour cream on top add about 170.

Ways it comes

One dish, a few numbers

Chili con carne · rough numbers

  • A cup~300
  • A bowl, about 1½ cups~450
  • Bowl with cheddar and sour cream~630

What moves the number

Why one plate is 300 and another 630

  • Fat in the ground beef
  • Beans versus all-meat chili
  • Toppings: cheddar, sour cream, corn chips
  • Bowl size

Ordering lighter

If you want a lighter plate

  • Order a cup
  • Skip the cheese or sour cream
  • Ask for onions and jalapeños as the topping

Side by side

Next to other American & British dishes

American & British · typical restaurant servingAll about American & British food →

  • Mimosa~120one 6 oz mimosa: sparkling wine and orange juice · usually 80–150
  • Glass of red wine~130one standard 5 oz pour · usually 100–230
  • Green bean casserole~130one cup of green bean casserole · usually 60–190
  • Yorkshire pudding~130one large pub-style Yorkshire pudding (about 60 g) · usually 60–350
  • Pint of beer~210one 16 oz US pint of regular beer · usually 100–280
  • Scotch egg~270one standard Scotch egg (113 g) · usually 220–450
  • Hot dog~300one beef hot dog in a white bun with mustard · usually 250–650
  • Mashed potatoes and gravy~300one cup of restaurant mashed potatoes with gravy · usually 150–450
  • Gumbo~330one restaurant bowl, about 1½ cups, with rice · usually 220–430
  • Mac and cheese~340one restaurant side, roughly a heaped cup · usually 250–1,000
  • Clam chowder~350one bowl of New England chowder, about 1½ cups · usually 200–900
  • Sausage roll~350one bakery sausage roll in flaky pastry · usually 250–550

In PlateDiary

A rough number for the dishes you save — only if you want one.

Off unless you turn them on

Calories in PlateDiary are off unless you turn them on. Switch them on and, when PlateDiary AI reads your photo of the table, each dish gets one rough “~” number. Accept it or change it; a number you correct is remembered for that dish. With Calories off, the app looks exactly as it did before.

A read sends small pictures of the cut-out dishes, with the place's name as a hint — never the table photo, faces or your location. Calorie numbers never go to analytics, and nothing is written to a health app. PlateDiary AI starts with free tries; here is how it works.

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How these numbers were made

Method and sources

Last reviewed

Restaurant portions and cooking vary, so these are typical estimates for one serving, built from the sources below. Treat it as a rough number: your plate may land anywhere in the range.

If you manage a health condition, ask a doctor or registered dietitian.

AI helped draft this page; every number was checked against the sources.

  1. USDA FoodData Central (FNDDS 2021–2023) — Chili with meat and beans (1 cup 255 g), FDC 2706375
  2. USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) — Restaurant, family style, chili with meat and beans, FDC 169028
  3. USDA FoodData Central (FNDDS 2021–2023) — Cheese, Cheddar, FDC 2705709
  4. USDA FoodData Central (FNDDS 2021–2023) — Sour cream, regular, FDC 2705614

Questions

Questions people ask.

How many calories are in a bowl of chili con carne?

A typical restaurant serving of a bowl of chili con carne (one bowl, about 1½ cups, of chili with meat and beans, about 383 g) is about 450 calories, usually 300–630. The number depends mostly on the portion and how it is cooked.

How many calories are in a bowl of chili?

About 450 for a 1½-cup bowl of chili with meat and beans, and about 300 for a cup.

How many calories do cheese and sour cream add to chili?

About 170: a quarter cup of shredded cheddar is about 115 and 2 tablespoons of sour cream about 60.

Is restaurant chili higher in calories?

It can be: USDA's family-restaurant chili sample is about 157 per 100 g, so the same bowl would be about 600.

What changes the calories in a bowl of chili con carne?

Fat in the ground beef. Beans versus all-meat chili.

How can I order a bowl of chili con carne lighter?

Order a cup. Skip the cheese or sour cream.

Can PlateDiary show calories for the dishes I eat out?

Yes, if you want it to: calories in PlateDiary are off unless you turn them on. Switch them on and each dish you save from a photo of the table gets one rough “~” number you can accept or change.