Kristen Fleming holds a Master of Science in Nutrition. Over her 8 years of experience in dietetics, she has made significant contributions in clinical, community, and editorial settings. With 2 years as a clinical dietitian in an inpatient setting, 2 years in community health education, and 4 years of editorial experience focusing on nutrition and health-related content, Kristen's expertise is multifaceted.
Our favorite pumpkin keto recipes will give you something to look forward to on your weight loss journey. You may be wondering if pumpkin is the healthiest fruit you can eat on the keto diet, or if your weight loss will be slowed down if you overeat pumpkin. These and other questions will be answered in this article.
The right pumpkin keto recipes are acceptable as they provide essential nutrients and have low net carbs in reasonable portions. Let’s first discover how pumpkin fits into the keto diet before we share our top recipes to make your journey delicious.
Can I Eat Pumpkin on the Keto Diet?
Is pumpkin keto-friendly? Here are some reasons to eat pumpkin on the keto diet:
Using canned pumpkin keto recipes or making fresh pumpkin puree at home can be incorporated into a weight-loss diet. WebMD states that pumpkins are low-calorie, high-nutrient fruits (9). Pumpkins are rich in vitamins A, B2, C, E, potassium, manganese, iron, and copper.
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The secret to eating pumpkins on a low-calorie, low-carb diet is ensuring that you stick to homemade pumpkin puree or canned pumpkin that has zero added salt and sugar. The nutrients in raw and canned pumpkin without salt or sugar are impressive and may help with weight loss (9):
½ Cup Canned Pumpkin
Calories: 50
Carbs: 11 g
Fat: 0 g
Protein: 2 g
Fiber: 3 g
Sugar: 4 g
1 Cup Raw Cubed Pumpkin
Calories: 30
Carbs: 7.5 g
Fat: 0 g
Protein: 1 g
Fiber: 0.5 g
Sugar: 3 g
Both forms of pumpkin are safe enough for the keto diet when they are eaten in moderation (9). The net carbs are also low because you deduct the dietary fiber from the total carbs. Cooked pumpkin has different macros. Let’s see what you’ll eat in cooked form.
Is Pumpkin a Carb or Protein?
The nutrition facts on Carb Manager suggest that it’s a carb as it contains 12 grams of total carbs per cup of cooked, mashed pumpkin versus 1.8 grams of protein (4). However, 9.3 grams are net carbs, while 2.7 grams is dietary fiber. Pumpkin is a fiber-rich carbohydrate.
What Is the Healthiest Way to Eat Pumpkin?
Pumpkin keto recipes often include ingredient substitutes to help you stick to your weight loss program. You should follow WebMD’s suggestion and eat homemade pumpkin puree or canned pumpkin without salt or added sugar (9).
You can also replace the pumpkin spice in any recipe with a homemade blend to ensure you know what you’re eating. Blend these ground spices to make your own homemade pumpkin spice (11):
1 tsp. cinnamon
¼ tsp. cloves
¼ tsp. ginger
¼ tsp. nutmeg
Can I Eat Pumpkin Every Day?
As pumpkin is moderate in carbs and rich in fiber, a single portion of pumpkin every day is probably safe on keto as long as it fits into your carb allowance for the day (1). One serving is ½ cup of canned or one cup of raw pumpkin.
Pumpkin keto recipes will enable you to stick to your daily macro allowances (7). You can eat keto pumpkin recipes for breakfast, lunch, dinner, as a baked treat, or as a cold dessert.
Pumpkin Keto Recipes – Healthy
Some pumpkin keto recipes are healthy and work for either breakfast or lunch. Let’s see which three recipes you can use to fill those daytime pumpkin gaps.
Keto Pumpkin Pancakes
This keto pumpkin pancake recipe with coconut flour is a breakfast treat that won’t break the carb bank. It also uses whey protein powder and keto-friendly sweeteners to stay safe.
Macros: 8 servings, 159 calories, 6.4 g carbs, 9.8 g fat, 8.8 g protein, and 3 g fiber (13)
Pumpkin Chaffles
Chaffles aren’t all good for keto, but these pumpkin chaffles use coconut flour, puree, mozzarella, cream cheese, and keto-friendly sweeteners. They’re great for breakfast.
Macros: 2 servings, 149 calories, 3.2 g carbs, 10.5 g fat, 11.3 g protein, and 2.1 g fiber (18)
Pumpkin French Toast Sticks
Who said pumpkin French toast sticks are only for breakfast? You can eat this low-carb meal for lunch or as a snack if you wish. It also doesn’t take long to make these delectable sticks.
Macros: 9 servings, 214 calories, 4.5 g carbs, 19.1 g fat, 10.3 g protein, and 1.6 g fiber (12)
Pumpkin Keto Recipes – Savory
Keto pumpkin dinner recipes include delectable savory options. Let’s see what pumpkin dishes you can eat for dinner.
Creamy Pumpkin Soup
This creamy pumpkin soup recipe is both savory and velvety. It tastes fantastic and even works as a side dish to something low in calories and carbs. Protein on the side would work quite well.
