If you love nuts and are low carb eating, chances are you have asked are pecans keto friendly? Let’s look at this nut and learn if its a good keto snack or ingredient.
Growing up in the south, pecan pie was a staple at each family gathering during the holiday season. There is an epic debate on whether you say pecan as pa-cahn or pee-can. While Lord knows that pecan pie is a big huge no-no when it comes to low carb, what about just the pecan?
Question: Are Pecans Keto Friendly?
Wondering if pecans are keto friendly? It’s confusing because some nuts are okay to eat and filled with protein. Then there are other nuts that are an absolute no. Here is what you need to know about pecans on keto and if they are a good idea for your plan.
Let’s look at macros including calories, net carbs, nutritional data to determine if pecans and keto are a good pair.
Answer: Yes, Pecans are Keto Friendly!
If you love pecans, good news – yes you can eat on keto. We are going into pecan nutritional facts and macros in just a second, but please note the following. Pecans while have healthy fats, have a high fat content that may not be applicable to your specific low-carb diet.
Like we always say, how each of us does the keto diet is different. Making an excellent choice in low-carb nuts can make or break ketosis. Some are doing dirty keto, others are hardcore keto – there are even some of you doing a vegan ketogenic diet!
We know that when you are in low carb keto mode, often times you wonder if a certain food is keto or not. Make sure to check out our Is It Keto series where we are spilling all the tea to help you find healthy keto foods and to veto foods that aren’t keto friendly.
Wondering, are almonds keto friendly? We covered this as well!
While we strive to provide you the most accurate and helpful information, only you and your doctor or dietician will be able to give a definitive answer in regards to your specific diet.
Let’s find out all the ins and outs, here is what we will learn today:
- Are pecans keto friendly?
- Nutritional facts about pecans.
- How do pecans fall on the glycemic index?
- How to eat pecan keto style?
- The best places to buy pecans.
3 Things to Know About Pecans
Here are 3 things that you need to know about pecans and keto. These things will help you make sure to not exceed your macros and to ensure that while on paper, pecans are good choice for keto – it might not be right for your low carb diet.
#1 Pecans Nutritional Facts
Here are the macros, net carbs and calories in pecans nutritional facts.
| Pecan Nutrition Facts | Macros |
|---|---|
| Calories | 684 calories |
| Total Fat | 71.3 grams of fat |
| Sodium | 0 mg of sodium |
| Total Carbs | 13.7 grams of carbs |
| Sugars | 0 grams of sugar |
| Protein | 9.1 grams of protein |
| Dietary Fiber | 9.5 grams of fiber |
| Net Carbs | 4.2 grams of net carbs |
Here are a few stand out factors to evaluate in regards to these nutrition facts.
- 1 ounce of pecans has 1g of net carbs or 4.2 g net carb count for 1 cup of halves of pecan nuts.
- Pecans have significant protein content.
- 1 cup chopped pecans has 44g monounsaturated fats and 4.6 g net carbs.
Diving in more to if pecans are keto, maybe other nutritional facts are important to knowing if this nut if okay for you to eat. Knowing and understanding nutritional value will be key in helping to know what to eat and what to avoid.
While pecans aren’t a snack that have the lowest amounts of carbs, there are many nutritional benefits to eating this nut.
Here is more pecan nutritional data:
- Pecans are rich in bioactive components, and are approximately 9% protein by weight. Despite not being a complete protein, they contain a decent range of essential amino acids.
- Vitamins – pecans are a great source of vitamins. There are more than 19 vitamins and minerals in pecans including:
- Alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) is a vegetarian omega-3 fats that occurs in pecans. ALA has been shown to lower cholesterol and can help with controlling blood pressure. Pecans are a good source of magnesium, calcium, and potassium which also aid in lowering blood pressure.
- Pecan nuts contain about 65 to 70 percent oils. Approximately 65% of the oil of fresh pecans consists of oleic acid and 26% linoleic fatty acids.
- In each 1-ounce serving you’ll get 12 grams of “good” monounsaturated fat, with zero cholesterol or sodium.
- Pecans can play a role in reducing the risk of heart disease because they have an abundance of “good” heart healthy fats. American Heart Association has named pecans as a healthy option, whether whole or in nut butter. Great news if you are focused on heart health. Knowing your risk factors is important in whole heath.
Glycemic Index
Now we answered are pecans keto, perhaps you want to know about where they fall on the glycemic index. If you are watching your blood sugar levels, here is good news in regards to pecans and the glycemic index.
