You probably don’t want to worry yourself with dim sum calories when you eat your favorite meal. But it’s something worth checking out.

Dim sum is a traditional Chinese dish served as part of brunch or lunch. 

It consists of small appetizers made with rice flour or wheat flour dough. And it’s filled with varying types of meats and vegetables. 

Although dim sum doesn’t contain much fat, some dishes are higher in calories than others. 

This guide will help you know the dim sum calories in your favorite dish so you can keep track of your diet plan.

Let’s begin. 

Dim Sum Calories: Steamed Pork Dumplings

Steamed pork dumplings are the most popular dim sum dish, with an average order containing eight pieces. 

Each one contains 300 calories and 45g of carbs. That’s 14% of your daily intake. The large serving also packs 6g of fat and 5g of protein. 

Not only that, but they’re filled with ground pork (which can be high in saturated fats), cabbage, and soy sauce. So you’ll want to keep these on the rare side!

Bao

Bao is a steamed bun made from rice, wheat, or a combination of both. It’s similar to mantou but tends to be softer and fluffier. 

You can also find bao with fillings like pork belly or chicken meatballs.

Bao is typically eaten as an appetizer with soy sauce for dipping. However, you can also order them as part of a meal if you prefer something more substantial.

Pork Buns

Pork buns have 740 calories in one serving. Yet, they are the best food in all of the dim sums.

They are like little clouds of porky heaven, except with a crispy exterior and soft interior that’s perfect for eating with your hands.

You may be tempted to eat more than one at a time. But you don’t need to worry about the calorie count because they’re so small. 

Just have fun and enjoy this delicious dish while it lasts!

Dim Sum Calories: Shrimp dumplings

Shrimp dumplings are a popular dim sum dish. They are made with shrimp, water chestnuts, and bamboo shoots. 

The dumplings are steamed and served with a dipping sauce. The shrimp dumpling is also called prawn dumplings.

Rice Noodle Rolls

Rice noodle rolls are popular dim sum dishes made with rice noodles, vegetables, and meat.

This can be an excellent choice for people who want to enjoy the taste of delicious dim sum without consuming too many calories. 

Rice noodles are a good source of carbohydrates, which can help to keep you feeling full longer. 

In addition, they tend to be low in dim sum calories compared to other carbohydrate foods such as bread or pasta. 

For example, one bowl of rice noodle rolls contains roughly 77 calories.

Are you looking for a delicious yet nutritious meal that won’t ruin your diet plan? Or are you looking to fill yourself up too much before dinner?  

You don’t need to worry about dim sum calories! 

Pot Stickers

If you want to cut back on dim sum calories, you should skip the dim sum pot stickers. 

These delicious dumplings are usually fried and often made with pork, cabbage, and garlic. And these ingredients increase the dim sum calories. 

The serving size for most pot stickers is two pieces per person. Served steamed in a bamboo plate or basket and covered with a napkin. 

So they don’t dry out. These bite-sized treats are easy to eat without any utensils. 

They can also be pan-fried or deep-fried when prepared at home for added taste—and even more calories!

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Dim Sum Calories: Shrimp Balls

Shrimp balls are one of the most popular dim sum dishes. It’s a ball-shaped dumpling made from ground shrimp, rice flour, and water. 

They’re steamed until cooked through, then topped with a savory sauce.

Shrimp balls are undeniably delicious but can also be quite caloric if you don’t watch your portions. 

It can also have too many dim sum calories if you order them at a restaurant where the shrimp balls are deep-fried in oil before serving.

A 4-ounce serving of shrimp balls has about 200 calories and 14 grams of fat. 

People who have trouble controlling their weight should avoid eating this dish more than once every few months. 

And that’s because it has no redeeming nutritional value other than protein (10 grams per serving).

Spring Rolls

Spring rolls are Chinese dumplings of rice noodles, vegetables, and meat wrapped in a thin pastry. You can enjoy them with a sauce or dry. 

A spring roll without sauce comprises just one ingredient: the pastry wrap. The “meat” filling might be pork or chicken. 

But it can also be beef, shrimp (and pork are the most common), or tofu if you want to keep it vegetarian.

Spring rolls with peanut sauce contain more dim sum calories than those without—about 50 more per serving of two spring rolls. 

If you want to reduce your daily saturated fat intake, use the non-sauced version.

Also Read: Kani Salad Calories: How Many Calories are There?

Dim Sum Calories: How to Choose the Healthy Dim Sum

New York City University warns that many dim sum products are deep-fried and high in salt and fat. But it’s low in healthy nutrients like fiber or both. 

Some dim sum items are steamed, which is an excellent way to prepare food.

Do you want to eat better at a dim sum restaurant but don’t have access to detailed nutrition information for each dish? 

Here are some things to keep in mind.

• Pick steamed food over fried.
• Invite a friend and divide the meal for a wider selection of food in smaller servings. You can lower the dim sum calories by using this method. 
• If you want to keep your daily sodium intake below the recommended maximum of 2,300 milligrams, limit your salty meals in the morning.
• Eat slowly, savoring each bite of food you order at first and only ordering what you know you can finish. 

Final Thoughts on Dim Sum Calories

Dim sum is a popular Chinese cuisine that features small bite-size meals. You can serve it for breakfast, lunch, or dinner, but it’s often served as an afternoon snack.

The benefits of dim sum include heart, digestive, and more. However, many types of dim sum vary in calories based on the ingredients used to prepare them. 

Some types have more dim sum calories than others. And that’s because they contain more fat or sodium than other dishes like dumplings or soup noodles with pork broth. 

So always check your dim sum intake, preferably the healthy ones!