Is carrot ketogenic compliant or are there other vegetables more suited to this low-carb diet? Well, it’s a good question – and one we can answer for you!

If you’re on the keto diet, you’ll likely be increasing the number of veggies you include in your meals. Of course, vegetables are an important part of every diet, but with keto, it’s a little more complicated!

The ketogenic diet is incredibly popular for those wanting to lose weight and tone up. Whilst replacing carbs with fat – the basics of the keto diet – sounds easy, it actually requires a lot of planning.

When it comes to healthy eating and weight loss, carrots are usually a go-to veg. You can use them in recipes, juice them for glowing skin, and dip them in hummus for a fancy snack.

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But the question now is, are they keto compliant?

Well, we’re going to take a closer look at the ketogenic diet, and tell you whether carrots are keto-friendly!

Carrot juice Keto diet

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What is the Ketogenic Diet? How Does it Work?

The ketogenic diet, or keto diet, is when you restrict carbs almost entirely from your daily meals. It is a popular and effective diet for weight loss; however, it can be tough to maintain.

But how exactly does the ketogenic diet work for weight loss?

Well, when you restrict carbs to low amounts, the body goes into a state of ketosis. Ketosis is when your body begins to burn fat for fuel, rather than carbohydrates. So, your body is effectively burning your fat reserves, rather than carbohydrates that you’re taking in daily.

For the keto diet to work, you do need to restrict your carb intake by quite a lot. In fact, to maintain the state of ketosis, you are only able to get 5% of your daily calories from carbohydrates. That is roughly 25 to 50 grams of carbs per day, depending on your size and calorie intake.

Of course, when you think of cutting carbs, you imagine chucking out the bread, bagels, and donuts – right? Well, unfortunately, it isn’t that easy!

In actual fact, many vegetables are high in carbohydrates, but the question is, are carrots one of them?

Let’s find out if carrots are ketogenic compliant, and what other veggies are keto-friendly!

Are Carrots Ketogenic Compliant: How Many Carbs Do They Contain??

Carrots on chopping board

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Carrots are a popular vegetable for a reason. They’re sweet, can be eaten cooked or raw and they may even be used to clear acne!

Find Out: Why is Carrot Oil Good for Acne-Prone Skin?

But is this popular veggie going to drive you out of a state of ketosis?

Well, the good news is that you can include carrot in a ketogenic diet – but there’s a bit of a catch.

Carrots are, unfortunately, higher in carbohydrates than other vegetables. So, if you are following a traditional ketogenic diet, of no more than 25 – 50 grams of carbs a day, munching on a carrot would use up your carb allowance quickly.

So, how many carbs are in carrots?

A medium-sized raw carrot contains around 5.8 grams of carbohydrates. OK, so this might not sound like a lot. But you have to bear in mind that all other fruit and veg you consume in the day will also contain carbs.

With that in mind, carrots are still a good vegetable to include in recipes, assuming you only use a small amount. In fact, many keto recipes include carrot for their natural sweetness and crunchy texture!

So, if carrots are your favourite veg, you’ll want to include them in your diet – so long as it’s keto compliant!

Let’s take a look at a couple of ketogenic compliant recipes that include carrots!

Ketogenic Diet Recipes for Carrots

If you want to include carrots in your ketogenic diet, the key to remember is portion size.

Portion sizes are crucial to succeeding at this low-carb diet. Not only that but if you manage your portion sizes properly, you can still include some of your favourite fruits and vegetables!

So, now you know carrot is ketogenic compliant, what can you cook with them?

Well, here are our favourite keto recipes with carrots!

Carrot and Spinach Ketogenic Juice Drink

Vegetable juice drinks

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This fresh carrot and spinach keto juice drink is the perfect way to include carrots into your keto diet.

You can use this carrot and spinach juice drink as a meal replacement, or as a post-workout snack. Packed with nutrients and tasty ingredients, you’ll find it hard to believe that this recipe is part of a diet at all!

