Olipop is not ideal for a strict keto diet, but it can fit if you plan around it. A single 12-ounce can contains about 7 grams of net carbs, which is a significant chunk of the 20 to 50 grams most keto dieters aim to stay under each day. Whether that works for you depends on how tight your carb budget is and what else you’re eating.
Net Carbs in Olipop by the Numbers
Olipop cans list around 13 to 16 grams of total carbohydrates depending on the flavor, but much of that comes from prebiotic fiber your body doesn’t digest or absorb as sugar. The Classic Root Beer, for example, has 16 grams of total carbs and 9 grams of fiber, leaving 7 grams of net carbs. Classic Grape has 13 grams total with 6 grams of fiber, also landing at 7 net carbs. Most flavors hover in this same range, with all of them containing 9 grams of dietary fiber per can.
At 35 calories and zero fat or protein, it’s not a calorie bomb. But those 7 net carbs matter when your daily limit might be as low as 20 grams. One can would eat up a third or more of your daily allowance on a strict ketogenic protocol.
Where Those Carbs Come From
Olipop uses cassava root syrup as its primary sweetener alongside stevia leaf extract. The cassava syrup is a real sugar source, which is why the drink isn’t zero-carb despite using stevia. Some flavors also include fruit juice concentrates, adding small amounts of natural sugar on top of the cassava syrup.
The fiber comes from a proprietary blend called OliSmart, which includes cassava root fiber, chicory root inulin, and Jerusalem artichoke inulin. These are legitimate prebiotic fibers that feed beneficial gut bacteria and don’t raise blood sugar the way digestible carbohydrates do. That’s why you subtract them when calculating net carbs.
How Olipop Affects Blood Sugar
A 2025 randomized controlled trial compared prebiotic soda (the category Olipop belongs to) against traditional soda and found significantly lower blood sugar spikes. When consumed without a meal, peak blood glucose was 36 mg/dL lower with the prebiotic soda compared to regular soda. Even paired with food, the difference was 9 mg/dL lower. The overall glucose response over time was also substantially reduced in both scenarios.
This matters for keto because blood sugar spikes can trigger insulin release, which works against the metabolic state you’re trying to maintain. Olipop’s fiber content, particularly from cassava root, likely helps explain the blunted glucose response. Cassava and other root-based fibers have a low glycemic index (55 or below), meaning they release glucose gradually rather than in a sharp spike.
How Olipop Compares to Zero-Carb Sodas
If staying in ketosis is your top priority, zero-carb options like Zevia are a safer bet. Zevia uses only stevia leaf extract as its sweetener and contains zero grams of carbohydrates, zero calories, and no sugar of any kind. There’s simply nothing in it to affect your blood sugar or carb count.
The tradeoff is that Zevia doesn’t offer the prebiotic fiber or gut health benefits that Olipop provides. Olipop’s 9 grams of fiber per can is a genuinely useful amount for digestive health, something you won’t get from any zero-carb soda. So the choice comes down to whether you value staying at absolute zero carbs from beverages or whether you’d rather spend 7 net carbs on a drink that also supports your gut microbiome.
Fitting Olipop Into a Keto Day
On a more relaxed keto approach with a 50-gram daily net carb limit, one Olipop takes up about 14% of your budget. That’s easy to work around, especially if the rest of your meals are centered on meat, eggs, leafy greens, and healthy fats. You could comfortably have one can and still have 43 grams left for food.
On a strict 20-gram limit, it gets tighter. Seven net carbs leaves you only 13 grams for the entire rest of the day. That’s doable if you’re eating almost exclusively protein and fat, but it means skipping even moderate-carb vegetables like onions or tomatoes to stay under the line. For most people following strict keto, that’s not a worthwhile tradeoff for a soda.
One practical approach: save Olipop for days when your meals are especially low-carb, rather than making it a daily habit. Tracking your totals for the day before cracking one open lets you enjoy it without guessing.
A Note on Digestive Effects
The prebiotic fibers in Olipop, particularly chicory root inulin, can cause gas, bloating, or loose stools in some people, especially when first introduced. This is a common adjustment period as your gut bacteria adapt to the increased fiber. Starting with half a can and working up is a reasonable approach if you’re not used to prebiotic-heavy foods.
For people with inflammatory bowel disease, there’s a more specific concern. Research from Cornell University found that inulin can stimulate gut bacteria to release bile acids that trigger an excessive immune response, worsening intestinal inflammation in both animal models and human tissue analysis. The researchers found higher levels of bile acids and inflammatory immune cells in patients with IBD, suggesting that inulin could aggravate an already primed inflammatory cascade. If you have Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis, this is worth discussing with your gastroenterologist before adding inulin-rich products to your routine.