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Home » RECIPES » DAIRY-FREE (DF)

Keto & Low-Carb BBQ Sauce Guide

Bright smiling woman with glasses, Heather Cooan portrait.
Modified: Jul 13, 2020 · Published: Sep 12, 2019 by Heather Cooan, MBA, ONC, FDNP, NTP · This post may contain affiliate links · 6 Comments

Use this keto & low-carb BBQ sauce guide to find the perfect BBQ sauce for your needs without sacrificing your health.

When it comes to keeping with a ketogenic eating template, there are plenty of pre-made sauces and seasonings we simply can't live without. But, BBQ sauce is easily at the top of this list. No summer cookout is complete without some zesty BBQ sauce for your ribs or chicken.

However, some of these condiments have some not so healthy ingredients lurking inside. Most mainstream smoky sauces contain sugar, corn syrup, or much worse, and I don't just mean a tiny teaspoon. Some BBQ sauces have as many as 51 grams of sugar per 2Tbs. serving. That's enough to toss you right out of ketosis with one meal, and you don't even have to finish it!

This list is all about keto and low-carb BBQ sauces. Some of them you'll love and some of them you'll hate. For the most part, they're all pretty tasty, but as with any sugar-free food, you risk consuming some unsavory chemicals like aspartame. If you are less concerned with your food quality, this may be fine for you, but if you're more of a purist, some of these sauces may send you running for the hills.

Clean Keto & Low-Carb BBQ Sauce Options

I believe that food quality and ingredients matter when it comes to health. The closer we can stick to whole, real foods, the better! I hope that you also feel this way so I've split this keto & low-carb BBQ sauce guide into two parts to separate the BBQ sauce options with clean ingredients from those with questionable ingredients.

Let's start with the clean BBQ sauce options. These sauces are made with whole foods and do not have any gums, food starches, or chemical sweeteners in them. The sauces in this section are sauces I recommend.

AlternaSweets

Image source: AlternaSweets

This is a yummy BBQ sauce that contains ingredients that won't make your head spin. Great for people who dislike artificial sweeteners. This recipe does include blackstrap molasses, which can spike your insulin. However, there are 4 net carbs in 2 Tbs., which is minimal and will be slowed with the fatty meat you are eating along with it as long as you watch your portions.

Good Food For Good

Image source: Good Food For Good

This BBQ sauce is a buffet of nutrition. It's tasty and doesn't contain any weird ingredients. It's sweetened with dates, so you do risk a slight insulin spike. However, there are only 4 net carbs in 2Tbs, so just be careful not to use too much.

Primal Kitchen

Image source: Primal Kitchen

A wonderful, clean BBQ sauce that contains ingredients with integrity. The Classic flavor is sweetened with neither natural sweeteners nor artificial. It contains 2 net carbs per serving. It's perfect for people who are on a clean-eating keto journey.

Stevia Sweet BBQ

Image source: Stevia Sweet BBQ

A delicious low-carb BBQ sauce made with stevia! There's only 1 gram of carbs per serving so don't be afraid to use this sauce a bit liberally. It's very tasty and pairs well with a variety of grilled foods such as chicken, steaks, and burgers.

TesseMae's BBQ Sauce

Image source: TesseMae's

TesseMae's BBQ Sauce is a bottle of organic, keto-approved, Whole 30 approved, dairy-free, gluten-free, no-sugar, vegan goodness! Seriously, this sauce hits all the major ancestral template players. The ingredients list contains nothing that you can't pronounce and 1 Tbs. will set you back just 3 grams of carbs.

Personally, I like to use this BBQ sauce for dipping. It pairs well with keto chicken strips, jicama fries, and even various cauliflower concoctions. Of course, you can use it in the traditional sense, too. Great on smoked fish!

Simple Girl Carolina Kick

Image source: Simple Girl

This is a great clean BBQ sauce that's bursting with flavor. It's certified organic, kosher certified, gluten-free, oil-free, vegan, non-MSG, and sugar-free! The only sweetener in this product is stevia.

And get this…only 5 calories and 1 carb per serving! There are no chemical ingredients in this sauce, just a pure and simple recipe to keep things basic and delicious.

Also, for an organic product, this BBQ sauce is fairly affordable. This brand also comes in Southern Blend and Country Sweet flavors. Plenty of options.

