EASY Low Carb Substitutions

A master(ish) list of easy-to-find alternatives to many of your favorite carby foods – including examples of popular low carb and keto brands. This post will be updated as we discover new low carb substitutions and keto friendly alternatives. Keep in mind – many foods are already naturally low in carbs and require no substitutions so we’ll only be discussing alternatives to higher carb (typically convenience) food here.

Note: As always, *check the nutrition label* if you’re unsure about things like serving size, carbs, calories, and especially the ingredients. When trying something new, make note of any reactions so you can decide whether or not to avoid products with similar ingredients in the future. The suggestions below aren’t an endorsement so much as sharing knowledge of their existence and what my family enjoys. What works for one person may not work for the next, and that’s ok.

Note II: Several of these items can be easily found in your local grocery stores or favorite online shops and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with trying store brand or off brand food. Just check that label first!

We may make a tiny profit from any affiliate and referral links in this post. Like, super tiny

Index

• Low Carb Snacks
  Chips, Popcorn, Sweet Snacks
• Low Carb Drinks
  Milk & Creamer, Soda, Energy, Drink Syrups, Alcohol
• Low Carb Pasta & Soup
  Spaghetti, Macaroni, Lasagna
• Low Carb Bread
  Bread Loaves, Flatbreads & Tortillas
• Low Carb Rice
  Long grain/Short Grain/Orzo
• Low Carb Cereal
  Cold Cereal, Hot Cereal
• Low Carb Vegetables & Fruits
  Potatoes & Sweet Potatoes, Corn, Onions/Carrots/Peppers, Fruit
• Low Carb Dairy/Cheese
  Yogurt, Sour Cream/Soft Cheese/Cream Cheese, Hard Cheese
• Low Carb Desserts
  Cakes/Muffins/Cookies/Brownies/Pastries, Ice Cream
• Low Carb Frozen Pizza & Meals
  Pizza, Meals & Appetizers
• Low Carb Condiments, Sauces, & Marinades
  Ketchup, BBQ Sauce, Marinara Sauce, Marinades

Looking for Low Carb Baking Substitutes? Check out my low carb baking supplies guide for ideas and brands to look for.

Low Carb Snacks

Several folks who embark on low carb or ketogenic diets usually find their meals so satisfying that there really isn’t much room for snacking. That’s not always the case and guess what? If you feel like you need a snacky-snack, then snack you should – but it doesn’t have to be a snack that derails your day or your body. And yes, I wrote snacky-snack, it’s a thing, let’s go with it. On to the low carb snack substitutes…

Chips: Fried Cheese, Pork Rinds, Protein Chips, Protein Puffs, Grain-free Chips, Grain-free crackers, Egg White Chips, Pickles (hey don’t judge)

Chips make for a great standalone snack or quick lunch side. In my younger years, I could demolish half of a 12oz bag of ruffle potato chips. That salty, fatty goodness was just *chef’s kiss* and that’s why I’m thrilled that there are many delicious low carb chip options readily available in most stores and across many online retailers. My family really enjoys the sour cream & onion protein chips by Quest.

Even better (and cheaper!) – you can easily make your own cheese chips at home by pan frying or baking small mounds of natural cheese until they’re crispy/crunchy. Tastes a bit like Ritz crackers.

Brands to look for:
Macs Pork Rinds
Quest Chips
Snack House
Shrewd Food Protein Puffs
Whisps
Quevos Egg White Chips
Fat Snax
Hu Crackers
BeyondChipz Torpillas
SuckerPunch – Snack Pack Pickle Chips (with brine)
Oh Snap – Pickle Snacking Cuts (without brine)

Popcorn: Pork Rinds, Nuts, Protein Puffs, and… popcorn?

The quintessential movie-watching snack! I know the suggestions above might not click right away, but they all provide the crunch and the salty goodness you’re missing – that deliver way more nutritional value and way less carbs. We’ll often use Kernel Season’s flavored seasonings on our pork rinds or nuts that really bring back memories of going to the movies. My favorite flavors are butter and white cheddar.

