Many people eat onions in some form every single day. They are arguably the most used food item in cooking. Whether it is fast food, fine cuisine, or a salad, they are there.
In addition to their wonderful taste, they are incredibly nutritious, affordable, and have a good shelf life. Considering all these reasons, it is no surprise that they are ever present in most people’s diet.
Onions are a non-starchy vegetable, which would usually qualify them for keto — but in this case, it is not that simple. In this article, we look at onion nutrition and determine whether it is suitable for the ketogenic diet.
The onion is a bulb vegetable cultivated for its pungent flavor. Its origin remains unclear as it has been a part of almost all cultures for centuries. Some historians believe that it may have originated from central Asia, particularly Pakistan.
These vegetables are mostly used to boost flavor in savory dishes. They are commonly sauteed in oil to impart their flavor to a dish. They can also be sliced up and eaten raw in salads.
They are mostly used fresh, but are also available frozen, canned, caramelized, pickled, and powdered.
Similar to any vegetable, they have a rich nutrient composition.
Onions are almost 90% water. The other 10% is mostly carbohydrates and a variety of micronutrients and phytochemicals.
If you pay close attention to the taste of an onion, you will notice a slight sweetness to it. Unfortunately on keto, that is not good news. This is because sweetness usually means more sugar, and more sugar means more net carbohydrates.
Serving Size: 1 raw red onion (197 g)
Here you can see that onions do have carbs. But is the carbohydrate amount too high for ketosis?
Yes, it is OK to eat onions on keto. If you tread with caution.
You can use them in cooking on keto as the carbs will be split between everyone sharing the meal. When cooking for one, use a portion enough for one serving.
The problem is with dishes that call for raw onions. Such dishes tend to use sweet varieties and usually require more per serving.
If you are just starting your keto journey, it is best to avoid raw onions for a while until your body is accustomed to being in ketosis. If you have been on keto for a while, you can eat them as long as you can practice good portion control.
11.8 g of net carbohydrates may seem high per serving, but remember onions make up such a small part of any dish.
Unless you are the biggest fan of onions in the world, there is usually no need to control portions when it comes to cooking with them.
As part of a meal, one medium-sized onion (about 200 g) is usually adequate for cooking. Remember, it is split across all the servings that will come from that dish. If a dish makes 4 servings, each serving will have 25 g. That is only 2.9 g of net carbohydrates for each person.
When eaten raw, some portion control will be required as a serving can call for up to 100 g, which will give you closer to 6 g carbs.
If you like your raw dishes like guacamole with lots of onions, it is advisable to portion them out before eating.
Onions are classified according to their appearance, more specifically color. The four most common types are:
Take a look at the carb count for each kind of onion below.
| Type of onion | Net carbohydrates per 100 grams |
| Red / purple | 5.9 g |
| White | 6.5 g |
| Yellow | 6.7 g |
| Sweet | 6.7 g |
| Green / spring onions / scallions | 4.7 g |
Among these types, it is clear that scallions are the lowest carb onion and best for keto. However, do not feel like you need to use scallions all the time.
Scallions do not give the same flavor in cooking as the other types. The sacrifice in taste is not worth the slight carb difference. Unless, of course, you do not mind. Otherwise, go with the type that best suits your cooking needs.
Onions can also be grouped according to how they are processed:
Using onions on a keto diet is not as complicated as you would think. They go with just about any savory dish, including soups, sauces, grilled and oven-baked dishes, and so on.
Some of the keto-friendly dishes that feature onions as the star include:
The most keto-friendly onion, scallions, can be used as a topping for almost any savory dish. They also add an extra kick of flavor and crunch to dishes like omelettes.
Unfortunately, this vegetable has a very distinct flavor that is nearly impossible to imitate using other ingredients. Shallots are the closest in taste, but they actually have more net carbs (13.6 g / 100 g raw).
Leeks also have a slight onion taste to them, but again have more net carbohydrates (12.4 g / 100 g raw).
If you are not looking for the exact taste, here are some keto-friendly onion substitutes that may work for you:
Not all hope is lost though. The lower white portion of scallions is more similar in flavor to the more flavorful onions. Do not discard this bit. Instead, dice it up and use it along with the green leaves for a more intense flavor in your raw dishes.
Still a little confused? We don’t blame you. That was a lot to take in. Below we answer some of the questions you may still have on the subject.
Most French onion soup recipes call for bread. For this reason, the soup is not usually keto-friendly. It can however be modified to make a ketogenic version using keto “bread.”
Here is a recipe you will love.
Ingredients
Directions
Yes, most onion dip brands are keto-friendly. For example, the Lays French onion dip has only 1 g of net carbohydrates per 2 tablespoon serving. You can also make your own keto-friendly onion dip at home that is not heavily processed or loaded with preservatives.
The amount of carbohydrates in cooked onions depends on the method of cooking used. Caramelized onions contain 8 to 10 g of net carbs per 100 g. Onion rings (especially when breaded) can have up to 30 g of net carbs per serving.
Traditional onion rings use bread crumbs and flour which makes them high in carbs. Keto onion rings usually use high-fat flours like coconut and almond flour instead.
While onion rings are high in fat, they are not the best source of fat on any diet. The heat used for deep frying breaks down the healthy components in the oil. Opt for foods like avocado, eggs, and fish for healthier fats.
Yes, they can help with inflammation. Like any plant food, they are rich in phytochemicals, like sulphur compounds, that can help fight inflammation in the body.
Yes, you can use onion powder on keto. It is true that after drying, the net carbs of any food go up. In fact, onion powder contains almost 80 g of carbs per 100 g. However, unless you are catering an event you will never need 100 g of this powder.
Most recipes call for 1 teaspoon. A single teaspoon contains only 1.5 g of net carbohydrates. If you are making multiple servings, that will be further split down.
So, you can enjoy onion powder on keto in your recipes with no worries.
