A sugar-free cocktail sauce with just 5 ingredients that you can stir together in minutes! You'll never go back to the bottled version with all the sugar and processed food chemicals. This easy cocktail sauce is paleo, keto, Whole30, vegan, and gluten-free.
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This paleo cocktail sauce is surprisingly simple. With only five ingredients it comes together in minutes. You'll wonder why you ever bought the pre-made version with all the scary ingredients.
One of the leading cocktail sauce brands contains high fructose corn syrup, sodium benzoate, and xanthan gum. Another brand also adds red no. 40 and 3, caramel color, and blue no. 1. Luckily, it's easy to make a quick cocktail sauce using real food ingredients.
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Sugar free cocktail sauce
The great thing about making your own cocktail sauce is you can control the quality of the ingredients. This super easy and delicious seafood sauce contains no sugar or added sweeteners, making it low carb, keto, and Whole30-compliant.
I skip the ketchup found in so many cocktail sauce recipes and use a combination of strained tomato sauce and tomato paste to get the right consistency and flavor. I found an Italian brand that comes packed in glass jars and contains just organic tomatoes for both the tomato sauce and the tomato paste.
Be sure to use a prepared horseradish that contains just horseradish and vinegar. I like to go pretty heavy on the horseradish, but you can always use less if you don't like it as strong.
Lemon juice and sea salt are the only other ingredients in this paleo cocktail sauce. Freshly squeezed lemon juice makes a difference, so skip the bottled lemon juice. And of course, you can always add a dash of hot sauce if you want a little more heat.
This cocktail sauce is wonderful with smoked shrimp or roasted shrimp cocktail - and a perfect complement to a classic raw bar platter of chilled shellfish. Try it with snow crab claws, clams, and oysters (or use it to spice up a Bloody Mary).
If you're looking for a super easy and impressive appetizer for entertaining, you can't go wrong with this shrimp cocktail sauce. No one will know it's secretly sugar-free, keto, paleo, and Whole30!
More easy healthy appetizers
You may also like these appetizer recipes:
- 8 Easy Paleo Appetizers for the Holidays
- Grilled Asparagus Wrapped with Prosciutto
- Snack Mix (Paleo, Keto, Whole30)
- Deviled Eggs with Bacon and Chives (Paleo, Keto, Whole30)
- 10 Red Carpet Party Bites That are Paleo-Friendly
Sugar Free Cocktail Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 cup organic strained tomatoes (jarred strained tomatoes with no added ingredients)
- 2 tablespoons organic tomato paste
- ¼ cup + 1 tablespoon prepared horseradish
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
Instructions
- Whisk all ingredients together until well combined.
- Serve with cooked chilled shrimp, crab or your favorite seafood.
zosia says
Which horseradish would you recommend? Most brands have dairy and sugar inside...
Also, what if I had horseradish root? Could I just use 1/4 cup freshly grated?
Thanks!
Lisa says
I use Wegmans Food You Feel Good About brand - the ingredients are ground horseradish and white vinegar. I haven't tested this recipe with fresh horseradish, but I think it would work. Since it may be stronger than store-bought horseradish, I would start with much less and add a little bit at a time. Keep tasting as you go until you get enough flavor. Let me know how it turns out!
Elizabeth says
Did you use diced tomatoes?
Elizabeth says
Strained...duh. Sorry.
Rachel says
Delicious!
Lisa says
Thanks Rachel!
KitKat says
Delicious! I found Bionature strained tomatoes at Publix and the Seminole gourmet prepared horseradish in the refrigerated section near mozzarella cheese etc.. great alternative to the cocktail sauces on the salad dressing isle.
Lindsey says
It calls for prepared horseradish. So how does one prepare the horseradish?
Lisa says
Hi Lindsey, it comes that way in the jar - look for "prepared horseradish" on the label.
Kara says
This wasn’t bad at all, but it had a slight bitter taste to it and I’m not sure why. Also I wonder how to slightly sweeten it, like many of the conventional sauces I’ve had in the past.
Lisa says
Because this has no added sugar, it is not as sweet as conventionally processed sauces. If you want a sweeter sauce, you can always add a little liquid stevia or monk fruit.
Sandy says
I made this today and it is really delicious. I used 1 15 oz can of whole tomatoes and 1 6 oz can of tomato paste, and added 1tsp worstershire sauce and 1tsp of honey, plus the lemon juice and horseradish sauce and salt to taste. Don't think I will ever buy cocktail sauce again. Thank you for sharing this recipe.
Sharon S says
There seems to be a step missing. The way it is written, it sounds like it would have chunks of tomato in it. ???
Lisa says
Hi Sharon, be sure to use the strained tomatoes that come in a jar. The texture is similar to pureed tomatoes, but it has a fresher flavor. Here's the one I use.