As for the last suggestion – if you’re eating lower carb, but not a ketogenic diet, eating a small bag of Smartfood Popcorn isn’t actually that high in carbs. It’s not high in much of anything at 0.5ish oz, but it’s the real thing and if you don’t have a sensitivity or allergy to corn (this includes behavioral issues), then it’s a viable option. The smaller bags can also help with portion control which is notoriously difficult with traditional snack foods.

Brands to look for:
Macs Pork Rinds
NuTrail
Bubba’s Keto Nut Mix
Shrewd Food Protein Puffs
Smartfood Popcorn

Sweet Snacks: Sugar Free Cookies, Keto Cookies, Sugar Free Gummies, Low Carb Snack Bars, Low Carb Muffins, Low Carb Cake Cups, Sugar Free Chocolate, Sugar Free Pudding, Fat Bombs, Spoonful of Peanut Butter

Some of us have a finely developed sweet tooth and while there are PLENTY of sugar free sweets on the market, they are not created equally. Some of the sugar alternative ingredients used in these products will still spike your blood sugars or may cause some digestive upset.

On the bright side, there are decent low carb sweet snacks readily available that shouldn’t cause any serious reactions. HighKey’s Mini Cookies, for example, are one of our favorite little snacks – they actually remind us of mini Chips Ahoy cookies! They’re made with familiar, easy-to-read ingredients and while on the pricier side IMO, you could eat an entire bag and not blow your carbs for the day.

Pro tip: 1 tiny HighKey Chocolate Chip Cookie + 1 small piece of Lily’s Salted Caramel Milk Chocolate = Mouth Heaven.

Brands to look for:
HighKey Mini Cookies
Smart Sweets Gummies
Nush Cakes
Quest Nutrition Protein Bars / Cookies
Snack House
Atkins Snack Bars / Candy
Birch Benders Cake a la cup
Smart Baking Company Smartcakes / Smartmuf’n
ChocZero Keto Bark
Lily’s Chocolate Bars
JELLO
Simply Delish
SlimFast Fat Bombs
Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups (Sugar Free)

Note: Many convenience foods – sweets in particular – sacrifice simple, healthy ingredients for the sake of tasting more familiar and/or for preservatives/cheaper alternatives. While they may not be the healthiest choice for everyone out there, it’s up to you to decide if the food meets your needs.

Low Carb Drinks

Milk & Creamer: Heavy Whipping Cream, Coconut Milk (Unsweetened), Almond Milk (Unsweetened), Soy Milk (Unsweetened), Half & Half

Whole milk (e.g. full fat) can also be used in low quantities in recipes or as creamer. Those with any lactose issues will also benefit from low carb dairy options (i.e. heavy cream, ghee, etc.) as they’ll contain less lactose.

Brands to look for:
Silk
Simply
Nature’s Promise
Horizon
Dairy Pure
Happy Belly
Califia Farms

Soda: Diet Soda, Zero Sugar – try to avoid maltodextrin, maltitol, and aspartame when possible

Just because it’s sugar free doesn’t mean it’s healthy – physically or mentally. That said, if they don’t spike your blood sugar or cause your body other adverse reactions, these might be a step in the right direction or provide a stepping stone toward removing heavy amounts of sugar/carbs from your diet.

Brands to look for:
Zevia
Virgils
Coca Cola 100% Stevia
Celsius
Sparkling ICE + Caffeine

Energy: Sugar Free Energy drinks

Same as above for diet soda, watch out for certain artificial sweeteners and sugar alcohols that are known to cause issues.

Brands to look for:
Bang
Monster Zero
Alani Nu
Red Bull Sugar Free
Proper Wild
Rockstar Sugar Free
Celsius
V8+ Energy

Drink Syrups: Sugar Free Flavored Syrups

Take your coffee, tea, water, shaved ice, mixers, and more to the next level with some tasty, low carb and keto friendly drink syrups. Torani’s Sugar Free Black Cherry was an awesome addition to our keto friendly gummies and its shelf life after opening was pretty epic.

