Carbs In Almond Milk [Keto & Low-Carb Perspective]
Table of Contents
- How Many Carbs Are There in Almond Milk? Nutrition Facts
- Almond Milk On a Low-Carb Diet
- Is Almond Milk Keto-Friendly?
- Final Words
If you’ve started a low-carb or keto diet, you may have found yourself unable to include regular milk in your daily routine as it contains high amounts of lactose – a type of sugar.
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One of the preferred alternatives for keto dieters is almond milk, a flavorful milk substitute with a more promising and lower-carb nutritional profile. In this article, we will discuss the number of carbs in almond milk and how it can fit into your low-carb or keto plan.
How Many Carbs Are There in Almond Milk? Nutrition Facts
Are there carbs in almond milk, and if so, is almond milk keto-friendly?
These are some of the first questions asked when someone starts a new keto diet, as regular milk contains too much naturally occurring sugar to be consumed when following this dietary regime.
Almond milk is obtained from almonds, which mainly provide fats along with some protein and other nutrients, making it the perfect choice for keto dieters.
But you need to be aware that not all almond milk is the same. In fact, you can find both sweetened and unsweetened versions of this drink, which vary in their carbohydrate content.
Below you can see the nutritional values of commercially available sweetened and unsweetened almond milk:
| Nutrition Facts (100 ml) | Sweetened (on the example of the Blue Diamond Almond Breeze Almond Milk) | Unsweetened (on the example of the Blue Diamond Unsweetened Almond Milk) |
| Energy (kJ/kcal) | 100 kJ/25 kcal | 53 kJ/13 kcal |
| Carbohydrates Of which sugars Of which fiber | 3.3 g 2.9 g 1 g | 0.4 g 0 g <1.0 g |
| Fats Of which saturated | 1.0 g <0.1 g | 1.0 g <0.1 g |
| Protein | <0.5 g | <0.5 g |
| Salt | 0.13 g | 0.15 g |
As you can see, there are more carbs in the sweetened almond milk than in the unsweetened version, and most of them are made up of sugars.
For instance, one cup (approximately 240ml) of unsweetened almond milk provides 1 gram (g) of total carbohydrates and 0 g of sugar, while the same amount of the sweetened version provides 8 g and 7 g, accordingly. This can vary widely among brands, so always check the labels to see if the nutritional profile is suited to your dietary requirements before purchasing.
Currently Available Store-Bought Almond Milk Has Lower Fat and Sugar Content
Fortunately, manufacturers have started to develop almond milk versions with decreased fat and sugar content.
This is due to increased consumer demand and awareness of the risks associated with high sugar and fat consumption.
These manufacturer changes can also be seen by comparing the nutritional profile of almond milk available on the market with the USDA’s generic nutritional information for this product, where the fat and sugar content is slightly higher than that of currently available products. [1], [2]
Make Almond Milk At Home to Ensure Quality
Store-bought almond milk can be a great alternative to regular milk. However, it tends to be quite costly compared to other alternatives and it also usually contains added ingredients such as preservatives, emulsifiers, and stabilizers.
Alternatively, you could make your own almond milk at home as it is a fairly simple process that only requires a powerful blender, a fine sieve, almonds, and water. This will enable you to have a clean-label product that is also more cost-effective.
However, homemade almond milk tends to have a shorter shelf life due to the lack of preservatives, so it can be quite time-consuming as you would need to prepare it regularly. The homemade version is also more prone to separation, so shake it well before consumption.
You may also like: What to eat on the 40-day sugar fast
Almond Milk On a Low-Carb Diet
People are often confused about low-carb and keto diets, as both are characterized by a restricted consumption of simple and complex carbohydrates. However, the main difference is in the amount of daily carbohydrate allowance.
While low-carb diets include a daily carbohydrate intake of up to 26% of the total energy requirements, keto diets usually range between just 5-10%. [3], [4]
To determine the total number in grams of your daily carbohydrate intake allowance, you need to calculate the percentage of calories from carbs first and then divide it by 4, which stands for the calorie value for 1 g of carbohydrates.
See below an example of how to calculate your daily carbohydrate intake for a low-carb diet and a keto diet:
| Energy Requirements | Low-Carb Diet (26% of calories from carbs) | Keto Diet (5-10% of calories from carbs) |
| 2000 daily calories | (2000 x 26) / 100 = 520 daily calories from carbs 520 / 4 = 130g of carbs per day | (2000 x 5) / 100 = 100 daily calories from carbs 100 / 4 = 25g of carbs per day |
Whether you opt for a low-carb or a keto diet, unsweetened almond milk is a great alternative to regular cow’s milk thanks to its lower sugar content. Fruits and vegetables also contain carbohydrates, so opting for unsweetened almond milk will enable you to include more of those foods in your diet, which is essential to sustain good health.
How Much Almond Milk Can I Drink On a Low-Carb Diet?
There aren’t really any restrictions on the amount of almond milk allowed on a low-carb diet. The only thing that matters here is if almond milk fits into your daily energy and carb requirements.
To determine the amount of almond milk you can consume on a low-carb diet, you first need to know your total carbohydrate daily allowance in grams and then divide it by the total carbohydrate content of the almond milk of your choice in a specific quantity.
For instance, with a total daily energy requirement of 2000 calories and a daily carb intake of 130 g, you could technically consume up to 130 cups of unsweetened almond milk a day (130 g:1 g = 130 cups). For the sweetened version, you could have 16 cups since it contains 8 g of carbs per cup.
❗️Note that it’s not actually recommended to get all your daily carbohydrates from almond milk.
This calculation shows that you can easily fit one to two portions of almond milk into your diet along with other nutritious sources of carbs like whole grains, vegetables, fruits, and beans.
How Much Almond Milk Can I Drink On Keto?
To know how much almond milk you can drink on a keto diet, you can use the calculation above, simply changing the total percentage of your daily carb intake to reflect 5-10% of your calories.
So, following the same pattern with a daily energy requirement of 2000 calories with a total carbohydrate allowance of 50 g on keto, you could have up to 6 cups each day of sweetened almond milk or even up to 50 cups of unsweetened almond milk daily.
Is Almond Milk Keto-Friendly?
The good news is that you can have almond milk when on a keto diet, either sweetened or unsweetened.
Unsweetened almond milk is, however, more keto-friendly as it contains very low carbohydrate amounts and no sugars.
The examples above actually show that you can have more or less almond milk when on a ketogenic plan, depending on which variety you decide to consume and your daily carbohydrate requirements.
It is also important to note that if you follow a keto diet, in order to maintain your body in a state of ketosis, you should also continue to eat keto-friendly meals on your cheat days. [5]
Final Words
As you can see, almond milk can be a promising alternative to cow’s milk if you follow a low-carb or ketogenic diet regime. Below you can find the main key points of this article:
- Almond milk is a good low-carb and keto-friendly alternative to regular milk as it contains fewer carbohydrates.
- Almond milk is commercially available in sweetened and unsweetened varieties.
- Sweetened almond milk contains added sugars, and therefore provides more carbs than the unsweetened version.
- To find out how much almond milk you can have daily on a keto or low-carb diet, divide the total amount of carbs you can have in a day by the number of carbs found in a predefined amount of almond milk (i.e., 100 ml or in a cup).
- You can have either sweetened or unsweetened almond milk when on keto, although the unsweetened alternative will enable you to leave more leeway for fruit and vegetables. These foods are also important for sustaining good health but do contain carbs.
