Walnuts are low in carbs. Actually, walnuts are less than 14% carbs, of which sugar is less than 30%. People on keto and people with diabetes can regularly consume them.
How many carbs are in walnuts?
Walnuts are poor in carbs. They’re mainly fat. Most walnut varieties are 14% carbs, 65% fat, and 15% protein. For instance, English walnuts have 13.7 g of carbs per 100g.
On the contrary, black walnuts have a different carbohydrate content than most common walnut varieties. They’re 10% carbs, 59% fat, and 24% protein! Black walnuts have 9.58 g of carbs per 100g. Also, they’re particularly rich in protein![1]
What types of carbs are in walnuts?
The main type of carbohydrate in walnuts is fiber. Fiber is 70-86% of carbs of walnuts. The fiber content depends on the variety. Actually, walnuts are great dietary sources of fiber. A serving provides up to 7% of the Daily Value (DV).
Walnuts are low in sugar
Sugar is only 13-27% of carbs of walnuts. Walnuts have a low sugar content. English walnuts have only 2.6 g of sugar per 100g.
Even people with diabetes and people on keto can consume walnuts. Walnuts don’t spike blood sugar levels. It has a very low glycemic index of 15. Hence, the best time to eat them is between meals on an empty stomach. Also, walnuts are good for a late night snack. They could help you sleep better at night.
Black walnuts have an even lower sugar content. They have only 1.1 g of sugar per 100g. Black walnuts have almost 60% less sugar than English walnuts!
So, carbs in walnuts are approximately 75% fiber and 25% sugar. Walnuts have negligible amounts of starch.
Are other walnut-based foods high in carbs or sugar?
There are many favorite foods containing walnuts. Most of them contain much higher amounts of carbs. They contain added sugar and starch from refined flours. So, walnut brownies, cookies, or cakes aren’t suitable for people who want to follow a diet low in net carbs.
| carbs (g) per 100g | carbs (g) per serving | sugar (g) per 100g | sugar (g) per serving | |
| brownie | 80.6 | 25 | 51.6 | 16 |
| cookies | 57.1 | 16 | 35.7 | 10 |
| granola | 56.7 | 17 | 16.7 | 5 |
| soft cake | 55.6 | 10 | 27.8 | 5 |
| bread | 43.1 | 25 | 10.3 | 6 |
| salad | 20.7 | 27.9 | 13.3 | 18 |
| butter | 20 | 6 | 3.3 | 1 |
| flour | 2 | 0.3 | 0 | 0 |
| oil | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
You can find walnut and many other nut flours on Amazon.
Do walnuts have fewer carbs than other common nuts?
Walnuts are poor in carbs as compared to other common nuts. Only macadamia nuts, pine nuts, and Brazil nuts have more carbs per 100g. Other popular nuts, such as pistachios, have almost 140% more carbs than walnuts!
Furthermore, walnuts have a medium calorie content as compared to other popular nuts.
| carbs (g) per 100g | carbs (g) per serving | |
| chestnuts | 77.3 | 21.9 |
| cashews | 32.7 | 9.3 |
| pistachios | 27.2 | 7.7 |
| almonds | 21.6 | 6.1 |
| hazelnuts | 17.6 | 5 |
| peanuts | 16.5 | 4.7 |
| pecans | 14 | 4 |
| walnuts | 13.7 | 3.9 |
| macadamia nuts | 13.4 | 3.8 |
| pine nuts | 13.1 | 3.7 |
| Brazil nuts | 12 | 3.4 |