Brands to look for:
Torani Sugar Free Syrups
Jordan’s Skinny Syrups
DaVinci Gourmet Sugar Free Syrups
Pyure Flavored Sweetener
Truvia Flavored Sweetener

Alcohol: Light Beer, Dry Wine, Pure Spirits (Vodka, Rum, Whiskey, Gin, Tequila, Etc.)

We are social drinkers. We mainly partake during holidays and special occasions (maybe on stressful nights too), but some of our family members love beer and wine and other types of happy juice on the regular. Unfortunately, our bodies burn off alcohol before anything else so drinking a lot of it can have a significant impact on weight loss goals.

If losing fat is important, then drinking less alcohol will be beneficial. If fat loss isn’t an issue, then it’s still a good idea to, at minimum, keep your alcohol-related carbs relatively low. Thankfully, pure alcoholic drinks like Vodka (my favorite) are free of carbs and dry wines are fairly low. The Diet Doctor has a few awesome visual guides on here for keto & low carb friendly alcohol. Below are some of the brands we’re familiar with but it might take some poking around to find something you enjoy.

Brands to look for:
Corona Premier
Budweiser Select
Miller Lite
Michelob Ultra
Wine Folly

Low Carb Pasta

Spaghetti: Edamame Pasta (dried), Protein Pasta (dried), Zucchini Noodles, Spaghetti Squash, Shirataki Noodles (great for ramen too), Heart of Palm Noodles

We love having low carb bolognaise with edamame spaghetti pasta but runner ups zucchini noodles and protein pasta (Low Carb Bread Co.) seriously satisfy that craving – when cooked properly. Zoodles need to be fresh, pat dry, and very lightly pan fried with some seasoning while protein pasta needs to be boiled much longer than directions indicate and drenched in a tasty low carb sauce. Learn more about a variety of Low Carb & Keto Friendly Pasta options on my Low Carb Pasta Page ⇨

Brands to look for:
Explore Cuisine
Low Carb Bread Co.
Palmini
Nasoya Pasta Zero
Miracle Noodles
Thin Slim Impastable

Macaroni (elbows, rotini, penne): Roasted Cauliflower, Protein Pasta

Protein pasta wins hands down for texture, but roasted cauliflower (or any roasted veg), especially when roasted with bacon, makes for a great (and cheap) low carb mac & cheese alternative.

Brands to look for:
Low Carb Bread Co.
Thin Slim Impastable

Lasagna: Zucchini, Heart of Palm, Fathead Noodles

Not interested in a noodle-less lasagna? No problem, just slice zucchini length-wise and thinly and voila! Lasagna noodles. Certain brands of heart of palm offer pre-sliced noodles in a variety of shapes including lasagna sheets. Our recent favorite is creating a very thin sheet of fathead (with an extra egg) then slicing it into noodle sheets and it honestly tastes very close to the real thing. See our Low Carb Lasagna with Fathead Noodles Recipe here.

Brands to look for:
Palmini
Natural Heaven
Thin Slim Impastable

Soup: Broths, Creamy Soups, Miso Soup, Egg Drop Soup, Keto Soup

Soup is one of those foods that might be naturally low carb, depending on the type and brand. Which means, it might not advertise itself as low carb when it is. Annnnd that means, ya gotta check the label. In general, broths and creamy soups tend to be fairly low in carbs. Try to avoid canned but if you must, be on the lookout for lower sodium options. Sodium tends to be less of an issue when you’re on a low carb or ketogenic diet, but these cans pack a VERY high dose for one meal and that may not feel great.

We really like the few Kettle & Fire bone broths we’ve tried, though I’d rank some of these (like Butternut) as just low carb friendly and not keto friendly despite the label. Same goes for some of the soups listed below so just be sure to read that label first.

Brands to look for:
Kettle & Fire
Freak Flag Organics
Bare Bones
WildZora
True Primal
Campbell’s – Tomato, Cream of Chicken, Cream of Mushroom, Broccoli Cheese

Low Carb Bread

I’ve excluded homemade low carb bread here due to the complexity of some recipes even though several (like Fathead) are pretty quick and easy. If you prefer baking at home, check out my Homemade Low Carb & Keto Bread post for more ideas and recipes.

