Now that fall is here, you must be wondering...is pumpkin keto friendly and low carb? I love myself a delicious Pumpkin Spice Latte in the fall. I mean who can resist all the pumpkin-flavored goodies? Plus, pumpkin spice pie? Uhm, yes please!
If you're not sure about whether pumpkin is keto friendly, read on!
What is pumpkin?
Pumpkin is a type of winter squash. Technically it's a fruit, not a vegetable like most people think. Canned pumpkin puree can be made out of different varieties of pumpkins making it super versatile for baking and cooking.
Pumpkin can be boiled, steamed, and roasted. You can often find it and use it in soups, purees, pie, and other baked goods. If you're looking for a cheesecake, look no further! Wonder Monday makes a delicious, keto friendly cheesecake.
Is pumpkin a carb?
Pumpkin isn’t “a carb” per se — but it does have carbs!
Some foods are easy to identify as high carbohydrate foods — bread, rice, and pasta, for instance. Some vegetables — like potatoes and corn — are high in carbs as well. Most people following a ketogenic diet avoid high-carb vegetables and starchy vegetables from their diet, too.
According to the exchange system from the American Diabetes Association, the following vegetables are classified as starches.
- Parsnip
- Potato
- Acorn squash
- Butternut squash
- Peas
- Corn
- Pumpkin
The highest-carb, lowest-fiber vegetables are potatoes and corn. We recommend you avoid these vegetables if you are doing keto or low carb.
Of the vegetables on this list, pumpkin has the least amount of net carbs.
Is pumpkin keto friendly?
Yes! Like other keto vegetables, Pumpkin has lower carbs and a healthy dose of fiber. You can enjoy pumpkin on a keto diet.
How many carbs in pumpkin?One cup of cooked pumpkin contains roughly 10.6 total carbs. If you're looking at the net carbs, there are just 7.9 grams of net carbs if you subtract out the fiber.
