How Many Carbs Are Broccoli? | Net Carbs By Serving

One cup of chopped raw broccoli has about 6 grams of carbs, with nearly 2.4 grams of fiber, so the net carb load stays modest.

Broccoli is one of those foods people toss into all kinds of eating plans. Low-carb eaters buy it by the bag. Meal preppers roast whole trays of it. Home cooks pair it with chicken, pasta, rice, eggs, and soup because it fits almost anywhere. Still, the carb question comes up a lot, and for good reason. “Low in carbs” can mean one thing in casual talk and another when you’re logging food down to the gram.

The short version is simple: broccoli is not carb-free, but it is carb-light for the amount of food you get. A decent serving gives you volume, crunch, and fiber without pushing your carb total very far. That matters if you track total carbs, net carbs, or both.

What changes the number most is the form on your plate. Raw broccoli, steamed broccoli, frozen broccoli, and cooked broccoli all land in a similar range, though water loss and serving size can make the label look different. A heaping cup of roasted florets won’t match a tightly packed cup of chopped raw florets gram for gram.

This article breaks it down in plain terms, so you can tell what broccoli adds to your daily carb count, what net carbs look like after fiber, and how serving size shifts the math in real meals.

How Many Carbs Are Broccoli? Raw Vs Cooked

If you start with raw broccoli, the carb count is low and steady. USDA data puts raw broccoli at 6.64 grams of total carbohydrate per 100 grams, with 2.6 grams of fiber and 1.7 grams of sugar. That leaves a net carb figure near 4 grams per 100 grams when you subtract fiber from total carbs.

Cooked broccoli stays in the same lane, though the numbers move a bit because cooking changes water content. Boiled, drained broccoli comes in at about 7.2 grams of carbs per 100 grams, with around 3.3 grams of fiber. So the net carb figure still lands under 4 grams per 100 grams.

That’s why broccoli shows up so often in low-carb meal plans. You can eat a satisfying portion and still stay on track. A big bowl feels like a lot of food, yet the carb count stays far lower than starchy sides like potatoes, corn, rice, or pasta.

It also helps to separate “broccoli is low carb” from “broccoli has no carbs.” Those are not the same. Broccoli does contain carbs. They’re just modest, and a fair chunk comes from fiber, which changes how many people count it in daily totals.

Total Carbs Vs Net Carbs

Total carbs are the full carbohydrate amount listed for a food. That includes fiber and naturally occurring sugars. Net carbs are usually calculated by subtracting fiber from total carbs. Many people use net carbs when they want a tighter picture of digestible carbs.

Using the USDA figures, 100 grams of raw broccoli gives you 6.64 grams of total carbs and 2.6 grams of fiber. That works out to about 4.04 grams of net carbs. For cooked broccoli, 7.2 grams of carbs minus about 3.3 grams of fiber leaves close to 3.9 grams of net carbs.

That’s a pretty friendly profile. The total carb number is modest, and the net carb number stays modest too. So whether you track total carbs or net carbs, broccoli tends to fit with ease.

Why Serving Size Matters More Than People Think

The biggest place people get tripped up is portion size. A food can be low in carbs per 100 grams and still add up if you eat several cups at once. Broccoli still stays reasonable, though the total changes fast when you move from a side portion to a giant stir-fry skillet.

A cup of chopped raw broccoli weighs much less than a packed cup of cooked broccoli. Roasting shrinks volume. Boiling softens the florets. Frozen broccoli may carry a serving size that doesn’t match what you scoop onto your plate. That’s why numbers can look all over the place across apps and labels.

If you want the cleanest count, weigh your broccoli. If you want the fastest count, use cups and accept that the number is close, not exact. For most people, that’s enough.

Carbs In Common Broccoli Portions

Here’s where broccoli gets easy to use in daily meals. In normal kitchen portions, the carb count stays low enough that you can build around it without much stress. Say you throw a cup into an omelet, steam a cup for dinner, or roast two cups for lunch prep. You’re still not dealing with a heavy carb food.

USDA data also makes one thing clear: broccoli gives you a lot of food for the carb count. That’s a nice trade if you like plates that look full.

Broccoli Portion	Total Carbs	Net Carbs
100 g raw broccoli	6.64 g	4.04 g
1 cup chopped raw broccoli (about 91 g)	About 6.0 g	About 3.6 g
1/2 cup chopped raw broccoli	About 3.0 g	About 1.8 g
100 g cooked broccoli	About 7.2 g	About 3.9 g
1/2 cup cooked broccoli	About 3.3 g	About 1.8 g
1 cup cooked broccoli	About 6.6 g	About 3.6 g
2 cups cooked broccoli	About 13.2 g	About 7.2 g
1 medium stalk cooked broccoli	About 12.9 g	About 7.0 g

Those numbers make broccoli easy to slot into lunch and dinner. A standard serving lands low enough that the rest of the meal usually matters more. The carb load from breading, sauce, rice, noodles, or sweet glazes can outpace the broccoli by a wide margin.

If you’re eating broccoli at a restaurant, that point gets even sharper. Plain steamed broccoli stays light. Broccoli coated in a sweet stir-fry sauce or folded into a casserole is another story. In those meals, the broccoli itself is rarely the carb issue.

