Newcomers to a low carb diet are often overwhelmed by what ingredients are suitable for baking with. While sweeteners like refined white sugar will quickly bounce you over your daily carbohydrate intake, other foods aren’t so obvious. To make your life easier, we’ve pulled together a list of suitable foods for low carb eating.

All the information on this page is also available in a handy printable so you can easily reference it any time you need. Here’s what we suggest you use it for:

• Print a copy of this list for the fridge door, handbag, office, or any other place you think it’ll be useful.
• Keep a copy with you when shopping to avoid buying food that you can’t eat.
• If friends, family, or helpers buy your groceries then shoot them a copy so they know what’s best for your eating plan.
• Shoot a digital copy of this printable to others who show interest in eating low carb to make their decision making easier.

The ultimate list of low carb foods

1. Flours

Although baked goods may seem like the enemy of low-carb or keto eating, there are a variety of flours that you can still eat. Just remember to eat in moderation and watch the toppings as they’re often loaded in sugar.

We’ve included a list of suitable flours and baking staples below. Swapping out your regular wheat flour for gluten-free options will take a little getting used to as they perform differently when cooked. We’ve got some awesome tried-and-tested recipes if you need some inspiration to get started.  

Ingredient	Serving size	Net carbs
Almond flour	1/4 cup	2
Cacao powder	1 tbsp	1.1
Chia seed flour	2 Tbsp	0
Coconut flour	2 tbsp	2
Guar gum	¼ tsp	0
Hazelnut flour	1/4 cup	2
Macadamia nut flour	1/4 cup	2.9
Peanut flour	1/4 cup	2.8
Flaxseed meal	2 tbsp	1
Gelatin	1 tbsp	0
Psyllium husk	1 tsp	0
Pure extracts	1 tsp	0.1
Sunflower seed meal	1/4 cup	4
Xantham gum	¼ tsp	0

2. Fats

Fat is an essential part of low carb and keto baking. It helps keep you full longer and reduces any hunger cravings; fat also adds delicious richness and moisture to baked goods. Without it, most recipes wouldn’t be the same. For those of you on a keto diet, fat will help your body remain in ketosis.

Pure fats have zero net carbs, so this is an area that you don’t need to focus on too much. There’s plenty of online discussion on what oil is best for your health but we’ll leave that for another day as it’s a whole new guide in itself.

Food	Serving size	Net Carbs
Avocado oil	1 tbsp	0
Butter	1 tbsp	0
Cocoa butter	1 tbsp	0
Coconut oil	1 tbsp	0
Cotton seed oil	1 tbsp	0
Ghee	1 tbsp	0
Hemp oil	1 tbsp	0
Lard	1 tbsp	0
Olive oil	1 tbsp	0
Other nut & seed oils	1 tbsp	0

3. Dairy, eggs, and coconut cream

If your body allows you to eat dairy then it is excellent for including in a low-carb plan. Use full fat products in your baking and try to avoid the low-fat options which generally have more carbohydrates.

Food	Serving size	Net Carbs
Cheeses – all types	1 oz	0-1.5
Coconut cream	1 tbsp	1.7
Cream cheese	1 tbsp	0.8
Eggs	1 egg	0
Half & half	1 tbsp	0.7
Heavy cream	1 tbsp	0.4
Mascarpone cheese	2 tbsp	0.6
Sour cream	1 tbsp	0.6
Cottage cheese	1/2 cup	7.1
Greek yogurt	1 cup	9.7
Ricotta cheese	1/2 cup	3.0

4. Sweeteners

You can try and bake cookies, cakes, and desserts without sweetness, but you’ll generally end up disappointed. While white and brown sugar, maple syrup, coconut sugar are all off the list, there is an increasing number of alternatives that are suitable. Many of them have zero net carbs as the body doesn’t metabolise them effectively or they don’t even get absorbed.  

Food	Serving size	Net Carbs
Chicory root	1 tsp	0
Erythritol	1 tsp	0
Monkfruit	1 tsp	0
Stevia	1 tsp	0
Xylitol	1 tsp	0
Unsweetened chocolate	29g	~3

5. Fruits

Fruit is a popular ingredient in baking, whether it’s adding currants to bread or topping a cake with berries. If you’ve gone to the trouble of sourcing low-carb flour and other pantry staples, you don’t want to undo the good work by using high-carb fruit. Tropical fruit is generally high in sugar, so bananas and mangoes don’t make the cut sorry. Instead, check out some good options below.

Food	Serving size	Net Carbs
Avocados	1/2 fruit	1.8
Olives	1/2 cup	2.2
Coconuts, flesh	1/2 cup	2.5
Blackberries	1/2 cup	3.1
Raspberries	1/2 cup	3.3
Lemons	1 lemon	3.8
Strawberries	1/2 cup	4.3
Cranberries	1/2 cup	4.6
Tomatoes	1 cup	4.8
Limes	1 lime	5.2
Currants	1/2 cup	5.3
Watermelon	1/2 cup	5.5
Blueberries	1/2 cup	8.9

6. Nuts and Seeds

Nuts and seeds are a tasty snack that can also be used to level up your bread, muffins, and other baked creations. The secret is to use them in moderation or you’ll quickly exceed daily recommended intake guidelines.

Almonds	1/4 cup	3
Brazil nuts	1/4 cup	1.4
Chia seeds	1 oz	2.1
Coconut flakes	3 tbsp	3
Flax seeds	2 tbsp	0.4
Hazelnuts	1/4 cup	2.3
Hemp seeds	3 tbsp	1.4
Macadamia nuts	1/4 cup	1.7
Peanut butter	2 tbsp	4
Peanuts	1/4 cup	4.7
Pecans	1/4 cup	1
Pine nuts	1/4 cup	3.2
Pistachios	1/4 cup	5
Poppy seeds	1 tbsp	0.8
Pumpkin seeds	1/4 cup	3
Sesame seeds	1 tbsp	1
Sunflower seeds	1/4 cup	1.3
Walnuts	1/4 cup	2

Summing up

Low carb eating doesn’t have to be difficult. A useful starting point is to print our list of suitable foods for a low carb diet. They’ll allow you to make a wide range of healthy recipes.

At some stage, you’ll be ready to add new flavours to your cooking. There are lots more ingredients that you can use so continue researching options and you’ll never get tired of eating low carb food. If you’re looking for some easy baking ideas then check out our range of low carb baking mixes.