Is carrot good for diabetics?
Boiled carrot is a low-glycemic food: its glycemic index is 32 (one lab test). A serving of 1/2 cup slices (2.8 oz, 78 g) has 6.4 g of carbs and 2.3 g of fiber, a glycemic load of about 1.
This page is for people with diabetes or prediabetes. The glycemic index compares foods, and the glycemic load on this page adjusts it for a real serving. If you follow a meal plan from your care team, use these numbers within it.
Carbs in a serving
| Per 1/2 cup slices (2.8 oz, 78 g) | Amount |
|---|---|
| Total carbohydrate | 6.4 g |
| Fiber | 2.3 g |
| Sugars | 2.7 g |
| Carbs minus fiber | 4.1 g |
| Glycemic load (GI × carbs minus fiber ÷ 100) | 1 |
USDA FoodData Central, Carrots, cooked, boiled, drained, without salt. Glycemic load uses the median GI below.
Glycemic index tests
| Food as tested | GI | Category | Country |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carrots, unpeeled, boiled | 32 | low | Australia |
Glucose = 100. Categories from the International Tables: low 55 or less, medium 56 to 69, high 70 or more. Only tests that met the ISO 26642:2010 method (Supplemental Table 1).
Compared with similar foods
| Food | Portion | GI | Carbs | Glycemic load |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carrot | 1/2 cup slices (2.8 oz, 78 g) | 32 | 6.4 g | 1 |
| Pumpkin | 1 cup, mashed (8.6 oz, 245 g) | 66 | 12 g | 6 |
| Potato | 1/2 cup (2.8 oz, 78 g) | 66 | 15.7 g | 9 |
| Sweet potato | 1 cup (7.1 oz, 200 g) | 87 | 41.4 g | 30 |
Same food group in the International Tables, each at its usual US portion (USDA).
How much the glycemic index matters
Studies and guidelines do not agree on how much weight to give the glycemic index.
- Level C A year after the World Health Organization set the glycemic index aside, a meta-analysis of cohorts each over a hundred thousand people linked high glycemic index diets to more diabetes, heart disease and death. Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology, 2024
- Level E The World Health Organization examined the glycemic index, found it inconsistent, and refused to build guidance on it. Carbohydrate intake for adults and children: WHO guideline, 2023
- Level C Glycemic index and glycemic load, the other two ways of judging carbohydrate, held up far worse than fiber in the same analysis. Reynolds et al., The Lancet, 2019
In practice
Carrots taste sweet, but the numbers are small. Half a cup of boiled carrot slices has 6.4 g of carbs and 2.3 g of fiber, a glycemic load of about 1.
The GI of 32 comes from a single ISO test of boiled carrots in healthy adults. Raw carrots were not tested to the same standard, so we do not give them a number. Carrot juice is a different food and is not covered here.
If you count carbs for insulin, a half cup side of boiled carrots is about 6 g of carbs. Glazed carrots are a different food, since the sugar in the glaze adds its own carbs.
Written from the agency positions and data on this page, reviewed by the Bioma editorial system. How we verify.
Keep exploring
Sources
- Atkinson FS et al. 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, PMID 34258626, doi:10.1093/ajcn/nqab233 (accessed 2026-10-12)
- USDA FoodData Central, SR Legacy (2018): Carrots, cooked, boiled, drained, without salt, FDC ID 170394
- USDA FoodData Central, SR Legacy (2018): Pumpkin, cooked, boiled, drained, without salt, FDC ID 168449
- USDA FoodData Central, SR Legacy (2018): Potatoes, boiled, cooked in skin, flesh, without salt, FDC ID 170438
- USDA FoodData Central, SR Legacy (2018): Sweet potato, cooked, baked in skin, flesh, without salt, FDC ID 168483
- Evidence cards: each study above links to its source. Card review dates are listed in our methodology.
Sources checked 2026-10-12. Bioma Learn provides information, not medical advice.