Most nuts are surprisingly low in carbs, ranging from 3 to 9 grams of total carbohydrates per one-ounce (28-gram) serving. The exact count depends heavily on which nut you’re eating. Brazil nuts and pecans sit at the low end with just 3 to 4 grams per ounce, while cashews and pistachios land at the top with 8 to 9 grams. A large portion of those carbs comes from fiber, which your body doesn’t digest, making the “net” carb count even lower for most varieties.
Carbs Per Ounce for Common Nuts
A standard serving of nuts is one ounce, or about 28 grams. Here’s how the most popular varieties compare, ranked from lowest to highest total carbs:
- Brazil nuts: 3 g total carbs, 1 g net carbs (about 6 nuts)
- Pecans: 4 g total carbs, 1 g net carbs (about 20 halves)
- Macadamia nuts: 4 g total carbs, 2 g net carbs (about 10–12 nuts)
- Walnuts: 4 g total carbs, 2 g net carbs (about 14 halves)
- Hazelnuts: 5 g total carbs, 2 g net carbs (about 20 nuts)
- Almonds: 6 g total carbs, 3 g net carbs (about 23 nuts)
- Peanuts: 6 g total carbs, 4 g net carbs (about 28 peanuts)
- Pistachios: 8 g total carbs, 5 g net carbs (about 50 pistachios)
- Cashews: 9 g total carbs, 8 g net carbs (about 18 nuts)
Net carbs equal total carbohydrates minus fiber. This number matters because fiber passes through your digestive system without raising blood sugar the way starches and sugars do.
Why Some Nuts Have Far More Carbs
The difference between a low-carb nut like a pecan and a higher-carb nut like a cashew comes down to starch. Pecans, macadamias, and walnuts are almost entirely fat, with very little starch in their structure. Cashews and pistachios carry more starch and less fat per gram, which pushes their carb counts significantly higher.
Chestnuts are the extreme example. A quarter cup of roasted chestnuts packs 19 grams of carbohydrates, roughly five times what you’d get from the same amount of walnuts. Chestnuts are botanically a nut, but nutritionally they behave more like a starchy vegetable.
USDA data per 100 grams makes the contrast even clearer. Cashews contain 33 grams of carbohydrate per 100 grams with only 3 grams of fiber, giving them a net carb load of 30 grams. Pecans contain 14 grams of carbohydrate with 10 grams of fiber, for a net of just 4 grams. That’s nearly an eightfold difference.
Fiber Makes a Big Difference
Nuts vary just as much in fiber content as they do in total carbs, and fiber is what separates a nut that fits easily into a low-carb diet from one that doesn’t. Almonds are a good illustration: they have 22 grams of total carbohydrate per 100 grams, which sounds high, but 12 grams of that is fiber. The net carb load drops to about 10 grams per 100 grams, or roughly 3 grams per ounce.
The fiber-to-carb ratio varies dramatically across nut types. Per 100 grams, almonds deliver 12 grams of fiber, pecans and hazelnuts provide 10 grams each, and brazil nuts offer 8 grams. Cashews, on the other hand, contain only 3 grams of fiber in 100 grams, which is why their net carb count stays stubbornly high even after you subtract fiber.
Lowest-Carb Nuts for Keto and Low-Carb Diets
If you’re tracking carbs closely, your best options are brazil nuts and pecans at just 1 gram of net carbs per ounce. Macadamia nuts and walnuts follow at 2 grams of net carbs each. Hazelnuts round out the top five at 2 grams. All five of these nuts let you eat a full one-ounce serving without making a meaningful dent in a typical 20- to 50-gram daily carb target.
Cashews are the nut to watch on keto. At 8 grams of net carbs per ounce, a couple of handfuls can easily account for half your daily carb allowance. Pistachios are also easy to overeat because their small size means you go through 50 of them in a single serving, and it’s common to eat two or three servings in one sitting. That can add up to 15 or more grams of net carbs before you realize it.
How Nuts Affect Blood Sugar
Nuts have a low glycemic index, meaning they raise blood sugar slowly and modestly compared to foods with the same carb count. The combination of fat, protein, and fiber in nuts slows digestion and blunts the insulin response. Pecans in particular are rich in polyphenols and have a low enough glycemic index that they cause virtually no blood sugar spike.
This is part of why nuts are frequently recommended for people managing type 2 diabetes. The satiety they provide, the feeling of fullness from all that fat and fiber, reduces the urge to snack on higher-carb foods afterward. Regular nut consumption tends to lead to better blood sugar and cholesterol management over time, not just because of what’s in the nuts themselves, but because of what they replace in the diet.
Nut Butters vs. Whole Nuts
Grinding a nut into butter doesn’t change its nutritional composition in any meaningful way. Two tablespoons of pure almond butter have essentially the same carbs, fat, and fiber as an ounce of whole almonds. The issue is what manufacturers add during processing. Many commercial nut butters include sugar, vegetable oils, and salt, all of which change the carb count and overall nutrition profile.
If you’re buying nut butter for the carb profile, check the ingredient list. The label should list the nut and possibly salt, nothing else. Brands that add sugar or honey can tack on 2 to 4 extra grams of carbs per serving, which adds up quickly if you eat nut butter daily. “Natural” on the label doesn’t guarantee there’s no added sugar, so the ingredients matter more than the marketing.
Portion Sizes to Keep in Mind
One ounce of nuts looks different depending on the variety. You get about 23 almonds, 14 walnut halves, 18 cashews, or 10 to 12 macadamia nuts in a single serving. Pistachios give you the most volume at around 50 pieces per ounce, which is one reason they feel like a more satisfying snack even though their carb count is higher.
Most people underestimate how much they eat when snacking from a bag or bowl. A typical handful of mixed nuts is closer to 1.5 to 2 ounces, which can double the carb numbers listed above. If you’re counting carbs with any precision, weighing your nuts once or twice gives you a reliable sense of what an ounce actually looks like in your hand, and you can eyeball it from there.