Keto Cocktail Sauce Without Sugar - the Dip for Raclette and Fondue
This keto cocktail sauce needs neither ketchup nor sugar: mayonnaise and sour cream form the creamy base, tomato paste brings color and fruitiness, and horseradish and lemon add the typical sharp, fresh kick. Each person ends up with approx. 2.8 g net carbs, while store-bought cocktail sauce often carries 15 to 20 g sugar per 100 g. It is the dip for the shrimp from the grill plate and completes the keto raclette exactly where the ready-made supermarket sauce would otherwise stand.
The key facts at a glance
- Time required: approx. 10 minutes of stirring plus 30 minutes of chilling - a quickly prepared dip.
- Approx. 2.8 g net carbs and 26 g fat per person.
- Ingredients: mayonnaise, sour cream, tomato paste, horseradish, lemon juice, paprika, optionally brandy and erythritol.
- Suits raclette and fondue nights as a dip for shrimp, grilled meat and vegetable sticks.
Ingredients
Makes approx. 265 g of sauce, around 65 g per person for a whole raclette or fondue evening; served alongside other dips, it is enough for 6 to 8 people.
| Amount | Ingredient | Note | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| mayonnaise | 80 % fat, no added sugar | |||
| 80 % fat, no added sugar | ||||
| sour cream | 24 % fat | |||
| 24 % fat | ||||
| tomato paste | approx. 2 tbsp, double concentrated | |||
| approx. 2 tbsp, double concentrated | ||||
| horseradish | approx. 2 tsp, jarred with no added sugar or freshly grated | |||
| approx. 2 tsp, jarred with no added sugar or freshly grated | ||||
| lemon juice | approx. 2 tsp | |||
| approx. 2 tsp | ||||
| brandy | approx. 2 tsp, optional; contains alcohol | |||
| approx. 2 tsp, optional; contains alcohol | ||||
| erythritol | approx. 1 tsp, optional | |||
| approx. 1 tsp, optional | ||||
| paprika | sweet | |||
| sweet | ||||
| cayenne pepper | - | |||
| salt | - | |||
| pepper | freshly ground | |||
| freshly ground | ||||
How it is made
-
Stir the tomato base smooth
approx. 2 minutesDone Amount Icon Ingredient 30 g tomato paste approx. 2 tbsp, double concentrated 10 g horseradish approx. 2 tsp, jarred with no added sugar or freshly grated 10 ml lemon juice approx. 2 tsp 10 ml brandy approx. 2 tsp, optional; contains alcohol Stir the tomato paste (30 g) with the lemon juice (10 ml), horseradish (10 g) and optional brandy (10 ml) in a bowl until no lumps are left.
-
Fold in the mayonnaise and sour cream
approx. 3 minutesDone Amount Icon Ingredient 100 g mayonnaise 80 % fat, no added sugar 100 g sour cream 24 % fat Add the mayonnaise (100 g) and sour cream (100 g) and whisk into an evenly pale pink sauce.
-
Season to taste
approx. 3 minutesDone Amount Icon Ingredient 5 g erythritol approx. 1 tsp, optional 0.5 tsp paprika sweet 1 pinch cayenne pepper 1 pinch salt 1 pinch pepper freshly ground Season with paprika (0.5 tsp), cayenne pepper (1 pinch), salt (1 pinch) and pepper (1 pinch). If you like, stir in the erythritol (5 g) a little at a time until the sweetness is right.
-
Let it rest
30 minutesCover the sauce and put it in the fridge for at least 30 minutes, so the horseradish mellows and the flavors come together.
-
Serve
approx. 2 minutesStir the sauce, spoon it into small bowls, dust with a little paprika and serve with shrimp, grilled meat or vegetable sticks.
You did it! Enjoy every delicious bite.
Which tips help you make the perfect keto cocktail sauce?
- Always stir the tomato paste smooth with the lemon juice and brandy first, or red lumps will stay in the mayonnaise.
- Check the ingredient list on jarred horseradish; many kinds contain sugar, so pick one with no added sugar.
- Let the sauce rest in the fridge for at least 30 minutes so the heat mellows.
- Use mayonnaise with 80 % fat; salad cream and light versions often contain starch and sugar.
- Add the erythritol only at the end and in small steps - the sweetness of the tomato is already enough for many people.
- For a deeper color, add a pinch of smoked paprika.
Why does this cocktail sauce fit keto?
Classic cocktail sauce is mayonnaise with ketchup, and the ketchup is exactly the problem: regular tomato ketchup contains around 22 to 25 g sugar per 100 g, and ready-made cocktail sauces sit at 15 to 20 g depending on the brand. In this recipe, tomato paste takes over the role of the ketchup. It delivers the red color and the tomato flavor in concentrated form, without added sugar. According to USDA FoodData Central, 100 g of tomato paste contains about 15 g net carbs - with 30 g in the whole recipe, that is around 4.4 g for all four people together. Per person the sauce comes to approx. 2.8 g net carbs, 26 g fat and 1.4 g protein at around 255 kcal. Over 90 % of the energy comes from fat, mostly from the mayonnaise. That makes the dip an ideal source of fat alongside lean grilled food such as shrimp or turkey strips.
