There was once a time when I put hot sauce on EVERYTHING. Do you know how that Frank's red hot sauce commercial goes? Ya, that was me.
Most hot sauce found on the store shelf or online can be used while following a keto diet. Many hot sauces are made with the same essential ingredients that do not contain any, or very minimal, carbohydrates. Hot sauce may be one of the most keto-friendly condiments a person can use.
I don't know what it was, but I think it was the military and the people I hung around that got me into hot sauce. I had to carry a bottle of hot sauce with me wherever I went.
In this article, I'll go over what makes something “keto-friendly,” what goes into hot sauce, and then list out 21 unique and easily accessible hot sauces you can use for your keto diet.
Can You Have Hot Sauce On The Ketogenic Diet?
Hot sauce is perfectly acceptable to use a condiment when following a ketogenic diet.
Most hot sauces are made with basic ingredients that don't have many if any, carbohydrates. This makes hot sauce one of the most keto-friendly condiments you can use on a ketogenic diet, and you don't have to stingy with the pouring of it either.When it comes to hot sauce and keto, use it until your heart's content.
Of course, there are a certain number of hot sauces you should stay away from, and I'll explain that later on in this article.
What Hot Sauce Is Keto Friendly?
As I stated, most hot sauce you'll find at your local grocery store is keto-friendly.
If you were to look at some of the most common hot sauces available, you'll find that most of them are made of the following ingredients.
- Red Pepper of some sort
- Salt
- Garlic
- Vinegar
All of the ingredients above are considered keto-friendly.
What Makes An Item Keto Friendly?
As I mentioned, almost all hot sauce is considered keto-friendly, but there are a certain few that MAY NOT be.
While the majority of hot sauce is composed of the same essential ingredients, there are a few that may include added carbohydrates in the form of flavors or sugars to give it a different taste,
Now, when it comes to something being keto-friendly, that will generally mean that an item has very few, if any, carbohydrates.However, there is a caveat to that; those individuals, maybe you, that can eat more carbohydrates than another person and stay in ketosis, will be able to find more items that are “keto-friendly.”
Let me explain further.
If you can only consume about 20 carbohydrates and your friend Suzy can eat 50 carbohydrates and still be in ketosis, they have a little more freedom when it comes to food choices.
In essence, your friend Suzy would have a bigger budget to spend.
There are no foods that are inherently keto or not keto. Instead, all foods fall on a spectrum of eating very little, if any, all the way to eat to your heart's content.
Hot sauce, at least most of them, fall into the far right of that spectrum.
21 Amazing Keto Approved Hot Sauces
Now that we got the technical stuff out of the way, what are some keto-friendly hot sauces that you can include on a ketogenic diet?
Here are some of the most popular brands that are easily accessible at your local grocery store or online on sites like Amazon and won't break that carb budget.
Hopefully, your favorite one is on the list, but if it's not, please shoot me an email and let me know which one you have a question about.
Tapatio
Is Tapatio hot sauce keto-friendly? Tapatio hot sauce is keto-friendly with 0 grams of net carbs per serving.
Net carbs: 0 grams
Ingredients: water, red peppers, salt, spices, garlic, acetic acid, xanthan gum, sodium benzoate
Cholula
Is Cholula hot sauce keto-friendly? Cholula hot sauce is keto-friendly with 0 grams of net carbs per serving.
Net carbs: 0 grams
Ingredients: water. salt, dried peppers vinegar, garlic, spices, natural flavors, xanthan gum, dried garlic
Tabasco
Is Tabasco hot sauce keto-friendly? Tabasco hot sauce is keto-friendly with 0 grams of net carbs per serving.
Net carbs: 0 grams
Ingredients: distilled vinegar, red pepper, salt
Texas Pete
Is Texas Pete hot sauce keto-friendly? Texas Pete hot sauce is keto-friendly with 0 grams of net carbs per serving.
Net carbs: 0 grams
Ingredients: vinegar, aged peppers, water, xantham gum, benzoate of soda
Frank's RedHot
Is Frank's RedHot sauce keto-friendly? Frank's RedHot sauce is keto-friendly with 0 grams of net carbs per serving.
Net carbs: 0 grams
Ingredients: aged cayenne red peppers, distilled vinegar, water, salt, garlic powder
Louisiana Hot Sauce
Is Louisiana hot sauce keto-friendly? Louisiana hot sauce is keto-friendly with 0 grams of net carbs per serving.
