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Best Nuts For Keto: 7 Healthy Picks For A Low-Carb Diet In 2023
Updated on
- Written by Heather Freudenthal, Health Coach
Medically reviewed by
Brittany Ferri, Ph.D.
Nuts are a nutritious snack food, filled with vitamins, minerals, fiber, and all three macronutrients: protein, fat, and carbs.
Though they all contain healthy fats for keto, not all nuts are created equal with regard to their carb-to-fat ratio, which is what defines a ketogenic diet (high-fat, low-carb).
This article will cover the similarities and differences between various nuts, and get into the benefits of walnuts and the benefits of almonds, which are some of the best nuts for a ketogenic diet.
You’ll also learn which nuts to avoid on a keto diet, keto-friendly ways to enjoy nuts, if macadamia nuts are healthy, and if peanuts are good for you.
Top 7 Best Nuts For Keto Diet
Many varieties of nuts can be found at any grocery store, but which nuts are the ones to keep in your pantry while on a keto diet?
- Pecans
- Brazil Nuts
- Macadamia Nuts
- Walnuts
- Hazelnuts
- Peanuts
- Almonds
Best Nuts For Keto
The following list covers some of the nuts with the healthiest and lowest carbs for a keto diet. While these nuts offer a high fat-to-low carb ratio, all nuts have a decent amount of calories.
When choosing nuts to include in your diet, be sure not to overdo it on portion sizes, because the calories alone can make losing weight difficult.
Additionally, the following nuts are only healthy to the extent that an individual can tolerate them–some people have nut allergies and sensitivities which would require limiting nuts, if not avoiding them entirely.
If you’re not sure if you’ll react poorly to nuts, have your doctor run an allergy or food sensitivity test.
Pecans
Pecans are high in healthy fats, while containing minimal carbs, in addition to providing dietary fiber. One ounce of pecans, which comes out to about 20 halves, provides roughly 20 grams of fat, as well as vitamins A, B, and E, potassium, calcium, magnesium, and zinc.
Brazil Nuts
Brazil nuts are not only high in fat and low in carbs, but they contain a good amount of selenium (they offer the most bioavailable selenium[1]), an essential mineral needed for a healthy thyroid.
Macadamia Nuts
Macadamia nuts are higher in fats than most other nuts, and yet low in carbohydrates, which makes them ideal for keto. Though they are higher in fat, studies suggest that eating macadamia nuts is unlikely to contribute to weight gain[2].
Walnuts
Walnuts are another great keto nuts option, containing adequate amounts of omega-3 fatty acids while providing limited carbs, making them not only good for keto but for brain health as well.
It helps cognitive function[3] improve while decreasing the risk for neurological disorders such as Parkinson’s.
Hazelnuts
Opt for hazelnuts if you want another good choice for consuming nuts on a keto diet. However, the processing of the nut can alter the level of nutrients in the nut[4]. For example, if the nut skin is removed, more nutrients are lost.
Peanuts
Peanuts are not nuts, technically. They are legumes that grow in the ground, unlike tree nuts, yet they are often grouped in with “nuts.” Peanuts are okay to have on a keto nuts diet, however, they’re higher in carbs than most other nuts, so they should be eaten in moderation.
Peanuts are used to make one of the most common nut butter.
Almonds Are One Of The Best Nuts For The Keto Diet
Almonds are low carb nuts, yet a good source of healthy fat, while also providing a decent dose of vitamin E and magnesium. It is one of the healthiest snack foods, shown to have positive effects on cholesterol[5], as well as other health outcomes.
Almonds are often used to make gluten and dairy-free products such as almond flour, almond milk, and almond butter.
Pine Nuts
Pine nuts are okay to include in a keto nuts diet because they have a low carb count in relation to their high fat count. A serving of pine nuts can help increase your energy, while only providing about 4 grams of carbs.
Worst Nuts For Keto
Some nuts are significantly higher in carbohydrates than others, making them less than ideal to include in a ketogenic diet. These nuts include:
Cashews
Cashews are delicious and offer as many health benefits as other nuts, however, they are high in carbohydrates. In 100 grams of cashews, there are about 30 grams of carbs[6]. This makes them difficult to include on a keto nuts diet. This does not make cashews unhealthy.
Cashews are an excellent source of fiber, protein, iron, magnesium, zinc, and copper.
Chestnuts Are Unsuitable Keto Nuts
Similar to cashews, 100 grams of chestnuts[7] comes with around 27 grams of carbs. Chestnuts are still a healthy snack, offering vitamins and minerals such as calcium, iron, magnesium, zinc, B vitamins, potassium, and phosphorus, but they would need to be limited or avoided on a keto diet.
Pistachios
Pistachios are a common snack food, thanks to their salty and crunchy taste. They provide nutrition in the way of fiber[8], vitamins, and minerals, but like cashews and chestnuts, are high in carbs (27 grams of carbs in 100 grams of pistachios).
This makes it challenging to include even small amounts of pistachios in your daily life if you’re sticking to a strict keto diet.
