Carbs In Butter: Is Butter Keto?

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One of the fundamental goals of the ketogenic diet is to reduce carbs and increase fat intake — however, foods like butter can still cause confusion. Is butter a carb? Is butter keto? And if it is, how many carbs in butter? Let’s go over all your keto butter questions here, plus ways to easily incorporate it into a low carb lifestyle.

New to counting carbs or keto? Learn the keto diet basics here and grab my printable keto cheat sheet system to make it easy.

Is Butter Keto Friendly?

Yes, butter is keto-friendly! Since it’s especially high in fat and low in carbohydrates compared to other dairy products, you can enjoy any kind of pure butter on a ketogenic or low carb diet. Along with olive oil, avocado oil, and coconut oil, butter is one of the most popular healthy fats for this lifestyle.

Just keep in mind that the keto diet is much more than the “bacon and butter” stereotype. The staples on your keto food list should include low carb vegetables, other healthy fats, eggs, fatty fish such as salmon, meats like beef and chicken, berries, and in moderation, nuts and seeds such as almonds, walnuts, chia seeds, and pumpkin seeds.

Is clarified butter keto?

Yes! Clarified butter, also known as ghee, is simply butter with the milk solids removed, so it doesn’t have much lactose, if any. It’s still great for low carb lifestyles.

How Many Carbs In Butter?

Does butter have carbs? Technically it does, but they are so negligible they aren’t worth counting. A tablespoon of salted or unsalted butter contains exactly 0.009 grams of carbohydrate (total carbs and net carbs) [*,*]. Anecdotally, most people on a keto diet do not count this very small amount of carbs.

Serving Size	Total Carbs	Net Carbs
1 tablespoon	0.009g	0.009g

Is Butter A Carb?

This question originally comes from a movie line, but in case you’re wondering… no, butter is not a carb. Of all macronutrients, butter is classified as a fat.

What’s The Best Butter For Keto?

All pure butter counts as low carb butter. However, depending on your approach to keto, there are a few things to keep in mind when you’re looking for the best keto butter.

On a low carb diet, lazy keto diet, or dirty keto diet, any variety of butter will work for your goals and help support a state of ketosis. On a strict keto diet, many prefer to use grass-fed butter.

With any of these keto diet approaches, though, avoid butter substitutes (except clean ones like coconut oil), margarines, or any imitation butter that uses hydrogenated oils or artificial ingredients.

Butter Nutrition

Butter is almost 100% fat, so it’s not really a source of carbohydrates or protein. Here’s the nutrition info breakdown per tablespoon:

• 102 calories
• 11.5g fat (about 2/3 saturated fat)
• 0.1g protein
• 0.009g carbohydrates

Butter is also a great source of conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), which has been shown to have anti-cancer properties, improve fasting insulin levels, and reduce diabetes risk [*, *]. Also, short-chain fatty acids like those in butter can even help increase metabolism [*]. However, butter does raise “bad cholesterol” (LDL) more than coconut oil or olive oil [*].

Keto Butter Recipes

The best part about butter on keto? It’s easy to include in your favorite dishes! Butter is a staple in keto recipes. Try it in these keto friendly butter recipes, where it brings out more sweet and savory flavors.

Conclusion: Can You Have Butter On Keto?

With virtually no carbs in butter, it’s one of the best foods to enjoy on keto! Use it in keto friendly butter recipes to maximize its rich flavor.