Are Blueberries Keto-Friendly Or Just Low-Carb?

Blueberries are a staple in the diets of many health nuts as it’s the fruit with the highest antioxidant content.

Research shows these antioxidants reduce your risk of chronic ailments like cancer and heart disease.

But can you eat blueberries while staying in ketosis?

This post will cover everything you need to know about eating blueberries on keto while looking at some of my favorite keto blueberry recipes.

How Many Carbs Do Blueberries Contain?

You can enjoy blueberries on a ketogenic diet but only in moderation. One cup contains 21 grams of total carbs and 17.5 grams of net carbs.

This makes it the perfect fruit to add to smoothies and breakfast bowls.

However, I’d suggest not using it as a snack because it’s easy to lose track of how much you’re eating due to the delicious taste. The excess sugar can also raise blood glucose levels and negatively impact gut health.

Nutrition Information Of Blueberries

Here’s the nutritional value of a cup of blueberries:

• 84 calories
• 21 grams of total carbs
• 17.5 grams of net carbs
• 1.1 grams of protein
• 0.49 grams of fat
• 14 grams of total sugar

You’re also consuming 24 percent of your daily vitamin C requirements, 36 percent of your vitamin K needs and trace amounts of iron, potassium and magnesium.

3 Powerful Blueberry Health Benefits

Although there are countless science-backed health benefits to blueberries, here are some that stood out to me:

• It contains more antioxidants than most fruit
• Blueberries promote hair growth
• It helps you lose weight

It Contains More Antioxidants Than Most Fruit

The primary reason doctors recommend eating blueberries is because of the antioxidants.

Antioxidants are compounds that prevent and slow the damage of cells caused by free radicals. And due to our unhealthy modern lifestyles, free radicals can destroy cells at a faster rate than what’s considered acceptable.

Without antioxidants, there’s nothing to fight against these free radicals.

Fortunately, one cup of blueberries has 10 times the USDA’s recommendation of antioxidants, namely quercetin and anthocyanidin.

Studies show quercetin reduces swelling and enhances immune function, while anthocyanidin boosts brain health.

Blueberries Promote Hair Growth

Blueberries contain a plant chemical called proanthocyanidins, which stimulates hair growth. So, if you want to grow thicker and longer hair, consider eating half a cup of blueberries daily.

It Helps You Lose Weight

Daily blueberry consumption can help you lose weight as it positively impacts genes that regulate fat storage and burning. 

Research also shows that blueberries have significant amounts of catechins, a fat burning antioxidant.

So combined with a clean ketogenic diet, blueberries are a powerful tool that creates an environment for weight loss.

How To Introduce Blueberries Into Your Keto Diet

These are some of my favorite keto recipes:

• Keto blueberry bread
• Keto blueberry muffins
• Keto blueberry jamboree

Keto Blueberry Bread

I love snacking on this keto blueberry bread when I’m craving carbs and need to satisfy my sweet tooth because it has natural sweeteners that don’t kick you out of ketosis.

For this tasty keto recipe, you’ll need:

• Five eggs
• One teaspoon of vanilla extract
• Half a cup of erythritol
• Three tablespoons of heavy whipping cream
• Two cups of almond flour
• One and a half teaspoons of baking powder
• Two tablespoons of coconut flour
• Three tablespoons of melted butter
• A half a cup (or more) of frozen blueberries

Start off by adding wet ingredients like eggs, vanilla extract, erythritol and cream to a large bowl and mixing them with an electric beater.

In another bowl, stir your almond flour, coconut flour and baking powder.

Next, combine the dry and wet ingredients with melted butter and half a cup of blueberries. Personally, I add more blueberries because I like biting into them during every slice.

The last step is to bake it in the oven for 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 50 minutes, and enjoy!

Keto Blueberry Muffins

Keto blueberry muffins are a yummy sugar-free snack on a low-carb diet since it’s easy to store, and you can eat it when commuting or waiting for your kids at school.

For this recipe, you’ll need:

• ⅔ cup of cream cheese
• Two eggs
• Two tablespoons of butter
• One teaspoon of vanilla extract
• One and a quarter cups of almond flour
• ⅓ cup of erythritol 
• One and a half cups of baking powder
• A pinch of salt
• A half a cup of blueberries
• Three ounces of diced cream cheese

Like the blueberry bread recipe, mixing shouldn’t take longer than 15 minutes.