Can You Eat Nuts On Keto?
Good news for nut lovers – nuts are generally good to eat while on a keto diet! Nuts contain a good amount of healthy fats, while being low in carbs, which makes them keto-compliant, not to mention, a nutritious addition to any diet.
However, while on the keto diet, it’s important to focus on low carb nuts.
When choosing how to eat nuts, whole nuts are always the best option. This is the best way to avoid processing and any unhealthy additives.
However, nuts can be consumed in many other forms: nut butter, nut milk, and nut flour. Just be sure to check the ingredients to see that no additional ingredients or chemicals were added.
One thing to be mindful of when consuming nuts is calories. While certain nuts work within a keto diet, nuts do contain varying amounts of calories, which can add up quickly if you’re not eating in moderation.
If weight loss is a goal for your keto diet, it’s important to consider your overall caloric intake, not just your macronutrients.
Conclusion
Nuts come in many flavors, textures, shapes, and sizes. Some nuts are particularly good for the heart, brain, or digestion, while others can help boost thyroid health. And some nuts are better suited for keto than others.
Despite their many vitamins and minerals, some nuts are too high in carbs to be keto-compliant.
Thankfully, many nuts are keto-compliant–low-carb nuts like almonds, walnuts, pecans, peanuts, hazelnuts, macadamia nuts, pine nuts, and Brazil nuts. It comes down to whether or not the nuts are high in carbs or not.
All nuts have a decent amount of healthy fats, which is great for keto, but when the carb count is too high (as is the case with pistachios, cashews, and chestnuts), it won’t work for keto followers.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. From an overall health perspective, it is safe to eat nuts everyday. From a keto perspective, as long as you monitor your portions, you can eat nuts every day.
Anyone with a nut allergy or sensitivity should avoid nuts. Allergies can be life-threatening and nut allergies are extremely common. If you’re not sure if you’re allergic to nuts, ask your doctor to run an allergy test.
Almonds, walnuts, hazelnuts, pecans, pine nuts, and Brazil nuts are all great options on a ketogenic diet. These nuts all have a relatively low carb count and are good sources of healthy fats and fiber.
All nuts can be pressed into an oil and/or butter consistency. In recent years, almond butter and cashew butter have taken over store shelves as an alternative to peanut butter. Additionally, nuts are milked to make non-dairy alternatives and pressed into flour for gluten-free baking options.
You can eat nuts by the handful, add them to smoothies, or eat a spoonful of nut butter. They can also be added to salads, yogurt, cereal, and even oatmeal.
+ 8 sources
Health Canal avoids using tertiary references. We have strict sourcing guidelines and rely on peer-reviewed studies, academic researches from medical associations and institutions. To ensure the accuracy of articles in Health Canal, you can read more about the editorial process here
- Alcântara, D.B., Ana Paula Dionísio, Adriana Guirado Artur, Kelly, B., Lopes, A., Arruda, J., Luz, Ferreira, R., Lopes, G.S., Hermana, H. and Guilherme Julião Zocolo (2022). Selenium in Brazil nuts: An overview of agronomical aspects, recent trends in analytical chemistry, and health outcomes. [online] 372, pp.131207–131207. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodchem.2021.131207.
- Jones, J.L., Sabaté, J., Heskey, C., Oda, K., Miles, F. and Rajaram, S. (2023). Macadamia nut effects on cardiometabolic risk factors: a randomised trial. [online] 12. doi:https://doi.org/10.1017/jns.2023.39.
- Chauhan, A. and Chauhan, V. (2020). Beneficial Effects of Walnuts on Cognition and Brain Health. [online] 12(2), pp.550–550. doi:https://doi.org/10.3390/nu12020550.
- Mariangela Rondanelli, Nichetti, M., Martin, V., Gaetan Claude Barrile, Riva, A., Petrangolini, G., Gasparri, C., Perna, S. and Attilio Giacosa (2023). Phytoextracts for Human Health from Raw and Roasted Hazelnuts and from Hazelnut Skin and Oil: A Narrative Review. [online] 15(11), pp.2421–2421. doi:https://doi.org/10.3390/nu15112421.
- Usda.gov. (2023). FoodData Central. [online] Available at: https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/170162/nutrients.
- Kalita, S., Khandelwal, S., Madan, J., Pandya, H.A., B. Sesikeran and Krishnaswamy, K. (2018). Almonds and Cardiovascular Health: A Review. [online] 10(4), pp.468–468. doi:https://doi.org/10.3390/nu10040468.
- Usda.gov. (2023). FoodData Central. [online] Available at: https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/170168/nutrients.
- Cesarettin Alasalvar and Bolling, B.W. (2015). Review of nut phytochemicals, fat-soluble bioactives, antioxidant components and health effects. [online] 113(S2), pp.S68–S78. doi:https://doi.org/10.1017/s0007114514003729.
Written by:
Heather Freudenthal, Health Coach
Medically reviewed by:
Medically reviewed by:
