Does Tequila Have Carbs?

Just because you’re eating a keto diet doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy some tequila. Several studies find the Agave plant to boost immunity, improve bone health and fight off dementia.

But does tequila have carbs?

This post will go over everything you need to know about drinking tequila on keto. I’ll cover keto tequila cocktails, some alternatives and what alcoholic beverages to avoid.

Drinking Tequila On A Keto Diet: Yay Or Nay?

KetoConnect verdict: We give tequila a keto-friendly rating of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐(out of 5)

Tequila is keto-friendly because it contains zero carbs. Although it won’t spike blood sugar levels, drinking alcohol will impact ketosis. 

To understand how it does this, we must first know how alcohol is processed in our bodies. This process is super easy to understand.

Your body uses alcohol dehydrogenase to convert alcohol into acetaldehyde. This acetaldehyde is a highly toxic compound, and your liver will always prioritize it over anything else.

So since your liver stops everything to focus on processing this chemical, it pauses ketone production and fat burning for a short period.

However, alcohol just pauses fat burning; it isn’t as bad as eating a high-carb meal. When you eat carbs, you restore your liver glycogen levels, and your body has to erase the damage from the carbs and start from scratch.

Another way tequila or any alcoholic drink can affect your health is through inflammation. This is because alcohol is oxidative. It puts stress on your liver, leading to inflammation. So if you drink alcohol regularly, you’ll trigger chronic inflammation, which many doctors believe to be the root of all diseases.

Some of these adverse health effects include:

• Fatty liver disease
• Cancer
• Heart disease
• Diabetes

But this doesn’t mean you should avoid alcohol on keto. Alcohol in limited quantities isn’t harmful, and some medically-reviewed studies show it offers health benefits.

Tasty Keto-Friendly Tequila Cocktails

If you don’t feel like drinking tequila shots, here are some delicious drinks that you can make without kicking yourself out of ketosis. 

Keto Tequila Slammer

Traditionally, the Tequila Slammer is a shot. You make it by taking a shot glass and filling half with tequila and the other half with sugar-free Sprite. Next, you’ll cover your hand over the top of the glass, slam it on the table, and it’ll start fizzing. It’s consumed straight before it fizzes too much.

But let’s add a keto twist to it.

We’re turning it into a cocktail because when doing keto, you want to limit your alcohol consumption. So instead of shooting the drink, you sip on it, enjoy it and drink less alcohol.

You’ll only need three ingredients:

1. A rocks glass with a few cubes of ice
2. Pure Agave tequila
3. Sugar-free tonic water or Sprite Zero

So pour one shot of tequila into your rocks glass and top it off with some sugar-free tonic water or Sprite Zero. You can even add lime juice because it gives the drink a unique flavor.

Strawberry Keto Margarita

This mixed drink is the perfect summer option because it’s refreshing and fruity. To make a keto margarita, you’ll need:

• Blanco tequila
• Pineapple strawberry sparkling water (sugar-free)
• Pink Himalayan salt
• Ice
• Two strawberries

A keto margarita only contains 75 calories and three net carbs.

First, fill your glass with ice and add your strawberries. Next, cut one lime in half and squeeze it on the rim of a second cup. Take some pink Himalayan salt, sprinkle it into a plate and salt the edge of your glass.

Add one shot of tequila and sparkling water over your strawberries. Now, pour your cocktail into the second cup, garnish with some lime and enjoy.

Low-Carb Tequila Sunrise

This Tequila Sunrise is another yummy keto summer drink. But usually, you’ll use orange juice and grenadine syrup filled with sugar.

But for this keto recipe, you’ll only need:

• Blue Agave tequila
• Sugar-free orange juice
• Sugar-free pomegranate syrup

Tequila Sunrise contains around three to five grams of carbs, depending on what low-carb orange juice you’re using.

It’s also super easy to make. Get a glass and fill it with ice. Next, pour one shot of tequila, three ounces of low-carb orange juice and a half ounce pomegranate syrup. Stir and enjoy!

Now that we know how to make keto tequila cocktails, let’s look at other keto alcohol alternatives.

Other Keto-Friendly Alcohol Alternatives

When doing keto, don’t just look at carb content. You want to compare the number of carbs in your drink to the alcohol percentage. 

For example, some low-carb beers contain four grams of carbs. But the alcohol content is so low that you’d need to drink a lot to get drunk. And by that time, you’re already out of ketosis.

So here are some keto tequila alternatives.

Rum 

Any hard liquor that you can sip on is a good option for keto. Hard liquors don’t contain carbs, and the alcohol content is so high that you don’t need a lot. For example, you could get rum and just add some ice with a lime on the side.

Dark rum is perfect for anyone on a ketogenic diet because you don’t need to pour any mixes.

Vodka

Vodka is another keto option because it contains no carbs. If you’re going out with friends, drink vodka and diet soda because, unlike shots, you can sip on it and savor it. 

The longer you enjoy a drink, the less alcohol you’re consuming, which is good news for your health goals because you want a moderate alcohol intake to lose weight.

The possibilities with vodka are also endless. As long as you’re using low-carb mixers, you can enjoy almost all mixed drinks. Some of my favorites include:

• Vodka and diet soda
• Vodka and low-carb lemonade
• Vodka with water garnished with lemon or lime

Keto Wines

Many companies like Dry Farm Wines make wine for keto dieters. It contains no carbs, sugar, additives or preservatives, so it won’t kick you out of ketosis or trigger inflammation.

The alcohol percentage of Dry Farm Wines is also relatively low, so you can sip on and enjoy a glass without consuming much alcohol.

Some of my favorite wines from Dry Farm Wines are:

• Chianti
• Limestone Riesling
• Cabernet Franc

You’ll also notice that after you drink a significant amount of Dry Farm Wines, you won’t feel the hangover you usually do. This is due to the zero sugar, additive and preservative content.

This makes clean wines a perfect drink for anyone on keto.

Worst Alcoholic Drinks For Keto Dieters

If you’ve been drinking tequila for a while and you’re looking for an alternative, avoid drinks like beers and sugary cocktails. This is because they have a lot of carbs and additives.

Beer contains 13 grams of carbs per can, and if you’re drinking three beers, that’s almost 40 grams of carbs. Even though low-carb beers may be more keto-friendly, you need to drink so much to get drunk, and you’ll increase your carb intake.

Sugary cocktails like Bloody Mary, Moscow Mule and Cosmopolitan are worse than beer. These drinks contain over 15 grams of sugar per cup. So you want to avoid them at all costs.

We also have recipes for keto old fashioned, keto martini and a keto margarita.

Final Word On Drinking Tequila On Keto

Drinking tequila on a high-fat diet is a keto-friendly way to enjoy yourself with friends and loved ones. Pure Agave tequila contains no carbs and sugars thanks to its distillation process. If you don’t like drinking tequila straight, use low-carb mixes like Sprite Zero.

However, moderate drinking is key. Drinking excessively triggers inflammation and puts unnecessary strain on your liver, leading to an increased risk of fatty liver disease and other chronic conditions.

Written by

Expert Fact Checker