Celery is one of the lowest-carb vegetables you can eat. A medium stalk contains just 1 gram of carbohydrates, and per 100 grams, raw celery clocks in at 3.32 grams of carbs. Whether you’re counting carbs casually or following a strict ketogenic diet, celery fits comfortably into almost any low-carb plan.
Carbs in Celery by Serving Size
A single medium stalk of celery (about 40 grams) has 1 gram of total carbohydrates and 1 gram of fiber, which brings its net carb count to essentially zero. Net carbs are what remain after subtracting fiber, since your body doesn’t digest fiber the way it does other carbohydrates.
Scale that up to 100 grams, roughly two and a half stalks, and you’re still looking at only 3.32 grams of carbs. For context, the same weight of bell pepper has about 6 grams, and a banana has around 23 grams. Celery sits near the very bottom of the carbohydrate scale for whole foods.
How Celery Fits a Keto Diet
Most people on a ketogenic diet aim to stay under 20 to 50 grams of net carbs per day. At roughly 1 gram of net carbs per stalk, you could eat ten stalks of celery and barely make a dent in even the strictest 20-gram daily limit. That makes celery one of the safest vegetables for staying in ketosis, alongside leafy greens like spinach and kale.
Celery also has a low glycemic impact. Raw celery root (a related but different part of the plant) has a glycemic index of 35, which is considered low. The stalks most people eat are even less likely to affect blood sugar because they contain so little digestible carbohydrate in the first place.
Why Celery Feels Filling Despite Having So Few Calories
Celery is 95% water, which gives it volume without calories. A full cup of chopped celery has only about 14 calories. That combination of high water content and low calorie density means you can eat a satisfying amount without consuming much energy at all.
You may have heard that celery is a “negative calorie food,” meaning your body burns more calories digesting it than the food contains. Researchers tested this claim by measuring how much energy lizards retained after eating celery meals. The animals used about 33% of the meal’s energy on digestion alone, and lost another 43% through waste, but they still retained roughly 24% of the calories. So celery isn’t truly negative calorie, but it comes closer than almost any other food. In practical terms, eating celery contributes very little to your daily calorie intake while still giving you something crunchy to chew on.
Whole Celery vs. Celery Juice
Juicing changes the nutritional math. An 8-ounce glass of celery juice contains about 7 grams of carbohydrates. That’s the carbs from multiple stalks concentrated into a single drink you can finish in a few gulps. While 7 grams is still relatively low compared to fruit juice, it’s noticeably more than you’d get from casually snacking on a stalk or two.
Celery juice does retain about 4 grams of fiber per 8-ounce serving, which is actually more than you’d get from a single stalk. But you lose the volume and crunch that make whole celery satisfying. If your goal is to minimize carbs while maximizing fullness, whole stalks are the better choice.
What Else Celery Provides
Celery isn’t a nutritional powerhouse, but it does carry some useful micronutrients. A cup of raw celery provides about 11.7 micrograms of vitamin K (important for blood clotting and bone health), 104 milligrams of potassium, and 14.4 micrograms of folate. None of these amounts are huge on their own, but they add up when celery is part of a broader vegetable intake.
The fiber in celery is mostly insoluble, the type that adds bulk to stool and helps keep digestion moving. A single stalk has less than 1 gram, so you won’t hit your daily fiber goals with celery alone. Think of it as a contributor rather than a primary source.
Simple Ways to Use Celery on a Low-Carb Diet
- With dips: Celery sticks replace crackers or chips as a vehicle for guacamole, cream cheese, or almond butter without adding meaningful carbs.
- In soups and stir-fries: Chopped celery adds crunch and volume to cooked dishes. Its carb contribution stays negligible even in generous portions.
- As a snack base: Fill the natural groove of a celery stalk with peanut butter or a soft cheese for a quick, low-carb snack that has some protein and fat to keep you satisfied.
Because celery is so low in carbs, it’s one of the few foods where you really don’t need to measure portions or worry about going overboard. For anyone tracking carbohydrates closely, it’s about as close to a free food as you’ll find.