Juices are often not a good idea in ketogenic diets. Find out whether or not carrot juice is an exception that is keto-friendly.
One example of carrot juice contains around 8.5 grams of net carbohydrates (total carbs minus fiber) per 100 grams which is about half a glass of juice.
If this amount of carbs was for a type of whole food, you could consider consuming small amounts.
That being said, because fluids are so easy to consume, it is fair to say that carrot juice is generally not that keto-friendly.
In theory, you could still consume tiny amounts of carrot juice and stay in ketosis. In practice, it is typically not a smart idea to spend so much of your daily carb limit on such a small amount of liquid or food.
Something else to keep in mind is that many carrot juice brands add sugar. This makes the drink even less keto-friendly.
Luckily, there are still a few other options if you want to drink something with a bit more taste than water on a ketogenic diet.
Carbs in carrot juice
To figure out whether drinks like carrot juice are keto in what amounts, you want to know how many carbs they contain.
100 grams of one example of carrot juice contain the following amounts of carbs (1):
- Total carbs: 9.3 grams
- Of which fiber: 0.8 grams
- Net carbs: 8.5 grams
Even for whole foods, 8.5 grams of net carbs is already a considerable amount for a ketogenic.
In combination with the carbohydrates in the other foods you eat, carrot juice will often be enough to kick you out of ketosis.
Even if you can hold yourself back and consume only half a glass of juice.
One cup of the example carrot juice is about 236 grams and contains the following amounts of carbs:
- Total carbs: 21.9 grams
- Of which fiber: 1.9 grams
- Net carbs: 20 grams
By drinking bigger amounts of carrot juice, you will also consume more carbohydrates. In turn, it becomes even harder to stay in ketosis while consuming this juice.
Most people who intend to follow a ketogenic diet want to stay away from carrot juice.
Other nutrients in carrot juice
In some cases, you can consume tiny amounts of higher-carb foods on keto if they contain really high amounts of important nutrients.
Fats, proteins, vitamins, and minerals still play important roles in your health on a ketogenic diet.
100 grams of the example of carrot juice contain the following nutrients (1):
- Calories: 40
- Protein: 0.9 grams
- Carbs: 9.3 grams
- Part of the carbs that is fiber: 0.8 grams
- Fat: 0.2 grams
- Vitamin A: 382% of the DV (Daily Value)
- Vitamin K: 19% of the DV
- Vitamin C: 14% of the DV
- Vitamin B6: 11% of the DV
- Potassium: 8% of the DV
And some other vitamins and minerals in smaller amounts.
Carrot juice does contain a few valuable nutrients in nice amounts. However, this is likely not enough to compensate for its carb count and easily digestible nature.
Additionally, there are more nutritious foods that are more keto-friendly too.
Carbs in carrot juice vs carrots
By now you understand that carrot juice is somewhat higher in carbs. You may wonder if the same applies to the regular vegetable before you juice it.
You can find the amounts of carbs in carrot juice and regular raw carrots in the table below (1, 2).
| Values Per 100g | Carrot Juice | Raw Carrots |
|---|---|---|
| Total Carbohydrates | 9.3 g | 9.6 g |
| Of Which Fiber | 0.8 g | 2.8 g |
| Net Carbs | 8.5 g | 6.8 g |
Even if you don’t consider the difference in fluid vs whole food, it becomes clear that regular raw carrots will be better (but not great) for ketogenic diets than their juice.
Why carrot juice is typically not okay on keto
Up until now, there is no mention of carrot juice never being okay on keto. Understanding why this is can help you approach ketogenic diets in smarter ways and help you realize that carrot juice is still not a great idea on keto.
Any way of eating where you get and stay in ketosis is a ketogenic diet. Ketosis is a state where your body mainly burns fat as fuel (3).
To achieve this state, you need to keep your carbohydrate intake under a certain level. Exactly what this level is depends on details like your weight, muscle mass, and activity levels.
A general guideline is that you want to get 55%-60% of your macronutrients from fat, 30%-35% from protein, and 5%-10% from carbohydrates.
This will likely come down to eating around 20 to 50 grams of carbs a day for your situation.
You typically don’t include the amount of fiber in carrot juice or other drinks and foods in these. Fiber is a category of carbs but your body processes them in a different way.
The guideline is not perfect but it does give you an idea of how many carbs you can eat a day. In turn, it becomes clearer that carrot juice is not that keto-friendly.
Substitutes for carrot juice on keto
Many people consider carrot juice on keto because water can get a bit bland in terms of taste.
Luckily, there are still a few other drinks that can fulfill a similar purpose but with fewer carbs. Some of these include:
- Coffee and tea without sweeteners
- Sparkling water
- Lemon and lime juice
- Certain vegetable juices like celery juice
- Certain flavored waters
Some of these carrot juice substitutes like the lemon, lime, and vegetable juices still contain carbohydrates.
You may still need to keep an eye on how much you drink and what other foods you eat if you want to stay in ketosis.
Why do you want to stay in ketosis?
By now it should be clear that carrot juice is generally not a good choice for ketogenic diets.
Their somewhat higher carb content in combination with how easy it is to consume a lot of juice makes it likely you will get kicked out of ketosis.
That being said, depending on why you are following a ketogenic diet, this may not be the biggest issue ever.
More specifically, there are people who need/want to stay in strict ketosis 24/7. In a situation like that, you want to be careful about your carb intake and stay away from carrot juice.
On the other hand, while carrot juice is not the best for weight loss and health, it is somewhat more acceptable for these goals than on a keto diet.
Even if the carrot juice raises your carb intake too much to stay in ketosis.
Related posts:
Is carrot juice high in carbs?
Carrot juice contains about 9.3 grams of carbohydrates (including 0.8 grams of fiber) per 100 grams. Compared to whole foods, carrot juice is somewhat high in carbs. On the flip side, there are many drinks that are higher in carbs too.