If you want a source page to compare values, USDA FoodData Central is the best place to start. It’s the standard database many nutrition tools pull from, and it helps explain why raw and cooked entries can look different across apps.

What Fiber Changes In Broccoli

Fiber is a big reason broccoli feels so carb-friendly. A decent share of its carbs comes from fiber rather than sugars. That lowers the net carb count and also makes broccoli more filling than many foods with a similar carb total.

For raw broccoli, 2.6 of the 6.64 grams of carbs per 100 grams come from fiber. Cooked broccoli brings that fiber share up a bit on a per-100-gram basis. So even when total carbs rise slightly after cooking, net carbs stay in a similar zone.

This also helps explain why broccoli works well in meals built around satiety. You’re not just getting a small carb number on paper. You’re getting bulk and bite from a vegetable that holds its own on the plate.

The FDA sets the daily value for fiber at 28 grams on a 2,000-calorie diet, and that gives useful context for broccoli servings. A cup or two of broccoli won’t get you all the way there, though it can make a solid dent without much carb cost. You can check that benchmark on the FDA Daily Value page.

Is Broccoli Good For Keto Or Low-Carb Diets?

For most people, yes. Broccoli fits well on keto and low-carb plans because the net carbs stay modest, even in generous portions. A cup of cooked broccoli lands around 3.5 to 4 net carbs, which is manageable for many carb budgets.

That doesn’t mean “eat endless bowls and stop counting.” It still has carbs. If you eat very large portions, the total rises with them. Still, broccoli is one of the easier vegetables to work into a lower-carb day without crowding out other foods.

Cauliflower, zucchini, spinach, cabbage, and broccoli all sit in that same practical lane. Broccoli stands out because it’s sturdy, easy to roast, and satisfying enough to feel like a side dish rather than a garnish.

How Cooking Changes The Carb Count On Your Plate

Cooking doesn’t load broccoli with extra carbs on its own. What it does is change water content and texture. When broccoli softens and loses water, the numbers per 100 grams can shift. That’s why cooked broccoli may show a touch more carbs per 100 grams than raw broccoli, even though it’s still the same vegetable.

The real carb swing comes from what you add. Butter adds fat, not carbs. Olive oil adds fat, not carbs. Cheese sauce, teriyaki sauce, honey glazes, bread crumbs, and creamy soup bases can push the meal higher in carbs fast.

So if you’re counting carefully, don’t stop at the broccoli. Count the extras. Plain roasted broccoli and broccoli in a sweet takeout sauce live in very different carb neighborhoods.

Broccoli Dish Style	What Changes	Carb Effect
Plain steamed broccoli	No sauce, little added fat	Stays low
Roasted broccoli with oil	Water cooks off, oil adds no carbs	Still low
Broccoli with cheese sauce	Sauce may include starch or milk solids	Rises some
Sweet stir-fry broccoli	Sugary sauce coats florets	Rises fast
Broccoli casserole	Crumbs, rice, pasta, soup base, or flour	Often much higher

Raw, Frozen, And Roasted Broccoli

Frozen broccoli is usually close to fresh broccoli from a carb standpoint, plain and simple. The label may differ a little based on cut size, whether it includes stems, and whether the brand uses a raw or cooked reference entry. Still, plain frozen broccoli is usually a safe stand-in when fresh isn’t handy.

Roasted broccoli can seem “higher carb” if you go by cups alone, since roasting shrinks the florets and lets you eat more grams in the same bowl. That’s not a bad thing. It just means volume can fool you. A small bowl of roasted broccoli may hold more actual broccoli than a big bowl of raw florets.

For that reason, weight beats volume when accuracy matters. If accuracy doesn’t matter that much, a cup estimate still gets you close enough for day-to-day eating.

Best Ways To Count Broccoli Carbs In Real Meals

If you want a simple rule, use one of these three approaches.

Use 4 Net Carbs Per 100 Grams

This is the cleanest shortcut. Raw and cooked broccoli both land near 4 net carbs per 100 grams. That won’t be exact in every case, though it’s close enough for most home meals.

Use 4 Net Carbs Per Cup Cooked

If you eat broccoli as a side, this is an easy memory cue. One cup cooked is still modest in carbs and easy to fit into dinner plans.

Count Sauces On The Side

When the meal looks carb-heavy, the extra carbs usually come from the sauce, topping, or base. Count the broccoli, then count the add-ons as separate pieces. That keeps the math honest.

Where Broccoli Fits Best In A Carb-Conscious Kitchen

Broccoli works best when you want a side that feels hearty without acting like a starch. It pairs well with salmon, chicken, beef, eggs, tofu, and casseroles built around protein. It also bulks up bowls and skillets, which helps meals feel satisfying without leaning on bread or grains.

If you’re trimming carbs, broccoli is a strong swap for peas, corn, potatoes, or pasta sides. If you’re not trimming carbs and just want better balance, it still earns a spot because it gives you volume and fiber for a mild carb cost.

So, how many carbs are in broccoli? Not many. Enough to count, not enough to fear. In plain servings, broccoli stays one of the easier vegetables to fit into almost any eating style.