Is Tartar Sauce Keto?

If you’re looking to use a condiment with your fish, but are on a keto diet, you may be wondering whether tartar sauce is an option for you. But is it keto-friendly? Here is what you simply must know.

So, is Tartar sauce keto? Most store-bought brands and recipes of tartar sauce are not particularly keto-friendly. This condiment is often high in carbohydrates, specifically sugar. That being said, there are some keto tartar sauce products, and recipes you can buy and use to ensure you safely remain in ketosis.

So the truth is, it really does depend on the tartar sauce you are consuming.

Or at the very least, how much you have.

Let us now explore why in greater detail before moving on to the best keto-friendly brands for this sauce and a simple recipe you really should try!

Can You Have Tartar Sauce On Keto?

You can have tartar sauce on Keto, although how much will depend on the brand or recipe you are consuming.

In reality, there would be nothing theoretically stopping you from having any tartar sauce.

But here’s the kicker.

You may have to have a very small amount.

To the point where it may not be even worth it.

Here’s why.

The keto diet is all about reaching a metabolic state known as ketosis (where you burn fat, instead of sugar for fuel).

Now to get there, you need to dramatically reduce your carbohydrate consumption.

To as little as 20-50 grams, in total, each day.

So, you essentially have a ‘budget’ to work with here.

And you could factor tartar sauce into it.

While it’s not advisable to do so via a sauce, which really does lack any real nutrition, it is possible.

With your average tartar sauce, if you are able to moderate your consumption to 1 serving and be pretty stringent on the rest of your diet, you could fit it in and remain in ketosis.

For instance, if we look at the Kraft brand – the ingredients, followed by the nutrition, we can see why:

Vinegar, Water, Soybean Oil, Pickles (Cucumbers, Vinegar, Salt, Calcium Chloride), Sugar, Modified Food Starch, Contains Less Than 2% Of Dried Onions, Egg Yolks, Salt, Natural And Artificial Flavors, Mustard Flour, Xanthan Gum, Spices, Onion Juice Concentrate, Paprika, Polysorbate 80, Dried Garlic, Phosphoric Acid, Potassium Sorbate And Calcium Disodium Edta (To Protect Freshness).Contains: Egg.

Name	Amount
Calories	70
Total Fat	6g
– Of Which Saturated	1g
Total Carbohydrates	4g
– Of Which Sugars	2g
Protein	0g
Dietary Fibre	0g

See that sugar in the ingredient list, not ideal.

And of course, not every brand or recipe will use the same ingredients or have the same nutritional content.

So you do need to be mindful and check the product packaging or work it out ahead of time.

But you get the principles.

An generally, it really is not optimal.

Instead, there are lower-carb alternatives, namely in the form of products designed for keto dieters in mind.

Is Store Bought Tartar Sauce Keto?

Most standard and typical tartar sauce brands, such as Kraft and McCormick, are not particularly keto friendly. In fact, you would only be able to use a very small amount. Instead, tartar designed specifically for the keto diet can be found on the market.

It really does depend on the brand you opt for.

That’s because your average store-bought brand of tartar sauce will average between 4-6g of carbohydrate, per serving (1-Tablespoons).

Nevertheless, there are some brands that are certified keto-friendly.

Perhaps the standout here is the Primal Kitchen Brand.

You can take a look, and pick some up, over on the Primal Kitchen website.

And use my exclusive discount code, ‘wewantthesauce’, and get an extra 10% off your order.

And perhaps the best thing about this particular sauce is that it is entirely sugar-free, and generally much healthier too (with a focus on better oils and organic ingredients).

For your reference, here is the full ingredient list and nutritional profile, per serving, for this particular tartar sauce:

Avocado Oil, Water, Pickle Relish (Cucumbers, Water, Organic Vinegar, Salt), Egg Yolk, Organic Distilled Vinegar, Organic Lemon Juice Concentrate*, Sea Salt, Citrus Fiber, Organic Stoneground Mustard (Water, Organic Mustard Seeds, Organic Vinegar, Sea Salt, Organic Spices), Organic Onion Powder, Organic Garlic Powder, Organic Gum Acacia, Organic Guar Gum, Organic Black Pepper, Organic Dried Dill

Name	Total
Calories	70
Fat	7g
Carbohydrates	<0.5g
– of which sugars	0g
Protein	0g
Dietary Fibre	0g

That’s right, less than <0.5g of carbohydrate, per tablespoon!

So, you could literally have 3-4 servings and still keep your carbs low.

Plus with Avocado oil as a base ingredient, you could get a really good intake of healthy fats in the process!

Keto Tartar Sauce Recipe

This tartar sauce recipe provides a nice, simple alternative to keto-friendly brands of tartar sauce. It only requires 5 ingredients, has 1 process step, and can be made in as little as 5 minutes.

Ingredients

• 1/2 Cup of Keto Mayonnaise (this is my recommended product from Amazon).
• 2 Tablespoons of Diced Dill Pickle
• 1/2 Tablespoon of Onion Powder
• 1 Teaspoon of Lemon Juice
• 1 Teaspoon of Dill Weed

Method

Step One: Add all of the ingredients to a small bowl and stir together until combined and smooth.

A one-step recipe. Simple!

And at this point, you can either serve right away or refrigerate for a few hours to let the flavors infuse and make it colder

Or alternatively, you can store and preserve it in an airtight container (such as a jar with a lid, Tupperware, or similar storage vessel), keep and reuse it for up to 5-7 days!

Finally

Tartar sauce is not the most keto-friendly of sauces.

Not by a long shot, if we are talking about your traditional recipe and common brand.

While you can still have it, you are only really looking at 1 serving, at most.

Nonetheless, this doesn’t entirely rule this sauce out for you.

In fact, the Primal Kitchen brand of Tartar really is an excellent, keto-friendly option.

Or failing that, you can always make some with a refined ingredient list.

Both work.

And both enable you to enjoy this sauce, this time without any moderation!

And that should keep you firmly, in ketosis.

Related Questions

Wondering what other sauces you can have while on keto? Check out my following guides to find out!