Are Peas Keto Friendly?

Green peas belong to the same carb-rich family as black beans. They're more keto-friendly than beans, but with 12.7 g of net carbs and 8.2 g of sugar per 1 cup serving, they aren't free. To avoid going over your daily carb count, consider limiting yourself to half a cup or less.

On top of being more keto-friendly than beans, peas are full of vitamins and nutrients. A single serving of peas contains 13% of your daily vitamin C, necessary for building and repairing cell tissue. It also includes 16% of your recommended intake of folate, an essential ingredient in red and white blood cell production. Additionally, the antioxidants in peas have anti-inflammatory properties and may protect against some cancers.

Keto-friendly pea recipes follow a simple formula: add fat. Make peas the centerpiece of your meal with a low-carb split pea soup. Or spice up any dish with a side of creamy pea salad. Lather your peas in mayonnaise, bacon, and cheese, and you'll wish you could have more.

Remember: we're talking about green peas here. Some types of peas, such as snow peas, are slightly more keto-friendly with just 3.1 g of net carbs. Other varieties, such as black-eyed peas, contain far too many carbs to be keto-compatible.