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Can You Have Hot Sauce on a Carnivore Diet?

Since the Carnivore diet is meat-based, many individuals are looking for ways to add sauces to their Carnivore meals for more taste. You probably know that a strict Carnivore doesn’t allow plant-based foods and ingredients like seasoning, but there are some ways to use hot sauce on a Carnivore diet meal.

Can You Have Hot Sauce on a Carnivore Diet?
Highlights
  • The hot sauce comes from chili pepper, a plant ingredient, so it is not allowed on a strict Carnivore.
  • Less strict versions of Carnivore allow seasonings like hot sauce for their low levels of carbohydrates and sugar.
  • Tabasco, Frank’s, Yellowbird, Secret Aardvark, and Marie Sharp’s are among the best hot sauce brands.
  • Sriracha, Tabasco, and Frank’s hot sauces are among the most popular hot sauces.

What Is Hot Sauce?

To learn if we can have hot sauce on a Carnivore diet, we first need to find out what hot sauce is generally made from. Hot sauce is a condiment or seasoning made from chili peppers, vinegar, salt, and sometimes other ingredients, such as spices or fruit.

The main ingredient, chili peppers, is what gives hot sauce its spiciness. The level of heat can vary widely depending on the type and quantity of peppers used.

Hot sauce is made by crushing or pureeing the chili peppers and mixing them with other ingredients, like vinegar and salt. Some hot sauces are fermented to find a more complex flavor.

Hot sauces can range from mild to extremely hot, which makes them a versatile addition to many dishes, including soups, stews, tacos, sandwiches, and many more.

You may think hot sauce is just a seasoning with no specific nutrients but it is a source of various nutrients, like potassium, phosphorous, magnesium, calcium, vitamin C, folate, and more.

Learn More: Can You Eat Sauce on a Carnivore Diet? [The Best Sauces to Eat]

Dr. Paul Saladino:

"Spices and hot sauces, especially those without sugars or seed oils, can be used to add variety and flavor to a carnivore diet without compromising its principles."

Hot Sauce Nutrients

The table below summarizes the main nutrients found in 100 grams of hot sauce [1].

Nutrients in 100 g of Hot SauceAmount
Calories 21 kcal
Protein 0.9 g
Total Fat 0.6 g
Carbohydrates 3.9 g
Fiber 0.7 g
Sugar 2.55 g
Calcium 9 mg
Iron 0.5 g
Magnesium 12 mg
Phosphorus 16 mg
Potassium 564 mg
Sodium 25 mg
Zinc 0.15 mg
Copper 0.087 mg
Selenium 0.2 µg
Vitamin C 30 mg
Vitamin B-6 0.14 mg
Folate 11 µg
Choline 6.1 mg
Vitamin A 3 µg
Carotene, beta 257 µg
Vitamin K (phylloquinone) 6.7 µg

So, hot sauce is not just a delicious seasoning but an ingredient with a rich nutritional profile. The question is how we can use the benefits of hot sauce on a Carnivore diet.

Learn More: 20 Best Carnivore Diet Desserts Recipes

Can You Have Hot Sauce on a Carnivore Diet?

We know that the Carnivore diet consists of animal products, with an emphasis on meat and animal fats, while excluding plant-based foods. Whether hot sauce is allowed on a Carnivore diet depends on the specific variations of this diet you follow.

For example, a strict Carnivore diet doesn’t allow any plant-based products but many people do use hot sauce on a Carnivore diet because most traditional hot sauces are low in carbohydrates and do not contain significant amounts of plant-based ingredients.

Due to having these features, i.e., low levels of carbohydrates and plant ingredients, less strict versions of Carnivore allow hot sauce, especially homemade products.

However, to use industrial hot sauce, you should check the ingredient list of the specific hot sauce you're considering, as some may include additives, sweeteners, or other non-carnivorous ingredients.

Also, if you're strict about avoiding any plant-based components, you can choose hot sauces that have minimal ingredients and don't contain sugar, starches, or other non-animal-derived additives.

So, if you’re considering using hot sauce on a Carnivore diet, you need to find the best ones. But you don’t have to search because the 5 best hot sauces are listed below.

Learn More: Can I Eat Tomatoes on a Carnivore Diet? What About Tomato Paste?

Dr. Shawn Baker:

"Hot sauce can enhance the palatability of meat dishes on a carnivore diet, making it easier for some to adhere to this way of eating."

5 Best Hot Sauces on a Carnivore Diet

Here are the 5 best hot sauces on a Carnivore diet. They are chosen based on the ingredients and the levels of carbohydrates and sugar.