Guy Gone Keto BBQ Sauce

Image source: Guy Gone Keto

As usual, I saved the best for last. Folks, you can't get any more keto than the Guy Gone Keto condiment line. This BBQ sauce isn't just sugar-free but rather it is geared towards a healthy ketogenic lifestyle. It's legit made with MCT oil. Can you hear the angels singing? Seriously, this stuff is an LCHF dream!

This yummy BBQ sauce is sweetened with Ketosweet+, which is a blend of allulose (rare natural sugar sub), stevia, and monk fruit. The bottle does list "spices" but it's less than 2%. I can deal with that.

Dirty Keto & Low-Carb BBQ Sauce Options

These BBQ sauces contain questionable ingredients and while I am reviewing them for your information, I do not recommend these keto & low-carb BBQ sauces.

Consume these at your own risk, there are many chemical ingredients and some of these I wouldn't even consider food.

G Hughs

Image source: G Hughs

If you're looking for variety and you're not concerned with ingredient quality, G Hughs just might be the answer. Just be aware that this brand of BBQ sauce is made with sucralose, a zero-calorie artificial sweetener.

Some people claim this sauce leaves a bad aftertaste. I agree 100%, this stuff tastes like artificial sweetener. It's gross. One serving is 2 net carbs.

Walden Farms

Image source: Walden Farms

Honestly, this is the worst BBQ sauce I've ever eaten in my life. It doesn't taste like BBQ sauce at all. That's probably because it isn't real food in any sense of the term. Walden Farms BBQ sauces are calorie-free. You may be wondering how this is possible. Chemicals. Chemicals are how this is possible. Contains 0 net carbs per serving.

Guy's Award-Winning Sugar-Free BBQ Sauce

Image source: Guy's BBQ

This BBQ sauce tastes really good, ain't gonna lie! However, it does contain some questionable ingredients. For example, the ingredient list states that cornstarch, caramel coloring, smoke flavoring, and sucralose are in the mix. If you don't care about artificial flavorings and corn products in your food, you'll enjoy this one at 2 net carbs per 2 tablespoons.

Lynchburg Tennessee Whiskey Sweet & Mild

Image source: The One Grill

This BBQ sauce packs in some bold and spicy flavor. It's perfect for using on thick cuts of meat like steaks and chops. Plus, it's made with high-quality ingredients that won't have you leaping out of ketosis. There's only 1 net carb per serving. Now that's what I like to hear.

Ready for the bad news? It's made with Splenda aka sucralose. Protect your microbiome and be careful with how much you use and how often if you choose to try this one.

Trinity Hill Farms BBQ Sauce

Image source: Trinity Hill Farms

This is a fun BBQ sauce that just screams summer picnic time. You'll enjoy this handcrafted, zesty sauce all over your favorite grillin' foods and not feel one stitch of guilt. It's sugar-free and sweetened with stevia and erythritol. The only issue I have with this sauce is that "spices" and "cultured dextrose" are listed in the ingredients.

I'll let you draw your own conclusions about the quality of the ingredients. The carb count on this one is a bit high at 5 carbs in 2 tablespoons so make sure and watch your serving size if you decide to try this one.

BBQ Sauce Doesn't Have To Be Loaded With Sugar!

As you can see by this list, not all sugar-free BBQ sauces are created equal. You need to read labels, people! Don't go picking out your BBQ sauce all willy nilly.

You can still enjoy those summer BBQs without kicking yourself out of ketosis or suffering aracing heart from all the sugar. Shop around and find the sauce that is a perfect match for your health goals. Don't forget to comment on this list and tell me about your favorite sugar-free, keto & low-carb BBQ sauces.

Happy saucing!

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  1. Ben @ TheOnlineGrill.com says

    September 16, 2019 at 12:50 am

    Thanks for the image link Heather!

    Can't wait to try some of the other sauces on this list 😀

  2. Heather Cooan says

    September 16, 2019 at 8:55 am

    No problem, I hope you find some great sauces!

  3. Varun Sharma says

    April 24, 2020 at 11:43 pm

    These looks so delicious, perfect for our party!

  4. Heather Cooan says

    April 27, 2020 at 8:05 am

    So glad you can use them!

  5. Alex Jordan says

    January 18, 2021 at 1:57 am

    Taught my g-daughter this recipe to teach her how to read a recipe and cook it. Came out delicious.

  6. Heather Cooan says

    January 18, 2021 at 9:04 am

    Which recipe did you use Alex?

Heather Cooan - Functional Oncology Nutritionist

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