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Is milk keto-friendly?

Milk to avoid, and keto-friendly choices

Though milk and milk alternatives are popular additions to most diets, you may wonder whether they fit a keto lifestyle. This article reviews the best and worst milk choices for a keto diet.

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Is milk keto-friendly?
Last updated on September 23, 2023, and last reviewed by an expert on July 11, 2022.
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Milk and milk alternatives are tasty drinks and key ingredients in a lot of recipes. Still, you may wonder whether you can drink them on the keto diet.

Is milk keto-friendly?

Keto is a very low carb, high fat, moderate protein diet. On the keto diet, most people need to restrict their carb intake to about 25–30 grams of net carbs per day. The concept of net carbs refers to the total number of carbs minus the fiber content.

Therefore, for milk to be keto-friendly, it needs to be low in net carbs.

Although some kinds of milk are not keto-friendly, several varieties are compatible with a keto diet.

This article lists milk that fit the keto diet, as well as those that don’t.

Types of milk to avoid on keto

Keto dieters should avoid milk that contains moderate or excessive amounts of carbs.

For instance, all sweetened kinds of milk — including sweetened versions of keto-friendly kinds of milk — should be avoided because they are high in carbs from added sugar.

Here are some other kinds of milk that you should avoid while on keto:

Summary: Some of the higher-carb milk that should be avoided on keto include cow’s milk, oat milk, rice milk, condensed milk, and goat’s milk. You should also avoid sweetened versions of keto-friendly kinds of milk.

Keto-friendly kinds of milk

Keto-friendly milk needs to be low in carbs. Luckily, there are several good options.

Are cashews keto-friendly?
Suggested read: Are cashews keto-friendly?

However, you should note that only the unsweetened versions of these kinds of milk are appropriate for keto.

Additionally, carb counts will vary significantly between different brands due to their varying ingredients and formulations. Be sure to carefully read the nutrition facts on the label to assess whether milk is truly keto-friendly.

Here are some keto-friendly kinds of milk:

Summary: Unsweetened almond milk, coconut milk, macadamia nut milk, flax milk, soy milk, cashew milk, and pea milk — along with half-and-half and heavy cream — are all keto-friendly milk options.

Summary

There are plenty of keto-friendly milk options.

Suggested read: Is peanut butter keto-friendly? Carbs, substitutes, and more

Your best choices are unsweetened, plant-based milk alternatives — except rice and oat milk. Half-and-half and heavy cream are solid choices as well.

Avoid cow and goat milk because they contain natural sugar, and avoid sweetened milk, as they’re high in added sugar.

Thankfully, milk doesn’t have to be a thing of the past just because you’re following a keto diet.

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