Brenda Khan
Barbecue sauce is a sweet and tangy condiment that is perfect for adding flavour to meat dishes. However, most store-bought barbecue sauces are packed with added sugars and artificial sweeteners, making them unsuitable for those following a keto diet. Luckily, it is easy to make your own keto-friendly version at home using simple, healthy ingredients. In this article, we will explore some of the best keto barbecue sauce recipes and discuss the benefits of making your own sauce at home.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Carbohydrates | 2g-3.2g |
| Prep Time | 3 minutes-8 minutes |
| Total Time | 5 minutes-18 minutes |
| Servings | 6-24 |
| Storage | 2 weeks-3 months |
What You'll Learn
What is a good store-bought keto BBQ sauce?
BBQ sauce is a great way to add flavour to your keto diet. While most standard BBQ sauces are packed with added sugar and carbs, there are some great keto-friendly options available to buy. Here are some of the best store-bought keto BBQ sauces:
G Hughes Smokehouse Sugar-Free BBQ Sauce
A very popular keto BBQ sauce, and for good reason. This sauce is a classic, sweet BBQ sauce, great for dipping. It has 2 net carbs per 2 tablespoons and is sweetened with sucralose. The best flavour is hickory, which has a traditional BBQ sauce taste.
Stevia Sweet BBQ Sauce
This sauce is sweetened only with stevia and has no added sugar. There is a touch of sugar in the Worcestershire sauce, but that's it. It has a great consistency and is not watery. It has 2g net carb per 2 tablespoons.
Simple Girl Organic Carolina Kick BBQ Sauce
This sauce is stevia-sweetened and has a good balance of sweet and mildly spicy flavours. It has a thinner consistency than some other sauces, but it has the lowest net carbs on this list at 1g net carb per 2 tablespoons.
Walden Farms Original Barbecue Sauce
This popular brand offers a wide variety of calorie-free salad dressings, dessert toppings, and BBQ sauces. It has apple cider, Dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce, and cayenne pepper for a kick. It has zero carbs per 2-tablespoon serving, but the texture is thin.
AlternaSweets Sweet & Smokey BBQ Sauce
This sauce is sweetened with a combination of stevia and erythritol and has a classic bold and smoky BBQ flavour. It has a slightly higher carb count at 4g net carbs per 2 tablespoons, but the added carbs come mostly from tomato sauce, not added sugar.
Guy's Award-Winning Sugar-Free BBQ Sauce
This sauce has a typical vinegar-based BBQ sauce flavour and is sweetened with sucralose. It has a nice spice and a complex flavour. It has 2g net carbs per 2-tablespoon serving.
Keto Primo Oh So Sweet Super BBQ Sauce
This BBQ sauce stands up to non-keto sauces and has a beautiful level of sweetness, despite the absence of sugar. It achieves this partly by using monk fruit as an ingredient. It also has apple cider vinegar, pink Himalayan sea salt, and butter, all coming together to give a fully rounded, addictive BBQ sauce taste. It has 2g of carbohydrates per tablespoon.
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What are some recipes that use keto BBQ sauce?
There are many recipes that use keto BBQ sauce. Here are some ideas:
Chicken
- BBQ chicken legs
- Crock Pot chicken legs
- Keto chicken nuggets
- Keto chicken tenders
- Grilled chicken
- Bacon-wrapped chicken
- BBQ chicken salad
- BBQ chicken tenders dipping sauce
- Chicken tenders dipping sauce
- Chicken nuggets meatballs
- BBQ chicken in the Instant Pot
Meat
- Pulled pork sandwiches
- Sticky pork belly bites
- Sticky lamb riblets
- Meatloaf
- Sloppy Joes
- Meatballs
- Polish sausage
- Pulled pork
- Ribs
- Burgers
Other
- Pizza
- Salad
- Sloppy Joes
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How do you make keto BBQ sauce?
How to Make Keto BBQ Sauce
Ingredients
You can make your own keto-friendly BBQ sauce with a few simple ingredients. You will need:
- Tomato paste or sugar-free ketchup
- Apple cider vinegar
- A sweetener such as erythritol, monk fruit, or a brown sugar substitute
- Spices: Smoked paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, and cayenne pepper (optional)
- Worcestershire sauce
- Liquid smoke
- Salt
Method
Combine all the ingredients in a medium-sized bowl and whisk together. You can adjust the amounts of each ingredient to suit your taste preferences. For a thinner sauce, add a little extra water.
Some recipes suggest cooking the sauce to reduce it and intensify the flavours. To do this, place the sauce in a saucepan over medium-high heat and bring to a gentle boil. Then, reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring frequently, until the sauce reaches your desired consistency. This should take around 20 minutes.
Allow the sauce to cool, then pour it into a jar or serving dish. You can store your keto BBQ sauce in the fridge for up to three weeks.
Tips and Variations
You can experiment with different ingredients to find your perfect sauce. For a spicy kick, add cayenne pepper or red pepper flakes, or stir in some hot sauce. You could also add yellow mustard or lemon juice for extra flavour.
If you don't want to make your own sauce, there are some store-bought keto-friendly BBQ sauce options available, including:
- Ray's No Sugar Added BBQ Sauce
- G Hughes Sugar-Free BBQ Sauce
- Ken Davis Sassy 2 Carb BBQ Sauce
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What ingredients are used in keto BBQ sauce?
There are many ways to make keto-friendly barbecue sauce, and most recipes include a combination of the following ingredients:
- Tomato paste or sugar-free ketchup
- Apple cider vinegar
- A sweetener such as erythritol, monk fruit, or brown sugar substitute
- Worcestershire sauce
- Liquid smoke
- Spices such as smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne pepper, and chili powder
Some recipes also include yellow mustard, avocado oil, and salt.
The ingredients are combined in a medium bowl or saucepan and whisked together until the sweetener dissolves. The sauce can be used as-is or cooked over medium heat until thickened to the desired consistency.
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How long does keto BBQ sauce last?
The keto-friendly BBQ sauce can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. If you want to store it for longer, you can freeze it for up to 3-6 months.
Some recipes suggest that the sauce can be canned in a water bath, but this is untested. Another option is to freeze the sauce in small portions in a silicone ice cube tray, so you can defrost individual portions as needed.
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Frequently asked questions
Most store-bought barbecue sauces are not keto-friendly as they contain added sugars, high fructose corn syrup, or artificial sweeteners. However, you can make your own keto-friendly barbecue sauce using sugar substitutes and other keto-approved ingredients.
There are several sugar substitutes that you can use in keto barbecue sauce, such as monk fruit sweetener, erythritol, Swerve Brown, or Stevia. You can also use coconut sugar, honey, maple syrup, or date paste for a natural sweetener.
In addition to a sugar substitute, you will need ingredients like tomato paste or ketchup, apple cider vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, spices (such as smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne pepper), and liquid smoke for a smoky flavor.
Making keto barbecue sauce is simple! Combine all the ingredients in a saucepan and simmer over medium heat for a few minutes until the sauce thickens. You can then use it as a sauce, marinade, or baste for meat dishes.
Homemade keto barbecue sauce can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks. You can also freeze it in small portions and defrost as needed.