Net carbs: 0 grams
Ingredients: aged peppers, vinegar, salt
Crystal Hot Sauce
Is Crystal hot sauce keto-friendly? Crystal hot sauce is keto-friendly with 0 grams of net carbs per serving.
Net carbs: 0 grams
Ingredients: aged red cayenne peppers, distilled vinegar, salt
Valentina Hot Sauce
Is Valentina hot sauce keto-friendly? Valentina hot sauce is keto-friendly with 0 grams of net carbs per serving.
Net carbs: 0 grams
Ingredients: water, chili peppers, vinegar, salt, spices, sodium benzoate
Taco Bell Hot Sauce
Is Taco Bell hot sauce keto-friendly? Taco Bell hot sauce is keto-friendly with 0 grams of net carbs per serving.
Net carbs: 0 grams
Ingredients: water. tomato puree, vinegar, jalapeno peppers, salt, chili pepper, dried onions, spices, xanthan gum, sodium benzoate, potassium chloride, maltodextrin, yeast extract, datem, natural flavor
La Costena Mexican Hot Sauce
Is La Costena Mexican hot sauce keto-friendly? La Costena Mexican hot sauce is keto-friendly with 0 grams of net carbs per serving.
Net carbs: 0 grams
Ingredients: water, carrot, red jalapeno pepper, vinegar, onion, iodized salt, dried peppers, wheat flour, xanthan gum, condiments, spices, sodium benzoate, potassium sorbate, citric acid, red 40, lemon, MSG
Sriracha Hot Sauce
Is Sriracha hot sauce keto-friendly? Sriracha hot sauce is keto-friendly with only 1 gram of net carbs per serving. However, you should be mindful of the amount you use as it can begin to add up.
Net carbs: 1 gram per teaspoon (5g)
Ingredients: chili, sugar, salt, garlic, distilled vinegar, potassium sorbate, sodium bisulfite, xanthan gum
Nando's Hot Sauce
Is Nando's hot sauce keto-friendly? Nando's hot sauce is keto-friendly with 0 grams of net carbs per serving.
Net carbs: 0 grams
Ingredients: water, vinegar, lemon, onion, salt, serrano chili, vegetable oil, spices, garlic, stabilizers, antioxidant
Secret Aardvark Hot Sauce
Is Secret Aardvark hot sauce keto-friendly? Secret Aardvark hot sauce is keto-friendly with 0 grams of net carbs per serving.
Net carbs: 0 grams
Ingredients: White wine vinegar, Roasted tomatoes, Habanero peppers, Onion, Carrot, Sugar, Prepared mustard (vinegar, water, mustard seed, salt, turmeric, paprika), Water, Kosher salt, Cornstarch, Herbs, and Spices.
Dave's Original Insanity Hot Sauce
Is Dave's Original Insanity hot sauce keto-friendly? Dave's Original Insanity hot sauce is keto-friendly with 0 grams of net carbs per serving.
Net carbs: 0 grams
Ingredients: Tomato sauce, onions, hot pepper extract, hot peppers, vinegar, spices, soy oil, garlic, and salt
Mad Dog 357 Hot Sauce
Is Mad Dog 357 hot sauce keto-friendly? Mad Dog 357 hot sauce is keto-friendly with 0 grams of net carbs per serving.
Net carbs: 0 grams
Ingredients: vinegar, chile extract, evaporated cane juice, habanero peppers, garlic, onion, 160,000 Scoville cayenne peppers, spices, xanthan gum.
Marie Sharp's Hot Sauce, Habanero Pepper
Is Marie Sharp's hot sauce keto-friendly? Marie Sharp's hot sauce is keto-friendly with 0 grams of net carbs per serving.
Net carbs: 0 grams
Ingredients: red habanero pepper, fresh carrots, vinegar, onions, salt, lime juice, garlic
Yellowbird Habanero Hot Sauce
Is Yellowbird Habanero hot sauce keto-friendly? Yellowbird Habanero hot sauce is keto-friendly with 2 grams of net carbs per serving of 1 tablespoon.