Bread Loaves: Sugar Free/Light Breads, Fiber Breads, Frozen Breads

Everyday, it seems like new low carb breads are popping up in familiar places – in your favorite grocery store or your preferred online retailer. The majority of these ready-made breads contain Vital Wheat Gluten, and in some cases, something called Modified Wheat Starch (basically modified maltodextrin). Those who are sensitive to these ingredients may have a reaction and spike their glucose levels. That said, these are several steps forward (and away) from the easier, carby bread options lining the aisles. If you absolutely must have bread and cannot make it at home, you have options! Just be mindful.

Brands to look for:
SOLA Bread (found in the freezer section in stores or online)
Nature’s Own Sugar Free Whole Grain Bread (find in stores)
Pepperidge Farm Light Style (find in stores)
Sara Lee Delightful 45 (find in stores)
Food for Life: Ezekiel 4:9 Bread (find in stores or online)
Chompies High Protein Bread (find online)
Great Low Carb Bread Co. Bread (find online)
ThinSlim Zero Carb Bread (find online)

Flatbreads & Tortillas: Cheese, Fathead, Egg, Big Leafy Greens, Protein, and surprisingly – Oat Bran and Whole Wheat

Much like the bread loaves above, there are MANY choices out there for Low Carb Flatbreads & Low Carb Tortillas – likely sitting right in front of you in every supermarket. There are also lots of easy-to-make substitutions at home including cheese wraps, egg wraps, and lettuce or cabbage wraps. Those are incredibly easy and economical solutions that render near zero carbs each. There are also tortillas and flatbreads on the market that taste like the real deal. The caveat is once again the ingredients. You’re trading familiarity and ease for a laundry list of ingredients that, while lower in carbs and sugar, may still cause some issues. Again, this is a step in the right direction. Just. Be. Mindful.

P.S. These make great thin pizza crusts and egg roll wrappers!

Brands to look for:
La Banderita
Mission Carb Balance
Ole Xtreme Wellness Wraps
Joseph’s Lavash & Pita Bread
Cut Da Carb Wraps
Folios Cheese Wraps
Crepini Egg Wraps or Egg Thins

Low Carb Rice

Oh, rice, you perfect starchy grass seed. Why are you such an amazing compliment to some of my most cherished high carb meals? Unfortunately, I haven’t come across any mind blowing low carb substitutes for rice. On the bright side, there are several low carb “rice” options to choose from, but you must take care to cook them properly so they actually taste… decent. Do these options taste anything remotely like rice? No, not really. Will they compliment your dishes nicely without spiking your blood glucose levels? Yes! That alone is reason enough for our little family to give these a try. And we’ll keep searching ’cause new products and ideas are created all the time. Maybe one day, we’ll come across something much closer that’s a truly satisfying rice alternative and if that day comes, we’ll update this section.

Long grain, Short Grain, Orzo: Riced Cauliflower, Riced Rutabaga, Riced Parsnip, Shirataki, Protein (dried)

Honestly, you can rice most vegetables and call it a rice substitute. The trick is to crisp the riced veg up with healthy oils and seasoning before using it in your dish. This can be done by lightly pan frying it at a high heat or roasting on a sheet pan in the oven.

Brands to look for:
Great Low Carb Co. – Rice
Miracle Noodle – Miracle Rice
ThinSlim Foods – Impastable Rice
Ciao Carbs – Nutriwell Pasta Rice

Low Carb Cereal

Cold Cereal: Protein Cereal, Fiber Cereal, Grain Free Cereal, Grain Free Granola & Muesli, Keto Cereal, Sugar Free Cereal, Baked Low Carb Tortillas

My husband is a cereal snob. This is probably one of his all-time favorite foods and they’re traditionally riddled with high carb grains and sugars which means we’ve tried *a lot* of keto cereal substitutes. While we haven’t found a premade cereal that he’s absolutely in love with, he’s a fan of the various granola options. To satiate the craving, we butter and season (usually cinnamon/sweetener) a low carb tortilla. We cut it up and bake it until crispy and voila – lazy ketofied cinnamon toast crunch. Super fast, super satisfying.

