What is a Carb Serving?
Use this chart to look up serving sizes of many common foods. Some foods, such as fresh fruit,
don’t have labels. Also, when you eat away from home, food may be removed from its packaging.
Remember: One carb serving = 15 grams of carbohydrate
Fruit
Apple
Apricots
Applesauce (unsweetened)
Banana
Berries
Cantaloupe
Canned fruit (drained)
Dried Fruit
Figs, fresh
Grapefruit
Grapes or Cherries
Juice (100% fruit, check label)
Kiwi
Mango
1 small, 4 oz.
4 fresh
½ cup
1 small, 4 oz.
1 cup
1/3 small
½ cup
Check label
2 medium
½ large
6-10 large/12-18 small
3-4 oz
1 large
½ large/cup
Melon
Mixed fresh fruit
Nectarine
Orange
Papaya cubes
Peach
Pear
Pineapple, fresh
Pineapple, canned (drained)
Plums
Prunes, dried
Raisins
Tangerine
Watermelon
1 cup
1 cup
1 medium
1 small, 6.5 oz
1 cup
1 medium
½ large
¾ cup
½ cup
2 small
3 each
2 Tablespoons
2 small
1 cup
STARCHES/BREAD
Bagel (check label)
Barley
Beans, peas, lentils, corn (cooked)
Biscuit
Bread (check label)
Bun, hot dog/hamburger
Cereal, cold flaked or cooked
Couscous
Crackers
English Muffin
Graham Crackers
Melba Toast
¼ large/ ½ medium
1/3 cup
½ cup
2 ½ dia.*
1 oz. slice
½ (1 oz)
½ cup
½ cup
4 to 5 each
½
3 squares
5 slices
Pancake
1 – 4” across*
MILK PRODUCTS
Buttermilk, low/non-fat
Evaporated/skim milk
Nonfat yogurt (plain/light)
Fat Free/Nonfat milk
Low Fat/1% Milk
Soy Milk
1 cup/8 oz
½ cup
6 oz (cup)
1 cup/8 oz
1 cup/8 oz
1 cup/8 oz
Pasta, cooked
Pita Bread
Popcorn, no added fat
Potato, 1 small
Potato, mashed
Pretzels
Rice, brown/wild/white
(cooked)
Squash (winter)
Sweet potato/yam
Tortilla
Waffle
Whole Grain Bread
(check label)
1/3 cup
½, 6” across
3 cups
3 oz
½ cup
¾ oz
1/3 cup
1 cup
½ cup
6” across
4” square
1 slice (1 oz.)
OTHER CARBS
Sugar
Honey Syrup
Ice Cream, light
Ice Cream, no sugar added
Pudding, sugar free
Soup, cream type
1 Tablespoon
1 Tablespoon
½ cup
½ cup
½ cup
1 cup
* includes 1 fat serving
For more information call Scripps Diabetes Care: 1-877-944-8843 or 858-678-7050
or visit us online at www.scripps.org/diabetes
Estimating Portion Sizes
Fist = 1 cup
Example: three
servings of pasta or
two servings oatmeal
(one cup pasta
= three servings)
Palm or deck of
cards = 3 oz.
ThumbTip = 1
teaspoon
Handful = 1 or 2 oz.
snack food
Thumb = 1 oz.
Example: a cooked
serving of meat
Example:
a serving of
mayonnaise or
margarine
Example: One ounce
nuts= one handful
Two ounces pretzels
= two handfuls
Example: a piece
of cheese
Carbs on a Food Label
Step 1: Look at the serving size.
Step 2 : Look at the total grams (g) of
carbohydrate only. Sugars are already
counted in the total carbohydrate.
Step 3: Use the scale below to know how
many carb servings you’re eating.
Close to 15 g
Close to 30 g
Close to 45 g
Close to 60 g
Close to 75 g
1 carb serving
2 carb servings
3 carb servings
4 carb servings
5 carb servings
For more information call Scripps Diabetes Care: 1-877-944-8843 or 858-678-7050
or visit us online at www.scripps.org/diabetes