Chicken broth is one of the most keto-friendly foods you can find. A standard cup contains roughly 0.17 grams of carbohydrates, essentially zero fat, and less than 1 gram of protein. With nearly no carbs to speak of, plain chicken broth fits comfortably within even the strictest 20-gram daily carb limit.
Nutritional Breakdown Per Cup
A cup of standard chicken broth (like Swanson’s 99% fat-free variety) delivers about 0.17 grams of carbohydrates, 0.65 grams of protein, and 0.2 grams of fat. That’s negligible from a macronutrient standpoint. You could drink several cups a day without making a dent in your carb budget.
Bone broth is a different product with a richer nutritional profile. It’s simmered longer, which pulls collagen from the bones and converts it into gelatin, giving it a thicker texture. A cup of bone broth typically provides 8 to 10 grams of protein compared to just 2 to 6 grams in regular broth. Carbs remain very low in both versions. Bone broth runs around 50 calories per cup, while standard broth sits closer to 10 to 15. Both are solidly keto-friendly.
Watch for Hidden Carbs in Store-Bought Brands
Not all commercial broths are created equal. Some manufacturers add maltodextrin, a starch-derived thickener commonly used in soups at concentrations of 1 to 5 percent to create a fuller mouthfeel. Maltodextrin is essentially a chain of glucose molecules, and while the amount per serving is small, it adds carbs that don’t need to be there. Sugar is another additive that shows up on labels. Pacific Foods’ organic chicken broth, for example, lists 1 gram of sugar per serving.
The differences between brands are small in absolute terms, but they add up if you’re drinking multiple cups a day or if you’re counting every gram. Your safest bet is to check the nutrition label and ingredient list. Look for broths that list chicken, water, salt, and basic seasonings without added sugars, maltodextrin, or modified food starch. Organic and “clean label” brands tend to have simpler ingredient lists, but the label is always more reliable than the marketing on the front of the box.
Why Chicken Broth Helps During Keto
Chicken broth does more than just fit your macros. It plays a practical role in managing one of the most common complaints during the first week or two of a ketogenic diet: the keto flu. Symptoms like fatigue, dizziness, muscle cramps, irritability, and brain fog are largely driven by electrolyte imbalances. When you cut carbs dramatically, your kidneys flush sodium and potassium faster than usual, and those losses need to be replaced.
Chicken broth, especially the saltier varieties, delivers sodium directly. Bone broth adds potassium to the mix. Sipping a warm cup once or twice a day during the transition period can ease symptoms noticeably. It also contributes to your daily fluid intake, which matters because dehydration compounds electrolyte problems.
Broth, Bone Broth, and Intermittent Fasting
Many people on keto also practice intermittent fasting, which raises the question of whether broth breaks a fast. Technically, yes. Any food with calories breaks a strict water-only fast. But the practical answer depends on your goals.
Standard chicken broth has so few calories (roughly 10 to 15 per cup) that it produces a minimal insulin response. Bone broth, at around 50 calories and 10 grams of protein per cup, is slightly more substantial but still unlikely to trigger a meaningful insulin spike. Since bone broth contains no sugar, it doesn’t provoke the kind of glucose-driven insulin surge that would pull you out of a fat-burning state. Many people who fast for metabolic benefits rather than strict autophagy consider broth an acceptable exception, particularly because it helps maintain electrolyte balance during the fasting window.
Homemade vs. Store-Bought
Making chicken broth at home gives you complete control over what goes in. Simmer chicken bones or a carcass with water, salt, and aromatics like onion, garlic, and celery for a few hours, and you get a broth with zero hidden additives. If you simmer the bones for 12 to 24 hours, you’re making bone broth, which yields more protein and collagen.
Store-bought broth is perfectly fine for keto as long as you read the label. The carb counts across major brands are generally very low, typically under 1 gram per cup. The main variables are sodium content (which can range from 50 mg in low-sodium versions to over 800 mg in regular ones) and whether the manufacturer has added thickeners or sugars. If you’re using broth partly to replenish electrolytes, a moderate-sodium version actually works in your favor during the early weeks of keto, when your body is losing sodium quickly.