A Complete Guide: What Salad Dressings Can You Use on Keto?

October 25, 2025 •

4 min read

Many popular store-bought salad dressings contain surprisingly high amounts of sugar, with some brands packing the equivalent of several teaspoons of sugar per serving. This poses a significant challenge for those following a ketogenic diet, which requires strict carbohydrate control. Fortunately, it's easier than you think to find or create delicious, compliant options, answering the critical question: what salad dressings can you use on keto?

Quick Summary

A guide to selecting keto-friendly salad dressings. It details how to identify hidden sugars and inflammatory oils, spotlights compliant store-bought brands, and provides simple homemade recipes to ensure salads remain a low-carb, high-fat meal.

Key Points

Check Labels: Always read ingredient lists to avoid hidden sugars and inflammatory seed oils in commercial dressings.
Choose Healthy Fats: Prioritize dressings with a base of olive oil, avocado oil, or high-quality mayonnaise.
DIY is Best: Making your own dressing at home offers complete control over ingredients and carb counts.
Look for Low-Carb Brands: Specific brands like Primal Kitchen and Tessemae's offer trusted, pre-made keto-approved options.
Embrace Vinaigrettes: Simple vinaigrettes made from oil, vinegar, and herbs are a reliably safe and flavorful keto choice.
Adapt Classic Recipes: Classic dressings like ranch, Caesar, and blue cheese can be made keto-friendly with simple, low-carb ingredient swaps.

Understanding the Keto Rules for Salad Dressings

The foundation of a keto diet is a low-carb, high-fat intake. For salad dressings, this means selecting options that prioritize healthy fats while keeping net carbohydrates to a minimum, ideally below 2 grams per serving. The best dressings are simple, made with whole-food ingredients, and provide energy without knocking your body out of ketosis. The primary pitfall for many is assuming a savory dressing is low-carb. In reality, many commercial products are laden with hidden sugars and unhealthy oils to enhance flavor and texture.

Ingredients to Embrace

Healthy Oils: Extra virgin olive oil and avocado oil are considered the gold standard for keto dressings due to their healthy fat content and anti-inflammatory properties. Mayonnaise made with these oils is also an excellent creamy base.
Acids and Vinegars: Lemon or lime juice, apple cider vinegar, and red wine vinegar are all fantastic, low-carb options for adding a tangy kick.
Creamy Bases: Full-fat sour cream, Greek yogurt, or heavy cream can be used for creamy dressings, as can ingredients like tahini and blended avocado.
Herbs and Spices: Fresh or dried herbs like dill, parsley, and basil, along with spices like garlic and onion powder, add flavor without carbs.

Ingredients to Avoid

Added Sugars: Be a label detective and watch for any form of sugar, including high-fructose corn syrup, honey, maple syrup, cane juice, and even fruit juice concentrates.
Poor-Quality Oils: Processed seed oils like canola, soybean, and sunflower oil, commonly used in conventional dressings, are high in omega-6 fatty acids and can cause inflammation.
High-Carb Thickeners and Fillers: Look out for thickeners derived from high-carb sources and other artificial additives.

The Best Keto-Friendly Dressings, Homemade and Store-Bought

Homemade Keto Dressings

Creating your own dressings is the most reliable way to ensure they are keto-compliant and fresh. Many classic dressings can be easily adapted to fit a low-carb lifestyle.

Keto Ranch Dressing: A creamy classic made by whisking together high-quality mayonnaise (preferably avocado oil-based), sour cream, heavy cream, and a blend of herbs like dill, parsley, and chives.
Keto Balsamic Vinaigrette: Achieve a tangy-sweet flavor using quality balsamic vinegar, extra virgin olive oil, and a touch of keto-approved sweetener if desired. Red wine vinegar can be used as a low-sugar base for extra tang.
Creamy Avocado Dressing: For a rich, creamy texture and a boost of healthy fat, blend a ripe avocado with avocado oil, lemon juice, and seasonings.

Store-Bought Keto Dressings

Convenience often comes with hidden carbs, but several brands have stepped up to offer keto-specific product lines. Always remember to double-check the nutrition label and ingredient list.

