Onions are the most widely used vegetable in the world, but for those doing the keto, diet onions should probably be limited.
Are onions keto? Onions aren’t the best choice for keto because they do contain more carbs than many other vegetables; however, there are ways to enjoy onions while staying on the keto diet as long as you’re staying within your daily carb allowance.
If you’re going to have onions on the keto diet, then you need to make sure you’re counting your carbs and keeping them to your daily limit. To do this, you first need to understand how many carbs are in a serving of each type of onion.
How Many Carbs Are In Onions?
Each of the onion varieties is different in how many carbs they have per serving, which makes some types of onion more keto-friendly than others.
The onion varieties ranked from most keto-friendly to worst are:
- Green Onions
- Yellow Onions
- Red Onions
- White Onions
- Shallots
1. Green Onions
Green onions are the most-keto friendly onion because they contain the least amount of carbs per serving. One cup of chopped green onion only has 7 grams of total carbs per serving and 2.6 grams of fiber, which equals 4.4 grams of net carbs per serving.
For this reason, green onions are the best option for those who are on the keto diet.
2. Yellow Onions
Yellow onions are the second-best type of onion for the keto diet because one cup of chopped yellow onion has 7 grams of carbs, and 1 gram of fiber, which means that a serving of yellow onion has 6 grams of net carbs.
Yellow onions are only 1.6 grams of net carbs higher than green onions, and therefore still a great option compared to other onion varieties.
3. Red Onion
Red onions are the middle of the pack when it comes to their carb content, with around 12 grams of net carbs per cup of chopped red onion. This is double the amount of carbs per serving than yellow onion, but still isn’t the worst type of onion if you’re on keto.
4. White Onion
White onion is the second-worst onion variety for the keto diet because one cup of chopped white onion has 15 grams of carbs and only 2.7 grams of these carbs are in the form of fiber.
This means that one cup of chopped white onion has 12.3 grams of net carbs, which makes it one of the higher-carb onion varieties. Although 12.3 grams of carbs doesn’t seem like much, if you consider that the daily carb allotment for most people on keto is 25 grams, you can see how the carbs from onion could add up quickly.
5. Shallots
Shallots are the worst type of onion to eat on a ketogenic diet because they contain the most carbs per serving. Shallots have 16 grams of total carbs and 3 grams of fiber, which equals out to 13 grams of net carbs per serving.
That being said, it’s probably rare for someone to eat one cup of shallots because serving sizes of shallots are generally smaller compared to other onion varieties; therefore, you could actually be getting fewer carbs based on your actual serving size.
As you can see adding onions to your recipes can quickly add up the carbs. This does not mean you cannot eat onions on a keto diet, just that you need to be mindful. Thankfully, there are some tricks you can implement to get away with eating onion on a keto diet.
How To Eat Onions Without Getting Kicked Out Of Ketosis: 3 Tips
It can be really hard to find recipes that don’t include onions because onions provide a ton of flavor to many popular dishes all around the world. That said, there are ways that you can get the flavor of onion in your recipes without all the extra carbs. Here are four alternatives that you can use today to help you enjoy onions on the keto diet!
1. Use Onion Powder Instead Of Whole Onions
One tablespoon of onion powder equates to roughly one medium onion in flavor. But where one onion has around 12 grams of net carbs, one tablespoon of onion powder only has 4 grams of net carbs.
So if the onion flavor is all that you’re looking for, then using onion powder instead of onion itself could be an easy fix. That said, I understand that texture may be something you are looking to get out of onions. In that case, you could reduce the amount of fresh onion you use and do a mix of fresh onion and onion powder.
2. Reduce The Amount Of Onion In Your Recipes
This might seem like a no-brainer but one thing you could always do is simply reduce the amount of onion in your recipes. By using only half of the amount called for in many recipes, you could easily save yourself 5-10 net carbs.
Initially, the reduced onion in your recipes will be noticeable but over time your tastebuds will adapt and you’ll get used to the flavor of your meals with less onion.
3. Save Some Room In Your Diet For A Few Extra Carbs
Lastly, you could choose to keep your onion intake the same but reduce the number of carbs you’re eating from other food sources.
As long as you’re keeping your net carbs around 25 grams per day, you will be within your daily carb allotment to stay in ketosis. So if you’re wanting a dish with a few extra carbs from onions, then you need to make room for it.
For example, if you want more onions at supper with your steak, then all you need to do is keep your breakfast and lunch lower carb meals. This way, you can save all of the remaining carbs for your dinner-time meal and enjoy those onions without worrying about your state of ketosis.
Keto-Friendly Onion Recipes
My top 3 favorite keto-friendly recipes with onion are:
- Keto Big Mac Salad (5g of net carbs per serving)
- Keto Philly Cheesestak Casserole (6g of net carbs per serving)
- Cheeseball With Green Onion & Bacon (0.8g of net carbs per serving)
Frequently Asked Questions
Will Onions Kick You Out Of Ketosis?
No, eating onions won’t automatically kick you out of ketosis as long as you’re not eating so many that it’s putting you over 25 grams of net carbs per day.
Are Grilled Onions Okay On Keto?
Yes, grilled onions are okay when you’re on keto as long as the quantities are small. Additionally, if you’re cooking them with a healthy fat like avocado oil then they’ll be even better for the keto diet because healthy fats are the main nutrient for the keto diet. Buying Xanax 2 mg online http://medicalspecialistsoffairfield.com/xanax/
Are Certain Types Of Onions Better Than Others For Keto?
Yes, onions that have more sugar, like shallots and white onions, tend to be higher in sugar and therefore have more carbs so it’s best to choose yellow onions or green onions when possible.
Final Thoughts
You can enjoy a small amount of onion when you are on the keto diet, but you should be mindful about how much onion you consume on a daily basis. By using onion variates that have less carbs, or subbing out onion for onion powder you can enjoy some onion on your keto diet!