How to Thicken a Low Carb Sauce

Co-authored by wikiHow Staff

Last Updated: May 2, 2021 References

If you want to make one of your favorite recipes but are currently on a low carbohydrate diet, it can be hard to find an appropriate solution. Many common sauces use flour or other high carbohydrate thickening agents such as corn starch. If you want to thicken white, enchilada, or other common sauces without adding too many carbohydrates, you can use low-carbohydrate thickeners like coconut flour and tomato paste.^{[1]
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Research source} Finding low carbohydrate thickening methods will require some preparation, including shopping for some unusual ingredients. With a little creativity and some new recipes, it is possible to thicken low carbohydrate sauces.

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:
Finding Low Carbohydrate Thickeners

1
Find a place to shop for low-carbohydrate thickening agents. If you want to cook low-carbohydrate sauces, you should make sure you have the right ingredients in your kitchen. Although some of these ingredients can be hard to find, you should be able to pick most of them up at your local health food or bulk goods store. Common low-carbohydrate thickening agents include coconut flour, agar agar, and psyllium husk.
2
Pick up some coconut flour. Coconut flour is a tasty vegan thickener that tastes a bit like cake and is much healthier than conventional flour. It has lots of fiber and protein but very few carbohydrates, which makes it a wonderful low-carbohydrate thickener. It is used in all kinds of baking such as pies, puddings, cookies, smoothies, and truffles.^{[2]
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3
Buy agar agar. Agar agar is a seaweed that is very low in calories and does not have any sugar or fat, while containing some nice fiber. It comes in powdered flakes and ends up having a gelatinous texture in sauces. It is also used in many vegan dessert recipes.^{[3]
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4
Find some psyllium husk. Psyllium husk is almost free of calories and contains mostly fiber. It can be used in all kinds of sauces, smoothies, baking, and soups.
- Psyllium husk is great for replacing the fiber that is hard to get in low carbohydrate diets. It will reduce your appetite and improve your digestion.^{[4]
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5
Purchase some chickpea flour. This flour tastes great in a wide variety of baking recipes. Chickpea flour is almost free of gluten and has lots of protein as well as iron and fiber.^{[5]
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- Chickpea flour can be used in both savory and sweet recipes.^{[6]
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Find some xanthum gum. This gum is a gluten-free thickener that can be used in smoothies, muffins, and other baked goods.
- Avoid using xanthum gum if you are experiencing hard stools, nausea, appendicitis or other abdominal troubles. It could cause intestinal gas and bloating.^{[7]
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- It is safe to consume up to fifteen grams of xanthum gum a day.^{[8]
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Buy oat fiber. Oat flour has complex carbohydrates with lots of vitamins, which is preferable to simple carbohydrates. Oats also make you feel full quickly, so adding just a bit of oat fiber as a sauce thickener goes a long way.^{[9]
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- Oats are great for lowering cholesterol and maintaining a healthy heart. They may also reduce the risk of colorectal cancer.^{[10]
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Method 2