Net carbs: 2 grams per tablespoon (15g)
Ingredients: Organic carrots, organic onions, organic habanero peppers, organic distilled vinegar, organic garlic, organic tangerine juice concentrate, salt, organic dates, organic raisins, organic lime juice concentrate
Purchase Yellowbird Habanero Hot Sauce Here
Satan's Blood Chile Pepper Extract Hot Sauce
Is Satan's Blood Chile Pepper Extract hot sauce keto-friendly? Satan's Blood Chile Pepper Extract hot sauce is keto-friendly with 0 grams of net carbs per serving.
Net carbs: 0 grams
Ingredients: chile extract, polysorbate 80, red wine vinegar
Gator Hammock Hot Sauce
Is Gator Hammock hot sauce keto-friendly? Gator Hammock hot sauce is keto-friendly with 0 grams of net carbs per serving.
Net carbs: 0 grams
Ingredients: aged cayenne peppers, vinegar, crushed and ground peppers, garlic, salt, other spices
Aunt May's Bajan Pepper Sauce Hot
Is Aunt May's Bajan Pepper hot sauce keto-friendly? Aunt May's Bajan hot sauce is keto-friendly with only 1 gram of net carbs per one teaspoon serving.
Net carbs: 1 gram per teaspoon (8g)
Ingredients: Mustard, Glacial Acetic Acid, Water, Onions, Peppers, Salt, Sugar, Corn Starch, Tumeric
Melinda's Hot Sauce
Is Melinda's hot sauce keto-friendly? Melinda's hot sauce is keto-friendly with 0 grams of net carbs per serving.
Net carbs: 0 grams
Ingredients: habanero peppers, fresh carrots, onions, lime juice, vinegar, garlic, salt
Benefits Of Hot Sauces Besides Flavor And Heat
You'll be happy to hear that hot sauce has more benefits to it than just adding extra flavor and heat to your food, most of which come from peppers active compound, capsaicin.
May reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes
Hot sauce contains capsaicin, which is an active component found in chili peppers. In one study, regular consumption of a chili containing meals helped to prevent hyperinsulinemia. 1
Hyperinsulinemia is when there is more insulin in your blood than what is considered normal.
May help with weight loss
Capsaicin reduces ghrelin levels, a hormone that is often referred to as the “hunger hormone.” Additionally, capsaicin raises levels of GLP-1, which is an appetite-suppressing hormone.
It goes without saying, but I'll say it anyway… Most people end up quitting their diets because hunger ends up getting the best of them. It's happened to me (numerous times), and I'm sure it's happened to you as well.
If something can help with hunger on a diet AND give it some flavor, that's a no brainer.
Contains antioxidants and vitamins
The ingredients found in hot sauces not only spice up your life (and your mouth), but the hot sauce adds a bit of Vitamin A, C, folate, magnesium, and potassium to your keto diet.
May reduce inflammation
Capsaicin is a potent antioxidant that protects your body and its cells from free radicals. When there is an imbalance of free radicals and antioxidants in the body, we can get oxidative stress and inflammation.
At the root of many diseases is chronic inflammation, with chronic inflammatory diseases such as:
- rheumatoid arthritis
- heart disease
- stroke
Other Keto-Friendly Condiments You Can Use On The Ketogenic Diet
Now that you know hot sauce is keto-friendly, you may be wondering what other condiments you can spice your dishes with.
To name a few keto-friendly condiments.
- Soy sauce
- Fish sauce
- Mustard
- Sugar-free Ketchup (used sparingly)
- Sugar-free BBQ Sauce (used sparingly)
Ways To Use Hot Sauce On Keto
If you've never been creative in the kitchen, now may be a great time to start. Besides pouring hot sauce on your food, here are a few other ideas you can use.
- Stirred into ketchup
- Combined with mayo (Spicy mayo anyone?)
- Sauce for hot wings (besides some ranch dressing of course)
- Marinade
- Folded into scrambled eggs
Make Your Own Keto-Friendly Hot Sauce
Want to make your own keto-friendly hot sauce? Check out this video for an easy to make fermented hot sauce.
Keto-Friendly Hot Sauce Takeaway
Hot sauce is not only delicious but quite keto-friendly. Almost 99% of the hot sauces you'll find on the shelf can be used as a condiment while following a ketogenic diet.
Bear in mind; certain hot sauces have added flavors or sweeteners, so be cautious when it comes to some certain craft hot sauce brands.
