Nutrition facts · Sauces and condiments
Calories in Sambal oelek
Sambal oelek has 21 calories per 100 g, and a 1 tbsp serving (15 g) has about 3 calories. Most of those calories come from carbohydrates, with 3.9 g of carbs per 100 g compared with 0.9 g of protein and 0.6 g of fat.
Calories come from: Carbs 63% · Fat 22% · Protein 15%
Common servings
| Serving | Weight | Calories | Protein | Carbs | Fat |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Per 100 g | 100 g | 21 kcal | 0.9 g | 3.9 g | 0.6 g |
| 1 tbsp | 15 g | 3 kcal | 0.1 g | 0.6 g | 0.1 g |
Full nutrition (Per 100 g)
| Calories | 21 kcal |
|---|---|
| Protein | 0.9 g |
| Carbohydrates | 3.9 g |
| of which sugars | 2.6 g |
| Fiber | 0.7 g |
| Fat | 0.6 g |
| of which saturated | 0.1 g |
| Sodium | 25 mg |
What changes the calories
- Brands vary in their recipes, and some add sugar or oil, which raises the calories compared with a plain chili, salt and vinegar paste.
- Sambal oelek is often stirred into oily dishes or fried with aromatics, and any cooking oil used adds far more calories than the paste itself.
- Other sambals, such as sambal goreng or sambal terasi, are usually cooked with oil, shrimp paste or sugar and tend to be higher in calories than plain sambal oelek.
- Portions are usually small, but heaping spoonfuls or generous dollops can add up across a meal.
Tips for logging it accurately
- Measure your usual amount with a tablespoon or teaspoon once, so you know what a typical serving looks like.
- Check the label of your jar, and if it lists oil or sugar near the top, log a product entry that matches it rather than plain chili sauce.
- In BerryFit, add the sambal as its own item alongside your meal so it isn't lost inside a recipe estimate.
Log Sambal oelek in seconds
Snap a photo of your meal or search for Sambal oelek in BerryFit to track calories and macros against your own daily target.
Frequently asked questions
How many calories are in a tablespoon of sambal oelek?
A 1 tbsp serving (15 g) of sambal oelek has about 3 calories, with 0.6 g of carbs, 0.1 g of protein and 0.1 g of fat.
Is sambal oelek low in calories?
Yes, at 21 calories per 100 g it is a low-calorie condiment, similar to apple cider vinegar at 21 calories per 100 g. Because it is eaten in small amounts, it usually adds very little to a meal.
Does sambal oelek have sugar?
Sambal oelek has 2.6 g of sugar per 100 g, which comes to very little in a typical spoonful. Some brands add sugar, so check the label of your jar.
How does sambal oelek compare to pickled jalapeños?
Sambal oelek has 21 calories per 100 g, while pickled jalapeños have 27 calories per 100 g. Both are low-calorie ways to add heat to food.
Similar foods
Calories in common foodsValues per 100 g from USDA FoodData Central (Sauce, peppers, hot, chili, mature red, canned, FDC ID 171604); servings use USDA portion weights. Real foods vary by variety, ripeness and preparation.
The text on this page was written with the help of AI (Anthropic's Claude) and checked against the numbers in a separate review. The numbers themselves come only from USDA.