Potatoes & vegetables · Glycemic index
Do carrots spike blood sugar?
Not much. Carrots have a low GI of 32, and a 78 g serving (½ cup slices) has a low glycemic load of 1. Carrots have a low GI and very little digestible carbohydrate, so in normal portions they have almost no effect on blood sugar.
Key numbers
- Glycemic index
- 32
- Low GI
- Glycemic load
- 1
- Low GL
- Available carbs
- 4 g
- 2.3 g fiber
- Serving
- ½ cup slices
- 78 g · boiled
GI vs GL for carrots
The glycemic index (GI) compares how fast the carbohydrate in a food raises blood sugar against pure glucose (100), using a fixed amount of carbohydrate. The glycemic load (GL) adds the other half of the story — how much carbohydrate a normal serving actually contains: GI × available carbs ÷ 100. For carrots: 32 × 4 g ÷ 100 ≈ 1.
That figure is an average reported in the 2021 international GI tables (“Carrots, mean of two foods”). In the 2008 tables, four carrot studies (raw and boiled) averaged 39. Either way, carrots contain so little available carbohydrate that their glycemic load is tiny.
Eating a different amount? Work out the glycemic load of your portion.
How to eat carrots with less of a spike
- Use raw carrot sticks in place of crackers or chips for dipping.
- Add grated carrot to salads, slaws and sandwiches for crunch without much carbohydrate.
- Roast carrots with other vegetables as a side instead of a second starch.
Other low-GI choices
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Frequently asked questions
What is the glycemic index of carrots?
Carrots have a glycemic index of 32, which is low. That figure is an average reported in the 2021 international GI tables (“Carrots, mean of two foods”). A 78 g serving (½ cup slices) contains about 4 g of available carbohydrate, giving a glycemic load of 1 (low).
Is carrots good for prediabetes?
Carrots are an excellent vegetable for prediabetes, raw or cooked. The American Diabetes Association's Diabetes Plate lists them among the non-starchy vegetables that fill half the plate.
Are carrots high in sugar?
No. USDA data put boiled carrots at about 8 g of carbohydrate per 100 g, 3 g of it fiber, so a half-cup side has only a few grams of available carbohydrate.
Sources
GI values come from the international GI tables; carbohydrate and fiber per serving are calculated from USDA FoodData Central.
- Atkinson FS, Brand-Miller JC, Foster-Powell K, Buyken AE, Goletzke J. International tables of glycemic index and glycemic load values 2021: a systematic review. Am J Clin Nutr. 2021;114(5):1625–1632, Supplemental Table 1
- USDA FoodData Central, FDC ID 170394: Carrots, cooked, boiled, drained, without salt
- Atkinson FS, Foster-Powell K, Brand-Miller JC. International tables of glycemic index and glycemic load values: 2008 — online appendix, Table A1
- American Diabetes Association, Diabetes Food Hub — Create-Your-Plate: Simplify Meal Planning with the Diabetes Plate
Data last checked .