Source: USDA FoodData Central - nutrient database , Max Rubner Institute - German Nutrient Database (BLS)
Homemade and store-bought compared
Two tablespoons of store-bought cocktail sauce (about 30 g) bring 4 to 6 g sugar, depending on the product. If you go back for more three or four times over a raclette evening, the dip alone adds up to 15 to 20 g. The homemade version comes to about 1.3 g net carbs for the same amount, almost all of it from the tomato paste, sour cream and horseradish. There is no added sugar at all. The Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health explicitly names sauces and dressings as a typical hidden source of added sugar.
Source: Harvard T.H. Chan - The Nutrition Source: Added Sugar
Brandy and erythritol: optional, but honestly counted
A splash of brandy belongs in a classic cocktail sauce and rounds off the heat of the horseradish. 10 ml of brandy at 36 % ABV contains just under 3 g of alcohol, so less than 1 g per person. The alcohol does not evaporate in a cold sauce, so leave it out if children, pregnant guests or drivers are eating with you. Brandy provides practically no carbs. Erythritol makes up for the missing ketchup sweetness and is not counted as net carbs, because the body barely metabolizes it. EFSA re-evaluated the sweetener in 2023 and set an acceptable daily intake that 5 g in a sauce for four people stays far below.
Source: EFSA - Re-evaluation of erythritol (E 968) as a food additive
How do I serve and vary the cocktail sauce?
Put the cocktail sauce in two small bowls at both ends of the raclette table so nobody has to reach across the hot machine. It goes with shrimp and pieces of fish from the grill plate, with chicken and beef strips, and just as well as a dip for raw cucumber and bell pepper sticks. At a meat fondue it is a standard alongside aioli and herb mayonnaise. In practice it becomes noticeably rounder after half an hour in the fridge, because the horseradish loses its biting heat and the tomato paste melds with the mayonnaise. In autumn and winter, when the first raclette and fondue evenings come around, it is worth mixing a double batch straight away.
Meal prep and storage
You can mix the sauce up to 3 days ahead without any loss of quality, and it even tastes better on the second day. In a tightly closed screw-top jar in the fridge it keeps for 4 to 5 days, provided you use store-bought mayonnaise. With homemade mayonnaise made from raw egg yolk, you should use it up within 2 days. Stir it once before serving and freshen it up with a little lemon juice if needed.
Without mayonnaise
If you do not like mayonnaise or want a lighter sauce, replace it entirely with sour cream - 200 g sour cream instead of 100 g each of mayonnaise and sour cream. The sauce then turns fresher and slightly tangier, is egg-free and comes to around 135 kcal and just over 3 g net carbs per person. If you would rather go classic with ketchup instead of tomato paste, use 50 g of sugar-free keto ketchup and leave out the lemon juice and erythritol.
Nutrition values
| Nutrient | Per 100 g | Per person | Keto context |
|---|---|---|---|
| Calories | approx. 385 kcal | approx. 255 kcal | An energy-dense dip; the amount per person lasts a whole raclette evening. |
| An energy-dense dip; the amount per person lasts a whole raclette evening. | |||
| Fat | approx. 39 g | approx. 26 g | Very well suited to keto and a good balance to lean grilled food such as shrimp. |
| Very well suited to keto and a good balance to lean grilled food such as shrimp. | |||
| Net carbs | approx. 4.3 g | approx. 2.8 g | Low. Store-bought cocktail sauce sits at four to five times that. |
| Low. Store-bought cocktail sauce sits at four to five times that. | |||
| Sugar | approx. 3.6 g | approx. 2.4 g | Only natural sugar from the tomato paste, sour cream and horseradish - no added sugar. |
| Only natural sugar from the tomato paste, sour cream and horseradish - no added sugar. | |||
| Protein | approx. 2.1 g | approx. 1.4 g | Low. At a raclette evening the protein comes from the cheese, shrimp and meat. |
| Low. At a raclette evening the protein comes from the cheese, shrimp and meat. | |||
| Salt | approx. 0.7 g | approx. 0.5 g | Moderate; most of the salt is already in the mayonnaise. |
| Moderate; most of the salt is already in the mayonnaise. | |||
Note: Nutrition values are estimated averages per 100 g and per serving and may vary depending on ingredients, brands, portion size, and preparation. They do not replace individual nutrition or medical advice.
FAQ
Is cocktail sauce allowed on keto?
Store-bought cocktail sauce mostly not, because it contains 15 to 20 g sugar per 100 g. Made at home with tomato paste instead of ketchup, it comes to approx. 4.3 g net carbs per 100 g and approx. 2.8 g per person, and fits into a keto day without any trouble.
What can I use instead of ketchup in cocktail sauce?
Tomato paste, which delivers color and tomato flavor without added sugar. 30 g of tomato paste replaces about 80 g of ketchup. Alternatively, use homemade sugar-free keto ketchup.
Is cocktail sauce suitable for weight loss on keto?
In moderation, yes. At around 255 kcal per person it is energy-dense, but it keeps the carbs low. If you want to lose weight, mix the version without mayonnaise using 200 g sour cream and save almost half the calories.
Does the brandy have to go into the sauce?
No. The brandy is optional and rounds off the flavor. Since the alcohol stays in the cold sauce, leave it out when children are eating with you, or replace it with an extra splash of lemon juice.
What else goes with keto cocktail sauce besides raclette?
Meat and broth fondue, grilled shrimp, a shrimp cocktail in lettuce cups, cold roast beef, boiled eggs, and as a dip for vegetable sticks.