The chips you eat them with may not be keto-friendly but you can still have some dips. Find out whether guacamole is keto-friendly.
One important thing to note first is that guacamole can vary a lot in terms of nutrients and keto-friendliness because of different recipes.
This article will mainly focus on one example of guacamole (1). 100 grams of this contain around 2 grams of net carbohydrates (total carbs minus fiber).
Since this is relatively low in carbs, it is fair to say that this guacamole recipe will generally be keto-friendly.
At the same time, you want to keep in mind that even small amounts of carbohydrates are sometimes enough to kick you out of ketosis.
Additionally, many store-bought guacamoles contain ingredients like added sugar.
This makes them a lot less keto-friendly so you likely want to double-check the nutrition label before eating one of these guacamoles.
Keto-friendly guacamole recipe
As mentioned, the ingredients and their ratios in guacamole can vary a lot. Below, you can find the list of ingredients in one keto-friendly recipe example.
Other guacamole recipes can be good for ketogenic diets too but you may have to double-check.
An example recipe for keto-friendly guacamole would be:
- 400 grams of avocados
- 5 grams of raw onions
- 5 grams of raw lemon juice
- 3.6 grams of salt
This article will use the nutritional values of guacamole made with these ingredients in this ratio (1).
Carbs in guacamole
To figure out whether guacamole would fit in your ketogenic diet and in what amounts you want to know how many carbohydrates it contains.
100 grams of the example guacamole contain the following amounts of carbs (1):
- Total carbs: 8.5 grams
- Of which fiber: 6.5 grams
- Net carbs: 2 grams
Guacamole contains a relatively low amount of carbs per 100 grams. In turn, you can say that it will generally be keto-friendly.
On the flip side, you need to know that even 2 grams of net carbs could be enough to kick you out of ketosis in certain situations where you already ate a lot of carbohydrates.
One ounce of the example guacamole is about 28 grams and contains the following amounts of carbs:
- Total carbs: 2.4 grams
- Of which fiber: 1.8 grams
- Net carbs: 0.6 grams
If you make the amount of guacamole you eat smaller, you will also consume fewer carbs. In turn, it becomes even easier to stay in ketosis with a diet that contains guacamole.
Carbs in guacamole vs avocado
Avocados are the main ingredient in guacamole. You may wonder how the mix compares to the regular fruit for a ketogenic diet.
In the table below, you can find the amounts of carbs in the example guacamole and raw avocado (1, 2).
| Values Per 100g | Guacamole | Avocado |
|---|---|---|
| Total Carbohydrates | 8.5 g | 8.5 g |
| Of Which Fiber | 6.5 g | 6.7 g |
| Net Carbs | 2 g | 1.8 g |
As you can see, regular raw avocado is just a bit more keto-friendly than guacamole.
Additionally, the example guacamole does not contain added sugar. Many brands do add this ingredient which makes them a lot higher in carbs.
That being said, the right types of guacamole are certainly still keto-friendly too.
Other nutrients in guacamole
It is easy to fall into the trap of only focusing on the carbs in foods like guacamole on a ketogenic diet.
However, the other nutrients like fats, proteins, vitamins, and minerals in guacamole still influence whether you stay in ketosis and how helpful this food is for a variety of health goals.
100 grams of the example guacamole contain the following nutrients (1):
- Calories: 155
- Protein: 2 grams
- Carbs: 8.5 grams
- Part of the carbs that is fiber: 6.5 grams
- Fat: 14.2 grams
- Vitamin K: 25% of the DV (Daily Value)
- Folate: 20% of the DV
- Vitamin C: 17% of the DV
- Sodium: 14% of the DV
- Vitamin B6: 13% of the DV
And some other vitamins and minerals in smaller amounts.
Guacamole is not just low in net carbohydrates. It can also provide you with a lot of fiber and nice amounts of valuable nutrients.
This makes guacamole a great option for healthy ketogenic diets. Even if you don’t love the taste of this food, you may want to consider implementing more of it.
Why guacamole is not always keto-friendly
Because even small amounts of guacamole can kick you out of ketosis, you likely want to go over the keto fundamentals again. This will help you prevent this from happening.
In its essence, a ketogenic diet is a way of eating where you get into ketosis. This is a state where you mainly use fat as fuel (2).
To get and stay in ketosis, you need to keep your carbohydrate intake below a certain level. Exactly where this level is can vary from person to person due to differences in weight, muscle, activity levels, etc.
This fact of keto diets makes things more confusing but there are some general guidelines. These are not perfect but do give you an idea of what your diet should look like.
A typical recommendation for people who want to get into ketosis is to consume 55%-60% of their macronutrients from fat, 30%-35% from protein, and 5%-10% from carbohydrates.
If you do the calculations for your personal situation, you will likely conclude you can eat around 20 to 50 grams of carbohydrates a day.
Something important to note is that you typically don’t include the fiber in guacamole and other foods in these amounts.
Your body processes fiber in different ways even though it is actually a category of carbohydrates.
What to eat with guacamole on keto
While you could do it, most people do not eat guacamole with a tablespoon. You typically use something to dip the guacamole or put it on other foods as a spread.
Some of the typical dip foods like chips are generally not keto-friendly.
Luckily there are also more low-carb foods to eat with guacamole on keto. Some examples include:
- Pork rinds
- Cheese crips
- Low-carb crackers or chips
- Celery sticks
- Cucumbers
- Mini peppers
One thing to note is that some of these foods still contain some carbohydrates. Similar to guacamole, that means you may need to keep an eye on your portions and the other foods you eat.
Why do you want to stay in ketosis?
While guacamole is generally keto-friendly, there are cases where it can kick you out of ketosis. How much of an issue this is depends on why you want to stay in this state.
More specifically, you may want to stay in strict ketosis 24/7. In that case, you can likely still consider guacamole but you want to be careful about the other things you eat.
On the other hand, guacamole can be good for weight loss and health even if it happens to raise your carbohydrate intake above ketogenic levels.
Keto diets can help you lose weight and get healthier but they are typically not the only ways to achieve these goals.
Does guacamole dip have carbs?
The exact amount can vary between recipes but guacamole dips generally have at least some carbs.
Is guacamole OK for low-carb diets?
100 grams of one example of guacamole contain 2 grams of net carbohydrates. This type of guacamole is generally OK for low-carb diets. On the flip side, you need to keep in mind that some brands add sugar to their guacamole. These tend to be less OK for low-carb diets.
