Sattu drink: protein in a cold summer glass
A cold glass of namkeen sattu sharbat has about 95 kcal and 5 g protein. That is rare for a drink, and it beats cola and sugarcane juice on protein.
Sattu is roasted chana (Bengal gram) flour. In Bihar and UP, people mix it with cold water, lemon and salt for a quick summer drink. It fills you up and gives real protein, something most Indian drinks can't do. Every number below comes from a real food database, rounded and given as honest ranges.
Your glass: namkeen sattu sharbat
Two heaped tablespoons (about 25 g) of sattu, mixed in a 250 ml glass of chilled water with lemon, black salt and roasted cumin, comes to roughly 95 kcal. That small scoop also carries about 5-6 g of protein, more than a boiled egg white. The water, lemon and salt add almost nothing.
Assumptions: 25 g sattu at 380 kcal/100 g = 95 kcal (NutriScan); cross-check at 369 kcal/100 g gives ~92 kcal (NutritionValue). Protein: 25 g x 20 g/100 g = 5 g (NutriScan); x 22.5 g/100 g = 5.6 g (NutritionValue). Water, lemon, black salt and roasted cumin add ~2-3 kcal. Two heaped tablespoons = about 25 g is a kitchen estimate; a level tablespoon of sattu is about 10 g.
Sattu vs other summer drinks
The sweet (meethi) sattu drink is just as light as the salty one.
mostly falseMostly false. The sweet version adds about 15 g of sugar or jaggery to the same glass. That is roughly 58 extra kcal, taking the drink to about 150 kcal. The salty namkeen version stays near 95 kcal. You get the same protein either way, but the sweet one carries a real sugar hit.
Get the most from your sattu glass
- Want double the protein? Use 150 ml cold milk instead of water. That takes the glass to about 185 kcal and near 10 g protein, closer to a mini meal.
- Roasted cumin and black salt add almost zero kcal but big flavour, so you won't miss the sugar.
- Don't add more than 2-3 heaped tablespoons. A bigger scoop turns a drink into a small meal near 150 kcal even without any sugar.
- Sattu swells and thickens in water, so sip slowly. It curbs hunger for a couple of hours, which is handy on a fast or a long work shift.
The bottom line
A namkeen sattu sharbat is about 95 kcal and 5-6 g protein per glass, real protein from a drink that cola and sugarcane juice can't give you. Keep the sugar out, add lemon and roasted cumin, and it's one of the lightest filling summer coolers in the Indian kitchen. Want more protein, swap the water for a little milk.