It's easy to make keto cocktail sauce! Simply replace the sugary ketchup with unsweetened ketchup. It tastes just like the restaurant version!
This easy recipe contains four ingredients, is ready in five minutes, and you can - and should - make it ahead of time.
Shrimp cocktail is one of my favorite appetizers to order in restaurants (deviled eggs is another one). I always feel a little guilty when I order it because the sauce served at restaurants is quite high in sugar.
That's why I've been wanting for a long time now to make a keto cocktail sauce and serve it with boiled shrimp right here at home. I don't know why it took me so long - it's so very easy to make. If you're like me and really like shrimp cocktail, you can now enjoy it freely, even on a low carb or a keto diet!
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Ingredients
You'll only need a few ingredients to make this flavorful sauce. The exact measurements are listed in the recipe card below. Here's an overview of what you'll need:
Unsweetened ketchup: It's really tasty. It always makes me wonder why do they need to add so much sugar to regular ketchup.
Horseradish: I really like the Bubbies brand, which is quite potent! I get it at Whole Foods.
Worcestershire sauce: A very small amount (just ½ teaspoon) adds great flavor to the sauce.
Hot pepper sauce: I like the Organic Harvest brand. Again, it's quite potent.
Instructions
How to make keto cocktail sauce? It's so easy, I can hardly call it a recipe! The detailed instructions are included in the recipe card below. Here are the basic steps:
Mix. In a small bowl, whisk together the ingredients.
Chill. Cover and chill until ready to use. This will allow the flavors to meld, so it's actually a good idea to make this sauce ahead of time.
Serve. Mix again before serving.
Expert tip
Did you know that melted butter is awesome with shrimp? As I said, a shrimp cocktail is one of my favorite appetizers to order in restaurants. But since I realize that the sauce served in restaurants is high in sugar, sometimes I ask them to serve the shrimp with melted butter. It's delicious!
But I like cocktail sauce so much, that other times I figure that the little I use with the six prawns they typically give you won't be so bad. So I go ahead and order it. Yum. 🦐
Frequently asked questions
Yes! You just need to make a low-sugar sauce. To make it, you can use any recipe you like. Simply replace the regular, sugary ketchup with unsweetened ketchup.
The sugar is added for flavor and as a preservative. But there's way too much of it in regular ketchup.
This low-sugar cocktail sauce tastes amazing. It basically tastes just like the restaurant version. The only difference I notice is that I don't like lemon juice in this recipe, so I omit it. Perhaps this is because there isn't enough sugar in the ketchup to balance out the acidity of the lemon juice.
The brand of prepared horseradish I use is quite potent, so I only use one tablespoon of it.
Depending on the brand you use, you might need to add up to two tablespoons. It's best to start with less, then taste and decide for yourself.
Serving suggestions
- The obvious use for this sauce is to serve it with boiled shrimp.
- It's also very good with other types of seafood such as oysters, clams, crab, and scallops.
- Try it as a topping to simply prepared fish such as grilled salmon.
- Use it to top meatloaf.
- Serve it as a dip for prosciutto-wrapped mozzarella.
- It's great as a dip for chicken nuggets.
Storing leftovers
You can keep this sauce in the fridge, in an airtight container, for up to 5 days. Give it another good stir before using it. You can also freeze it for up to three months. I like to freeze it in ice cube trays, then place the frozen cubes in freezer bags.
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Recipe card
Keto Cocktail Sauce
INGREDIENTS
- ½ cup unsweetened ketchup
- 1 tablespoon horseradish*
- ½ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- ½ teaspoon hot pepper sauce
INSTRUCTIONS
- In a small bowl, whisk together the ketchup, horseradish, Worcestershire sauce, and hot pepper sauce.
- Cover and chill until ready to use.
- Mix the sauce again before serving.
- Serve with poached or boiled shrimp.
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NOTES
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NUTRITION PER SERVING
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Vered DeLeeuw, LL.M., CNC, has been following a low-carb real-food diet and blogging about it since 2011. She's a Certified Nutrition Coach (NASM-CNC), has taken courses at the Harvard School of Public Health, and has earned a Nutrition and Healthy Living Certificate from Cornell University. Her work has appeared in several major media outlets, including Healthline, HuffPost, Today, Women's Health, Shape, and Country Living. 