What vegetable has the lowest carbs?

Leafy greens like spinach have the lowest carbs, at roughly 1.4g net carbs per 100g. Celery (1.9g), asparagus (1.9g), and mushrooms (2g) are close behind, making them the best vegetables for keto.

Which vegetables should you avoid on keto?

Limit starchy vegetables: potatoes (~17g net carbs/100g), sweet potatoes (~17g), corn (~19g), green peas (~9g), and beets. They can use most of a 20g daily keto carb budget in one serving.

Yes. Tomatoes have about 2.7g net carbs per 100g, so they fit easily on keto in normal portions. They are technically a fruit but are used like a vegetable and stay well within a low-carb budget.

Are carrots keto-friendly?

Carrots are higher-carb at about 6.8g net carbs per 100g. A small amount fits, but they add up faster than leafy greens, so treat them as a 'moderate' vegetable rather than something to eat freely.

How many carbs from vegetables can you eat on keto?

Most keto diets keep total net carbs under 20–50g per day. Building meals from the lowest-carb vegetables lets you eat large, satisfying portions while staying within that range.

Lowest-Carb Vegetables: 20 Best Keto Veggies Ranked

The lowest carb vegetables ranked by net carbs. See which keto vegetables to eat freely and which starchy veggies to limit, in one simple table.

Leafy greens (spinach, lettuce), celery, cucumber, asparagus, zucchini, broccoli, and cauliflower are the best keto vegetables — most have 4g of net carbs or less per 100g, so you can eat generous portions and stay in ketosis. The vegetables to limit are the starchy ones: potatoes, corn, and peas pack 9–19g of net carbs per 100g.

Lowest-carb vegetables ranked

Here are 20 common vegetables ranked by net carbs (total carbs minus fiber) per 100g, lowest first. "Keto-friendly?" flags whether you can eat it freely (Yes), in moderation (Limit), or sparingly (No).

Vegetable	Net carbs (per 100g)	Keto-friendly?
Spinach	1.4g	Yes
Celery	1.9g	Yes
Asparagus	1.9g	Yes
Mushrooms	2.0g	Yes
Lettuce	2.0g	Yes
Tomato	2.7g	Yes
Cauliflower	3.0g	Yes
Cucumber	3.0g	Yes
Zucchini	3.0g	Yes
Bell pepper	3.9g	Yes
Cabbage	3.0g	Yes
Broccoli	4.0g	Yes
Green beans	4.0g	Yes
Carrots	6.8g	Limit
Onion	7.6g	Limit
Beets	6.8g	Limit
Green peas	9.0g	Limit
Potato	17.0g	No
Sweet potato	17.0g	No
Corn	19.0g	No

Numbers are approximate and vary by variety and ripeness. Source: USDA FoodData Central (public domain) and Open Food Facts (ODbL).

What makes a vegetable keto-friendly?

A keto-friendly vegetable is one that's low in net carbs — the carbs your body actually digests and turns into glucose. You calculate it by subtracting fiber from total carbohydrate, because fiber passes through largely unabsorbed. (For a deeper breakdown, see what net carbs are and why they matter.)

Two traits separate the best keto vegetables from the rest:

High water and fiber content. Greens, cucumber, and zucchini are mostly water and fiber, so a big serving barely moves your carb count.
Low starch and sugar. Starchy vegetables store energy as starch (corn, potatoes) or sugar (beets, onions), which spikes net carbs fast.

As a rule of thumb, anything at or below roughly 4g net carbs per 100g can be eaten freely on a standard keto diet of 20–50g net carbs per day.

Best low-carb vegetables for keto

These are the veggies to build your plate around:

Leafy greens — spinach, lettuce, kale, and arugula are the lowest-carb foods in the produce aisle. Spinach is just ~1.4g net carbs per 100g, so a large salad costs you almost nothing.
Cruciferous vegetables — broccoli and cauliflower are keto staples. Riced cauliflower stands in for rice, and roasted broccoli adds bulk and fiber for ~3–4g net carbs per 100g.
Squash and hydrating veg — zucchini, cucumber, and celery are 1.9–3g net carbs and great for noodles, snacks, and crunch.
Asparagus and mushrooms — both come in around 2g net carbs and bring real flavor and texture to a meal.
Tomatoes and peppers — yes, tomato is keto at ~2.7g net carbs, and bell peppers (~3.9g) add color and vitamin C without breaking your budget.

You can browse exact numbers for any of these in our low-carb vegetable database.

Higher-carb vegetables to limit

Not every vegetable fits a keto budget. These climb quickly:

Carrots, onions, and beets (~6.8–7.6g net carbs) — fine in small amounts as a flavor base, but a whole serving adds up. Treat them like seasoning, not a side dish.
Green peas (~9g) — technically a legume, and starchy enough to limit.
Potatoes, sweet potatoes, and corn (17–19g net carbs) — the highest-carb "vegetables." A single medium potato or sweet potato can blow your entire daily carb allowance. Save these for higher-carb or non-keto days.

The pattern is simple: anything that grows underground as a starchy root, or stores sugar, belongs in the "limit" column.

How to fit more veggies into your carb budget

You don't have to give up vegetables on keto — you just need to know where your carbs are going. A few practical moves:

Lead with leafy greens. They're nearly free, so make them the base of every plate.
Swap starch for crucifers. Cauliflower rice, zucchini noodles, and broccoli "steaks" replace grains and potatoes for a fraction of the carbs.
Portion the high-carb ones. A tablespoon of diced onion or a few carrot coins won't hurt — a full cup will.
Track the cumulative total. Veggie carbs are small individually but add up across a day. This is exactly where CarbMeNot helps: scan or search a vegetable and it shows net carbs instantly, so you always know how much room you have left.

For a full picture of what else fits, see our keto food list.

Log your veggies in seconds

CarbMeNot is an AI-powered low-carb and keto tracker that makes logging vegetables effortless. Snap a photo of your plate or type a name, and CarbMeNot returns net carbs, fiber, and macros automatically — pulled from a verified food database — then subtracts them from your daily budget in real time. Instead of guessing whether that side of carrots fits, you'll see exactly where you stand. Download CarbMeNot and turn "is this keto?" into a one-second answer.

Key takeaways

The lowest-carb vegetables are leafy greens (spinach ~1.4g), celery, asparagus, and mushrooms — all around 2g net carbs per 100g or less.
Most non-starchy vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, zucchini, cucumber, tomato, peppers) sit at or below 4g net carbs and can be eaten freely on keto.
Carrots, onions, beets, and peas are higher-carb (~7–9g) — fine in small amounts, but watch the portion.
Potatoes, sweet potatoes, and corn (17–19g net carbs) are the highest-carb veggies and should be limited or saved for non-keto days.
Net carbs from vegetables add up over a day, so tracking with CarbMeNot keeps you safely under your 20–50g keto limit.