Keto grains, starches & baked foods: compare portions first

Direct answer: most grain, starch, and baked-food records require deliberate portion accounting in a restrictive keto plan; the category name is not enough to decide the fit. Breads, rice, pasta, cereals, and baked goods differ by recipe, water content, cooking state, and household measure.

Medical disclaimer. This article is for general educational purposes only and is not medical advice. It is not a substitute for professional diagnosis or treatment. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider before starting the ketogenic diet or making changes to your diet, exercise, or medication — especially if you are pregnant or breastfeeding, take medication, or have a medical condition such as diabetes, or kidney, liver, or heart disease. See our editorial & medical-review policy.

Cooked, dry, and baked forms are not interchangeable

One of the easiest comparison errors is treating a dry grain, a cooked grain, and a finished baked product as though they have the same portion basis. The database preserves terms such as “cooked,” “dry, yields,” “toasted,” and “frozen” so readers can see which source record is being used. That precision matters more than whether a food is described generally as whole grain or refined.

Browse by the food you want to replace or account for

↔Small-screen view: this comparison table scrolls sideways. Swipe or drag it horizontally to see every column.

Food type	Records to compare	What to verify
Bread, bagels, and rolls	Bagel, bread, whole wheat, bread, pita	Slice, bun, or full-item weight; homemade and restaurant breads can differ substantially.
Rice, pasta, and grain sides	Rice, white, cooked, rice, brown, cooked, pasta, whole grain, cooked	Cooked versus dry basis, recipe additions, and the amount plated.
Hot and cold cereals	Oatmeal, regular or quick, whole wheat cereal, cooked, cereal, shredded wheat	Milk, sweeteners, fruit, and whether the package serving matches the record.
Prepared baked items	Waffle, plain, frozen, muffin, English, whole wheat, French toast, plain	Toppings, fillings, recipe changes, and number of pieces eaten.

A lower label claim does not answer every question

The individual pages calculate net carbs as total carbohydrate minus dietary fiber, capped at zero. It is a consistent way to compare USDA records; it is not a universal carbohydrate allowance or a verdict on a person’s eating pattern. The listed portion is based on a USDA household measure and is not a serving recommendation.

Use the net-carbs guide to understand the method. When deciding whether to use an alternative, compare ingredients and the actual package label rather than assuming a food described as “whole grain,” “gluten free,” or “low carb” is nutritionally equivalent to another record.

Move from comparison to a practical alternative

If you are looking for a specific swap, the site also has separate guides for a low-carb bread substitute, low-carb rice substitute, and low-carb pasta substitute. Use vegetables and nuts, seeds & legumes to compare possible ingredients without assuming they are like-for-like replacements.

Complete grain, starch & baked-food record directory

Browse all 55 selected USDA records in this grain, starch & baked-food group

Entries are grouped by food concept, then by the exact USDA food form. Open the record that matches the preparation and product you are comparing.

Bagel

• Bagelprepared food

Brown and wild rice

• Brown and wild rice, cooked, no added fatcooked · no-added-fat

Brown rice

• Brown rice, cooked, no added fatcooked · no-added-fat

Bulgur

• Bulgur, no added fatno-added-fat

Cornmeal mush

• Cornmeal mush, no added fatno-added-fat

Couscous

• Couscous, plain, cookedcooked · plain

English whole grain white muffin

• Muffin, English, whole grain whitewhole

English whole wheat muffin

• Muffin, English, whole wheatwhole

Focaccia italian

• Focaccia, Italian, plainplain

French or vienna whole wheat bread

• Bread, French or Vienna, whole wheatwhole
• Bread, French or Vienna, whole wheat, toastedwhole · toasted

French toast

• French toast, plainplain

French toast whole grain

• French toast, whole grainwhole

Fruit flavored oatmeal

• Oatmeal, instant, fruit flavored, no added fatno-added-fat · instant

Fruit muffin

• Muffin, fruitprepared food

Hush puppy

• Hush puppywhole food

Maple flavored oatmeal

• Oatmeal, instant, maple flavored, no added fatno-added-fat · instant

Other cereal

• Cereal, other, plainplain

Pancakes

• Pancakes, plain, frozenfrozen · plain

Pita bread

• Bread, pitaprepared food

Pita whole wheat bread

• Bread, pita, whole wheatwhole

Plain puffs cereal

• Cereal, plain puffsplain

Potato bread

• Bread, potatoprepared food

Quinoa

• Quinoa, no added fatno-added-fat

Regular or quick oatmeal

• Oatmeal, regular or quick, made with water, no added fatno-added-fat · regular

Shredded wheat cereal

• Cereal, shredded wheat, plainplain

Tortilla whole wheat

• Tortilla, whole wheatwhole

Waffle

• Waffle, plain, frozenfrozen · plain

Wheat bagel

• Bagel, wheatprepared food

White and wild rice

• White and wild rice, cooked, no added fatcooked · no-added-fat

White rice

• White rice, cooked, no added fatcooked · no-added-fat

Whole grain fruit waffle

• Waffle, whole grain, fruit, frozenfrozen · whole

Whole grain noodles

• Noodles, whole grain, cookedcooked · whole

Whole grain pancakes

• Pancakes, whole grainwhole
• Pancakes, whole grain, frozenfrozen · whole

Whole grain pasta

• Pasta, whole grain, cookedcooked · whole

Whole grain waffle

• Waffle, whole grainwhole
• Waffle, whole grain, frozenfrozen · whole
• Waffle, whole grain, reduced fatwhole · reduced-fat

Whole grain white bagel

• Bagel, whole grain whitewhole

Whole grain white bread

• Bread, whole grain whitewhole
• Bread, whole grain white, toastedwhole · toasted

Whole grain white hamburger bun roll

• Roll, whole grain white, hamburger bunwhole

Whole grain white hot dog bun roll

• Roll, whole grain white, hot dog bunwhole

Whole grain white roll

• Roll, whole grain whitewhole

Whole wheat bagel

• Bagel, whole wheatwhole

Whole wheat bread

• Bread, whole wheatwhole
• Bread, whole wheat, made from home recipe or purchased at bakery, toastedwhole · toasted
• Bread, whole wheat, toastedwhole · toasted

Whole wheat cereal

• Whole wheat cereal, cookedcooked · whole

Whole wheat hamburger bun roll

• Roll, whole wheat, hamburger bunwhole

Whole wheat hot dog bun roll

• Roll, whole wheat, hot dog bunwhole

Whole wheat roll

• Roll, whole wheatwhole

Wild 100% rice

• Wild rice, 100%, cooked, no added fatcooked · no-added-fat

Yellow rice

• Yellow rice, cooked, no added fatcooked · no-added-fat

Source and method

This hub links to USDA FoodData Central Survey (FNDDS) records. The individual page retains the source preparation description, FoodData Central ID, portion, and per-100 g values. A food package, restaurant serving, or home recipe should only be compared to the record when the preparation and ingredients actually match.

1. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central Survey (FNDDS) 2021–2023, released October 31, 2024. FoodData Central documentation, dataset downloads

Article history

1. August 24, 2026First published