Oktoberfest is happening just about everywhere right now. Which means: lots of beer, brats, and giant pretzels.
Does that mean you should avoid Oktoberfest if you have diabetes? Absolutely not. There are plenty of ways to celebrate Oktoberfest while staying low carb!
Low-Carb Bavarian Beer
If you’re staying true to Bavarian beer roots, you’ll need to keep beer consumption to a minimum. Bavarian beers follow a very strict (five-century-old law strict) production process when making beer that makes for some of the highest carbohydrate beer in the world.But not all of them are high carb! The average amount of carbohydrates in a beer depends on the type of beer: lighter ones typically have significantly fewer carbs than full-bodied types of beer.
So what are some of the alternative, lower-carb Bavarian-specific beers to enjoy?
- Henninger Diät-Pils
- Hacker-Pschorr Märzen
- Wicküler Pilsener
- Paulaner Diät Bier
- Spaten (Spatenbräu)
- Maisel Edelhopfen Extra
- Paulaner Original Munich Lager
- Jever Light
- Köstritzer Spezial Pils
- Feldschlösschen Pils
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Low-Carb Oktoberfest Food
With all those delicious low-carb Bavarian beers to choose from, you’ll most definitely need some traditional Oktoberfest eats to go along with them.
And even though massive, carbo-loaded pretzels might be the first thing that comes to mind, there are (surprisingly?) lots of low-carb, traditional Bavarian foods to enjoy a true Oktoberfest feast!
Roast Chicken
You can get much more low carb than this! For Oktoberfest, chickens are spit-roasted until the skin is golden brown and crispy. You’ll be able to find lots of different roasted chicken options while roaming around the streets. And if you’re celebrating Oktoberfest at home and can’t split-roast your chicken, you’re still in luck -- you can get the traditional flavor and crispy skin using this original recipe!
Bratwurst
Brats are commonly made from pork, but you can also find this traditional German sausage with beef or veal. Oftentimes, your brat on the street will come inside a bun (just like a hotdog). Simply take the bun off and you’re in the clear! Once you’re back home in your kitchen, be sure to try out this bratwurst and caramelized onion recipe.
Steckerlfisch
Fish on a stick! Don’t be fooled: this isn’t crispy baked fillets. This is an entire fish on a stick, grilled and flavored to Bavarian perfection. Most tents will use oil and spices on their local bream, trout, fingerling or mackerel. Low carb? Yes. Adventurous? Extremely.
Weisswurst
This very traditional Bavarian sausage is made from minced veal and pork back bacon. Literally meaning “white sausage,” Weißwürste (as it’s known locally) is typically flavored with speck, parsley, onions, lemon and spices like cardamom or ginger. All meat and no carb means low-carb perfection.
The Pretzel
This is more than likely one to avoid while you’re out and about in the streets of Bavaria. But if you’re enjoying Oktoberfest from the comfort of your own home, you have some options. This recipe from My Keto Kitchen is perhaps the greatest low-carb pretzel recipe we’ve ever found. You get to enjoy that melt-in-your-mouth sensation of a warm pretzel, minus all of the carbs. Yep, one pretzel has just 3g of carbs.
Happy fall and Happy Oktoberfest! Remember there are plenty of ways to celebrate while staying low carb!
