When most parents start checking packaged products for sugar content, they’re surprised to find that food companies add sugar to just about everything. From peanut butter to pasta sauce, sugar is hidden in so many places it doesn’t need to be. Of course, there’s also sugar in places where it’s always been: BBQ sauce, curry, and teriyaki sauce.

The sugar content gets pretty crazy in some of these sauces. There’s around 15 grams of sugar in just 2 tablespoons of most teriyaki and BBQ sauce! This provides an easy place to cut out added sugar for families.

Luckily, there are a bunch of great low-sugar sauces on the market for pretty much any purpose. Low-sugar Southern BBQ? You got it. Low-sugar teriyaki? Easy! Low-sugar curry that kids will actually like? Yup!

How do these sauces taste good while being low in sugar?

Each brand and sauce type takes a different approach. For pasta sauces like the creamy parmesan or tomato basil, highlighted below, companies just left out the sugar and let the natural flavors of cheese or tomatoes do the work.

Other sauces, like BBQ sauce, have to be sweetened, and the brand we highlight below uses a small amount of sucralose. Not the best sugar alternative in the world, but harmless in small amounts. And it doesn’t raise blood sugar.

The teriyaki sauce we highlight below just uses less sugar (2 grams compared with almost 15 grams in other teriyaki sauces).

Not only do these sauces have very little sugar, but they make dinner so much easier. Heat up some protein and frozen veggies and you can have a legit, Fierce Foods meal on the table in a few minutes!

What are the drawbacks of low-sugar sauces?

Most of these low-sugar sauces are more expensive than their sugary counterparts (the only exception was Campbell’s Skillet Sauces).

But to keep all this in perspective, even if you grab an organic rotisserie chicken from Whole Foods ($9.99) and 2 bags of frozen organic cauliflower rice (2 x $2.19), and add the most expensive sauce we reviewed (Yai’s Thai curry, $6.99), you could still feed a family of 4 for around $22.00.

Here’s a quick overview, with links to Amazon for purchase*. Because we have no affiliation with any of these companies, we’ll just go in alphabetical order:

Campbell’s Skillet Sauces - Creamy Parmesan Chicken

Macronutrients per serving: 4 g net carb | 1 g sugar | 90 calories

Top ingredient: Cream and parmesan cheese

Pro/Con: Tastes pretty good and is super easy, but has a lot of additives you can avoid if you made this sauce from scratch.

Best use: Chicken and broccoli  

Cost per serving: $0.62

Amazon link

Cucina Antica - Tomato Basil Pasta Sauce

Macronutrients per serving: 4 g net carb | 1 g sugar | 35 calories

Top ingredient: San Marzano tomatoes and onions

Pro/Con: A delicious, home-cooked flavor, naturally sweetened by the San Marzano tomatoes, but over 3x more expensive than the cheap stuff with added sugar.

Best use: Ground beef and roasted spaghetti squash  

Cost per serving: $1.00

Amazon link

Kevin’s Natural Foods - Teriyaki Sauce

Macronutrients per serving: 5 g net carb | 2 g sugar | 25 calories

Top ingredient: Coconut aminos and coconut sugar

Pro/Con: 1/4 the sugar per serving of other teriyaki sauces, but double the cost.

Best use: Chicken with cauliflower rice  

Cost per serving: $0.83

Amazon link

Lillis Q - Zero Sugar Carolina Barbecue Sauce

Macronutrients per serving: 2 g net carb | 0 g sugar | 15 calories

Top ingredient: Apple cider vinegar & mustard

Pro/Con: Best low-sugar BBQ sauce we've tried, but 3x more expensive than the sugary cheap stuff.

Best use: Barbecued chicken and grilled veggies  

Cost per serving: $0.44

Web link

Simply Organic - Mild Taco Sauce

Macronutrients per serving: 2 g net carb | 1 g sugar | 15 calories

Top ingredient: Organic tomatoes and organic roasted chili peppers

Pro/Con: Lots of taste, very low spice, great for kids, but about 50% more expensive than the cheap stuff

Best use: Ground beef and onions with low-carb tortillas  

Cost per serving: $0.44

Amazon link

Yai’s Thai - Yellow Thai Coconut Curry

Macronutrients per serving: 6 g net carb | 3 g sugar | 160 calories

Top ingredient: Coconut milk & red bell peppers

Pro/Con: Flavorful, kid-friendly curry, but it's about double the cost of other higher-sugar curry sauces.

Best use: Chicken and cauliflower rice  

Cost per serving: $1.75

Web link

‍