Applesauce is a convenient food. It’s tempting to keep the pouches in your pantry so you can just grab one on your way out the door or toss a pre-packaged cup in your lunch bag. But you’re probably wondering if applesauce is keto-friendly. Unfortunately, this sweet treat contains too many carbs to be recommended for the keto diet.
What is applesauce?
Applesauce is basically apples that are peeled, cooked, and processed into a smooth, thin sauce. There are a lot of different varieties of applesauce. Unsweetened applesauce is available, while others have added sugar and cinnamon. You can even find applesauce pureed with other fruits, like strawberry applesauce. But whether the applesauce contains sugar or not doesn’t matter when it comes to keto.
Is applesauce keto?
Applesauce is not keto. The truth is that even apples aren’t a good choice if you’re on the keto diet because they are full of natural sugars and carbohydrates.
That said, there are ways you can add applesauce (or at least the taste of applesauce) into your keto diet if you’re willing to be creative in the kitchen.
How many carbs does applesauce have?
The number of carbs in applesauce depends on the type you’re looking at. A small 4-ounce cup of natural unsweetened store-bought applesauce has 13g of carbs while the original recipe has 23g. If you get a brand with more added sugar, it could be even higher.
If you count your carbs carefully, you can squeeze in a 4-ounce cup without throwing yourself out of ketosis. Some people might think that that is a lot of carbs to spend on one small serving while others may not.
What are the other nutritional benefits of applesauce?
Applesauce does have some nutritional benefits. They are considered a good food to eat for upset stomachs because they’re low in fiber and very easy to digest.
What are the downsides of applesauce?
In addition to being high in carbs, applesauce generally also has minimal vitamins and minerals, so it doesn’t add a lot to your diet. As mentioned, some brands are very high in sugar and are not nearly as filling as apples.
How to eat applesauce on keto
If you love applesauce, avoid eating anything with added sugar. Natural applesauce varieties are best, but even those still have high net carbs, as you’ll see from the nutritional information.
There are many ideas if you’re looking for a keto recipe for homemade applesauce substitutes. For example, you can peel and cook zucchini, put it in a food processor, and add some apple pie spice for a good replacement.
You can also find many ways to substitute applesauce for sugar when baking. Although applesauce might not make a good keto snack in and of itself, it has a lot less than the granulated sugar that many recipes call for and can be used as a sweetener to make some recipes keto-friendly.
Overall, eating applesauce right out of the pouch or jar may not be a good option for keto, but there are ways to incorporate the taste of applesauce into the foods you eat if it’s going to help you follow through with your ketogenic diet lifestyle.
