Low Carb Dressings & Dipping Sauces

If you follow a low-carb diet, you need to keep your carb intake low by avoiding grains, starchy vegetables and sugar as well as fruits, milk, plain yogurt and nuts. Your low-carb diet should be based on non-starchy vegetables, like broccoli, leafy greens, cucumber, mushrooms and tomatoes, protein from eggs, cheese, meat, poultry, fish and seafood, as well as fats from coconut oil, olive oil, butter, cream, mayonnaise, nuts and nut butter. In addition to these staple foods, it is important that you have a variety of herbs, spices, vinegar, salad dressings and dipping sauces to add flavor to your low-carb foods.

Homemade Vinaigrette

A way to dress your salad or vegetables without adding carbs to your meal is to prepare a homemade vinaigrette. Choose an oil and vinegar you like and mix equal parts of each. Season to taste with herbs, sea salt and freshly ground pepper if desired. Good combinations include avocado oil and red wine vinegar as well as the classic olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

Buying Salad Dressings

If you have to buy your salad dressing, you will need to carefully look at the label. Avoid low-calorie, light, low-fat, reduced-fat or fat-free salad dressings. When food manufacturers lower the fat content of a product, they tend to add sugar to compensate. Ranch dressing, Italian dressing, thousand island dressings and blue cheese dressings are usually good low-carb choices. Look at the ingredient lists to ensure that no sugar is added, and double check the carb content per serving.

Guacamole

Guacamole is a versatile and tasty low-carb dip that you prepare in a cinch. All you need is a ripe avocado. Mash it with a fork, add a splash of lime or lemon juice and salt and pepper. You can also add chopped tomato and onions. It makes a great dip for raw vegetables or to add to Mexican-style fajitas using low-carb tortilla or lettuce leaves.

Mayonnaise-based Dip

Mayonnaise is a good low-carb dip or sauce that can be used by itself. Make sure you select a regular full-fat mayo. Avoid reduced-fat mayo because it usually contains more carbohydrates. You can mix your mayonnaise with basil pesto or sun-dried tomato pesto for a quick and tasty dipping sauce for raw vegetables or meat. You can also mix mayonnaise with a low-carb relish for a dipping sauce for white fish.

Cheese-based Dip

If you want to indulge with a rich, yet low-carb, dipping sauce, mix about 8 oz. of cream cheese with 8 oz. of shredded cheese. Make sure you choose full-fat cream cheese to keep the carbs low. Cheddar makes a more tangy dip, mozzarella has a mild taste and blue cheese can give your dressing some kick. Melt in the microwave and serve. You can also add seasonings, such as chili pepper, onions, spinach, salt and pepper, to taste.