Primal Kitchen: This brand is widely recognized for its line of Whole30 and keto-approved dressings, which are made with avocado oil and are free of added sugars and inflammatory seed oils.
Tessemae's: Offering a range of organic options, Tessemae's has several flavors that are dairy-free, sugar-free, and use olive oil as a base, making them excellent keto choices.
G Hughes: This brand has sugar-free dressings and sauces sweetened with sucralose, offering sweet and savory options like honey mustard and sweet chili, though some keto purists prefer to avoid artificial sweeteners.

Comparison of Keto-Friendly Salad Dressings


Dressing Type	Key Ingredients	Approximate Net Carbs (per 2 tbsp)	Notes
Keto Ranch	Mayo, sour cream, herbs, spices	<2g	A satisfying, creamy option; homemade versions offer more control over ingredients.
Keto Caesar	Mayo, Parmesan, lemon juice, anchovy	~1g	Traditional Caesar can be low-carb, but watch for thickeners and sugar in store versions.
Simple Vinaigrette	Olive oil, vinegar, Dijon mustard, herbs	<1g	The most basic and reliable keto choice. Opt for red wine or apple cider vinegar to reduce sugar.
Keto Blue Cheese	Mayo, sour cream, blue cheese crumbles	~1-2g	Rich and flavorful, ideal for robust greens. Check labels for added sugars.
Creamy Avocado	Avocado, oil, lemon juice, spices	<1g	Offers a boost of healthy fats and fiber. Can be made dairy-free by skipping creamy additives.

Tips for Enjoying Dressings While Staying in Ketosis

To ensure your salad remains a staple of your keto diet, consider these practical tips.

Watch Your Portions: Even with keto-friendly dressings, calories can add up quickly due to the high fat content. Measure your servings to stay within your daily macros.
Make It a Multi-Purpose Condiment: Homemade keto dressings can do double duty as dips for keto snacks like celery sticks and cucumber slices or as marinades for chicken and fish.
Customize Your Creaminess: If you find a store-bought keto dressing too thick or thin, you can often adjust the consistency at home. For thinning, add a splash of unsweetened almond milk or water. For thickening, a small amount of sour cream or extra mayo works well.
Eating Out Safely: When dining at restaurants, ordering oil and vinegar on the side gives you complete control over your dressing. Alternatively, ask if they can prepare a simple side dressing with a quality oil and lemon or vinegar.

Conclusion

Navigating the world of salad dressings on a ketogenic diet requires a careful eye for ingredients, particularly hidden sugars and suboptimal oils. By focusing on homemade options built from healthy fats and natural seasonings, or by choosing a reputable keto-specific brand, you can ensure your salads remain a flavorful and compliant part of your lifestyle. From classic vinaigrettes to creamy ranch, a wealth of low-carb dressing options are available to keep your meals interesting and help you stay on track with your nutritional goals.

Learn more about delicious, keto-friendly recipes at the KetoDiet Blog.

Frequently Asked Questions

Not necessarily. While the core ingredients of a traditional ranch are often low-carb, many store-bought versions contain added sugars, modified food starch, and inflammatory vegetable oils. You should always read the label or opt for a verified keto brand or a homemade version.

For keto dressings, focus on high-quality, healthy oils like extra virgin olive oil and avocado oil. These are rich in beneficial fats. It is best to avoid low-quality, refined seed oils such as canola and soybean oil.

Balsamic vinegar contains natural sugars and should be used sparingly. A small amount, like a tablespoon, in a vinaigrette should be fine. For a tangier, zero-carb option, consider using apple cider vinegar or red wine vinegar.

Yes. Brands like Primal Kitchen and Tessemae's are well-regarded for their keto-compliant dressings. Always check the nutrition label and ingredient list to confirm they are low-carb and free of added sugars and poor-quality oils.

Instead of sugar or honey, you can use keto-friendly sweeteners like stevia, monk fruit, or erythritol to add a touch of sweetness to dressings like a honey mustard substitute. Some prefer to use no sweetener at all.

If a homemade dressing separates or is too thin, a dash of Dijon mustard can act as a natural emulsifier. Adding a small amount of mayonnaise or full-fat Greek yogurt can also increase creaminess and thickness.

A keto-friendly salad dressing should have a low net carbohydrate count, ideally less than 2 grams per serving, to help maintain ketosis. Always check the label for serving size to ensure you are not consuming more carbs than intended.