First, add your cream cheese, eggs, butter and extract to a mixing bowl and whisk with an electric beater.

Next, mix the almond flour, erythritol, and baking powder in a separate bowl and combine them with your wet ingredients, which produces a soft dough.

Place this dough in a muffin tray and put as many blueberries as you’d like on top with some diced cream cheese. Pop your muffins in the oven for 30 to 40 minutes at 340 degrees, and you’re good to go.

Keto Blueberry Jamboree

This blueberry jamboree goes well with your blueberry muffins and bread and takes less than five minutes to prepare.

You only need four ingredients:

1. One cup of fresh blueberries
2. Two tablespoons of lemon juice
3. Three tablespoons of erythritol
4. A teaspoon of xanthan gum

Simply place your ingredients in a pot on high heat and bring them to a boil quickly.

This dissolves the sweetener and xanthan gum, causing the berries to pop and release its juice.

Once it starts boiling, remove your pot from the heat, let it simmer for five minutes and feel free to enjoy your jamboree with gluten-free bread.

Can You Eat Dried Blueberries On Keto?

Companies add sugar and additives to dried blueberries so it doesn’t expire and can sit on shelves for months.

Half a cup of dried blueberries has over 50 grams of carbs, 190 calories and less than five grams of fiber.

This kicks you out of ketosis.

However, dried fruit also presents other dangers.

The additives and preservatives contain toxins that trigger inflammation. Long-term use increases your chances of developing cancer, heart disease and diabetes.

Are Blueberry Supplements Safe?

But if you’re not a big fan of blueberries or live in an area where they’re expensive, opt for supplements. Companies make these powders by extracting all the blueberry’s antioxidants and nutrients and putting them in a powdered form.

This allows you to experience the health benefits without consuming carbs and sugars.

What Are Some Alternatives To Blueberries On Keto?

If you want to switch up your diet by replacing blueberries with another tasty keto alternative, consider these options:

• Strawberries
• Blackberries
• Acai
• Passion fruit
• Cranberries

Strawberries

Strawberries are a keto-friendly alternative to blueberries because they have 11 grams of total carbs and 7.9 net carbs per cup.

This is far lower than blueberries’ net carb count of 17.5 grams.

So if you feel like snacking on keto fruit while watching a movie, opt for strawberries since you’ll have to eat five cups before it starts interfering with ketosis.

Studies show that strawberries also offer powerful health benefits like improved heart health and a lower risk of cancer.

Blackberries

With only six grams of net carbs, blackberries is another low-carb fruit with a high antioxidant content.

It also has a lot of fiber compared to blueberries and strawberries, making it the perfect snack when constipated. 

Acai

Acai is a plant native to South America, so it’s an affordable alternative to blueberries on keto if you’re living in South America. One cup has 2.7 grams of net carbs, meaning it won’t knock you out of ketosis.

Acai looks and tastes like blueberries and offers similar anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory properties.

Passion fruit

One passion fruit contains 2.3 grams of net carbs and only 17 calories. So it’ll keep you in ketosis and help you lose weight.

If you’re already eating blueberries, blackberries and strawberries, passion fruit adds variety to your meal plan since it provides antioxidants without you having to eat berries.

But it’s crucial to eat only one or two passion fruits daily. Once you start eating several, your carb intake shoots up to over 30 grams, which interferes with ketosis.

Cranberries

Cranberries are a fruit that’s high in fiber and low in total sugars, so you can enjoy them on keto.

One cup has 4.2 grams net carbs and 2.3 grams fiber.

You can use the fiber content to counteract higher-carb fruits and help you stay in ketosis. This is because fiber buffers the carb response, lowering your net carb intake.

Final Thoughts On Eating Blueberries On Keto

Blueberries are one of the few fruits you can enjoy in moderation on low-carb diets as one cup contains 17.5 grams of net carbs.

Because it has the most antioxidants of all fruits, it’s a must on a healthy keto diet. These antioxidants fight free radicals and lowers your chance of developing chronic issues.

And if you don’t feel like eating blueberries, opt for keto-friendly fruit like strawberries, blackberries, acai, passion fruit and cranberries since they are also low-carb and tasty.

Other common questions on a keto diet are “can I eat” things like plantains, watermelon, cherries, radishes, pumpkin, beets, grapefruit and carrots. Read our full write up on each for more information.

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