A keto diet is very low in carbs, which means many common foods and drinks are off-limits – including cow’s milk. Besides cow’s milk, what are the worst milks for keto?
Chocolate milk, strawberry milk, and barley milk are among the worst milks for keto because they are very high in carbs.
Those aren’t the only milks that aren’t keto-friendly. We’ll review all of the worst milks for keto in our list below!
What is the keto diet?
The ketogenic (keto) diet is a very low-carbohydrate diet. Keto dieters usually limit their carb intake to 50 grams or fewer per day, with some restricting carbs below 20 grams per day.
You’ll get most of your calories from fat on a ketogenic diet – up to 80% of them, to be exact!
That means that higher-carb foods like bread, fruit, and certain types of milk will be off-limits for keto.
Worst milks for keto
Barley milk
Barley is a grain, and grains are high in carbs. Barley milk contains 26 grams of carbs per cup, making it even higher in carbs than regular cow’s milk.
Buttermilk
Buttermilk is fermented cow’s milk, giving it a bit of a tangy flavor. Because it’s made from cow’s milk, buttermilk contains carbs (15 grams per cup) in the form of lactose (milk sugar).
Chocolate milk
Chocolate milk is the worst milk for keto because it’s so high in carbs. Just how many? One cup of chocolate milk contains a whopping 33 grams of carbs per cup – 16 grams of those come from added sugar.
Condensed milk
Condensed milk is sweetened cow’s milk with a lot of water removed. Condensed milk is used for things like making sweets and desserts – but not keto-friendly desserts with 22 grams of carbs in just two tablespoons!
Cow’s milk (all fat contents)
It doesn’t matter if it’s low-fat, full-fat, or skim – all types of cow’s milk contain carbs because of the natural milk sugar (lactose). One cup of cow’s milk contains around 12 grams of carbohydrates, which is too high for a keto diet.
Donkey milk
You aren’t very likely to find donkey milk in any grocery store, but if you do come across it, know that it’s not great for keto. Donkey milk is even higher in lactose (and therefore carbs) than cow’s milk with 18.5 grams of carbs per cup!
Lactose-free milk
You might think that lactose-free means carb-free (lactose is a sugar, after all!), but that’s not the case.
Lactose-free milk is simply regular cow’s milk with the lactase enzyme added to it. The addition of the lactase enzyme helps your body break down the lactose so you don’t experience unpleasant symptoms like gas, bloating, and diarrhea – all of which can occur with lactose intolerance.
Rice milk
Many non-dairy milk alternatives are low in carbs, such as almond milk and coconut milk. Rice milk is a non-dairy milk alternative that is not low in carbs, though.
Not only does rice milk have a high glycemic index, but it has as many carbs as cow’s milk per cup (13 grams per cup).
Strawberry milk
Like chocolate milk, strawberry milk packs way too many carbs to be keto-friendly. There are 27 grams of carbs in strawberry milk, and 14 grams of those are from added sugar (the rest are naturally occurring sugars in cow’s milk).
Nutritional comparison of the worst milks for keto
| Per cup (237 ml/8 oz.) | Calories | Total fat (saturated) | Total carbs | Total sugars (incl. added) | Protein |
| Barley milk | 140 | 3 g (0 g) | 26 g | 6 g (3 g) | 4 g |
| Buttermilk | 120 | 2.5 g (2 g) | 15 g | 11 g (0 g) | 10 g |
| Chocolate milk (2%) | 220 | 5 g (3.5 g) | 33 g | 31 g (16 g) | 11 g |
| Condensed milk (2 tbsp.) | 130 | 3 g (1.5 g) | 22 g | 21 g (18 g) | 3 g |
| Cow’s milk (2%) | 130 | 5 g (3 g) | 12 g | 12 g (0 g) | 8 g |
| Donkey milk | 100 | 0.25 g (0 g) | 18.5 g | 18.5 g (0 g) | 4.6 g |
| Lactose-free milk | 130 | 5 g (3 g) | 13 g | 12 g (0 g) | 8 g |
| Rice milk | 70 | 2.5 g (0 g) | 13 g | <1 g (0 g) | 0 g |
| Strawberry milk (whole) | 210 | 8 g (5 g) | 27 g | 25 g (14 g) | 8 g |
FAQs:
Regular cow’s milk and most types of yogurt aren’t keto-friendly, as well as the more obvious sweetened dairy products like ice cream and frozen yogurt. Cheese, butter, and full-fat cream are generally keto-friendly because they are mostly fat with little carbs.
Unsweetened almond milk and coconut milk are among the most popular keto-friendly milks because they are very low in carbs. Hemp milk is also an excellent keto option with zero grams of carbs per serving.
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