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This recipe for sugar-free keto tomato sauce is full of flavor and can be used in so many recipes. All while only using 5 ingredients!
While tomatoes are keto-friendly, store-bought versions of tomato sauce can be full of hidden sugars, carbs and who knows what else that isn’t good for you.
This is a simple keto tomato sauce recipe that you can use in any way you like. Use this sauce on a cauliflower pizza crust, low-carb eggplant parmesan, or a keto pizza casserole.
The sauce can easily be prepared ahead, saving you time in the kitchen.
How to make keto tomato sauce
Step 1: In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, saute the garlic in the olive oil. Saute for a minute until the garlic is fragrant. Make sure the garlic doesn’t brown and become burnt.
Step 2: Turn the heat down and add the tomatoes, oregano, vinegar, and salt to the saucepan. Bring to a simmer and allow to cook for 30 – 40 minutes, allowing the sauce to reduce and thicken.
Step 3: Use the sauce immediately if desired or store for later use.
Make a batch and store it!
You can use this sugar-free tomato sauce immediately if desired or it can be stored for later use. To store the sauce, allow it to cool to room temperature first. Once cooled, transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 5 days.
You can also freeze the sauce after it has cooled to room temperature. Freeze in bags or a container for up to 6 weeks. Defrost before use.
Spicing it up!
Because this keto marinara sauce only uses 5 simple ingredients, it’s a great base that you can add other flavors to.
It tastes fantastic as it is, of course, but you can change the flavor profile by adding additional spices such as basil or parsley. You can also adjust the heat by adding red pepper flakes or even chopped chili peppers.
A sweet sugar-free tomato sauce?
The fact that this sauce is sugar-free doesn’t mean that it can’t be a little sweet! There are many no-carb sweeteners that you can eat on a keto diet.
I have made this sauce with a little bit of Stevia sweetener and it turned out great. Monkfruit sweetener is also a great option. Just be careful and add a little at a time as both sweeteners are quite strong.
Other healthy low-carb recipes to try
If you liked this recipe, here are some other low-carb recipes you might enjoy:
Keto Gravy
Keto Ranch Dressing
Cauliflower Alfredo Sauce
You can also check out the roundup I created ofHealthy Dinner Recipes for Diabeticsfor even more great recipe ideas.
When you’ve tried this keto tomato sauce recipe, please don’t forget to let me know how you liked it and rate the recipe in the comments below!
Keto Tomato Sauce
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This is the best recipe for a keto tomato sauce that is full of flavor and can be used in so many recipes. All while only using 5 ingredients!
In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, saute the garlic in the olive oil. Saute for a minute until the garlic is fragrant. Make sure the garlic doesn’t brown and become burnt.
Turn the heat down and add the tomatoes, oregano, vinegar, and salt to the saucepan. Bring to a simmer and allow to cook for 30 – 40 minutes, allowing the sauce to reduce and thicken.
Notes
You can use this tomato sauce immediately if desired or it can be stored for later use. To store the sauce, allow it to cool to room temperature first. Once cooled, transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 5 days.
You can also freeze the sauce after it has cooled to room temperature. Freeze in bags or a container for up to 6 weeks. Defrost before use.
Use a light hand, as a little baking soda goes a long way. For a batch of tomato sauce, start slowly with a mere 1/8 teaspoon. Give it a stir, taste, and see if you need more. You will notice the tartness start to fade, giving way to a sweetness.
This farmer's market-originated marinara is keto certified with only six carbs and no sugar added. It's also good for Whole30 and low-sugar dieters, coming in at only three grams of sugar per serving.
For instance, many store-bought tomato products, such as tomato paste, tomato sauce, salsa, tomato juice, and even canned tomatoes, contain added sugars. This significantly raises their total carb content, making them more difficult to fit into a ketogenic diet.
Most tomato sauce recipes are based on canned tomatoes, and canning companies carefully regulate the pH level of their products. So, the need to add sugar to tomato sauce is declining, but there may still be exceptions. It's best to make your sauce without sugar at first, then taste it and add a pinch if necessary.
If your tomato sauce is too acidic and verging on bitter, turn to baking soda, not sugar. Yes, sugar might make the sauce taste better, but good old baking soda is an alkaline that will help balance the excess acid. A little pinch should do the trick.
Add sweet vegetables to your recipe. Simmer 1 cup of shredded carrots or use sweet red pepper instead of green bell pepper. Sauté the vegetables in olive oil to express the sugars before adding them to the sauce. These vegetables will add a natural, mellower sweetness to your sauce than sugar or honey.
Cream cheese: Cream cheese is very popular in the keto diet. At only 84 calories per 1 ounce serving, it has 1 gram of carbs and 2 grams of protein but packs 8 grams of fat per serving. It can be a keto-friendly snack or meal addition when more fat is needed.
Keto practitioners incorporate a variety of different condiments into their diets, including hot sauce, low-carb BBQ sauce, sugar-free ketchup, mustard, ranch dressing, mayonnaise, guacamole, soy sauce, sour cream, and more.
For the record, you don't need to worry that you'll completely screw up your ketosis if you have a tomato (or two) on any given day. “You'd likely need to eat five to six medium tomatoes to upset the balance of carbohydrates,” Keatley says.
"They're low in carbs, so they fit perfectly into keto." One whole medium tomato contains roughly 5 grams of carbohydrates, of which 1.5 grams are fiber and 3 grams are sugar. If you're eating keto, your goal is to enter a state of ketosis (a fat-burning state kickstarted by reducing your protein and carb intake).
"A pinch of sugar is a Southern Italian trick that was used when the sauce was made with end-of-season tomatoes that did not get ripe, or the tomatoes were so tart they needed to be balanced," Chiarello explained to Epicurious.
Nutmeg. Nutmeg is the key to boosting earthiness and adding a touch of nuttiness to your spaghetti sauce. Nutmeg also has a slightly sweet flavor, which we know goes great with acidic canned tomatoes. Overall, it accentuates the other ingredients in the sauce and adds complexity.
The natural sugars in tomatoes themselves, such as fructose and glucose, contribute to the sauce's overall sweetness. Even in traditional home-made tomato sauce made from scratch, a little sugar is often added to balance the flavours.
If the reason you're wanting to “sweeten” the sauce is because the tomato is too tart [highly acidic] then a pinch of baking soda should do the trick. Or if you really like your sauce sweet for the sake of sweetness, then add a carrot or bit of sweet potato while it's cooking.
Rossetto Kasper recommends you try adding a small pinch of it to your sauce, stir it a few times, and taste. Repeat this process as needed until your sauce achieves a more balanced level of acidity.
When your sauce begins to simmer, add the salt and a pinch of white or brown sugar, then mix; the sugar will be able to counterbalance and eliminate the sourness of the tomato, without changing its flavor or sweetening your dish.
Add a little milk to tomato sauce for a sweeter taste to offset the acidity of the tomatoes. This is a well-kept secret amongst Italian grandmothers. In northern Italy, Bolognese sauce is never made without milk! It can be added at the beginning or end of cooking.
Introduction: My name is Rev. Leonie Wyman, I am a colorful, tasty, splendid, fair, witty, gorgeous, splendid person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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