Keto Foods

Is Broccoli Keto or Too High in Carbs?

By Bree

Last updated on September 6, 2022

Many people like to include low carb veggies like broccoli as part of their keto diet plan to help with this goal. But is broccoli keto? Should you be including it as part of your diet plan? Let’s find out more about this popular vegetable.

What Makes Broccoli a Popular Choice for Low Carb Diets?

Green veggies like broccoli are incredibly popular on low carb diet plans; as a matter of fact, they’re a staple in many keto recipes and why not? Here are a few of the reasons why they’re so popular:

Broccoli is low in calories and low enough in carbs to not knock you out of ketosis.
Broccoli is incredibly nutrient-dense, offering an abundance of essential vitamins and minerals.
Broccoli is a good source of dietary fiber.
Broccoli is loaded with disease-fighting antioxidants and other anti-inflammatory compounds.
Like many other green vegetables, broccoli is a versatile low-carb option that can be used as a substitute for certain high-carb foods.

Is Broccoli Keto?

At first glance, broccoli isn’t what you would traditionally think of as a ‘keto food’. It has very little dietary fat or protein, and it’s got about 7 grams of carbs per 100 gram serving size.

Where broccoli excels however, is in the amount of micronutrients that it offers. After all, your body can’t function off fat and protein alone; you’re also going to need an adequate amount of essential vitamins and minerals in order for your body to function properly.

Broccoli is an excellent source of these essential micronutrients. It offers a good mix of vitamins, minerals, dietary fiber, antioxidants, anti-inflammatory benefits, all while being reasonably low carb.

All of these reasons combine to make broccoli one fantastic keto-friendly food that everyone should be including as part of their keto diet.

Broccoli Nutrition Facts

Everyone knows that green veggies like broccoli are incredibly nutrient-dense. As far as the major macros go though, here’s the approximate nutrition breakdown for 100 grams of broccoli.

34 calories
0.4 grams fat
2.8 grams protein
7 grams carbs
2.6 grams dietary fiber
1.7 grams sugar
0 mg cholesterol
33 mg sodium
316 mg potassium

Good Keto-friendly Broccoli Recipes

Keto Broccoli Salad with Homemade Bacon Bits

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Broccoli Cheese Stuffed Chicken Breast

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Keto Chicken Alfredo Bake with Broccoli and Bacon

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Keto Broccoli Cheese Soup

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Extra Cheesy Garlic Broccoli Casserole

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Ground beef Broccoli Keto Stir Fry

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Health Benefits of Broccoli

Green vegetables are well known to provide a wealth of great health benefits. Broccoli is certainly no exception; here are some of the best health benefits you can gain by including it in your diet.

Rich source of antioxidants. Broccoli has high levels of disease-fighting antioxidants. It’s particularly rich in two antioxidants known to help prevent cellular damage to your eyes – lutein and zeaxanthin. (1)
Can help with relieving inflammation. Broccoli also contains compounds that have been found to help with providing relief from chronic inflammation. In fact, one study found that eating broccoli for just 10 days showed significant improvements in inflammation biomarkers in a test group of smokers. (2)
Regulates blood sugar levels. There is mounting evidence that broccoli could be especially beneficial for individuals with type 2 diabetes. Both the fiber and antioxidant content help with increasing insulin sensitivity, with one study even showing rather significant improvement in diabetic patients who regularly consumed broccoli. (3)
Supports cognitive function. The antioxidants in broccoli may also help to prevent cognitive decline and delay the onset of ‘aging’. It contains a compound known as sulforaphane that has been shown to help delay the biochemical processes that cause aging by multiplying the amount of cellular antioxidant genes. (4)

Keto Broccoli Alternatives

Even though it’s genuinely a bona fide superfood, the fact still remains that not everyone out there enjoys broccoli. If you’re looking for some broccoli replacements to use that are still keto-friendly, then try one of the following options: