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If you are looking for ways to improve your keto meal prep while keeping it healthy, you have come to the right place!
Find a fun collection of 15 healthy keto sauce recipes created by a culinary nutrition-trained chef, an expert on all keto foods, aimed to help keep your sauce meal prep fresh and fun at all times. This sauce recipe guide is divided into two unique sections: keto nut-based sauces and keto oil-based sauces.
Let's dig in.
Preparing Low-Carb Keto Sauces
In culinary school, we had a whole dedicated class to learn basic stocks, soups, and sauces. Why? Sauces are what give any dish an authentic sense of character. This is no different for low-carb sauces. The secret here? Instead of consuming a plain keto diet, consider substituting plain straight oil or plain fats with keto-approved sauces that hold the same caloric value, add tons of flavor, and provide a new essence to each of your keto meals, day in and day out.
Substitute plain fats with high fat sauces that add micronutrients and tons of flavor
We’ve compiled a wide variety of new, easy & fast keto sauces you can either prepare and cook at home by following the sauce recipes attached below, or simply use this list as a guide to purchase similar keto sauces at the supermarket (we understand you may be busy).
Keto Macro Calculator
We hope these sauce recipes take your keto lunches and dinners to the next level. Use these recipes as inspiration to prepare your weekly keto and low-carb meal prep.
A key to keto is ensuring that you are consuming the right amount of macronutrients and carbohydrates to help your body stay in a state of ketosis and utilize more fat for fuel!
Use this simple calculator to learn how many grams of net carbs you should be eating every day!
Easy Keto Sauce Recipes
We’ve separated this sauce list into two different categories, based on what the base of each sauce is made from, each attached to their own keto recipe. The first seven keto sauces will be nut or seed based, meaning, the ingredient that gives the sauce it's body and texture will be a kind of nut or a seed.
Conversely, the following 8 sauces are keto recipes that are oil-based; these being an emulsion or a sauce/dressing that heavily relies on the use of oil.
Pro tip: Make a batch or two of a few of these keto sauce recipes, and make your daily keto cooking stress-free
Low-Carb and Gluten-Free
As mentioned above, you can make each recipe below and/or use this sauce list as a guide to purchase low-carb options to add to your meal prep. Most of these are gluten-free, easy to prepare, low-carb and highly delicious.
Whether you are on the Trifecta keto meal plan, or you do your own keto meal planning, these keto-friendly recipe ideas will make your food that much better. Most of them only have a few ingredients and take a few minutes to make.
Storing Your Sauces
All of your sauces should be refrigerated after being prepared. This will ensure optimal shelf-life, and will avoid unwanted organism from growing in them that can potentially cause food-borne illnesses.
However, because these low-carb sauces have a fat-based base, naturally, the shelf-life tends to be longer than other sauces. Fat keeps well in room temperature, but because we use fresh produce to make most of these, our recommendation is that you store them in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to two weeks.
Sauce away!
7 Keto Nut and Seed Based Sauce Recipes
Find a list of 7 keto recipes below that are made from a base of a nut or a seed. The flavor profiles of these low-carb sauces will be nutty, umami, rich, and velvety in texture.
Recipe
1. Keto Romesco Sauce Recipe
Romesco sauce is a Spanish sauce that is typically made with a bread base. However, by substituting the bread with almonds, the flavor turns nutty, the sauce becomes gluten-free, and of course, it becomes low carb and keto-friendly. That's exactly what we did with this recipe.
This keto sauce goes especially well with breakfast scrambles, but also works very well with beef and meatballs! (This is a great substitute for marinara! Shocked? Thought so!).
Serving: 2 Tbsp. 60kcal, 4g Fat, 2g Pro, 4g Carb
2. Keto Classic Pesto Sauce Recipe
A classic pesto is by nature a ketogenic sauce (aka, high in fat). This classic Italian sauce uses a combination base of pine nuts, parmesan cheese, and olive oil, a mix of saturated and unsaturated fats, providing a deep salty and somewhat umami flavor base. If you want to make a vegan pesto, simply replace the pine nuts and parm with lightly toasted pistachios! Pesto sauce pairs exceptionally well with salmon.
