One cup of halved strawberries has about 11.7 grams of carbs, with 3 grams of fiber and about 8.6 grams of net carbs.
If you want a plain number, that’s it: 1 cup of raw strawberry halves comes in at 11.67 grams of carbohydrate. That serving is light on calories, solid on fiber, and sweet enough to work in breakfast, snacks, or dessert without tipping a meal off balance.
That number also tells a fuller story. A cup of strawberries gives you 3.04 grams of fiber, 7.08 grams of sugar, and just under 49 calories. So the carb count is not just sugar. Part of it comes from fiber, and that slows the pace of the fruit on your plate.
Carbs In 1 Cup Strawberries And What That Serving Means
The standard figure for this article comes from URMC’s nutrition entry for raw strawberries, which lists 1 cup of halves at 11.67 grams of carbohydrate. Since the serving is measured as cupfuls of halved berries, it matches the way most people actually eat them.
Here’s the plain breakdown:
- Total carbs: 11.67 g
- Fiber: 3.04 g
- Sugars: 7.08 g
- Net carbs: about 8.63 g after subtracting fiber
- Calories: 48.64
That puts strawberries in a friendly spot among fruits. You get sweetness, bulk, and a lot of water for a carb load that stays modest. If you’re stacking fruit into yogurt, oats, cereal, or a smoothie bowl, that matters.
Why The Number Feels Lower Than Expected
Strawberries taste sweet, so people often guess the carb total will land higher. But most of the berry is water, and the fruit packs a fair bit of fiber for such a small calorie load. The result is a cup that feels generous in the bowl while staying pretty tame on the label.
That’s also why strawberries are easy to portion. A cup looks like a decent serving, not a skimpy one, and you don’t have to squint at the bowl and wonder what just happened to your carb budget.
What Can Shift The Carb Count
The 11.67-gram figure applies to raw strawberry halves. Once the berries are sweetened, dried, blended with juice, or turned into jam, the math changes fast. Even a packed measuring cup can edge higher than a loose one.
- Raw, plain berries stay near the listed number.
- Frozen unsweetened berries usually stay in the same range.
- Sweetened frozen berries, syrup-packed fruit, and preserves jump up fast.
- Toppings matter too. Honey, granola, and sweet yogurt can outrun the berries in a hurry.
What You Get In That One-Cup Serving
Carbs get the headline, but the rest of the label is worth a glance. That same cup brings 89.38 milligrams of vitamin C and 232.56 milligrams of potassium, along with a small amount of protein and almost no fat. So the bowl earns its spot on more than taste alone.
If you track labels, the FDA Daily Values give the numbers a bit more shape. A cup of strawberries lands at about 4% of the daily value for total carbohydrate and about 11% for fiber. Vitamin C is the standout here, nearly a full day’s worth in one cup.
| Nutrient | Amount In 1 Cup | What It Means On The Plate |
|---|---|---|
| Total Carbs | 11.67 g | Light enough for most meals and snacks |
| Fiber | 3.04 g | Adds bulk and trims net carbs |
| Net Carbs | 8.63 g | Useful for low-carb meal math |
| Sugars | 7.08 g | Sweet taste without a huge sugar load |
| Calories | 48.64 | A full cup stays under 50 calories |
| Protein | 1.02 g | Not much on its own |
| Fat | 0.46 g | Close to none |
| Vitamin C | 89.38 mg | Near a full day’s value |
| Potassium | 232.56 mg | A nice extra in a small serving |
How Many Carbs Are In 1 Cup Strawberries? When Label Math Matters
This question comes up most when someone is tracking blood sugar, trimming carbs, or trying to build a snack that won’t leave them hungry again in half an hour. Strawberries fit well in all three cases, but the way you count them changes the read.
For Blood Sugar Tracking
The ADA’s carb guidance points people back to total carbohydrate on the label, not just net carbs. That makes strawberries pretty straightforward: count the full 11.67 grams first, then fit the serving into the rest of your meal.
Pairing the berries with Greek yogurt, cottage cheese, nuts, or eggs can also make the snack feel steadier. The fruit brings the sweetness; the pairing brings staying power.
For Lower-Carb Eating
If you use net carbs, one cup lands at about 8.63 grams after subtracting fiber. That’s why strawberries show up so often in lower-carb meal plans. You still get a real fruit serving, not a token garnish.
A plain bowl is easy to fit into the day. A bowl loaded with sweetened yogurt, syrup, banana, and granola is a different story. In mixed dishes, the add-ins usually drive the carb total more than the strawberries do.
For Weight-Loss Meal Planning
Volume helps. A cup of halved strawberries takes up room, tastes sweet, and stays under 50 calories. That makes it handy when you want dessert energy without the usual dessert cost.
It also works as a swap in a few common spots:
- On top of plain yogurt instead of fruit jam
- With whipped cottage cheese instead of sweet pudding
- As a side with eggs or toast instead of hash browns
- Frozen and blended into a thick snack instead of ice cream
Daily Value View For One Cup
Daily values don’t decide whether a food is “good” or “bad.” They do help you see where a serving is tiny, middling, or hefty. For strawberries, the carb load stays small while fiber and vitamin C pull more weight.
| Label Item | Amount In 1 Cup | Share Of Daily Value |
|---|---|---|
| Total Carbohydrate | 11.67 g | About 4% |
| Dietary Fiber | 3.04 g | About 11% |
| Vitamin C | 89.38 mg | About 99% |
| Potassium | 232.56 mg | About 5% |
A Simple Way To Read The Bowl
If you just want the practical take: 1 cup of strawberries is a lower-carb fruit serving that still feels generous. It gives you enough sweetness to scratch the itch, enough fiber to make the serving feel worthwhile, and enough bulk that it doesn’t vanish in three bites.
Best Times To Use It
A cup of strawberries works well when you want fruit with breakfast, a light dessert after dinner, or a snack that won’t crowd out the rest of your meal. It also fits nicely beside richer foods, since the berries bring brightness without much baggage.
So if the question is strictly about carbs, the number is 11.67 grams per cup of raw halves. If the question is whether that serving is easy to fit into real life, the answer is yes for most people.
References & Sources
- University of Rochester Medical Center.“Strawberries, raw, 1 cup, halves.”Provides the carb, fiber, sugar, calorie, vitamin C, and potassium values used for the serving size in this article.
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration.“Daily Value on the Nutrition and Supplement Facts Labels.”Gives the daily value benchmarks used to show what one cup contributes on a standard nutrition label.
- American Diabetes Association.“Get to Know Carbs.”Explains why total carbohydrate is the main number to track and why “net carbs” can be less reliable.