Can You Eat Sauce on a Carnivore Diet? [The Best Sauces to Eat]

What Is the Carnivore Diet?

Can you eat sauce on a Carnivore diet? To find answers to this question, we need to learn about the Carnivore diet and its rules.

The Carnivore diet is a low-carb, high-fat dietary approach based on animal products, including meat, poultry, seafood, and eggs. No plant-based foods are allowed, so you cannot eat fruits, vegetables, grains, legumes, or even some dairy products.

Let’s review the main rules of the Carnivore diet.

• Prioritize Meat: One of the main foods consumed in a Carnivore diet is red meat, including beef, pork, and lamb. You can also eat poultry, fish, and other animal-derived foods like eggs and dairy (if you can tolerate dairy).
• No Plant Foods: The Carnivore diet doesn’t allow any plant-based foods, i.e., you can’t consume fruits, vegetables, grains, nuts, seeds, or plant-based oils.
• Limited Dairy: Some versions of the Carnivore diet allow some dairy products, like butter and cheese, while others exclude them for their lactose content.
• No Processed Foods: Processed foods, including sugar, are excluded from the Carnivore diet, and the focus is on whole, unprocessed animal foods.

So, based on these rules, can you eat sauce on a Carnivore diet?

Learn More: Can You Eat Pickles on a Carnivore Diet? Is It Healthy?

Can I Eat Sauce on a Carnivore Diet?

Let’s face it. If the sauce you want to try has non-Carnivore ingredients, you can’t have it. But the good news is that you can make some changes to make many sauces Carnivore-friendly.

The thing is that many sauces are made with plant-based ingredients, like tomato sauce, ketchup, and barbecue sauce, and most salad dressings contain plant-based ingredients like tomatoes, sugar, and different herbs and spices.

But as a Carnivore dieter, you need to look for or make animal-based sauces. For example, you can use melted butter, ghee, or animal fats as a sauce for your meat dishes. But that’s not all.

You can start making your own versions of your favorite sauces with animal-based ingredients, like beef or bone broth-based gravies, or cream-based sauces using dairy.

Let’s get into details and learn if the Carnivore diet accepts specific sauces, like soy sauce, mayo, hot sauce, Tabasco, and Buffalo.

Is Soy Sauce OK on a Carnivore Diet?

Soy sauce is made from soybeans, wheat, salt, and water, which are mainly plant-based. So, it’s not allowed on a strict Carnivore diet, which excludes plant foods.

However, if you’re on a less strict version of the Carnivore diet, you can use it occasionally, although it’s not recommended. Instead, you can make Carnivore-friendly soy sauce using bone broth, salt, and a pinch of black pepper.

Learn More: Can You Eat Pepper on a Carnivore Diet? What About Pepper Oil?

Is Mayo OK for a Carnivore Diet?

The Mayonnaise (mayo) you buy from stores contains various plant-based ingredients like vinegar, garlic, vegetable oil, and mustard, meaning it’s not allowed on a Carnivore diet.

However, if you change the ingredients with Carnivore-friendly ones, like egg yolks and animal fat, you can have mayonnaise!

Is Hot Sauce OK on a Carnivore Diet?

Hot sauce is usually made from peppers, vinegar, and salt, meaning that you can’t use it if you’re on a strict Carnivore diet, especially if the sauce contains other ingredients like sugar, garlic, and onion.

However, if there are no additives, you may use them rarely, as vinegar and pepper contain almost zero carbs.

Is Tabasco Sauce OK on a Carnivore Diet?

Classic Tabasco sauce contains peppers, vinegar, and salt, making it not so Carnivore-friendly. If you can change the ingredients with Carnivore-friendly ones like bone broth, you can use it on the Carnivore diet.

But remember that vinegar is very low in carbs, and you can have it sparingly if you really want!

Learn More: Can You Eat Olives on a Carnivore Diet? Is It Healthy?

Is Buffalo Sauce OK on a Carnivore Diet?

Buffalo sauce is a mix of hot sauce and butter, meaning you can use it sparingly. It contains vinegar, which is not Carnivore-friendly, so you’d better avoid it.

But its carbohydrate level is very low, and consuming it once in a blue moon will not affect your Carnivore results. You can also make Buffalo sauce at home.

So, after learning about these popular sauces, the question is, what’s the best sauce on a Carnivore diet?

The Best Sauce on the Carnivore Diet

Well, we can’t nominate one particular sauce as the best on the Carnivore diet as each of us has special tastes and preferences. Whatever sauce you like to use, you need to remember that it must be made from Carnivore-friendly, animal-based ingredients.

