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Calories · Chinese

Calories in mapo tofu

A typical restaurant serving of mapo tofu (one restaurant plate, rice not included, about 300 g) is about 420 calories, usually 300–550.

Restaurant portions vary; this is a typical estimate, not a label. Also called mapo doufu, Sichuan tofu.

~420
Mapo tofu

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

  • Protein25 g
  • Carbs29 g
  • Fat22 g

One serving

Serving
one restaurant plate, rice not included
Weight
~300 g
Per 100 g
~139

The dish

About mapo tofu

Mapo tofu is soft tofu simmered in a numbing chili-bean sauce with a little minced meat. Tofu is modest; the chili oil and meat supply most of the fat, and the rice it begs for adds more.

What moves the number

Why one plate is 300 and another 550

  • Chili oil in the sauce
  • Ground pork or beef mixed in
  • Starch-thickened sauce, and the rice you eat it with

Ordering lighter

If you want a lighter plate

  • Ask for less chili oil
  • Pair it with greens instead of a second rich dish
  • Keep the rice to one bowl

Side by side

Next to other Chinese dishes

Chinese · typical restaurant servingAll about Chinese food →

  • Siomai (siu mai)~160four pieces, one steamer basket · usually 120–260
  • Wonton soup~170one bowl with broth and a few wontons · usually 120–380
  • Steamed dumplings~230eight steamed pork dumplings, dipping sauce not included · usually 180–400
  • Fried spring rolls~290two takeaway meat spring rolls, dipping sauce not included · usually 140–450
  • Beef and broccoli~320one plate portion, rice not included · usually 250–600
  • Xiao long bao~360one basket of 6 pork soup dumplings · usually 270–480
  • Kung pao chicken~390one plate portion, about half a takeout order, rice not included · usually 290–780
  • Mapo tofu~420one restaurant plate, rice not included · usually 300–550
  • Chicken chow mein~510one takeaway portion · usually 380–750
  • Orange chicken~520one entrée portion, rice not included · usually 380–850
  • Sweet and sour pork~520one main portion, rice not included · usually 400–800
  • Peking duck~570a share of roast duck with six pancakes, sauce, cucumber and spring onion · usually 420–800

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. Korea MFDS Food Composition Database — Mapo tofu, restaurant (마파두부)
  2. Japan MEXT Standard Tables of Food Composition (8th ed., 2023) — Mapo tofu, prepared, 18049
  3. Philippine Food Composition Tables (FNRI-DOST) — Rice, well-milled, boiled (A020), about 210 a level cup

Questions

Questions people ask.

How many calories are in mapo tofu?

A typical restaurant serving of mapo tofu (one restaurant plate, rice not included, about 300 g) is about 420 calories, usually 300–550. The number depends mostly on the portion and how it is cooked.

Is mapo tofu light because it is tofu?

Not entirely: the tofu is modest, but chili oil and minced meat supply most of the fat, about 420 a plate.

How many calories is mapo tofu with rice?

Add about 210 for a level cup of rice.

What changes the calories in mapo tofu?

Chili oil in the sauce. Ground pork or beef mixed in.

How can I order mapo tofu lighter?

Ask for less chili oil. Pair it with greens instead of a second rich dish.

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.