By Dr. Andreas Eenfeldt, MD, medical review by Dr. Bret Scher, MD
Evidence based- Above ground
- Below ground
- Veggies on keto
- Top 10
- Crudités
- Recipes
- Similar guides
What vegetables can you have on a keto diet? There’s a simple rule:
- Above-ground vegetables are generally lower in carbs and are usually the best keto options.
- Below-ground vegetables — also known as root vegetables — contain more carbs and aren’t a great choice, especially potatoes and sweet potatoes.
Read on for more details, and when there are exceptions to this rule.
Above ground
Carb counts are provided as net carbs per 100-gram (3½-ounce) serving.12 The options to the left are solid keto vegetables.The options at the top are solid keto vegetables.
Carbs list
See the complete carbs list for above-ground vegetables
Spinach: 1 gram of net carbs, 2.5 grams of fiber, 3.5 grams of total carbs
Lettuce: 2 grams of net carbs, 1.5 grams of fiber, 3.5 grams of total carbs
Asparagus: 2 grams of net carbs, 2 grams of fiber, 4 grams of total carbs
Avocado: 2 grams of net carbs, 7 grams of fiber, 9 grams of total carbs
Cucumber: 3 grams of net carbs, 0.5 gram of fiber, 3.5 grams of total carbs
Tomato: 3 grams of net carbs, 1 gram of fiber, 4 grams of total carbs
Cauliflower: 3 grams of net carbs, 2 grams of fiber, 5 grams of total carbs
Zucchini: 3 grams of net carbs, 2 grams of fiber, 5 grams of total carbs
Green pepper: 3 grams of net carbs, 2 grams of fiber, 5 grams of total carbs
Kale: 3 grams of net carbs, 3 grams of fiber, 6 grams of total carbs
Olives: 3 grams of net carbs, 3 grams of fiber, 6 grams of total carbs
Cabbage: 3 grams of net carbs, 3 grams of fiber, 6 grams of total carbs
Eggplant: 3 grams of net carbs, 3 grams of fiber, 6 grams of total carbs
Red pepper: 4 grams of net carbs, 2 grams of fiber, 6 grams of total carbs
Broccoli: 4 grams of net carbs, 2.5 grams of fiber, 6.5 grams of total carbs
Green beans: 4 grams of net carbs, 3 grams of fiber, 7 grams of total carbs
Yellow pepper: 5 grams of net carbs, 1 gram of fiber, 6 grams of total carbs
Brussels sprouts: 5 grams of net carbs, 4 grams of fiber, 9 grams of total carbs
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 grams of net carbs while 100 grams of broccoli contain 4 grams of net carbs.
Note that while the below-ground vegetables range from 6 to 19 grams of net carbs per 100 grams, the above-ground vegetables are all under 5 grams of net carbs per 100 gram serving. Quite a difference!
Carbs list
See the complete carbs list for below-ground vegetables
Rutabaga: 6 grams of net carbs, 2 grams of fiber, 7 grams of total carbs
Celeriac: 6 grams of net carbs, 2 grams of fiber, 9 grams of total carbs
Carrot: 7 grams of net carbs, 3 grams of fiber, 10 grams of total carbs
Onion: 8 grams of net carbs, 1.5 grams of fiber, 9.5 grams of total carbs
Beetroot: 8 grams of net carbs, 2 grams of fiber, 10 grams of total carbs
Parsnip: 13 grams of net carbs, 4 grams of fiber, 17 grams of total carbs
Sweet potato: 17 grams of net carbs, 2.5 grams of fiber, 19.5 grams of total carbs
Potato: 19 grams of net carbs, 2 grams of fiber, 21 grams of total carbs
A word about onions: while they grow below ground and are higher carb, they can be added to foods as a seasoning because you generally won’t eat too many at once.
Be careful of caramelized or sautéed onions, as these are easier to consume in larger amounts. Green onions, or scallions, can be used to top salads or other dishes in modest amounts.
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Vegetables on keto
All foods are made up of macronutrients – carbs, protein, and fat. While meat and most dairy mainly provide protein or fat, vegetables contain mostly 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.
Vegetables with less than 5 grams of net carbs may be eaten relatively freely. It’s hard to overeat spinach, zucchini, lettuce, cucumbers, cabbage, asparagus and kale on a keto diet. These are considered keto vegetables.
Be more careful with slightly higher-carb vegetables like bell peppers (especially red and yellow ones), brussels sprouts and green beans to stay under 20 grams of carbs a day. The carbs can add up. For instance, a medium-size pepper has 4-7 grams of carbs.
While tomatoes are technically a fruit, they can work on a keto diet. But again, their carbs are a bit higher. When combined with other foods, you may exceed 20 grams of net carbs a day if you consume too many tomatoes.
If you are doing a more moderate or liberal low carb diet that allows 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 lettuce, spinach and other greens 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 intake of certain vegetables.
Read more
Specifically, the effect of this medication can be reduced if you significantly increase your intake of vitamin K; for example, if you start to eat large amounts of certain vegetables like kale, spinach, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, or asparagus. Learn more
Discuss any changes in medication and relevant lifestyle changes with your doctor. Full disclaimer
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.3 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.
If you want to lose weight, try not to go overboard with fat. For best results, 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 prevent hunger.
Learn more in our guides on how much fat you should eat, and our take on the best and worst fats and sauces
Top 10 keto vegetables
Here are ten fantastic keto vegetables that are tasty and provide plenty of nutrients but only a few carbs.4 Here’s our ranking in order of popularity and usefulness in keto cooking.5 Carb counts are provided as net carbs per 100-gram (3½-ounce) serving.
- Cauliflower – 3 g. Mild flavor and so versatile. Use it as base of staples likecauliflower riceandcauliflower mash. Have a look at our top 18 cauliflower recipes
- Avocado – 2 g. Technically a fruit, but loaded with nutrients and healthy fat. 6 Great sliced, mashed as guacamole, or even baked. Here are some great avocado recipes
- Broccoli – 4 g. Swap it for pasta, rice or potatoes. It can be steamed, fried in butter, drizzled in cheese sauce, roasted with bacon, baked au gratin and more. Check out these recipes
- Cabbage – 3 g. Delicious when sautéed in butter or used in our popular Asian cabbage stir fry. See more of our top cabbage recipes
- Zucchini – 3 g. Miss potatoes? Try ourzucchini 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 in carbs, it can be used raw in salads, baked into chips, sautéed, or creamed. Check out our popularketo frittata with fresh spinach or many other spinach recipes
- Asparagus – 2 g. Filling, highly nutritious, and very low carb, asparagus was made for a high-fat sauce such as hollandaise or béarnaise. Top recipes
- Kale – 3 g. Although slightly higher carb than spinach, kale is a flavorful veggie. Enjoy it raw in salads, 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 bacon fat or butter. Recipes
- Brussels sprouts – 5 g. Baby cabbages are excellent roasted until crispy or served in a creamy sauce. Recipes
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