As long as this condition is met, you can have anything, not just sauce! You may ask, OK, like what? Let me list my best sauces on a Carnivore diet.

Pan Drippings

When you cook meat, especially roasts or steaks, you can create delicious sauces by deglazing the pan with broth, bone broth, or water, which enables you to make a delicious sauce without plant-based ingredients.

Butter-Based Sauces

Butter is an animal-based fat and can be used to make simple and yummy sauces. Just melt butter, add it to your meat, and enjoy!

Bone Broth-Based Sauces

Bone broth is made from animal bones and is a good source of collagen and nutrients. It can also make a tasty base for your Carnivore-friendly sauces or gravies.

Cream Sauces

You can use heavy or sour cream to make yummy, creamy sauces that go with various Carnivore dishes.

Homemade Animal Fat Sauces

You can use rendered animal fats, like beef tallow or pork lard, to make Carnivore sauces or drizzles.

If you’re making sauces at home, try to make them with animal-based ingredients and keep them simple and nutritious.

Learn More: Can You Eat Avocado on a Carnivore Diet? What About Avocado Oil?

How to Eat Sauce on a Carnivore Diet?

• Choose Carnivore-Friendly Ingredients: Use animal-based fats like butter, ghee, tallow, or lard as a base for your sauces. You can also use meat juices and pan drippings to make flavorful sauces when you cook meat.
• Create Simple Sauces: Melt butter or other animal-based fats in a pan and drizzle them over your cooked meat. You can’t believe how delicious it can be. Just try it once! Deglaze the pan with bone broth or water to make a simple broth-based sauce. Focus on enhancing the natural flavors of your meat rather than masking them.
• Make Cream-Based Sauces: Simmer the heavy or sour cream with seasonings or cheese to make a rich and creamy sauce.
• Homemade Sauces: Combine your cooking talent with your Carnivore knowledge, and add some creativity to make homemade sauces using animal-based ingredients. For example, you can make a butter and bone broth sauce with added spices.
• Taste and Adjust: Taste your sauce as you go and adjust the seasonings to your preference. You can substitute the ingredients with Carnivore-friendly ingredients of your choice to achieve the desired flavor.
• Use Sauces Sparingly: While sauces can add flavor and variety to your Carnivore meals, it's essential not to overdo it. You must focus on the meat itself.

Learn More: Can You Eat Onions on a Carnivore Diet? [Expert Guide]

The Benefits of Having Sauce on a Carnivore Diet

Using sauce on a Carnivore diet can

• Enhance Flavor,
• Add Variety,
• Moisturize and Increase Tenderness, and
• Boost Nutrient Density. 

Sauce Nutrition

The nutrition of a sauce varies significantly based on its ingredients and how it’s made. Here are the nutrients usually found in Carnivore-friendly sauces.

• Calories: The calorie content of a sauce is related to its ingredients, especially the fats and oils used. Creamy sauces contain higher calories than broth-based or vinegar-based sauces.
• Fats: The type and amount of fat used can vary, with options like butter, olive oil, animal fats, or cream.
• Proteins: Some sauces may contain small amounts of protein if they include ingredients like meat, dairy products, or nuts.
• Carbohydrates: Carnivore sauces contain minimal or zero carbs.
• Sugars: Since Carnivore sauces do not contain sweeteners like honey, sugar, or fruit juices, they do not have sugar.
• Fiber: Carnivore sauces are not made from vegetables or legumes, so they contain no fiber.
• Vitamins and Minerals: The nutrient profile of a sauce varies based on the ingredients used.
• Sodium: Many sauces, especially store-bought ones, contain high levels of sodium, which is why it’s better to make sauces at home to consume lower levels of salt (sodium).
• Additives: Commercial sauces often contain additives like preservatives, colorings, and flavor enhancers. That’s why we prefer homemade Carnivore sauces.

Each of the nutrients found in Carnivore sauces play vital roles in our body. For example, salt helps maintain fluid balances inside and around cells (source), keep blood pressure and pH at healthy levels (source), reduce muscle contraction (source), regulate nerves signals (source).

Learn More: Can You Have Soy Sauce on the Carnivore Diet?

Summary

Sauces can add variety and flavor to your Carnivore dishes and are totally acceptable as long as they’re made from animal-based ingredients.

It can be challenging to find Carnivore-friendly sauces in the market, so the best solution is to use your creativity and make Carnivore sauces at home.

You can make delicious and nutritious Carnivore sauces by simply substituting plant-based ingredients with animal-based ones.

So, the answer to the question, “Can you eat sauce on a Carnivore diet?” is yes, as long as you use animal-based products.