Serving: 1 Tbsp. 100 kcal, 9g Fat, 3g Pro, 1g Carb
3. Keto Coconut Curry Sauce Recipe
Okay... Coconut is not technically a nut or a seed, but it contains the word “nut” so we’re going with it (wink)! Trust me, this sauce is spectacular.
Coconut is a medium-chain triglyceride, which means that it is a shorter saturated fat and it's absorbed much more easily by the body, all while providing a creamy texture similar to a dairy-base product. Combine this keto recipe with diced or shredded chicken or some beautiful shrimp. This sauce keeps very well refrigerated over the span of a week to two. As an idea, make it in advance and keep it refrigerated to stay ahead of your keto meal prep.
Serving: 2 Tbsp. 70 kcal, 6g Fat, 1g Pro, 2g Carb, 0g Fiber, 15mg Sodium
4. Keto Thai Peanut-Sesame Sauce Recipe
The combination of peanut butter and sesame lends a Thai style sauce that you can use to dress the chicken, white fish, or coat zucchini noodles. Add some sprouts, chopped peanuts and cilantro and you’ve got yourself a 5-minute dinner. Make sure you grate the garlic and ginger, as that is what gives this recipe its essence!
Serving: 1 Tbsp. 80 kcal, 8g Fat, 3g Pro, 3g Carb, 1g Fiber, 35mg Sodium
5. Keto Toasted Sesame-Ginger Dressing Recipe
Sesame has an incredible amount of flavor. Use this dressing to flavor your veggies, like broccoli throughout the week. That’s how I eat my vegetables all the time and also add another layer of fat to remain on ketosis. Meal prep hack! Smart, huh?
Serving: 1 Tbsp. 60 kcal, 5g Fat, 1g Pro, 1g Carb, 0g Fiber, 230mg sodium
6. Keto Almond-Turmeric Sauce Recipe
This sauce might make eating your veggies a whole new experience (trust me on this one). By using this base and combining, oil, garlic, turmeric, a hint of ginger, and nutritional yeast, this sauce becomes an umami punch.
Serving: 1 Tbsp. 60 kcal, 6g Fat, 1g Pro, 2g Carb, 1g Fiber, 30mg Sodium
7. Keto Tahini Dressing Recipe
Tahini is sesame paste, and since it comes from a seed, it is a perfect keto food. Classically, this low-carb paste is made by pressing sesame seeds between two rotating stones. You may recognize tahini as the base ingredient for hummus. Try making a quick dressing by combining equal parts store-bought tahini and an acid like lime juice, 0.25 part water, and 0.5 part neutral oil. Add spices if you want! Tahini goes exceptionally well with tofu as a marinade, and also with your vegetables (think hummus flavor profiles - tahini is an essential part of hummus). This low-carb dressing is a beautifully well balanced recipe of umami, savory, sweet, and acidity.
Serving: 1 Tbsp. 60 kcal, 6g Fat, 1g Pro, 2g Carb, 1g Fiber, 10mg Sodium
8 Keto Oil-based Sauce Recipes
These high-fat sauces can be used as dressings, marinades, and sauces. Because of their oil base, these keto recipes drive tons of flavor and can be cross utilized depending on what one is cooking. Have fun mixing these into your keto meal prep and watch as your food explodes with flavor!
Recipe
1. Keto Chimichurri Sauce Recipe
Chimichurri is an exceptionally simple sauce that doesn't take long to make.
Naturally, this recipe is keto approved due to the oil content. The fresh herbs combined with a hint of spice, oil, and red wine vinegar make this recipe go incredibly well with beef and chicken. I love this sauce as an addition to my weekly bowls (or maybe daily - haha!)
Serving: 1 Tbsp. 50kcal, 6g Fat, 0g Pro, 1g Carb, 0g Fiber; 15mg Sodium
2. Keto Zhoug Sauce Recipe
This naturally keto sauce is very similar to chimichurri, yet incredibly different. Also known as spicy cilantro sauce, this sauce is packed with character thanks to the jalapeno, cilantro, cumin, and cardamom spices. Aside from being incredibly bright, delicious, and pretty in color, you can use this recipe to dress your Beyond Meat burgers chicken, turkey, steak, shrimp, cod… you name it!
