Key takeaways
- Berries are the lowest-carb common fruits: a cup of blackberries has about 6.2 g of net carbs and a cup of raspberries about 6.7 g, from USDA data.
- Raspberries and blackberries are unusually high in fibre, about 8 g a cup, which is why their net carbs are low.
- Melons are low in fibre, so almost all their carbohydrate counts: a cup of diced watermelon has about 10.9 g of net carbs.
- Grapes, bananas, mangoes and cherries are the highest per serving, at about 21 to 26 g of net carbs.
- Net carbs are total carbohydrate minus fibre; serving size changes the picture as much as the fruit does.
Fruit is where low-carb eating gets complicated. All fruit contains sugar, but the amount, and how much of the carbohydrate is fibre, varies widely. Below, common raw fruits are ranked by net carbs, with carbohydrate and fibre alongside, for a usual portion and for 100 g. The figures come from USDA FoodData Central, using the SR Legacy database and its portion weights (for example "Apples, raw, with skin", 182 g for a medium apple), and each table gives both the per-portion and the per-100 g figure.
Reading the tables
"Net" means carbohydrate after fibre is taken away, the figure a net-carb tracker displays. On packaged fruit, the FDA label gives you Total Carbohydrate and Dietary Fiber but leaves that subtraction undone; net carbs explained goes through the definition. Everything here is raw, whole fruit.
Lowest: berries and citrus
| Fruit | Portion | Carbohydrate | Fibre | Net | Net in 100 g |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lemon, without peel | 1 fruit (58 g) | 5.4 g | 1.6 g | 3.8 g | 6.5 g |
| Blackberries | 1 cup (144 g) | 13.8 g | 7.6 g | 6.2 g | 4.3 g |
| Raspberries | 1 cup (123 g) | 14.7 g | 8.0 g | 6.7 g | 5.4 g |
| Plum | 1 fruit (66 g) | 7.5 g | 0.9 g | 6.6 g | 10.0 g |
| Strawberries | 1 cup halves (152 g) | 11.7 g | 3.0 g | 8.6 g | 5.7 g |
| Kiwifruit, green | 1 fruit (69 g) | 10.1 g | 2.1 g | 8.0 g | 11.7 g |
Raspberries and blackberries stand out for fibre: about 8 g a cup, more than half their total carbohydrate. That is why they are the lowest common fruits per 100 g.
Middle: melons and stone fruit
| Fruit | Portion | Carbohydrate | Fibre | Net | Net in 100 g |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Watermelon | 1 cup diced (152 g) | 11.5 g | 0.6 g | 10.9 g | 7.1 g |
| Cantaloupe | 1 cup cubes (160 g) | 13.1 g | 1.4 g | 11.6 g | 7.3 g |
| Peach, yellow | 1 medium (150 g) | 14.3 g | 2.3 g | 12.1 g | 8.0 g |
| Orange | 1 fruit (131 g) | 15.4 g | 3.1 g | 12.3 g | 9.4 g |
Melons are low per 100 g, but with little fibre almost all their carbohydrate counts.
Highest: everyday sweet fruits
| Fruit | Portion | Carbohydrate | Fibre | Net | Net in 100 g |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blueberries | 1 cup (148 g) | 21.4 g | 3.6 g | 17.9 g | 12.1 g |
| Apple, with skin | 1 medium (182 g) | 25.1 g | 4.4 g | 20.8 g | 11.4 g |
| Cherries, sweet | 1 cup without pits (154 g) | 24.7 g | 3.2 g | 21.4 g | 13.9 g |
| Pear | 1 medium (178 g) | 27.1 g | 5.5 g | 21.6 g | 12.1 g |
| Mango | 1 cup pieces (165 g) | 24.7 g | 2.6 g | 22.1 g | 13.4 g |
| Banana | 1 medium (118 g) | 27.0 g | 3.1 g | 23.9 g | 20.2 g |
| Grapes | 1 cup (151 g) | 27.3 g | 1.4 g | 26.0 g | 17.2 g |
Blueberries are a berry, but USDA's figures put them closer to apples than to raspberries: about 17.9 g of net carbs a cup against 6.7 g.
Serving size matters as much as the fruit
Per 100 g, a plum (10.0 g) is only a little lower than an apple (11.4 g) and a kiwifruit (11.7 g) is slightly higher; they look low-carb in the table mainly because they come in smaller pieces. A worked example: a medium apple has about 20.8 g of net carbs. Half a cup of raspberries, about 61.5 g, has about 3.3 g, and a cup of halved strawberries about 8.6 g. Choosing berries over an apple saves roughly 12 to 18 g, while halving an apple saves about 10 g. Either change moves a low-carb day more than the choice between, say, a peach and an orange.
Fruit and blood sugar
Net carbs are only one measure. How quickly a food raises blood glucose depends on more than its carbohydrate count; glycemic index and load explains those measures. Dietary fibre explained covers why fibre is subtracted at all, and low-carb vegetables gives the same figures for vegetables.
Logging fruit
USDA's portion weights are averages, and the fruit in your kitchen may be larger or smaller. Weigh a typical piece once and log by weight. In Ketora: Keto Diet Carb Tracker, one of our health and nutrition apps, each entry is converted to net carbs automatically, with the total figure kept beside it.
Good to know
Frequently asked questions
Which fruits are lowest in carbs?
How many net carbs are in strawberries?
How many net carbs are in a banana?
Can you eat fruit on a low-carb diet?
Sources
- FoodData Central: SR Legacy (April 2018 release) (opens in a new tab)US Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service — accessed
- How to Understand and Use the Nutrition Facts Label (opens in a new tab)US Food and Drug Administration — accessed
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