Pure tequila contains zero carbohydrates. A standard 1.5-ounce shot has roughly 97 calories, all of which come from the alcohol itself. The distillation process burns off the sugars from the agave plant, leaving behind a spirit with no carbs, no sugar, no fat, and no protein.
Why Tequila Has Zero Carbs
Agave plants are rich in natural sugars, which is what makes them useful for producing alcohol. During fermentation, yeast converts those sugars into ethanol. Then during distillation, the liquid is heated until the alcohol evaporates and is collected separately, leaving virtually all residual sugars behind. What ends up in the bottle is almost entirely water and ethanol.
This is true of nearly all distilled spirits. Vodka, whiskey, rum, and gin also contain zero carbs in their pure form. Tequila isn’t special in this regard, but it does stand out from beer (which typically has 10 to 15 grams of carbs per serving) and many wines (3 to 4 grams per glass).
100% Agave vs. Mixto Tequila
There are two broad categories of tequila, and the distinction matters here. Bottles labeled “100% agave” are made entirely from blue agave sugars. Mixto tequila, which simply says “tequila” on the label without the 100% agave designation, can derive up to 49% of its fermentable sugars from non-agave sources like cane sugar or corn syrup. Both types end up with zero or near-zero carbs after distillation, but mixto tequila is more likely to contain small amounts of additives after the fact.
Mexican regulations allow tequila producers to add up to 1% by weight of “mellowing” ingredients before bottling. These permitted additives include caramel coloring, oak extract, glycerin, and sugar-based syrup. In practice, this means some tequilas could contain trace amounts of sugar, though the quantity is too small to register meaningfully on a nutritional level. You’d be looking at well under 1 gram of carbs per serving even in a worst-case scenario.
Cristalino and Flavored Tequilas
Cristalino tequila is an aged tequila that has been charcoal-filtered to remove its color, producing a clear spirit with some barrel-aged character. The filtration process strips out certain flavor compounds, and producers sometimes reintroduce them using the same permitted additives (including sugar-based syrup) at up to 1% of volume. Again, carb content remains negligible.
Flavored tequilas are a different story. Products marketed as “tequila with natural flavors” or flavored tequila-based spirits often contain added sugars that can push the carb count significantly higher. These products don’t always list nutrition facts, since federal regulations from the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau do not require nutrient content labeling on alcohol beverages. If a bottle does include calorie or carb claims, the TTB requires those claims to be truthful and to list calories, carbohydrates, protein, and fat per serving. But many bottles simply don’t include this information at all.
Where the Carbs Really Come From
If you’re tracking carbs, the tequila itself isn’t the problem. The mixers are. Here’s how popular tequila drinks compare:
- Tequila neat or on the rocks: 0 grams of carbs, about 97 calories per 1.5-ounce shot.
- Ranch water (tequila, sparkling mineral water, fresh lime): roughly 1 gram of carbs from the lime juice. One of the lowest-carb tequila cocktails you can order.
- Paloma (tequila and grapefruit soda): 25 to 35 grams of carbs when made with sweetened grapefruit soda like Jarritos or Squirt. Using fresh grapefruit juice and soda water drops it to around 8 to 10 grams.
- Classic margarita (tequila, triple sec, lime juice): 20 to 30 grams of carbs in a standard restaurant pour, mostly from the orange liqueur and any added simple syrup. Frozen margaritas made from premixed concentrate can hit 50 grams or more.
- Canned tequila seltzers: typically 1 to 2 grams of carbs and 100 to 110 calories per can.
The simplest low-carb approach is mixing tequila with soda water and a squeeze of fresh citrus, or using zero-sugar mixers. A shot of blanco tequila with sparkling water and lime comes in at roughly 60 to 100 calories with barely any carbs.
Tequila, Blood Sugar, and Keto Diets
Tequila’s zero-carb profile makes it popular among people following ketogenic or low-carb diets. It won’t contribute glucose directly, but alcohol does affect blood sugar in indirect ways. Your liver prioritizes processing alcohol over its other jobs, including releasing stored glucose into your bloodstream. This temporarily suppresses blood sugar production and can increase insulin secretion, potentially causing a dip in blood sugar levels.
For most people, this effect is mild and short-lived. For anyone managing diabetes or taking blood sugar-lowering medication, the combination of alcohol and reduced glucose production can increase the risk of hypoglycemia, particularly on an empty stomach. Eating before or while drinking helps buffer this effect.
On a keto diet, the more relevant concern is that your body treats alcohol as a priority fuel source. While it’s processing the ethanol, fat burning slows down. The tequila itself won’t kick you out of ketosis through carbs, but it will temporarily pause the metabolic state you’re trying to maintain.