The Best Keto-Friendly Vegetable To Substitute For Roast Potatoes

Keto-friendly food substitutions are a popular way of reducing one's overall carb intake. Whether you're on a ketogenic diet or you're looking to swap in some healthier options, Ditch the Carbs offers some ideas for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. If you're making pancakes, for instance, you can use coconut flour instead of regular flour. Or if you're whipping up a bowl of pasta, you can swap in zoodles (spiralized zucchini noodles). The list goes on and on, as there are plenty of low-carb options for everyday ingredients. But when it comes to roasted potatoes, that list suddenly comes to a screeching halt.

Potatoes offer plenty of fiber and vitamins, but they're well-known for their high carb count (per Healthline). And while they're versatile enough to be mashed, fried, or roasted into several side dishes, it's difficult to substitute them with worthy low-carb options. Sweet potatoes are often used instead since they're lower on the GI scale but, according to Verywell Fit, one large sweet potato contains 37 grams of carbs.

But fear not, for we've found a keto-friendly swap for roasted potatoes. Here's what that is — and why it's our favorite.

The low-carbs potato alternative

According to Verywell Fit, radishes contain 3.9 grams of carbs, 19 calories, and .1 grams of fat per cup. Food blog Neurotic Mommy piggybacks on these nutritional facts by stating that radishes are also chock full of Vitamin C and help with blood pressure and congestion. But do radishes taste like potatoes? Rare Breed Farms certainly thinks so, as they explain that radishes become soft when roasted and take on the beloved flavor of potatoes, sans spicy radish notes.

To make these, Kicking Carbs suggests spacing out radishes in one layer rather than piling a bunch on top of each other. Radishes should also have little to no cracks and remain attached to their greens in the produce department (remove the greens before cooking, though). The source above recommends mixing the radishes with seasoned, melted butter, transferring them to a baking sheet, and roasting in an oven at 425 degrees Fahrenheit for 25-35 minutes. You can also swap in olive oil for butter and finish the roasted radishes with lemon juice for a splash of brightness.

Looking for a low-carb swap for roasted potatoes isn't so difficult. Radishes are low in carbs and have a similar texture and flavor to the beloved potato.