The Best Nuts to Eat on Keto

Keto and nuts: the low-carb list worth knowing

If you're eating keto, nuts feel like the perfect snack: fatty, salty, satisfying, no cooking required. But not all nuts are created equal. Some are practically built for a low-carb life. Others will quietly eat half your daily carb budget before you've finished the handful.

Here's the breakdown per 30g serve (roughly a small handful), by net carbs, lowest to highest.

Nut	Net carbs (30g)	Keto verdict	Why
Pecans	~1.2g	Excellent	Sweet-tasting, no sugar, brilliant toasted
Brazil nuts	~1.3g	Excellent	Rich and buttery, big selenium hit
Macadamia	~1.5g	Excellent	The king. Around 76% fat, creamy as anything
Walnuts	~2g	Very good	Earthy, omega-3 rich, great on salads
Hazelnuts	~2g	Very good	Chocolatey flavour without a speck of sugar
Peanuts	~2.5g	Good	Still works at sensible portions
Almonds	~2.7g	Good	Solid everyday nut, just keep the handful honest
Pistachios	~5g	Go easy	Shells slow you down, but carbs climb fast
Cashews	~8g	Rare treat	A big handful is a third of a strict keto day

Three things that matter more than the table

• Watch the coating. Raw and dry-roasted are your friends. Honey-roasted, chocolate-coated and candied nuts are a different food entirely.
• Salted is fine. Salt has no carbs, and on keto you often need more sodium, not less.
• Portion by hand, not by bag. Nuts are moreish by design. Tip a handful into a bowl and put the bag away.

The easy answer

If you want one nut that never lets you down on keto, make it macadamias, with pecans and Brazils close behind. Keep cashews as the occasional treat rather than the daily habit.