One cup of sliced strawberries (168g) contains about 13 grams of total carbohydrates and 3 grams of fiber, putting the net carb count at roughly 10 grams. That makes strawberries one of the lowest-carb fruits you can eat.
Carbs by Serving Size
How many carbs you’re actually eating depends on how you measure your strawberries. A cup of halved strawberries weighs a bit less than a cup of sliced ones, so the numbers shift slightly. Here’s what to expect for common portions:
- 1 cup sliced (168g): 13g total carbs, 3g fiber, ~10g net carbs
- 1 cup halves (152g): 11.7g total carbs, 3g fiber, ~8.7g net carbs
- 1 medium strawberry (~12g): roughly 1g total carbs
Net carbs are what remain after subtracting fiber, since your body doesn’t digest fiber the same way it digests sugars and starches. If you’re tracking carbs for blood sugar management or a specific diet, net carbs are typically the number that matters most.
Why Strawberries Stand Out Among Fruits
Strawberries are unusually low in carbs for a fruit. Most of their weight is water, which dilutes the sugar content compared to denser fruits like bananas, grapes, or mangoes. Even among berries, strawberries sit near the bottom of the carb scale.
Per one-cup serving, here’s how common berries compare on net carbs:
- Raspberries (123g): 6.7g net carbs
- Strawberries (152g): 8.6g net carbs
- Blueberries (148g): 17.9g net carbs
Raspberries edge out strawberries slightly, but blueberries contain more than double the net carbs per cup. If you love blueberries but want to keep carbs in check, swapping in strawberries saves you about 9 grams of net carbs per serving.
Strawberries on a Keto or Low-Carb Diet
A standard ketogenic diet limits net carbs to 20 to 50 grams per day. At roughly 9 grams of net carbs per cup, strawberries fit comfortably into that budget without dominating it. A half-cup serving, which is a generous snack, costs you only about 4 to 5 grams of net carbs.
This is why strawberries are one of the most recommended fruits for keto and low-carb eating plans. You get sweetness and volume without burning through your daily carb allowance the way a banana (about 24g net carbs) or a cup of grapes (about 25g net carbs) would.
Blood Sugar Impact
Beyond the raw carb count, strawberries have a low glycemic index, rated at 55 or below on the standard scale. That means the sugars in strawberries enter your bloodstream gradually rather than causing a sharp spike. The fiber content helps slow digestion further, and the relatively small amount of sugar per serving keeps the overall glycemic load low.
For context, glycemic index measures how quickly a food raises blood sugar, while glycemic load factors in how much carbohydrate a typical serving actually contains. Strawberries score well on both counts, which is why they’re generally considered a safe fruit choice for people managing blood sugar levels.
Fresh vs. Frozen vs. Sweetened
All the numbers above apply to fresh, raw strawberries. Frozen strawberries with no added sugar have virtually identical carb counts, since freezing doesn’t change the nutritional profile. They’re a reliable substitute year-round.
Sweetened strawberries are a different story. Frozen strawberries packed in sugar or syrup can contain 40 to 60 grams of carbs per cup. Strawberry jam, dried strawberries, and strawberry-flavored yogurts often have added sugars that multiply the carb content several times over. If carb count matters to you, always check the label on anything that isn’t plain whole or frozen berries.