7+ Gluten-Free Sauces for Your Pantry
Whether you’re new to a gluten-free diet or you’ve already started, you’ll love this guide to Gluten-Free Sauces that you can buy at most stores or online. This guide also shares the ingredients you need to avoid and which brands of sauces taste the best. These sauces are also all dairy-free.
Gluten-Free Sauces to Buy
For your shopping convenience, I’ve rounded up some of the best gluten-free condiments and sauces based on taste, availability, versatility, and price. These also happen to be all dairy-free too!
Many of these products are organic, and I find that searching out brands that have organic lines sometimes means they are more conscious of ingredients overall. Many also cater to diets like Paleo and Keto or are aware of other dietary restrictions such as dairy and eggs.
By the way, this post is not sponsored; all opinions are my own.
Most or all of these products should be available online or at local grocery stores.
1. Tessemae’s Organic Creamy Caesar Dressing
Nothing beats a classic Caesar salad!
It’s hard to find salad dressing without lots of added sugars but this one fits the bill as well as being dairy-free. This one also has the benefit of excluding anchovies so it works for vegetarians as well.
This is also a great dipping sauce for veggies like carrots and cucumbers.
2. Primal Kitchen Classic BBQ Sauce (Organic & Unsweetened)
Primal Kitchen is hands down one of my favorite brands. I think I’ve liked every product of theirs that I’ve tried!
Once again, BBQ sauce is notorious for having added sugars, but this one doesn’t. The sweetness of the tomatoes comes through with the tang of apple cider vinegar. This one also serves as a great steak sauce with a tomato paste base.
This one is definitely close to recipes I’d make myself and is great on Air Fryer Chicken Tenders.
I also wanted to mention that Primal Kitchen makes a great gluten-free and soy-free teriyaki sauce! These are both great options for gluten free alternatives.
Grab a bottle of each of these and you won’t regret it. I use this sauce in my recipe for Air Fryer Teriyaki Chicken.
3. Sir Kensington’s Classic Ketchup
I sound like a broken record, but again – sugar is in so many foods you can buy off the shelf. This one does contain organic cane sugar, but I prefer that over high fructose corn syrup for sure.
See my related article with my complete sugar-free food list.
Some foods do need sweetness to give us a familiar childhood taste, but we can make sure and elevate our standards when eating comfort foods. This brand certainly fits the bill with quality ingredients.
The kids (and picky husbands) will definitely enjoy the flavor of this ketchup.
4. Rao’s Homemade Marinara
This is a great brand to find at your local grocery store. Rao’s has an entire line of classic pasta sauces, and the marinara is a great jar to grab for Sunday dinner.
This variety is sugar-free and has a classic Italian taste that the entire family will love. The ingredients are really clean and include olive oil. It’s as close to homemade as you can get.
And, if you’re looking for pasta options, don’t miss my blog post with my favorite gluten-free pasta brands.
5. Primal Kitchen No Dairy Alfredo Sauce with Avocado Oil
Avocado oil adds richness to this sauce that you might find lacking in some dairy-free options.
This Alfredo sauce is vegan as well, so it’s a great way to make a classic meal for the family and ensure everyone can enjoy one dish.
6. Bragg’s Organic Coconut Aminos
Many people are surprised to find that most brands of soy sauce and teriyaki sauce are off-limits when they go gluten-free (see more in my article with tips for going gluten and dairy-free).
Coconut Aminos are a great option to use in place of soy sauce and in the base of a homemade teriyaki sauce. It has the saltiness you might be craving in Asian-inspired dishes and fits a lot of allergies.
Use coconut aminos in my Instant Pot Pineapple Chicken and Instant Pot Peanut Chicken recipes. I use it in place of tamari which is a gluten-free soy sauce (but I prefer to avoid soy).
7. Chosen Foods Classic Avocado Oil Mayo
Having a delicious mayo in your fridge comes in handy when you want to make a sandwich as well as making your own ranch dip from scratch. I look for options using cage-free eggs and healthy oils like this one.
