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There are many herbs and spices that are keto-friendly for meals to enjoy at home.
When you start to eat keto you don't have to give up on flavor, just sugar, and high-carb foods.
Below I have 2 tables for you that provide carb counts for both spices and herbs that are perfect for a ketogenic diet.
In addition to seeing the tables below, I have included popular questions people have asked about certain spices while on keto.
There are also some popular keto friendly seasoning recipe links at the bottom of the article.
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Keto Approved Spices
People will often ask, do spices have carbs? The general answer is yes. However, you may not have to worry about counting them in your meal, since typically you won't be having a big spoonful of them.
The table below shows you all the spices you can have on keto. The carb counts are for 1 tablespoon.
The top 5 lowest-carb spices are mustard seed, cumin, mace, coriander, and poultry seasoning.
All of these spices are under 3 total carbs per tablespoon.
You may notice that garlic powder has a total of 7 carbs, however, this is for 1 full tablespoon.
I feel confident that you will not be having that much garlic powder in your meal.
So, please don’t let large numbers here worry you.
| Spice | Tablespoon | Fiber | Net Carbs |
|---|---|---|---|
| All Spice | 4.33 | 1.3 | 3.03 |
| Black Pepper | 4.42 | 1.75 | 2.67 |
| Caraway Seed | 3.3 | 2.55 | 0.75 |
| Cardamom | 3.97 | 1.62 | 2.35 |
| Cayenne Pepper | 3 | 1.44 | 1.56 |
| Chili Powder | 3.98 | 2.78 | 1.2 |
| Cinnamon | 6.29 | 4.14 | 2.15 |
| Cloves, ground | 4.26 | 2.2 | 2.06 |
| Corriander Seed | 2.75 | 2.1 | 0.65 |
| Cumin | 2.65 | 0.63 | 2.02 |
| Curry Powder | 3.52 | 3.35 | 0.17 |
| Fennel Seed, whole | 3.03 | 2.31 | 0.72 |
| Garlic powder | 7.05 | 0.87 | 6.18 |
| Ginger, ground | 3.72 | 0.733 | 2.987 |
| Mace, ground | 2.68 | 1.07 | 1.61 |
| Mustard Seed, ground | 1.77 | 0.769 | 1.001 |
| Nutmeg | 3.45 | 1.46 | 1.99 |
| Onion Powder | 5.46 | 1.05 | 4.41 |
| Paprika | 3.67 | 2.37 | 1.3 |
| Poultry Seasoning | 2.89 | 0.497 | 2.393 |
| Pumpkin Pie Spice | 3.88 | 0.829 | 3.051 |
| Turmeric Powder | 6.31 | 2.13 | 4.18 |
| White Pepper | 4.87 | 1.86 | 3.01 |
Can you have cinnamon on keto? You can absolutely have cinnamon on the keto diet. In fact, I have a cinnamon muffin recipe on this site with nearly 0 carbs for each serving.
Is chili powder Keto-friendly? Chili powder is absolutely keto-friendly. The table above shows that for 1 tablespoon of chili powder there are 1.2 net carbs for 1 tablespoon.
All of the traditional spices to make chili powder such as paprika, cayenne pepper, cumin, garlic powder, and salt are keto-friendly.
Is chili spice healthy? Chili spice has peppers in it which contain capsaicin. Capsaicin has been shown in studies that it helps to reduce inflammation, help against Alzheimer’s Disease and help people lose weight.
Is onion powder keto-friendly? Onion powder is keto-friendly with only 1.8 carbs for 1 teaspoon.
Is garlic keto-friendly? Garlic in all forms is keto-friendly. Enjoy whole cloves in your meals or garlic powder in recipes while on keto.
Is Paprika bad for your health? Paprika is great for your health as it contains capsaicin since paprika is a type of pepper.
Capsaicin has been shown in studies that it helps to reduce inflammation, help people lose weight, and other health benefits.
Can I use salt and pepper on keto? Salt and pepper are great on a keto diet. In fact, salt or sodium is highly encouraged to consume on the keto diet.
While eating this low-carb lifestyle you need more salt compared to those eating more carbs.
Is ginger good for the keto diet? Ginger is great for a keto diet as it’s been shown to be anti-inflammatory and has antioxidant benefits.
There was even a review done that showed ginger could help with menstruation cramps.
Is turmeric keto-friendly? Ground turmeric is beneficial on a keto diet with only 2.1 total carbs in a teaspoon.
Turmeric with ground pepper has been known to help with inflammation.
Is smoked paprika keto-friendly? Smoked paprika is keto friendly. It doesn't matter if a spice is smoked or not if it's keto.
Keto Approved Herbs
The table below shows you the herbs you are able to have on keto with their carb counts for 1 tablespoon or sprigs.
Most of the carb counts are for the dried herbs, so if you are using fresh the carb counts will be much lower.
The top 5 lowest-carb spices are dill, chives, peppermint, cilantro, and parsley. All of these spices are under 1 total carb.
| Herb | Tablespoon* | Fiber | Net Carbs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Basil, dried | 1 | 0.792 | 0.208 |
| Bay Leaf, crumbled | 1.35 | 0.473 | 0.877 |
| Chives, fresh | 0.13 | 0.075 | 0.055 |
| Cilantro, 9 sprigs | 0.734 | 0.56 | 0.174 |
| Dill, 5 sprigs | 0.07 | 0.021 | 0.049 |
| Oregano, ground | 1.24 | 0.765 | 0.475 |
| Parsley, dried | 0.81 | 0.427 | 0.383 |
| Peppermint, fresh | 0.24 | 0.128 | 0.112 |
| Rosemary, dried | 2.12 | 1.41 | 0.71 |
| Sage, ground | 1.21 | 0.806 | 0.404 |
| Spearmint, dried | 0.832 | 0.477 | 0.355 |
| Tarragon, ground | 2.41 | 0.355 | 2.055 |
| Thyme, ground | 2.75 | 1.59 | 1.16 |
Is basil keto-friendly? Basil is a very keto-friendly herb to use. It's perfect to use as a dried herb or fresh as well. The above chart shows that 1 tablespoon of it dried will give you 0.8 grams of total carbs.
Staple Keto Friendly Seasoning Salts
Salt helps to bring out the flavor in spices and herbs in a meal. The company Redmond's does this already with some spice mixes. They even have smoked salt now.
- Organic Seasoning Salt
- Organic Garlic Salt
- Organic Onion Salt
- Organic Garlic Pepper with build in grinder
- Organic Lemon Pepper with built in grinder
- Organic Seasoning Gift Box
Redmond's is my favorite company to get seasonings with salt already in it. Since I love them so much, I asked if I could get a discount for my followers. So, if you use KKN15 at check out, you get 15% off from them.
Keto Seasoning Recipes
Copycat KFC Chicken Seasoning
Keto Taco Seasoning
Blackened Salmon Seasoning
Garlic Herb Seasoning
BBQ Rub
Fajita Seasoning
Sources Used
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32661266/
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22634197/
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12531428/
- https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B9780128051863000059
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK92775/
- https://www.hindawi.com/journals/ecam/2016/6295737/
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