Keto Condiments to Level Up Your Low-Carb Meals
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Bringing back this old blog post because we get so many questions asking how to make any diet plan delicious — we promise, it's possible!
Whether it’s a drizzle of dressing or a savory spread, condiments give us a unique control over the flavor of each bite of a meal.
If you’re adhering to a keto diet, though, you might be giving some sauces and dips the side-eye. Some of your favorite condiments might be full of healthy fats, but plenty more have hidden sugar and calories lurking on their nutritional labels. As we all know, those little dollops of carbs can add up!
Keto can be a challenging diet because of its restrictions, but it doesn’t mean sacrificing taste. Here are six of our favorite keto-friendly condiments to level up your low-carb meals and help keep things interesting while you’re keeping it keto!
1. Mustard
We started our calorie-free condiments list with the humble mustard, and it's headlining here again. One of the world’s favorite flavors is also one of its lowest-carb. Most mustard consists of only vinegar, garlic powder, mustard seed, turmeric, and lemon juice. Of course, every brand is different, so be sure to read the nutritional label before you buy. Make sure to avoid sugar-laden styles like honey mustard and dig on stone ground or Dijon.
2. Mayo
It might not be the first thing to jump to mind when the subject of “healthy condiments” comes up, but mayo is keto! Its high-fat and low-carb composition make it a perfect base for keto-friendly sauces, dips, or dishes. Some store-bought brands have added sugar, so read the labels or try making your own at home! If you want to stay completely keto, opt for olive or avocado oil based mayo if you can find it
3. Hot Sauce
If you can't take the heat, stay out of the hot sauce! (that's how it goes, right?) Hot sauce is almost unilaterally keto. Since most hot sauce is a vinegar base with peppers and herbs, there are few to no carbs in each dash. Just steer clear of spicy-sweet sauces that might be hiding sugar, fruit extracts, or honey.
4. Soy Sauce & Coconut Aminos
Is soy sauce keto friendly? As long as you’re watching your portion size and paying attention to the type of soy sauce you’re topping off with. Light soy sauce is the most common variation and has only 1 gram of carbs per tablespoon, making it a great keto condiment. Watch out for dark soy or sweet soy, though, as they often have added sugars.
Some keto diets may want you to ditch gluten all together, in which case you should try coconut aminos as a substitute. Coconut aminos come in a number of different low-carb styles and flavors, and are a great way to switch up your stir fry.
5. Chimichurri
This Argentinian spread brings bright, fresh flavor to just about any meat, but is best associated with steak and lamb. Akin to pesto (which is keto too!), chimichurri is made of ground herbs and spices suspended in vinegar and oil. If you’re buying a store brand, make sure to pick one that uses traditional olive oil and not vegetable oil.
6. Sour Cream
This one might ruffle some feathers. Yes, regular full-bodied sour cream is, in fact, keto. Other diets may decry sour cream as too fatty and caloric, insisting you opt for low-fat options packed with artificial stabilizers and texture additives. These substitutions might be lower in fat, but they’re higher in carbs. So if you need a dollop dairy while doing keto, full-fledged sour cream is a great way to go.