What vegetables are best on a keto diet? There's a simple rule:
- Above ground vegetables are generally lower carb and therefore the best keto options.
- Below ground vegetables, a.k.a. root vegetables, contain more carbs and should be consumed with care, especially potatoes and sweet potatoes.
Exceptions to that rule do exist. Read on for more details.
Above ground
Carb counts are provided as net carbs per 100 grams (3½ ounces) serving. The options to the left are solid keto vegetables.
Below ground
Carb counts represent net carbs for a standard serving size of 100 grams for each vegetable (3½ ounces, about the weight of an average tomato). For example, 100 grams of asparagus contain 2 net carbs while 100 grams of broccoli contain 4 net carbs.
Note that while the below ground vegetables range from 7 to 17 carbs per 100 grams, the above ground carbs pictures are all under 5 carbs per 100 gram serving. Quite a difference!
A word about onions: while they grow below ground, and are higher carb, onions as a seasoning can be added to foods because generally people do not eat too many onions at once. Be careful of caramelized onions, or sautéed onions, as these are easier to consume in larger amounts. Green onions, or scallions, as a topping for salads and dishes are fine in modest amounts.
Vegetables on keto
All foods are comprised of macronutrients - carbs, protein, and fat. While meat and most dairy are primarily made up of protein or fat, vegetables contain primarily carbs. On a strict ketogenic diet, with fewer than 5% of calories from carbs, it's important to know which veggies are the lowest in carbs, particularly if your goal is to consume fewer than 20 grams of carbs per day.
On a keto diet, vegetables with less than 5 net carbs may be eaten relatively freely - have them with butter and other sauces! It is hard to over-eat spinach, zucchini, lettuce, asparagus and kale on a keto diet. These can be considered keto vegetables.
You will have to be a bit more careful with slightly higher carb vegetables like bell peppers (especially red and yellow ones), Brussels sprouts, and green beans to keep below 20 grams of carbs a day on a keto diet. Their carbs can add up. One medium sized pepper can have 4-7 grams of carbs.
While tomatoes are technically a fruit, you can have them on a keto diet, but again be careful as their carbs are a bit higher and, combined with other foods, may take you up over 20 grams net carbs a day if you consume too much.
If you are doing a more moderate or liberal low-carb diet, with more than 20 grams of carbs a day, you can eat as many above ground vegetables as you desire.
Other helpful guidelines
Here are two more general rules that can help you choose lower-carb and keto vegetables:
- In general, keto friendly veggies are those with leaves - all types of lettuces, spinaches, etc. are good ketogenic options.
- Green vegetables tend to be lower in carbs than veggies with a lot of color. For example, green cabbage is lower in carbs than purple cabbage. Green bell peppers are also somewhat lower in carbs than red or yellow peppers.
Medication with warfarin and vegetable intake: Warfarin (Coumadin, Jantoven) is a medication that is sometimes used to treat or prevent blood clots, and it can be affected by changes in your vegetable intake.
Vegetables and fat
You can use keto vegetables as a vehicle for fat by seasoning cooked vegetables with butter. Better yet, sauté or roast them in lard, coconut oil, avocado oil, or ghee. If you eat dairy, you can make a cream sauce with heavy cream, cheese, and/or cream cheese.
Another excellent way to add fat to vegetables is by dipping them in salad dressings or other dipping sauces, or simply adding olive oil to your salad.
Note that if you have plenty of excess weight that you want to lose, you may not want to overdo the addition of fat. You may want to let your body burn excess body fat, instead of extra added dietary fat. In this case, just eat enough fat to not feel hungry (learn more).
Top 10 keto vegetables
Here are ten fantastic keto vegetables, tasty and containing plenty of nutrients but very few carbs. We've attempted to rank them in order of popularity and usefulness in keto cooking. Carb counts are provided as net carbs per 100 gram (3½ ounce) serving.
- Cauliflower - 3 g. The darling of many keto recipes, cauliflower has a mild flavor and is very versatile. It's used as the base of staples such as cauliflower rice and cauliflower mash. Have a look at our top 18 cauliflower recipes
- Cabbage - 3 g. The humble cabbage becomes a standout when sautéed in butter or used as the base of our popular Asian cabbage stir fry. See more of our top cabbage recipes
- Avocado - 2 g. Technically a fruit, but let's not get fussy when it is chock full of nutrients, healthy fat, and delicious to boot! Whether eaten plain in slices, mashed as guacamole, or even baked, avocado is a keto go-to, with so many ways to be enjoyed. Here's some great avocado recipes
- Broccoli - 4 g. A versatile, tasty, and simple replacement for pasta, rice or potatoes. It can be steamed, fried in butter, drizzled in cheese sauce, baked au gratin, roasted with bacon... with so many ways to prepare it you'll be saying 'more trees, please!'. Check out these recipes
- Zucchini - 3 g. Missing potatoes? Try our zucchini fries or zucchini chips. Zucchini can also be spiralized to make keto pasta, like in this keto carbonara. More recipes
- Spinach - 1 g. Extremely low-carb, spinach is one of the most keto-friendly vegetables. It can be used raw in salads, baked into chips, sautéed, or creamed. Check out our very popular keto frittata with fresh spinach or any of our many other spinach recipes
- Asparagus - 2 g. Very filling, highly nutritious, and very low carb, asparagus was made for a high-fat sauce such as hollandaise or béarnaise. It's a great keto vegetable. Top recipes
- Kale - 3 g. Although slightly higher carb than spinach, use kale raw in salads or bake into chips, sauté in lard, or use as a base instead of pasta. Recipes
- Green beans - 4 g. Green beans can be roasted, steamed, or stewed, but may taste even better cooked in some type of fat such as bacon fat or butter. Recipes
- Brussels sprouts - 5 g. These baby cabbages pack a lot of flavor and are excellent roasted until crispy or served in a creamy sauce. Recipes
Keto crudités
Numbers are digestible carbs per 100 grams (3½ ounces).
Veggie sticks, or crudités, with a high-fat dipping sauce are good keto choices for snacks and before dinner appetizers. Be careful, however, with carrots as their carbs do add up.
Dip: Dipping keto vegetables in a savoury dip, cream cheese, or herbed sour cream is a great way to eat higher fat, should you want to. Top recipes:
Peas and beans, etc.
Although they all grow above ground, legumes like peas, beans and lentils and grains like corn and quinoa are all fairly high in carbs - so they are not good keto options. If you are keeping below the recommended 20 grams of carbs a day on keto, avoid eating them.
Grains and sugar
Even though wheat grows above ground, it's usually not considered a vegetable. It's a grain and it's high in carbs. Anything made from wheat flour - breads, cereals, pastas, baked goods etc. - contains carbs that are rapidly digested into glucose and will raise blood sugar. Whole grain products (brown bread), while praised by many, seem to have very similar effect on blood glucose. Avoid on keto.
Most sugar comes from plants, too - either sugar cane, beets, or frequently, corn, in the case of high fructose corn syrup. These are not healthy and should not be eaten on keto. High fructose corn syrup, which is added to many products such as sodas, candies, sweets, cookies, might be even worse than regular sugar. It is very high carb and is not keto-friendly at all, and the same goes for honey or maple syrup. Learn more about keto sweeteners
Keto vegetable recipes
Top cauliflower recipes
Cauliflower may be the most popular keto vegetable of all. Here are our top cauliflower recipes:
Top cabbage recipes
Cabbage is another very versatile keto vegetable. Here are our top cabbage recipes:
Food for thought
Similar keto guides
Meal plans
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