40+ Keto Pumpkin Recipes | Low Carb Gluten Free | Seeking Good Eats (2024)

FAQs

Can you eat pumpkin on a low-carb diet? ›

Pumpkins keep for a long time when stored in a cool place. Pumpkin isn't just a delicious thing to eat, they're also relatively low in carbs (4-12 grams per 100 grams). This makes pumpkin a great seasonal low-carb alternative to starchier sides like rice, potato and pasta.

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.

On average, even the plain canned pumpkin puree has slightly more carbs-- ½ cup of canned pumpkin contains 10.0 grams of carbohydrates and 3.0 grams of fiber. We subtract and find that ½ cup of canned pumpkin contains 7 grams of net carbs. So pumpkin looks good when compared with other starches and winter squashes.

While traditional pumpkin pie isn't keto friendly, a slice of this crustless recipe variation has only 5 net grams of carbohydrates. Most of those who follow a ketogenic lifestyle can easily fit the carbohydrate limit of most who follow a ketogenic diet.

Pumpkin is a nutrient-dense food since it is low in calories while high in nutrients. This fruit contains around 94% water and fewer than 50 calories per cup (245 grams). As a result, pumpkin is a weight-loss-friendly meal since it may be consumed in greater quantities than other carb sources.

It's carbs where the difference lies. Potatoes have the most carbs at 20 grams per 100 gram serving. Sweet potato has 17-18 grams, and pumpkin has just shy of five, which is why it's so low-calorie.

Sweet potatoes, being a naturally high-carb food, are unfortunately not keto-friendly. Nutritionists believe that the high carb content in sweet potatoes cannot easily fit into keto macros, the common ratio for which is 70% fat, 25% protein, and 5% carbohydrates.

Can you eat tomatoes on the keto diet? "Tomatoes are keto," says Abby Langer, R.D., author of Good Food, Bad Diet. "They're low in carbs, so they fit perfectly into keto." One whole medium tomato contains roughly 5 grams of carbohydrates, of which 1.5 grams are fiber and 3 grams are sugar.

Pumpkin ranks high on the glycemic index at 75, but low on the glycemic load at 3. People might assume that it is bad for diabetics because of its high GI, but that is not true. Its low GL rank indicates that having a small portion of pumpkin is perfectly safe and will not drastically increase your blood sugar levels.

The ketogenic diet typically reduces total carbohydrate intake to less than 50 grams a day—less than the amount found in a medium plain bagel—and can be as low as 20 grams a day. Generally, popular ketogenic resources suggest an average of 70-80% fat from total daily calories, 5-10% carbohydrate, and 10-20% protein.

Can you eat hummus on a keto diet? ›

Hummus can definitely be part of your keto diet, but just one or two servings can quickly expend a significant portion of your daily carb allotment. If you do eat hummus, you'll want to limit yourself to a small amount — perhaps just 2–4 tablespoons (30–60 grams), which provide 4–8 grams of net carbs.

Green beans, olives, sauerkraut, pickles, and tomatoes are all good low-carb canned vegetable choices. Carrots are slightly higher in carbs, but can also be a good choice. You can also find canned coconut flesh and canned broccoli and cauliflower at many international grocery stores.

Cauliflower pizza crust is a delicious gluten-free, low-carb and keto pizza recipe. It's a simple blend of cauliflower, eggs, cheese, and a few spices that's flattened and baked into a golden crust. Freeze it for later or top it off with fresh ingredients for a healthy dinner recipe.

Though cauliflower is a low-carb vegetable, not all cauliflower crust pizzas are keto-friendly. In fact, most store-bought products and restaurant-made cauliflower crusts have around the same amount of net carbs as traditional flour-based pizza.

A cup of fresh pumpkin, ¾ cup of pumpkin puree, or 1-2 servings of roasted pumpkin seeds per day should be no issue at all, as long as you account for carbs from other sources and stay under your daily limit — just make sure to avoid canned pumpkin filling, which contains tons of sugar.

Carbs. There are 12 grams of carbohydrates in one cup of pumpkin. Some of that carbohydrate is fiber (2.7 grams) and some is naturally occurring sugars (5.1 grams). The remaining carbohydrate is starch.

Green leafy vegetables such as spinach, celery, iceberg lettuce, cucumber, and tomatoes contain very few or almost no carbohydrates. The carbohydrate count ranges from 2.97 to 3.89 grams. One cup of raw kale contains 0.9 g of carbohydrates (0% DV), making it a low-carb option.