Serving: 2 Tsp. 50kcal, 5g Fat, 0g Pro, 1g Carb, 0g Fiber, 15mg Sodium
3. Keto Carrot-Ginger Dressing Recipe
Not gonna lie… Some supermarkets have some of the best instant carrot-ginger dressing around. The flavors in this dressing make the most perfect marriage. Slightly umami, yet packed with a punch of nutrition, this dressing is a clean and easy pair for proteins, and also works as a salad dressing, or as a flavoring for veggies like Brussels Sprouts. Because of its oil base, and of its minimally added ingredients, this recipe is perfect for your keto lifestyle. It's also gluten-free!
Serving: 1 Tbsp. 60 kcal, 6g Fat, 0g Pro, 1g Carb, 0g Fiber, 15mg Sodium
4. Keto Buffalo Sauce Recipe
By slightly adjusting the classic buffalo recipe, we were able to create a keto recipe that keeps its essence while providing a high-fat and low-carb profile. Use this as a dip, as a standing sauce of itself, or to season your favorite proteins, especially some air fried chicken or cauliflower! You can also control how hot this sauce is by increasing the pepper chili content!
Serving: 1 Tbsp. 40kcal, 4g Fat, 1g Pro, 1g Carb
5. Classic Keto Balsamic Vinaigrette Recipe
Because a vinaigrette is a mix of oil and an acid, a keto balsamic vinegar is a great option to throw some rich flavor with a hint of natural sweetness from the balsamic that - let’s be honest - more often than not the body craves at some point during ketosis. You can either buy this in any supermarket or make this recipe in minutes at home (just add some salt and pepper, and limit the excessive use of balsamic to keep it keto!).
Serving: Tbsp. 100 kcal, 11g Fat, 0g Pro, 1g Carb, 0g Fiber, 10mg Sodium
6. Keto Green Goddess Sauce Recipe
Green Goddess is one of those underrated yet highly delicious keto dressings out there. By using avocado and grapeseed oil as a base of the sauce, massive amounts of healthy fats are added to make this sauce rich in body and texture (yay for clean keto!).
Also, with the combination of different herbs and greens, you have a green machine here filled with nutrients. (If you are looking for an instant & nutritious option check Trader Joe's). Dress your cooked keto cauliflower rice, salad, or combine it with any low carb pasta.
Serving: 1 Tbsp. 70 kcal, 7g Fat, 0g Pro, 1g Carb, 0g Fiber, 35mg Sodium
7. Keto Herb Crema Recipe
A ‘crema’ is a loose mayo, or a combination of egg yolk, a pinch of water, and oil. Because yolks and oil are pure delicious fat, the emulsion of these two creates a perfect keto sauce and ingredient. By adding your favorite herbs like parsley and cilantro, along with a pinch of lemon juice, you’ll get a slightly creamy and flavorful sauce. Add this to your eggs in the morning, or as a garnish on top of your Trifecta Keto Meals!
Serving: 1 Tbsp. 60kcal, 6g Fat, 0g Pro, 1g Carb, 0g Fiber, 10mg Sodium
8. Keto Champagne-Garlic Vinaigrette Recipe
This recipe is a super simple keto idea to have in your fridge and use as you see fit. Here's a quick-start fun keto recipe for you to save time:
Stir together 1 cup oil, ½ cup champagne vinegar, 1 teaspoon of minced garlic, 1 tablespoon of minced shallots, salt, and pepper to. taste. Done!
Dress your keto sides with this for a beautiful flavor punch. Don’t have the time? No worries! Pick any simple dressing at the supermarket that’s already done the work for you.
Serving: 1 Tbsp. 90 kcal, 10g Fat, 0g Pro, 1g Carb, 0g Fiber, 10mg Sodium
We sincerely hope you find this sauce list useful. A lot of these recipes have been used and tested vastly by our chefs while feeding pro-athletes. Remember that even if you are not on a ketogenic diet, adding fats to your diet is important to stay satiated, as fat is one of the main macronutrients. Share these recipes with you friends, and let us know which one is your favorite one!
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