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Keto nuts, seeds & legumes: compare food forms and portions

Direct answer: nuts, seeds, and legumes are not one keto category. A whole nut, a nut butter, a seed, a cooked bean, and a sweetened paste can have different carbohydrate, fiber, and portion profiles. The named food, its preparation, and the amount eaten are more useful than the category label.

nuts seeds legumes food forms and preparations

From food record to meal context

  1. Exact record
  2. Preparation
  3. Meal combination
  4. Personal context

Dense foods need a precise portion comparison​

Many of these records use a cup, tablespoon, ounce, or cooked yield as the source’s household measure. That makes the listed-portion values traceable, but it does not mean those measures are interchangeable or recommended. A tablespoon of a spread and a cup of beans are different food situations, even if both are included in this hub.

nuts seeds legumes: compare the documented form and portion
Raw or whole
Cooked
Packaged or prepared
Listed portion

Browse by form, not by a blanket rule​

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

Food formRecords to compareWhat to verify
Whole nutsMacadamia nuts, walnuts, pecans, unroastedThe actual handful, coating, roasting ingredients, and package serving size.
Seeds and seed-like ingredientsChia seeds, flax seeds, pumpkin seeds, unsaltedWhether a tablespoon, recipe amount, or larger household measure is relevant to the meal.
Nut and seed spreadsAlmond butter, lower sodium, cashew butter, peanut butterAdded sugar, oil, starch, flavorings, allergens, and the product label.
Beans, lentils, and chickpeasBlack beans, canned, lentils, from dried, chickpeas, cannedDry versus cooked measure, sauce, drained weight, and the carbohydrate contribution of the planned portion.
Processed legume dishesBaked beans, beans and tomatoes, hummus, plainRecipe ingredients and whether a prepared product matches the source description.

Net carbs are only one comparison field​

The individual pages calculate net carbs as total carbohydrate minus dietary fiber, capped at zero. That convention helps compare the source records consistently, but it cannot decide a person’s total carbohydrate limit, protein needs, energy needs, or tolerance for a particular food. A packaged item can also differ from the source record, particularly when it contains sweeteners, starches, or added fiber.

Use the net-carbs guide for the method and the net-carb calculator for a label and portion you enter yourself. For anyone with a nut, peanut, sesame, soy, or other food allergy, the database is not an allergen-safety resource: read the current label and account for cross-contact warnings.

Plan with the rest of the diet, not one ingredient​

These foods can be compared alongside vegetables, dairy & alternatives, and grains, starches & baked foods. Readers planning a vegetarian or vegan pattern can continue to the vegetarian keto framework or vegan keto guide; both require more than a net-carb lookup.

Complete nut, seed & legume record directory​

Browse all 52 selected USDA records in this nut, seed & legume 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.

Almond butter

Almond paste

Almonds unroasted

Baked beans

Baked beans vegetarian

Beans and tomatoes

Black beans

Brazil nuts

Cashew butter

Cashews unroasted

Chestnuts

Chia seeds

Chickpeas

Coconut

Coconut packaged

Flax seeds

Hazelnuts

Hummus

Kidney beans

Lentils

Macadamia nuts

Natto

Papad grilled or broiled

Peanut butter

Peanuts

Peanuts dry roasted

Peanuts unroasted

Pecans unroasted

Pine nuts

Pinto beans

Pork and beans

Pumpkin seeds

Refried beans

Sesame seeds

Soy nuts

Split peas

Sunflower seeds

Tahini

Walnuts excluding honey roasted

Wasabi peas

White beans

Source and method​

This hub organizes selected records from USDA FoodData Central’s Survey (FNDDS) release. Each linked page presents its food description, preparation state, FoodData Central ID, source portion, and per-100 g nutrient values. The directory does not assume a generic nut, seed, bean, or branded spread has the same composition as a named source record.

  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. Updated food-category guidance after final factual and editorial review
  2. First published

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