How many carbs are in banana?
Banana has 26.9 g of total carbs per 1 medium (118 g) — about 23.8 g net carbs after 3.1 g of fiber. That's 22.8 g of carbs per 100 g, roughly 10% of the 275 g Daily Value.
USDA FoodData Central · raw · FDC 173944
Carbs by portion
| Portion | Total carbs | Net carbs | Fiber | Sugar | Calories |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 medium (118 g) | 26.9 g | 23.8 g | 3.1 g | 14.4 g | 105 |
| 100 g | 22.8 g | 20.2 g | 2.6 g | 12.2 g | 89 |
| 1 oz (28 g) | 6.5 g | 5.8 g | 0.7 g | 3.5 g | 25 |
Net carbs = total carbs − fiber (the carbs that raise blood sugar, used in keto/low-carb tracking). Values computed from USDA per-100 g data (FDC 173944, SR Legacy). raw.
A banana is the fruit people picture when they think “natural energy” — and the macros back it up. One medium banana (118 g) carries about 27 g of total carbs, of which roughly 14 g is sugar, at 22.8 g of carbs per 100 g. That makes it one of the more carbohydrate-dense fresh fruits you’ll grab, with only ~1 g of protein and almost no fat. When someone asks “how many carbs in a banana,” the honest answer is: a lot, and most of it is sugar.
Net carbs and why a banana is hard on keto
The number that matters for keto, low-carb and blood-sugar tracking is net carbs — total carbs minus fiber. A banana has about 3 g of fiber, so it nets out to roughly 24 g net carbs per medium fruit. That fiber buffer is real but modest, and 24 g is enough to spend most of a strict keto budget (20–50 g net carbs a day) on a single snack. So bananas are generally not keto and only cautiously low-carb — if you’re counting tightly, berries or avocado deliver far fewer net carbs per serving.
Natural sugar, but still sugar
Here’s the distinction worth keeping straight: the ~14 g of sugar in a banana is intrinsic fruit sugar, not added sugar. It comes packaged with fiber, potassium (~420 mg) and vitamins, and that matrix slows digestion compared with the same sugar poured into soda. As a banana ripens, starch converts to sugar, so a spotty-brown banana is sweeter and has a higher glycemic load than a greenish one. None of that makes a banana “bad” — it’s a genuinely good whole food — but it does mean a banana behaves more like an energy fruit than a low-sugar one, and a diabetic-friendly plan treats it as a portioned carb rather than a free food.
If you want the other side of the label, see protein in banana — and for any packaged banana product (chips, bread, smoothies), read the label’s own carb and added-sugar lines, since those numbers diverge sharply from the fresh fruit.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many carbs are in a banana?
About 27 g of total carbohydrate in one medium banana (118 g), which is 22.8 g per 100 g (USDA FDC 173944). That makes banana one of the higher-carb fresh fruits — most of those grams are natural sugar.
How much sugar is in a banana?
Roughly 14 g of sugar in a medium banana (12.2 g per 100 g, USDA FDC 173944), and it climbs as the fruit ripens and starch turns to sugar. It's natural fruit sugar, not added sugar — it arrives with fiber, potassium and vitamins, which is the meaningful difference.
What are the net carbs in a banana?
About 24 g net carbs per medium banana — total carbs (27 g) minus 3 g of fiber. That's a lot for a single piece of fruit, which is why banana is hard to fit into strict low-carb tracking.
Is a banana keto or low-carb?
No. At ~24 g net carbs, one banana can use up most or all of a typical 20–50 g daily keto budget, so bananas are usually off the menu on keto and tightly limited on low-carb plans. For low-sugar fruit, berries or avocado fit far better.
Is the sugar in a banana bad for you?
It's different from added sugar. The ~14 g in a banana is intrinsic fruit sugar bound up with fiber, potassium (~420 mg) and vitamins, so it digests more slowly than the same sugar in candy or soda. A ripe banana still has a moderate-to-high glycemic load, so portion and pairing matter — but a whole banana is not the same as a spoon of table sugar.
When was this data last verified?
2026-06-04, against USDA FoodData Central FDC 173944 (Bananas, raw; SR Legacy). We re-verify reference pages periodically.
Whole-food values are USDA reference data, not a Labelgrade (that score is for branded packaged products). See our methodology and the macro calculator to turn this into a daily target.