Brands to look for:
SOLA – Granola
Snack House
Wonderworks
Catalina Crunch
Cereal School
Magic Spoon
Schoolyard
Keto Crunch
The Granola Bakery
Diabetic Kitchen – Granola
NuTrail – Granola
Livlo – Granola
HighKey – Protein Cereal or Mini Cookies
Mission Carb Balance Tortillas
La Banderita Carb Counter Tortillas

Hot Cereal/Oatmeal: Keto Instant Hot Cereal, Grain Free Hot Cereal

Some hot cereals still contain a modest amount of rolled oats along with other muesli-style ingredients – so if you’re trying to go completely grain free, make sure the low carb hot cereals you choose don’t contain oats/wheat/rice.

Brands to look for:
HighKey – Instant Hot Cereal
Keto and Co – Keto Hot Breakfast
Pure Traditions – Keto Oatmeal
Wildway – Grain Free Instant Hot Cereal
ProtiDiet – Instant Oatmeal Mix
BariWise – Oatmeal

Low Carb Vegetables & Fruits

If you don’t have an issue with carbs, then whole (unprocessed) vegetables are nutritious additions to your diets.

If you’re like me and you spent a good chunk of your life abusing carbs in the name of comfort and love, then even the nutritious carbs can cause serious issues and need to be kept in check. So that’s what we have here – ideas to help balance your nutritional needs with less carbs by simply choosing different vegetables.

Potatoes & Sweet Potatoes: Jicama, Rutabaga, Cauliflower, Coconut & Almond Flour, Daikon Radishes, Turnips

Different, lower carb vegetables can be used in exchange for different potato-applications. For example, jicama is great at mimicking the texture of more solid potato dishes like au gratin, scalloped potatoes, and perhaps even french fries. Cauliflower mash is a surprisingly awesome low carb mashed potato alternative (same goes for hash) and cauliflower in general is becoming more prevalent in ready-made dishes. Rutabagas, while slightly higher on the carb scale than most of our alternatives – have a natural sweetness that makes them an ideal sweet potato substitute. Coconut & Almond Flours can also easily turn into fries with a little kitchen magic. Last but not least, radishes make for tasty roasted “fauxtatoes”.

Brands to look for:
Birds Eye Cauliflower Mash
Green Giant Cauliflower Mash
Wegmans Cauliflower Puree
Wegmans Cut Rutabaga
Margaret Holmes Diced Rutabagas

Corn: Baby Corn, Diced Rutabaga, Riced Broccoli, Creamed Spinach

Sweet corn is nearly 25g net carbs for just 1 cup of kernels. That’s quite a lot! If you’re Keto then that might even be your total carbs for the day! There isn’t much that can replace the texture/taste of corn so it really depends on your application as to what you might use instead. Tiny cubes of rutabaga cooked and seasoned well might offer a decent buttery, sweet substitute for your side dish. Same goes for riced broccoli (weird, I know), which starts to taste much sweeter after you’ve given up all the extra sugar. Baby corn has a very similar taste to sweet corn, but has slightly less carbs. Trade off is that the texture is wildly different.

Onions, Carrots, Peppers: You don’t have to substitute these vegetables.

We’ve seen many sites suggesting that low carb, and especially keto diets, should omit these types of vegetables. Everyone’s body is different. If your body doesn’t have problems processing the sugars/carbs from these foods and they fit within your goals, then there’s no reason you can’t eat them! The only time we substitute any of these 3 is usually when swapping sweet vidalia onion with potent spring onion, since we can use significantly less of it for the same punch of flavor. But honestly, if you’re using these vegetables in recipes, the amount of carbs PER SERVING are going to be reasonable.

You don’t know if these vegetables cause your body issues yet? Then try ditching them for a few weeks and slowly, add each back into your diet. Make note of any adverse reactions, or lack of reactions. Then you’ll know and can adjust your diet accordingly. This way of eating can be very flexible and change to meet your needs.

Fruit: Blueberries, Strawberries, Raspberries, Blackberries, Coconut, Avocado, Lemon, Lime

Fruit is naturally sweet and therefore naturally higher in carbs. If you’re pursuing a ketogenic diet, eating a whole banana might kick you out of ketosis – especially if you’re sensitive to these types of sugars. But eating a few berries or some guacamole should be right on point. If you’re eating lower carb (not keto), then nutrient dense fruits and vegetables are the types of carbs you should be eating for daily fuel.

