A ketogenic diet is one built on very limited amounts of carbs, often 20 to 50 grams (g) of net carbs per day. (Net carbs is grams of total carbohydrates minus fiber grams.) That is not a lot, and because alcohol is known for containing carbs, you might think that you can’t drink on a keto diet.
If you like the occasional glass of wine, you’re in luck: “Yes, you can drink alcohol on a keto diet,” says April Murray, RD, founder of Orange County Nutrition Coaching in Costa Mesa, California.
Because the amount of carbs varies so much between hard liquor, mixed drinks, beer, and wine, choosing the right one matters when it comes to keeping your body in ketosis, a state where your body is burning fat for its primary fuel rather than carbohydrates. “Alcohol can be keto-friendly, but too much can slow down your weight loss progress,” says Lauren Weiss, PhD, a keto nutritionist in La Jolla, California. “When you’re on a low-carb, high-fat diet, your liver metabolism changes because glycogen stores in your body have been depleted. When you drink alcohol, your body may use the alcohol for energy instead of fat,” she says. If that happens too often, it can stall your progress.
For general health guidelines, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends adults drink alcohol moderately. That’s defined as one standard drink per day for women and two standard drinks per day for men. A standard drink is equivalent to 12 ounces (oz) of beer, 5 oz of wine, or 1.5 oz of liquor.
Yet for keto dieters, having a drink every day is going to be too much. “While an occasional drink is okay, drinking daily may slow down the fat-burning process,” says Dr. Weiss. Alcohol, after all, is empty calories — and when it comes to maximizing your nutrition on a keto diet, alcohol should be limited.
When you do drink, follow these expert-approved guidelines for the best and worst alcohol choices:
5 Alcoholic Drinks You Can Have in Moderation on the Keto Diet
Dry White Wine
Varietals like sauvignon blanc, Italian pinot grigio, and pinot blanc are lower-carb options, says Weiss. “All of these contain around 1 g of carbs per oz, or less,” she says. One 5-oz glass of sauvignon blanc, for instance, has 3 g of carbs, 0 g of fat, and 0.1 g of protein, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Dry Red Wine
Weiss recommends a cabernet sauvignon, pinot noir, or merlot, which are drier varietals that offer fewer carbs per oz than sweeter red wines. One glass of cabernet sauvignon has 3.8 g of carbs, 0 g of fat, and 0.1 g of protein. If you’re looking for a great brand, she likes Dry Farm Wines, a wine club that supplies small farm–sourced sugar-free and lower-in-alcohol wines.
Champagne or Prosecco
Start popping bottles (responsibly). Champagne gets the go-ahead from Weiss because it will have less than 1 g of carbs per oz. Go for brut (rather than “extra dry” or “sweet”), which has a lower amount of carbs. A standard 5-oz glass of of a California champagne called Korbel has 4 g of carbs, 0 g of fat, and 0 g of protein.
Hard Liquor
“Spirits don’t have carbs,” says Olivia Wagner, RDN, integrative dietitian-nutritionist. Have 1 oz of your favorite hard liquor — vodka, tequila, rum, gin, or whiskey — and add a mixer like soda water or a flavored sparkling water (like LaCroix or Waterloo) for a drink with no calories, sugar, or carbohydrates. For reference, one shot of tequila has 0 g each of carbs, fat, and protein, for 97 calories. Note that alcohol has 7 calories per gram.
Mojito
A standard mojito — made from rum, lime juice, mint, sugar, and soda water — contains just 5 g of net carbs (as well as 0 g fat and 0.2 g protein). It’ll account for a lot of carbs that day, but it is possible to fit one in on a day when you really want a mixed drink. But you can do even better with a twist on the mojito, says Wagner. Leave out the sugar, and add rum to muddled mint, soda water, and top with a lime twist.
The 5 Worst Alcohol Choices on a Keto Diet
Beer
Sorry, but whether you like fancy IPAs, ales, or lagers, beer, unless it’s light, is out. (A 12-oz can of Bud Light, for example, contains only 4.6 g of carbs.) “Beer is made with barley, which is then converted to sugar. Then, yeast is added, which acts on that sugar and increases carbs even more,” says Weiss. Considering that a can of beer (12 fluid oz) has 13 g of carbs, 0 g of fat, and 1.7 g of protein, you can have one beer and then have to severely limit the rest of your carbs for the day. “If you waste carbs on beer, you can’t have green veggies or berries,” she says. All that to say, it’s not a healthy way to use of your carb allotment. (Oh, and if you can’t live without beer, the keto diet is probably not right for you, she says.)
Vodka Tonic
Tonic water contains a ton of sugar. It’s deceptive because it’s often confused with soda water, which is just carbonated H20 (meaning no carbs or calories). On the other hand, a vodka tonic has 15 g of carbs (all from added sugar in the tonic water), 0 g of fat, and 0 g of protein.
Diet Coke (or Regular Coke) and Rum
Some people on a keto diet choose to consume artificial sweeteners. While they are technically keto-friendly, experts generally advise against it. “I have clients who lose weight just by cutting out diet sodas,” says Murray. It also goes without saying that soda of any kind — including regular, nondiet soda — is not allowed on keto. A 12-oz can of Coca-Cola contains a whopping 39 g of carbs!
Mixed Drinks
Most mixed drinks are a combination of hard liquor plus sugar, fruit juice, or purees. A couple of examples? An Old-Fashioned (made with sugar, bitters, and whiskey) has 10.1 g of net carbs, 0.1 g of fat, and 0.3 g of protein. A margarita has 36 g of carbs, 0.2 g of fat, and 0.2 g of protein.
Mimosa
Yes, it’s made with Champagne or prosecco, but it also has a hefty amount of orange juice, which means a lot of sugar. If you’re on a strict keto diet and aiming for 20 g of net carbs per day, this one drink will eat up more than one-half your carb budget. One mimosa has 12.9 g of net carbs, 0.1 g of fat, and less than 1 g of protein.