Method 2 of 3:
Making Low Carbohydrate Alternatives for Common Sauces

1
Learn the art of reducing sauces. You don’t necessarily need to add anything to a sauce to thicken it. Instead, simply simmer a sauce until the flavor intensifies and the texture becomes thick. If you are cooking meat or fish, you can take out the protein while you thicken the sauce and then add it back in at the end.^{[11]
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Research source} By avoiding the addition of flour and other common thickening agents, you can make your sauce lower in carbohydrates.
- You can reduce and thicken sauces quicker by using a pot with a larger surface area.^{[12]
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- If you are in a hurry, you can divide the sauce into two pots and reduce them both at once.^{[13]
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2
Make a low-carb and gluten free enchilada sauce. Many people use roux with flour and chicken stock to make enchilada sauce, which results in a high carbohydrate sauce. Instead of roux with flour, you can use tomato paste:^{[14]
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- Use a large and deep frying pan on a medium heat setting. In your frying pan, add three cups of chicken broth, three tablespoons of tomato paste, one bay leaf, a quarter cup of pure chile powder, two teaspoons of ground cumin, a teaspoon of dried oregano, half a teaspoon of salt, half a teaspoon of granulated garlic, half a teaspoon of onion powder, half a teaspoon of erythritol, a quarter teaspoon of chipotle chile powder, a sixteenth teaspoon of ground clove, a sixteenth teaspoon of ground cinnamon, and two tablespoons of butter, olive oil, or ghee. ^{[15]
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3
Cook a low carbohydrate white sauce. Melt two tablespoons of coconut oil, which has plenty of healthy fats that are easily turned into energy.^{[16]
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Research source} Next, add two tablespoons of coconut flour and stir it into the coconut oil until the two are thoroughly mixed. Finally, add one cup of almond milk which is low in carbohydrates and has lots of vitamin E, magnesium, calcium, and potassium.^{[17]
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Research source} Add the sauce to whatever recipe you desire.
4
Create a low carbohydrate hollandaise sauce.^{[18]
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Research source} Throw three egg yolks into a food processor. Melt seven ounces of coconut butter in the microwave or in a small saucepan on the stove. Next, gradually add the coconut butter to the egg yolks in the food processor. Finally, add a tablespoon of lemon juice. By omitting any flour and using coconut butter instead of regular butter, your sauce will be low in carbohydrates and full of beneficial fats to carry you through the day.
- You can make it even more low-carbohydrate by serving your eggs benedict with hollandaise sauce on iceberg lettuce or thin crackers instead of English muffins.
5
Make a low carbohydrate roux. Roux is a mother sauce in a lot of French and European recipes.^{[19]
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Research source} Traditionally, roux is made with half flour and half fat, which is usually butter. To make a low carbohydrate roux, simply replace the flour with a low carbohydrate option such as coconut flour or chick pea flour.^{[20]
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Research source} Coconut flour has very few carbohydrates and chick pea flour is especially great if you want to lower the gluten in your diet.^{[21]
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- Melt a cup of butter in a saucepan over a medium heat burner. Once the butter gets hot, you can whisk in three quarters to one cup of coconut flour or chickpea flour. You can cook the roux for twenty minutes to get a nice blond colour or for forty-five minutes to get a darker color roux. After cooking, place it in the refrigerator and break off pieces whenever you need some roux for a recipe.^{[22]
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Method 3

Method 3 of 3:
Creating Low Carbohydrate Dessert Sauces

1
Enjoy a low carbohydrate hot fudge sauce. This low-carbohydrate hot fudge sauce is a wonderful addition to ice cream, since it will slightly melt your vanilla ice cream when you pour it on top. It also has chocolate, which contains important antioxidants and reduces stress and anxiety.
- Whisk a cup of whipping cream with a third of a cup of zero-calorie swerve sweetener in a saucepan over medium heat. Allow the mixture to a come to a simmer and then quickly take it off the burner. Next, you can add two and a half ounces of unsweetened, chopped chocolate chunks. Let the chocolate melt in the mixture for five minutes. Next, add half a teaspoon of vanilla extract and whisk it into the chocolate mixture. Finally, drizzle your low-carbohydrate sauce over ice cream.
2
Make a low carbohydrate cashew vanilla sauce. A nice cashew vanilla sauce can be poured over fresh strawberries, raspberries or pears. Making two cups of cashew vanilla sauce only takes a couple minutes. In a blender, add a cup of cashews, a cup of almond milk, a tablespoon of erythritol or other sweetener, and a teaspoon of vanilla extract.
3
Revel in a low carbohydrate blueberry sauce. In a pot on a medium high burner, add two cups of fresh or frozen blueberries, a quarter cup of water, a tablespoon of lemon juice, two tablespoons of erythritol, and a quarter teaspoon of stevia glycerite. Next, add two teaspoons of cornstarch or arrowroot and two teaspoons of water. Let the sauce simmer until it has thickened to your liking. Serve the sauce over fruit or pancakes.^{[23]
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- If you want to spice up your low carbohydrate sauce, you can add a pinch of nutmeg, one eighth of a teaspoon of cinnamon, a quarter teaspoon of vanilla extract and an eighth of a teaspoon of almond extract.^{[24]
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- For a tipsy version, you can add two tablespoons of orange liqueur or Cassis.^{[25]
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Community Q&A

Question

Can I use chia seeds for a thickener?

Community Answer

To thicken soup or gravies, just add a couple tablespoons of chia seeds (powdered or not) one at a time to reach the desired thickness.