Is Soy Sauce Keto?

Updated: March 02, 2022

Soy sauce is one of the most popular sauces out there. As a staple condiment in most common foods, particularly in Asian culture, it is hard to avoid it. But despite its popularity, it raises the question of whether they are suitable to use in keto meals or not. Is soy sauce keto?

Keto is a very low-carb and high-fat diet that requires you to drastically cut down carb intake and increase fats. So, it comes with a pretty strict list of stuff that you can and can’t eat. With soy sauce residing in the maybe region of the list, it can be rather tricky to know if they are 100% keto or not.

Working out and knowing what foods are keto and what foods are not keto can be a daunting task, take a look at our blog post, Keto Diet Plan and Advice for Beginners where you will find lots of useful information to help you kick start your new keto lifestyle.

Soy Sauce being poured into a bowl

Carbs In soy sauce?

Most sugar-free soy sauces have a carb content of 0.8 to 1 gram, which is considered keto-friendly. On the other hand, sweet soy sauces have high sugar content and thus are not keto-friendly.

How many carbs in low sodium soy sauce?

A single tablespoon serving of low sodium soy sauce contains about 0.8 grams of carbs, similar to regular soy sauce.

Nutritional Breakdown

Here’s a nutrition-wise breakdown of a single tablespoon serving of soy sauce to better understand if they fit into the keto diet.

  • 9 calories
  • 0.1 grams fat
  • 1.3 grams protein
  • 0.8 grams carbs
  • 0.1 grams dietary fiber
  • 0.1 grams sugar
  • 0 mg cholesterol
  • 878.5 mg sodium
  • 69.6 mg potassium
  • 0-gram saturated fat
Food being dipped into Soy Sauce

Is fish sauce keto-friendly?

Technically yes. The fish sauce is fairly low on carbs, which is ideal on a keto diet. However, you should still consume it in moderation, more so if you’re eating out, as some restaurants sometimes add sugar to their fish sauce recipe.

Is malt vinegar keto-friendly?

Yes! Malt vinegar is an amazing sauce to use on a keto diet for many different reasons. Not only is it virtually carb-free, but it also contains no sodium, sugar or highly refined oils.

Different types of keto-friendly soy sauce

Depending on the amount of soybean used, sodium, sugar, and other ingredients, soy sauces can become more or less keto-friendly. Let’s take a look at some of the soy sauces that are keto-approved.

Tamari soy sauces

Tamari is a Japanese soy sauce, which contains mostly soybeans with little to no wheat, making them gluten-free as well as low carbs.

Koikuchi soy sauces

Koikuchi sauce, also known as Japanese dark soy sauce, has a carb count slightly higher than Tamari but still ranges to one gram per tablespoon serving. But unlike tamari sauces, it’s not gluten-free as it’s made from both soybean and wheat.

Light Chinese soy sauce

Light Chinese soy sauce is the most common type of soy sauce used in cooking. The original recipe solely used soybeans but was eventually altered when it incorporated wheat. It’s no longer gluten-free, but the net carb is about 1 gram per serving.

Keto soy sauce alternatives

There are various keto soy sauce alternatives that you can try out if you are trying to watch your sodium intake or if you simply want to try out a soy sauce substitute that you can include in your keto diet plans.

What are the health benefits of soy sauce on the keto diet

Soy sauces enhance the flavor of various dishes but also have several health benefits.

  • Having only nine calories and less than one gram of net carbs per tablespoon serving, it fits right into the characteristics of an everyday keto meal.
  • Traditional soy sauces incorporate a large amount of salt. And while a high sodium intake often is not recommended, it can help prevent the “keto flu” – symptoms that people often experience when they are low on electrolytes when first starting your keto journey. If you have been advised to watch your sodium intake, you should stick to the low sodium soy sauces instead.
  • It increases the secretion of histamine and gastric juice that promotes better digestion. As a result, you can lose weight more effectively.

MORE YUMMY KETO COOKING INFO TO READ AND RECIPES TO TRY!

Yummy Keto Cooking have 100+ keto breakfast, lunch, dinner, dessert and snack recipes to choose from.

We also have lots of useful Keto Diet information to discover and help you on your Keto journey.

All of our recipes or keto meal ideas are delicious, once you have tried them you’ll want to make them again and again. By mixing or swapping carb-heavy ingredients with a keto alternative, you can enjoy some of your favorite cuisines without feeling like you’re missing out.

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