Meat, fish, and eggs
Chapulines (toasted grasshoppers)
Chapulines pack 378 kcal into 100 g (3.5 oz), so a typical 20 g (0.7 oz) serving already adds up to about 76 kcal.
Estimated satietyHow it is calculated
Estimated satiety: 2 out of 5
Our rule adds points for low energy density, for protein and fiber per 100 kcal, and for water in solid foods, and subtracts points for drinks with calories.
Our own estimate from the values per 100 g: useful for comparing foods with each other, not a measurement in people. Holt index (1995): this food was not measured.
- Prepared by
- Alex Gonzalez
- Last updated
- Next review
- Sources
- 5 primary and 3 supporting
No clinical review. No advertising from drug companies and no affiliate links.How we work
Nutrition facts
- Calories
- 76 kcal per serving
- 378 kcal per 100 g (3.5 oz)
- Protein
- 11.6 g per serving
- 57.9 g per 100 g (3.5 oz)
- Carbohydrates
- 0.9 g per serving
- 4.5 g per 100 g (3.5 oz)
- of which sugars
- no data per serving
- no data per 100 g (3.5 oz)
- Fiber
- no data per serving
- no data per 100 g (3.5 oz)
- Fat
- 2.9 g per serving
- 14.3 g per 100 g (3.5 oz)
- of which saturated
- no data per serving
- no data per 100 g (3.5 oz)
- Water
- 2 g per serving
- 9.8 g per 100 g (3.5 oz)
A typical 20 g (0.7 oz) serving provides about 76 kcal, 11.6 g of protein.
What it is and how to eat it
The Dictionary of Americanisms records chapulín, from Nahuatl chapolín ("locust"), in Mexico and Central America as the name of several grasshoppers. This page uses a 2018 published analysis of chapulines (Sphenarium purpurascens) collected in Huejotzingo, Puebla, cleaned, toasted on a comal (griddle) and ground: 57.9 g of crude protein, 14.3 g of fat and 9.8 g of water per 100 g. The energy, about 378 kcal per 100 g, is calculated from the protein, fat and carbohydrate with the factors in Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011, because the study only reports gross energy measured in the lab, which is not what the body can use.
A 20 g (0.7 oz) serving provides about 11.6 g of protein and 76 kcal in very little volume, for example in a taco or on guacamole. The 2025 nutrition advisory on GLP-1 therapy suggests starting meals with protein, and when appetite is low a small handful of such a concentrated food helps add it up. Ready-to-eat chapulines may be seasoned: those bought at a Mexico City market for a 2022 study came with salt and lemon, and if you get heartburn or reflux it may help to skip the ones with a lot of chili.
What the evidence says
In that study toasted grasshopper flour had 64.2 g of crude protein per 100 g on a dry basis but only 34.9 g of true protein: crude protein is calculated from nitrogen, and EFSA notes, in its assessment of the migratory locust, that the usual 6.25 factor overestimates the true protein of insects because chitin also contains nitrogen. The same assessment concludes that eating migratory locust may cause allergic reactions, including in people allergic to crustaceans, dust mites or mollusks. Between 2001 and 2003, an investigation of a lead poisoning outbreak in Monterey County, California, found significant amounts of lead in home-prepared dried chapulines sent from Oaxaca.
Satiety
The 1 to 5 score is our own estimate: it starts at 1 point, adds points for low energy density, for protein and fiber per 100 kcal, and for the water in solid foods, and subtracts points for drinks with calories. It is useful for comparing foods with each other; it is not a measurement in people.
What to keep in mind on a GLP-1 medication
Frequently asked questions about chapulines
How much protein is in a 20 g (0.7 oz) serving of chapulines?
100 g (3.5 oz) of chapulines has 57.9 g of protein. A typical 20 g (0.7 oz) serving has about 11.6 g of protein. That is 15.3 g of protein per 100 kcal, which is why they carry our “High in protein” tag.
How many calories does a 20 g (0.7 oz) serving of chapulines have?
100 g (3.5 oz) of chapulines has 378 kcal. A typical 20 g (0.7 oz) serving has about 76 kcal. That is a high energy density.
Are chapulines filling?
Not very filling for the calories they provide: our estimated satiety score is 2 out of 5. It is based on: our rule adds points for low energy density, for protein and fiber per 100 kcal, and for water in solid foods, and subtracts points for drinks with calories. It is an estimate based on its composition, not a measurement in people.
What should I know about chapulines on a GLP-1 medication?
Based on our tags, this is what matters about chapulines on a GLP-1 medication. “High in protein”: plenty of protein per calorie; protein helps preserve muscle mass when you eat less. “Nutritious in small servings”: a lot of nutrition in a small volume, which is practical when you eat little. “High energy density”: a lot of energy in a small volume; when your appetite is very low, a small serving can help you meet your needs. These are general guidelines, not medical advice: everyone tolerates foods differently.
What counts as a normal serving of chapulines?
We use 20 g (0.7 oz) as a typical serving. That amount provides about 76 kcal, 11.6 g of protein. It is a reference for calculations, not a recommendation of how much to eat.
Similar foods
Sources
Sources for the data on this page, with the access date.
- Other sourceSociedad Mexicana de Entomología (Entomología Mexicana).Aragón-García A, Rodríguez-Lima DR, Pino-Moreno JM, Aragón-Sánchez M, Carlos-Ángeles S, García-Pérez A. Valor nutritivo de la harina del chapulín Sphenarium purpurascens Charpentier, 1845 (Orthoptera: Pyrgomorphidae) tostado y natural. Entomología Mexicana. 2018;5:106-112 (cuadro 2, muestra D, base húmeda).accessed .
- Diario Oficial de la Unión Europea (EUR-Lex).Reglamento (UE) n.º 1169/2011, sobre la información alimentaria facilitada al consumidor (anexo XIII, valores de referencia de nutrientes; anexo XIV, factores de conversión).accessed .
- InstitutionAssociation of Academies of the Spanish Language (ASALE).Diccionario de americanismos (Dictionary of Americanisms): "chapulín" (in Spanish).accessed .
- RegulatorOfficial Journal of the European Union (EUR-Lex).Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011 on the provision of food information to consumers (Annex XIII, nutrient reference values; Annex XIV, conversion factors).accessed .
- Clinical guidelineObesity (Wiley).Mozaffarian D, et al. Nutritional priorities to support GLP-1 therapy for obesity: A joint Advisory from the American College of Lifestyle Medicine, the American Society for Nutrition, the Obesity Medicine Association, and The Obesity Society. Obesity. 2025;33(8):1475-1503. doi:10.1002/oby.24336.accessed .
- Other sourceFoods (MDPI).Cruz-López SO, Álvarez-Cisneros YM, Domínguez-Soberanes J, Escalona-Buendía HB, Sánchez CN. Physicochemical and Sensory Characteristics of Sausages Made with Grasshopper (Sphenarium purpurascens) Flour. Foods. 2022;11(5):704. doi:10.3390/foods11050704.accessed .
- RegulatorEuropean Food Safety Authority (EFSA).EFSA NDA Panel. Safety of frozen and dried formulations from migratory locust (Locusta migratoria) as a Novel food pursuant to Regulation (EU) 2015/2283. EFSA Journal. 2021;19(7):6667. doi:10.2903/j.efsa.2021.6667.accessed .
- Other sourceAmerican Journal of Public Health.Handley MA, Hall C, Sanford E, et al. Globalization, binational communities, and imported food risks: results of an outbreak investigation of lead poisoning in Monterey County, California. Am J Public Health. 2007;97(5):900-906. doi:10.2105/AJPH.2005.074138.accessed .