  1. Tabasco Hot Sauce
  2. Frank's RedHot Original Hot Sauce
  3. Yellowbird Serrano Condiment
  4. Secret Aardvark Habanero Hot Sauce
  5. Marie Sharp's Habanero Pepper Sauce

Tabasco Hot Sauce

  • Carbohydrates: 1g per 100g
  • Sugar: 1g per 100g
  • Ingredients: Distilled vinegar, red pepper, salt

Learn More: Can You Have Tabasco Sauce on a Carnivore Diet?

Frank's RedHot Original Hot Sauce

  1. Carbohydrates: 0g per 100g
  2. Sugar: 0g per 100g
  3. Ingredients: Aged cayenne red peppers, distilled vinegar, water, salt, and garlic powder
Hot Sauce Is Low-Carb

Many hot sauces are very low in carbohydrates, containing less than 1 gram per serving, which aligns well with the Carnivore Diet's focus on animal products. (Source: USDA Food Composition Databases)

Yellowbird Serrano Condiment

  1. Carbohydrates: 5g per 100g
  2. Sugar: 2g per 100g
  3. Ingredients: Organic carrots, onions, Serrano peppers, organic distilled vinegar, garlic, organic cane sugar, salt, and lime juice concentrate

Learn More: Reverse Your Age with the Carnivore Diet

Secret Aardvark Habanero Hot Sauce

  1. Carbohydrates: 7g per 100g
  2. Sugar: 6g per 100g
  3. Ingredients: White wine vinegar, roasted tomatoes, habanero peppers, onion, carrot, sugar, prepared mustard, water, kosher salt, cornstarch, herbs, and spices

Marie Sharp's Habanero Pepper Sauce

  1. Carbohydrates: 4g per 100g
  2. Sugar: 3g per 100g
  3. Ingredients: Select red habanero peppers, fresh carrots, onions, lime juice, vinegar, garlic, and salt

Learn More: Can You Eat Pepper on a Carnivore Diet? What About Pepper Oil?

Journal of Proteome Research:

Capsaicin, the active component in chili peppers and hot sauces, has been shown to potentially boost metabolism and aid in weight management, which could complement a high-protein, low-carbohydrate diet like Carnivore.

Two of the brands introduced above, i.e., Tabasco and Frank’s, in addition to Sriracha hot sauce, are three famous brands with low levels of carbohydrates and sugar. Let’s compare their features to see which one is a better choice.

Learn More: Can You Have Soy Sauce on the Carnivore Diet?

Sriracha vs. Tabasco vs. Frank's Hot Sauce

The table below summarizes the main information and the nutritional information of the three popular hot sauces, i.e., Sriracha, Tobasco, and Frank’s hot sauces [2] [3] [4].

Learn More: Can I Have Mayonnaise on Carnivore? How to Make It?

FeatureSriracha Hot SauceTabasco Hot SauceFrank's Hot Sauce
Base Ingredient Chili Peppers, Garlic, Sugar, Salt Aged Red Peppers, Vinegar, Salt Aged Cayenne Peppers, Vinegar, Water, Salt, Garlic Powder
Heat Level Moderate Varies (generally moderate to hot) Moderate
Flavor Profile Sweet, Garlicky, Tangy Tangy, Vinegary, Smoky Tangy, Slightly sweet
Consistency Smooth, Slightly thick Thin, Liquid Smooth, Liquid
Common Cuisine Use Asian dishes, Stir-fries, Dipping sauce Cajun, Mexican, American Buffalo wings, Chicken dishes, American
Sugar Content Contains sugar Sugar-free Contains a small amount of sugar
Main Brands Huy Fong, Flying Goose McIlhenny Company Frank's RedHot
Scoville Heat Units Around 2,200 SHU Varies (Tabasco Original is around 2,500-5,000 SHU) Around 450 SHU
Color Red Reddish-brown Orange/Red
Ingredients Chili, Sugar, Garlic, Distilled Vinegar, Salt Aged Red Peppers, Distilled Vinegar, Salt Aged Cayenne Peppers, Distilled Vinegar, Water, Salt, Garlic Powder
Gluten-Free Usually gluten-free Usually gluten-free Usually gluten-free
Vegan-Friendly Usually vegan-friendly Usually vegan-friendly Usually vegan-friendly
Calories in 1 tsp 6.04 g 1 g 5.4 g
Protein in 1 tsp 0.125 g 0.06 g 2.5 g
Fat in 1 tsp 0.06 g 0.04 g 0.6 g
Carbohydrates in 1 tsp 1.25 g 0.04 g 1.8 g
Sugar in 1 tsp 0.982 g 0 g 0 g
Fiber in 1 tsp 0.143 g 0 g 0 g

Summary

So, using hot sauce on a Carnivore diet meal depends on the version of the Carnivore diet you follow and your personal needs and goals. A strict Carnivore disallows all plant-based foods.

However, less strict versions allow minimal amounts of some seasonings, like hot sauce, as they contain low levels of carbohydrates and sugar.

Learn More: Can You Have Coconut Water on the Carnivore Diet?

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