Carob: Nutrients, What Research Shows and Safety

Carob is the long, brown, leathery pod of the carob tree, Ceratonia siliqua, which grows around the Mediterranean. The sweet pulp inside the pod is dried and ground into a powder that tastes malty and is used in baking and drinks as a cocoa substitute. The hard seeds are a different product: they are the source of locust bean gum, a thickener. [8] This page is about carob pod powder as food. It keeps the food apart from the gum, from syrups and extracts used in trials, and from hype. A nutrition website says dark chocolate has antioxidants that carob lacks, and carob bars are not a health food. [2]

Read this first

• No caffeine. USDA lists 0 mg of caffeine in carob flour, which is why people use it where they want a cocoa-like flavor without a stimulant. [1] A nutrition website notes that carob and chocolate differ in other ways: bought carob bars and coatings had about the same fat and energy as milk chocolate. [2]
• It is half sugar. USDA lists 49 g of natural sugars in 100 g of carob flour, along with 40 g of fiber. [1] In a tablespoon (6 g) that is about 3 g of sugar and 2.4 g of fiber. [1]
• Evidence in one line: a few small trials of carob fiber, syrup and liquid concentrate found lower LDL cholesterol or better blood sugar markers, but they used special products, were short, and did not test plain carob powder. [3] [4] [6] [7]
• Infants: a carob-bean-gum thickener sometimes added to anti-reflux formula is a medical product that you should use only with a pediatrician. One case report links such a formula to worse control of an infant's thyroid medicine. [10]
• Allergy: carob is a legume-family food. We did not find a source on carob allergy in what we read. For trouble breathing or swelling of the face or throat after any food, call 911 (or your local emergency number). [13]

What is in it (USDA values)

The values are for carob flour (USDA FoodData Central item 173755, SR Legacy) [1]. Everything below is the dry powder. USDA lists a household portion of 1 tablespoon (6 g) and 1 cup (103 g). A tablespoon is a more realistic serving, so the table uses it. A cup of carob flour would hold about 229 kcal, 41 g of fiber, 358 mg of calcium and 852 mg of potassium. USDA does not say in the record we read whether the pods were roasted.

% Daily Value uses the FDA 2016 Daily Values (per tablespoon this is the 100 g percentage scaled by 0.06). USDA lists no Daily Value for energy, sugars or caffeine. Values vary with variety, growing place and roasting. A tablespoon of plain carob powder gives less than 10% of the Daily Value of any listed vitamin or mineral except fiber at 9%, so it is not a major source of nutrients at that size.

Plant compounds: lab studies of carob pods found phenolic compounds, including gallic acid, ferulic acid and flavanols, with antioxidant activity in test-tube assays; the amounts differed by variety. [9] A 2026 review says most evidence for antioxidant, antimicrobial and gut effects of carob pods is from laboratory and animal work, and calls for more clinical studies. [16] A lab result does not show that eating carob has the same effect in people.

What research says

Eaten as food vs taken as syrup, fiber or gum. Carob powder in a smoothie is not the same thing as a prepared fiber fraction, a syrup or a thickening gum. The lipid and glucose trials above all used one of the prepared products, so they say little about carob powder used in baking.

How much is a normal serving

We did not find an official serving size for carob powder. The USDA household portions are 1 tablespoon (6 g, about 13 kcal) and 1 cup (103 g). [1] The cholesterol trial that used bread and a bar gave 15 g a day of a carob pulp preparation in the food. [3] That is a description of the study, not advice. This page gives information, not a prescription.

Safety, allergy and medicines

• Allergy. The MedlinePlus food allergy page says reactions can include hives, swelling of the face, tongue or throat, vomiting, wheezing and trouble breathing, and that anaphylaxis needs a 911 call. [13] An Italian pediatric review describes allergy to legumes, mostly peanut and soy in Western countries, and notes cross-reactions between legumes. [14] We did not find a source describing carob allergy or carob reactions in people with peanut allergy. If you have a legume allergy, ask an allergist before trying carob. See food allergy basics and emergency signs.
• Locust bean (carob bean) gum in infant formula. A 2025 case report describes an infant with congenital hypothyroidism whose thyroid levels worsened after starting a carob-bean-gum-thickened formula and improved after it was stopped; the authors suspect less absorption of the thyroid hormone medicine. One case does not prove cause. [10] EFSA re-evaluated locust bean gum (E 410) for infants under 16 weeks in 2023, set a reference point of 1,400 mg per kg of body weight per day from a piglet study (lower blood zinc), and found a margin of exposure above 1 for some infant scenarios. [11] Thickened formula is something to use only on a pediatrician's advice. This is not about carob powder.
• Sugar. USDA shows about half of carob flour is natural sugars. [1] The sweeter the recipe, the more this matters for people with diabetes. See foods for blood sugar control.
• Kidney disease. USDA lists 827 mg of potassium in 100 g of carob flour (about 50 mg in a tablespoon). [1] We did not read a source with carob-specific limits; see foods, kidney disease, potassium and oxalates.
• Medicines, pregnancy, children: we did not read a source on carob powder and medicines, pregnancy or breastfeeding. See food and medicine interactions and foods in pregnancy, and ask a clinician.
• Digestion. Harvard's Nutrition Source says resistant starch and oligosaccharides in legumes ferment in the colon and can cause gas in some people. [15] It does not discuss carob pulp, which is mostly sugar and fiber, so we cannot say how much applies.

Choosing, storing and food safety

• Carob powder is sold plain, roasted (darker, closer to cocoa in flavor) and inside bars and chips. Check the label: bars can carry added sugar, fat and milk. [2]
• A nutrition site notes that carob coatings may list fat only as "vegetable oil", so the type of fat is often unclear. [2]
• Keep it dry and sealed like any flour; we did not read a source on carob-specific storage or mold.

Related pages

• Dark chocolate and cocoa as food
• Cocoa and hot chocolate
• Mesquite pod flour
• Legumes as food: what trials found
• Foods for cholesterol and heart health
• Foods for blood sugar control
• Food allergy basics and emergency signs