To make this keto juice drink you will need:

  • ½ peeled avocado
  • 1 handful of fresh spinach
  • 1 inch of grated, fresh ginger
  • ½ raw and chopped carrot
  • ½ lemon
  • 3 ice cubes
  • Blender

Add all the ingredients to the blender except the lemon and blend well. Lastly, squeeze the lemon juice into the blender, and mix once more.

Serve and enjoy!

Keto Carrot Loaf Cake

This delicious keto carrot loaf cake is an excellent treat to have whilst on a ketogenic diet, and guess what? Each slice contains a mere 1 gram of carbs – amazing!

So, let’s find out how to make this delicious carrot ketogenic compliant loaf cake!

You will need:

  • ½ medium size carrot
  • ½ teaspoon nutmeg
  • 3 tablespoons of flax seeds
  • ½ teaspoon allspice mix
  • 2 teaspoons cinnamon
  • 2 teaspoon of baking powder
  • 2 medium eggs
  • 200g almond flour

You will also need:

  • 1 loaf tin lined and greased

Step 1: First, preheat your oven to 175 degrees Celsius.
Step 2: Grate the carrots into a large mixing bowl.
Step 3: Combine the other ingredients and mix well.
Step 4:  Once the mixture reaches a batter consistency, pour into the loaf tin.
Step 5: Bake for roughly 45 minutes until cooked through.
Step 6. Serve and enjoy!

This loaf contains roughly 10 servings, but remember a larger slice will be higher in carbs!

As you can see, the carrot is ketogenic-compliant when enjoyed in small amounts. These vegetables are high in fibre and provide many health benefits as part of a healthy and balanced diet!

So, all we need to know now is, what other vegetables can be enjoyed as part of the keto diet?

Let’s find out!

Ketogenic Compliant Vegetables: What Are They?

If your body reaches a state of ketosis, the last thing you want to do is accidentally consume too many carbs! The question is, which vegetables can be consumed as part of the keto diet?

tryptophan rich vegetarian foods

image credit: Iñigo De la Maza

Well, many vegetables can be consumed as part of a ketogenic diet. Of course, the tough thing is finding out which ones!

So, let’s take a look at some ketogenic compliant vegetables and their carb values!

Asparagus

Asparagus is great for a keto diet, and contains a tiny 2 grams of carbs per portion! These green vegetables are high in vitamin K, vitamin B9, and are packed full of anti-inflammatories too.

Cauliflower

This vegetable contains 3 grams of carbohydrates per portion and is a great keto diet staple. You can whip up cauliflower rice as a delicious side dish or even just boiled with grilled chicken!

Zucchini

Zucchini fries are an amazing keto diet favourite if you’re missing potatoes. Not only that, but you can enjoy them guilt-free as zucchini contains only 3 grams of carbs per portion.

Spinach

This leafy green veg might come in at the lowest in carb values at only 1 gram per serving! Spinach is incredibly versatile as it can be juiced, added to smoothies, steamed, and even enjoyed in a salad.

Kale

Kale is packed full of nutrients including iron and calcium. Not only that, it has a mere 3 grams of carbohydrates per portion! You can use kale to make kale chips (yum) and or chuck into a healthy chicken salad!

If you’re using the ketogenic diet as part of a weight-loss plan, don’t forget the importance of regular exercise. In fact, calisthenics is an extremely popular workout and can be done using absolutely no equipment!

What Are Calisthenics: Find Out the Easiest to Hardest Workouts!

So, if you were unsure if carrot is ketogenic compliant – worry no more! You can enjoy plenty of delicious keto compliant meals using these delicious, and healthy veggies!

The articles on this site are not medical or certified advice, all content that has been created is simply our opinions,experiences and independent research. We strongly advise seeking professional,qualified expert advice from either your GP or a certified medical practitioner before making any changes to do with your health,diet, exercise or habits.