Macros: 5 servings, 242 calories, 11.7 g carbs, 22.1 g fat, 3.5 g protein, and 2.8 g fiber (6)
Savory Pumpkin Casserole
Pumpkin casserole will surprise you with its herby flavor and lower-than-expected carb content. The recipe uses fresh herbs and two cheeses to enrich the flavor of the casserole.
Macros: 6 servings, 160 calories, 8 g carbs, 12 g fat, 6 g protein, and 2 g fiber (17)
Keto Savory Pumpkin Galette
This recipe will have you licking your lips. You make homemade dough with coconut and almond flour and a pumpkin-rich filling. However, watch the calorie count.
Macros: 10 servings, 445 calories, 9 g carbs, 38.1 g fat, 12.3 g protein, and 5.4 g fiber (14)
Keto pumpkin recipes for baking will help you stick to your keto allowances while having multiple portions for a few days. Let’s see the delicious options.
Almond Flour Keto Pumpkin Bread
Keto pumpkin recipes with coconut flour provide excellent texture. Wholesome Yum’s keto pumpkin bread blends coconut and almond flour to give you the ideal texture and taste.
Macros: 16 servings, 159 calories, 6.5 g carbs, 13.3 g fat, 5.6 g protein, and 3.3 g fiber (2)
Low-Carb Keto Pumpkin Cheesecake
Wholesome Yum’s keto pumpkin cheesecake is delicious and also works with coconut flour. It adds more protein with collagen powder and contains keto-friendly sweeteners.
Macros: 16 servings, 277 calories, 6 g carbs, 25 g fat, 9 g protein, and 1.6 g fiber (15)
Low-Carb Pumpkin Roll With Coffee Cream
Pumpkin rolls are fantastic, but eating them on a keto diet means using a low-carb recipe. However, this coconut/almond flour blend with keto-friendly substitutes works perfectly.
Macros: 10 servings, 207 calories, 5.17 g carbs, 18.08 g fat, 5.87 g protein, and 2.1 g fiber (16)
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Pumpkin Keto Recipes – Dessert
Pumpkin keto recipes for dessert can offer tasty options for snacks too. Let’s see how you can enjoy dessert-style pumpkin without high carbs that will undo your keto efforts.
These Curbing Carbs easy keto pumpkin bars use almond flour, keto-friendly sweeteners, and just one cup of puree to make eight delicious low-carb, high-fat snacks you can enjoy on the go.
Macros: 8 servings, 214 calories, 6 g carbs, 20 g fat, 5 g protein, and 3 g fiber (8)
Healthy Keto Pumpkin Spice Latte
Desserts also come in liquid form, and this spiced latte will impress you. It uses pumpkin puree, almond milk, heavy cream, keto-friendly sweeteners, and a touch of coffee to create the ideal taste.
Macros: 1 serving, 144 calories, 4 g carbs, 13 g fat, 2 g protein, and 1 g fiber (10)
You’ll certainly feel your tastebuds tingle with pleasure with this keto-friendly pumpkin dessert. The carbs and fat content are ideal, but it is a calorie-dense dessert.
Macros: 16 servings, 366 calories, 7.63 g carbs, 33.79 g fat, 5.96 g protein, and 3.05 g fiber (5)
Carb Manager shows that one cup of mashed pumpkin contains 12 grams of total carbs, 9.3 grams of net carbs, and 2.7 grams of dietary fiber (4). Harvard suggests the typical maximum daily carbs on keto is 50 grams (7). Therefore, eating one cup of pumpkin will take nearly 20% off your entire carb allowance, as it contains 9.3 grams of net carbs. Half a cup may be a safer serving size to leave more room in your carb allowance for other foods.
Are pumpkins high in sugar?
Pumpkin contains some natural sugar, but it’s a modest amount. One cup of cubed raw pumpkin contains 4 g of sugar, while ½ cup of mashed pumpkin contains 4 g of sugar (9).
Can I eat sweet potato on keto?
Unfortunately, Medicine Net confirms that sweet potatoes are a bit high in carbs for a keto diet (3). One medium sweet potato contains 26 grams of carbs, and you’re only allowed 50 grams daily (7). Also, 100 grams of cooked sweet potato contains 18 grams of carbs (3). If you can make a small serving size fit, you can eat sweet potato on a keto diet, but that may be quite challenging.
What fruit is allowed on keto?
Keto-friendly fruits include avocados, blackberries, blueberries, kiwis, lemons, plums, raspberries, strawberries, and tomatoes. Medical News Today suggests other fruits may contain too much natural sugar to fit the daily macros on a keto diet (21). Many people choose to avoid apples, bananas, cherries, oranges, and peaches when they are on keto.
Can you overeat vegetables on keto?
Eating too many vegetables with high net carbs will unbalance your keto ratio. You should stick to low-carb vegetables to eat less than 5-10% of your daily calories from carbs (7). You also need 10-20% of calories from protein and 70-80% from fat on keto to lose weight. You can eat low-carb, fiber-rich vegetables such as asparagus, celery, cucumber, lettuce, mushrooms, pumpkin, spinach, and zucchini (20).
The Bottom Line
Pumpkin keto recipes feel like a cheat, but they pack your body with nutrients and low-carb treats. Stick to the recommended portions to remain in ketosis. However, you should try the different recipes to see which of them make your mouth water while sticking to your low-carb rules.
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