Low Carb Dairy / Cheese

Yogurt: Look for No Sugar Added, Low Sugar

Most yogurts contain TONS of added sugar! None moreso than “fat free” versions. Remember, when fat is removed from a product (e.g. low or reduced fat), it’s usually replaced with added carbs in the form of sugar to make it taste better. If carbs aren’t added, then it’s likely watered down which means the flavor, calories, and overall nutrition is watered down as well. Worse yet – the few yogurts, usually greek, that are unsweetened tend to taste awful (yikes). Here are a few that we believe have decent taste and texture.

Brands to look for:
Two Good
Oikos Triple Zero
Fage 0% Plain (thicker, good for recipes – add your own sweetener)

Sour Cream, Soft Cheese, Cream Cheese: Full Fat! But sometimes low fat…

I’m sure this is beyond a broken record now. BUT: Like most dairy options, look for the whole fat versions (usually original) and avoid the LOW FAT options when possible. Strangely enough, creams and cheese differ a bit from yogurts on this and carb count isn’t usually super impacted by low fat options. An exception to the rule, perhaps? The fat free options certainly cut back on calories, but that also means cutting back on taste or replacing the fat with ingredients that aren’t great. So. This really depends where your priorities lie and what you choose is 100% up to you.

Brands to look for:
Diary Pure
Daisy
Breakstone’s
Philadelphia
Organic Valley

Hard Cheese: Natural Cheese

This is one case where I won’t be making a list of branded items because there are just too many. And like most of the lists on this page, store brand and off brand are also completely viable options – just be sure to read the nutrition label and be sure you’re happy with the ingredients and macros.

Cheese labeled natural is usually less processed and less carb-filled. If possible, also look for non-shredded cheese in block form as these will contain less preservatives/additives. And remember – just because it has Natural on the packaging, doesn’t mean it really is. Read what you’re buying so there are no surprises.

Low Carb Desserts

Cakes, Muffins, Cookies, Brownies, Pastries: Homemade from Low Carb Mixes, Low Carb & Keto Friendly Bakeries

Please, please, please stay away from the big brand name, boxed Sugar Free cake mixes. Oh my goodness. These are good for just one thing: farts. Yep. My son begged for these so we made 24 cupcakes and make no mistake – we ate the entire batch, but we will NEVER be doing THAT again. One of the triggering ingredients was the sheer amount of Maltitol used, yikes!

Low carb baked goods are not difficult to make at home (it’s cheaper) and some (non-farty) premade mixes make things even easier – we like Keto & Co’s Fudge Brownie Mix. But if you don’t have all the necessary extra ingredients in your kitchen, try searching for local bakeries and see if one specializes in making sugar free baked goods (preferably with a good low carb sweetener). You can also buy low carb cakes online – some bakeries are even on etsy! Check them out and be sure the ingredients and shipping times work for you before purchasing.

Brands to look for:
Keto and Co
Good Dee’s
Livlo
Swerve Sweets
HighKey
Birchbenders
Lakanto

Ice Cream: Low Sugar, No Added Sugar, and Sugar Free

Rebel Creamery has likely stolen my heart when it comes to low carb ice cream, but the others aren’t that bad. We’ve found Rebel, Enlightened, and Halo Top in all of our favorite grocery stores. I’ve also purchased Rebel online during the first wave of lockdowns in 2020.

My husband, on the other hand, hasn’t found a brand of sugar free ice cream or homemade ice cream recipe that speaks to his soul. His search continues.

All I know for sure when it comes to sugar free ice cream – let it sit out for a good 15-20 minutes before you dive in. Seriously, sugar free creams don’t freeze the same way and will be ROCK SOLID. Let it thaw a little and you’ll be much happier with the texture.

