Kenyan Food Nutrition Guide
Look up nutritional information for traditional Kenyan foods — ugali, sukuma wiki, nyama choma, githeri, and 60+ more. Calories, protein, carbs, and fat per serving.
63 foods found • Values per 100g unless noted
| Food Item↑ | Calories | Protein (g) | Carbs (g) | Fat (g) | Fibre (g) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Arrow Root (nduma, boiled) Grown in Central Kenya, popular snack | 112 | 1.5 | 26.5 | 0.2 | 4.1 |
Avocado Kenya is a major avocado exporter | 160 | 2.0 | 8.5 | 14.7 | 6.7 |
Banana (ripe, eating) Available year-round across Kenya | 89 | 1.1 | 23.0 | 0.3 | 2.6 |
Beans (kidney, boiled) Core ingredient in githeri and many stews | 127 | 8.7 | 22.8 | 0.5 | 6.4 |
Beef Stew (Kenyan style) Tomato-based stew, served with ugali/rice | 180 | 16.0 | 8.0 | 10.0 | 1.5 |
Bhajia (potato fritters) Street food favorite, especially coastal Kenya | 290 | 4.5 | 35.0 | 15.0 | 2.5 |
Biryani (chicken) Rich spiced rice, festive dish | 200 | 10.0 | 30.0 | 5.5 | 0.5 |
Black Tea (strungi) Plain tea without milk | 2 | 0.0 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
Cabbage (cooked) Widely consumed across Kenya | 25 | 1.3 | 5.5 | 0.1 | 2.0 |
Cassava (boiled) Important in Coastal and Western Kenya | 160 | 1.4 | 38.0 | 0.3 | 1.8 |
Chapati Wheat-based flatbread | 297 | 8.0 | 48.0 | 9.2 | 2.0 |
Chicken Stew Sunday lunch staple | 165 | 18.0 | 7.0 | 7.5 | 1.2 |
Chips (French fries) Extremely popular, part of 'chips funga' culture | 312 | 3.4 | 41.0 | 15.0 | 3.8 |
Chips Masala French fries with spiced tomato sauce | 330 | 4.0 | 42.0 | 16.0 | 3.5 |
Coconut (fresh) Essential in coastal Swahili cooking | 354 | 3.3 | 15.0 | 33.5 | 9.0 |
Coconut Milk (fresh) Base for many Swahili dishes — mbaazi, wali wa nazi | 230 | 2.3 | 5.5 | 23.8 | 0.0 |
Cowpeas (kunde, boiled) Leaves and seeds both consumed | 116 | 7.7 | 20.8 | 0.5 | 6.5 |
Eggs (boiled) Commonly sold as hard-boiled street snack | 155 | 13.0 | 1.1 | 11.0 | 0.0 |
Fresh Milk (whole) Kenya is East Africa's largest dairy producer | 62 | 3.2 | 4.8 | 3.6 | 0.0 |
Githeri (maize & beans) Traditional Kikuyu dish, very nutritious | 130 | 7.2 | 22.0 | 1.0 | 6.5 |
Groundnuts (roasted) Popular snack, sold roasted on the street | 567 | 25.8 | 16.0 | 49.2 | 8.5 |
Irio (mashed potatoes, peas, maize) Similar to mukimo, Kikuyu tradition | 140 | 4.0 | 27.0 | 1.8 | 3.2 |
Kachumbari (tomato-onion salad) Ubiquitous side dish, always served with nyama choma | 25 | 1.0 | 5.0 | 0.2 | 1.5 |
Kenyan Chai (with milk & sugar) Boiled tea with milk, Kenya's national drink | 70 | 1.5 | 12.0 | 2.0 | 0.0 |
Kunde (cowpea leaves) Traditional vegetable, high in iron | 42 | 4.5 | 5.0 | 0.5 | 3.5 |
Lentils (ndengu/green grams) Popular in Eastern Kenya as ndengu stew | 105 | 7.5 | 18.0 | 0.4 | 5.5 |
Madafu (coconut water) Fresh from the coconut, popular coastal refreshment | 19 | 0.7 | 3.7 | 0.2 | 0.0 |
Maharagwe (beans in coconut) Coastal bean stew in coconut milk | 155 | 8.0 | 22.0 | 4.5 | 5.8 |
Mala (fermented milk) Traditional fermented milk, similar to buttermilk | 60 | 3.5 | 5.0 | 3.0 | 0.0 |
Managu (African nightshade) Traditional leafy green, very nutritious | 38 | 4.0 | 4.5 | 0.5 | 3.0 |
Mandazi Fried doughnut, popular breakfast item | 350 | 6.5 | 52.0 | 13.0 | 1.5 |
Mango Seasonal (December–March), many local varieties | 60 | 0.8 | 15.0 | 0.4 | 1.6 |
Matoke (green banana, stewed) Common in Western Kenya | 115 | 1.3 | 28.0 | 0.3 | 2.3 |
Millet Flour (unga ya wimbi) Highly nutritious, used for uji porridge | 378 | 11.0 | 73.0 | 4.2 | 8.5 |
Mokimo/Mashed Pumpkin Pumpkin is widely grown across Kenya | 45 | 1.8 | 9.0 | 0.5 | 2.5 |