Pecans have a very low glycemic index. This means that they do not cause a spike in blood sugar. Something helpful to know, eating pecans can even offset the effects of higher glycemic index foods when eaten as part of the same meal. (source: webmd.com)
#2 How to Eat Pecans
There are a number of ways to eat pecans. Whether you are eating these as a healthy snack or if you are including as an ingredient in a keto recipe, just watch those macros!
Here are some ideas for including pecans in keto recipes:
- Make a low-carb crust using pecans!
- Sugar-free candied pecans using a keto-friendly sweetener making these keto-friendly candied pecans!
- Using low carb chocolate and parchment paper, make candy coated pecans.
- Toasted pecans are easy to make. Just toss pecans in olive oil and sea salt. Create a single layer of pecans on a baking sheet and roast. These give the nuts an awesome crunch and punch of flavor.
- Eat a handful of pecans sprinkled with sea salt with cubed cheese is an excellent keto snack.
While pecans don’t have the lowest amount of carbs for snacking, check out our zero carb snacks.
#3 Where to Buy Pecans
The quality of the pecan can make or break a meal. While all pecans taste similar, there are definitely options that provide a better quality over others. You can buy pecans at Walmart and pecans at Costco but the best pecans will be fresh from a grower.
Yes, pecans grow on nut trees and are native to the United States. Here in the south, when its time to harvest pecans in the fall – you can head down many country roads and pick pecans off the ground or from the trees (get permission when you can!)
Keto Pecans FAQ
Let’s answer some more questions about keto pecans and how to eat these tree nuts.
How do you say pecan?
The age old debate depending on your accent, are you a peecan or a peecon? We created this these are pecans meme to help settle the how you say pecan debate once and for all.
Are we good? And if you love you some memes, don’t miss our keto memes.
Where are pecans grown?
While the top producer of pecans is currently the United States, South America is catching up. Brazil aims to be a top producer in the next 20 years. Pecans are native to the U.S.
Do pecans contain vitamin e?
Yes, there 1.4mg of vitamin e in a 1 cup of halved pecans or 8 oz serving.
Can you make pecan butter?
Nut butters are a popular treat for all ages and various diets. We all know peanut butter as the most popular nut butter like almond butter, but various seed butter are also a thing!
Random – did you know a single brazil nut is actually a seed not a nut. This is why seed butter and nut butter are similar in taste.
Here is a pecan recipe to learn how to make pecan butter. Make sure to watch ingredients in ensure no added sugar it is keto friendly. This specific recipe features just 3 additional ingredients!
What is protein synthesis?
Protein synthesis is the process of creating protein molecules.
How much B6 is in a pecan?
There is .2 mg of vitamin B-6 in a cup of halved pecans. If you are looking for foods high in b vitamins, particularly vitamin B6 consider: beef liver, tuna, salmon, poultry and some fruits and keto vegetables (dark leafy greens) are best.
How do pecans compare to walnuts?
Here is a quick comparison in regards to help you find good low carb nuts. 8 ounce of walnuts (halved) contains 6.8 gram of net carbs vs just 4.2 net carbs in 8 ounces of halved pecans.
How do I store pecans?
Pecans are great because you in shell pecans for 4 months at 70°F room temperature in an airtight container. Storage life of in-shell pecans can be extended to up to 5 years or more when you store at 0°F. (source: nmsu.edu)
Are nuts good for keto?
Depending on the type of nut, the grams of carbohydrates will all factor in to if these are a great choice for your diet. Pecans rival macadamia nuts, pine nuts, chia seeds, brazil nuts and sunflower seeds. The best nuts are the ones that best meets your macros and dietary requirements.
Your Daily Keto Blog
Keto Daily Blog is part of Keto Dirty where we strive to provide fans of the keto diet the best information and answers for your keto lifestyle. Whether you are looking for weight loss or other health benefits like lowering blood pressure, helping your immune system, lowering cholesterol levels or just want to feel better, we are here to help.
A handful of pecans is one of my favorite snacks. Like all things for keto dieters, moderation is key. Stay tuned for more information on the best keto-friendly nuts.
Whether pecans are an excellent addition to your diet or a hard pass, we hope this info has been helpful in answering are pecans keto. Make sure to check out more keto blog posts to keep learning whats good, bad and otherwise.
Share your favorite low carb pecans recipe in the comments!
Are Pecans Keto Friendly? is part of the Keto Dirty Daily Keto Blog