Brands to look for:
Rebel Creamery
Enlightened
Halo Top
SoDelicious – No Sugar Added
Fairlife – Light Ice Cream
Edy’s – No Sugar Added
Blue Bunny – Sweet Freedom / No Sugar Added
Skinny Cow – No Sugar Added

Low Carb Frozen Pizza & Meals

Meal prep is not always easy, let alone possible. The price of convenience often goes beyond money and right into the ingredients used. Manufacturers are still wrapping their minds around how to make low carb frozen food that’s both healthier and tastes good. The options below are honestly a mixed bag, but they might be worth looking into if you need a quick, hot meal that’s low carb. We’ve only included options that offer fully prepared pizzas – not just the crust.

Pizza: Protein Crusts, Cauliflower Crusts

Full disclosure: We haven’t found a frozen option we really like. If we’re desperate for a pizza that we don’t wanna make at home, we’ll grab a keto crust pizza from Blaze Pizza. Otherwise, we’ll just use ready made low carb tortillas as our crusts or make our own from scratch, time permitting.

Brands to look for:
Quest Nutrition
Evol
Realgood
The Keto Oven
Cali’flour Foods

Meals & Appetizers: Low Carb, Sugar Free, Grain Free, Keto Friendly Frozen Meals

Those are the words typically found on the packaging for lower carb meals – but not always. For example, Healthy Choice has a few grain free options that are very low carb but that’s not advertised anywhere on the packaging.

In our humble opinion (mine and my husband), Realgood does some things right and others… not so much. We’re fans of their cheese enchiladas (stay away from the beef) and their jalapeno poppers are pretty tasty. Happi Foodi is relatively new to us and while some of their meals are marked specifically as “keto”, many are better viewed as low carb than keto.

Brands to look for:
Realgood
Healthy Choice – Grain Free Simply Steamers
Atkins
Happi Foodi – Keto Bowls
Jimmy Dean – Simple Scrambles, Frittatas, Egg’wich

Low Carb Condiments, Sauces, & Marinades

This is fairly self-explanatory but it doesn’t hurt to remind anyone: when looking for low carb condiment & sauce substitutes, look for No Sugar Added varieties. Many condiments are already naturally low in carbs like mustard, worcestershire sauce, pickles, soy sauce, ranch dressing, etc. Let’s check out the substitutes for some of the most popular, sugar-riddled condiments.

Ketchup: No Sugar Added, Unsweetened

Brands to look for:
Heinz – No Sugar Added
Primal Kitchen
G Hughes
Yo Mama’s

BBQ Sauce: Sugar Free, No Sugar Added

Brands to look for:
G Hughes – Hickory, Maple Brown, Mesquite, Original, and more
Primal Kitchen – Classic, Golden
Guy Fieri – Original, Spicy, Smokey Garlic
Sweet Baby Ray’s – No Sugar Added

Marinara Sauce: No Sugar Added, Natural, Organic

Marinara sauces are not often advertised as sugar free, low carb, or keto friendly and I suppose there isn’t much reason to as most are just natural tomato and herb blends with nothing funky added. Be aware that some brands practice false advertising (like Barilla) by stating they have no added sugar and then you read the label and it lists SUGAR. So as always, read that label. Rao’s Homemade Marinara is one of our favorites but when we’re on a budget crunch we usually opt for Lucini (bit watered down, still tasty and gets the job done).

It’s also very easy to make your own marinara at home – we sometimes do a blend of crushed red tomatoes, garlic, and Italian spices.

Brands to look for:
Rao’s Homemade
Lucini’s Pasta Sauce
Mezzetta
Yo Mama’s
Organico Bello
Prego – No Sugar Added

Marinades: No Sugar Added, Natural, Organic

Brands to look for:
G Hughes – Teriyaki, Lemon Herb, Orange Ginger and more
Saucy Lips – Pineapple Thai, Ghost Pepper Tamarind, and more
Noble Made by The New Primal

Wow! You made it alllll the way down here. Thanks for checking out this massive post. I’m sure I’ve missed a few items here but we’re always learning about new alternatives so I’m hoping to keep this post updated.

What are you favorite low carb substitutes? Strict, lazy, dirty, lowER carb – whatever the case may be, I wanna know – share your ideas in the comments! 🙂