Mukimo (mashed potatoes, peas, maize, greens) Central Kenya dish, often served at celebrations | 145 | 4.5 | 28.0 | 2.0 | 3.5 |
Mutura (Kenyan sausage) Blood sausage stuffed with meat and spices | 285 | 18.0 | 8.0 | 20.0 | 0.5 |
Nile Perch (fried) Large freshwater fish from Lake Victoria | 210 | 24.0 | 4.0 | 11.0 | 0.0 |
Nyama Choma (grilled beef) Kenya's most iconic dish, social gathering food | 250 | 26.0 | 0.0 | 16.0 | 0.0 |
Nyama Choma (grilled chicken) Grilled chicken, popular roadside option | 190 | 29.0 | 0.0 | 7.5 | 0.0 |
Nyama Choma (grilled goat) Premium variety, common at celebrations | 235 | 27.0 | 0.0 | 13.5 | 0.0 |
Omena (dried silver cyprinid) Tiny Lake Victoria fish, very high protein, excellent calcium source | 328 | 55.0 | 2.0 | 10.0 | 0.0 |
Papaya (pawpaw) Common breakfast fruit | 43 | 0.5 | 11.0 | 0.3 | 1.7 |
Passion Fruit Popular in fresh juice | 97 | 2.2 | 23.0 | 0.7 | 10.4 |
Pigeon Peas (mbaazi, boiled) Popular at the Coast, made into mbaazi za nazi | 121 | 6.8 | 23.0 | 0.4 | 6.7 |
Pilau (beef) Spiced rice dish, Swahili coast origin | 185 | 8.5 | 28.0 | 5.2 | 0.8 |
Pineapple Del Monte Kenya is a major grower | 50 | 0.5 | 13.0 | 0.1 | 1.4 |
Rice (white, cooked) Mwea rice from Kirinyaga is Kenya's premium variety | 130 | 2.7 | 28.0 | 0.3 | 0.4 |
Roasted Maize (mahindi choma) Popular street snack, often sold with lime and chili | 125 | 3.5 | 26.0 | 1.5 | 3.0 |
Samosa (meat) Popular street food, Indian-Kenyan origin | 310 | 10.0 | 28.0 | 18.0 | 1.5 |
Sausage (Kenyan-style, fried) Popular breakfast item | 280 | 12.0 | 3.0 | 24.0 | 0.0 |
Smokies (cocktail sausage) Famous Kenyan street snack, often with kachumbari | 270 | 11.0 | 4.0 | 22.0 | 0.0 |
Sorghum Flour (unga ya mtama) Used for ugali and porridge, drought-resistant crop | 340 | 11.0 | 72.0 | 3.3 | 6.7 |
Stinging Nettle (thabai, cooked) Gĩkũyũ traditional vegetable, very nutritious | 42 | 4.0 | 5.0 | 0.5 | 3.0 |
Sukuma Wiki (collard greens, sautéed) Most consumed vegetable in Kenya, literally 'push the week' | 40 | 3.2 | 5.5 | 0.8 | 3.6 |
Sweet Potato (boiled) Common breakfast, orange-fleshed varieties rich in Vitamin A | 86 | 1.6 | 20.0 | 0.1 | 3.0 |
Terere (amaranth leaves) Popular in Western Kenya | 35 | 3.5 | 4.0 | 0.6 | 2.8 |
Tilapia (fried) Lake Victoria tilapia, popular in Nyanza | 200 | 25.0 | 5.0 | 9.0 | 0.0 |
Ugali (maize flour, cooked) Kenya's most popular staple food | 120 | 2.8 | 26.5 | 0.6 | 1.2 |
Uji (fermented, busaa-style) Slightly fermented version, more flavour | 95 | 2.5 | 19.0 | 1.2 | 1.8 |
Uji (porridge, maize/millet) Traditional breakfast porridge, often for children | 85 | 2.0 | 18.0 | 1.0 | 1.5 |
Wali wa Nazi (coconut rice) Swahili coconut rice, staple at the Coast | 175 | 3.0 | 30.0 | 5.0 | 0.8 |
Watermelon Grown in semi-arid areas | 30 | 0.6 | 7.6 | 0.2 | 0.4 |
Nutritional Notes
- •All nutritional values are approximate per 100g serving (or per cup for beverages) based on FAO/WHO food composition data for Sub-Saharan Africa
- •Values may vary based on preparation method, recipe, and ingredient sourcing
- •Traditional Kenyan vegetables (managu, terere, kunde) are exceptionally nutritious and underutilized
- •Omena (small Lake Victoria fish) is one of Kenya's most nutrient-dense foods per 100g
- •Ugali + sukuma wiki + beans forms a nutritionally complete meal and is Kenya's most affordable balanced diet
- •Data compiled from FAO food composition tables, KEMRI nutritional studies, and Kenya Agricultural Research Institute
Frequently Asked Questions
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