So many standard mayo options are made from soybean and canola oils and include excess sugars. This is a good, clean, option that I highly recommend!
Use this clean mayo in my recipes for Salmon Salad with Mayo, Keto Canned Salmon Salad, and Curry Chicken Salad.
Bonus Gluten-Free Sauce Recommendations
- KC Natural – BBQ and No Tomato Ketchup Bundle – Paleo And AIP Friendly – Nightshade Free. I recently bought this trio of sauces and I really loved them! See my related article on How to Start an AIP Diet.
- Primal Kitchen Buffalo Sauce made with Avocado Oil – this is another recent purchase of mine that I really enjoyed. This dressing is a perfect shortcut when making my Air Fryer Cauliflower Wings.
- Frank’s Red Hot Cayenne Pepper Sauce – this is a great gluten-free hot sauce option.
- Sweet Baby Ray’s is another gluten-free BBQ brand that is well-loved by many.
Gluten-Free Sauce Ingredients to Avoid
The basic ingredients to avoid when searching for gluten-free sauces include wheat and wheat flour, soy sauce, and miso.
In addition to wheat and wheat products like soy sauce and miso when you have gluten sensitivities, you may also need to avoid:
- starch,
- modified food starch,
- hydrolyzed vegetable protein,
- hydrolyzed plant protein,
- textured vegetable protein,
- dextrin, maltodextrin,
- glucose syrup,
- caramel,
- malt flavoring,
- malt extract,
- malt vinegar (distilled vinegar is OK), and
- brown rice syrup unless the product is specifically labeled as gluten-free.
The best rule of thumb when searching to buy a gluten-free sauce is to make sure that it is labeled “certified gluten-free” and has been produced in dedicated gluten-free facilities. This means that the product has been tested for contamination or cross-contamination with gluten.
If not, then read the ingredient list carefully and check for any gluten ingredients.
See my related article answering the question, “is bbq food healthy?”
Consider Making Your Own Sauces
A lot of times it is best to make your own condiments, sauces, and dressings. That way you know exactly what ingredients you are consuming and you can be sure that the food is safe for any gluten-sensitive family members.
Making your sauces can also save you money and can reduce the amount of packaging consumed.
My personal favorite homemade sauce is my Gluten-Free Stir-Fry Sauce. I’m also partial to my homemade Honey Mustard Dressing.
More Gluten-Free Shopping Recommendations
Conclusions
I hope you considering picking up some of these gluten-free sauce, condiment, and dressing options! When we can’t make something from scratch or are short on time, it’s good to know that there are some options even at our regular grocery stores that we can grab and use and trust the ingredients inside.
And, don’t miss my clean eating recipe index which includes hundreds of gluten-free recipes.
Let me know in the comments if I’ve missed some of your favorites.
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About the Author: Carrie Forrest has a master’s degree in public health with a specialty in nutrition and is studying to be a holistic nutritionist. She is a top wellness and food blogger with over 5 million annual visitors to her site. Carrie has an incredible story of recovery from chronic illness and is passionate about helping other women transform their health. Send her a message through her contact form.
Note: this post is for informational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice. Please consult your healthcare provider for recommendations related to your individual situation.
Sadly, Sir Kensington’s Classic Ketchup is no longer manufactured. Unilever bought the Company a few years ago. And many of their newer products have ingredients that are not as pure. When a label lists “spices” as an ingredient, and does not list the specific spice, that is often a red flag. The “spices” may include added problematic ingredients… Thanks for all your hard work trying to lead us to better health…. It is a juggling act for sure…. Cheers!
Thanks for the update! It looks like it’s available for now, but it is indeed being discontinued. What brand do you like as a replacement?
I have switched to Annie’s Organic Ketchup. The flavor is not as good as Sir Kensington’s, but the ingredients are clean and it is easier for me to find…
Awesome thanks! 🙂
I love your articles and recommendations… Great products and so helpful.
Thank you!
Awwwww thanks Maryann!!!! XO.