The Best Low-Carb Spaghetti Sauces, According to Dietitians

If you're cutting back on added sugar or carbs in your diet, you probably already know to say goodbye to soda, white bread, fruit juices, and breakfast cereals. You may not know that you need to be careful about which brands of jarred marinara sauce you buy, too. To balance the acidity of tomatoes, many brands add sugar to their sauces. Unfortunately, that won't do if you're sticking to a Whole30, keto, or low-carb diet. That's why we asked nutritionists for their advice to find the best low-carb spaghetti sauce brands you can buy.

Why Is There Sugar in Spaghetti Sauce (And How Much)?

Ummm… there's sugar in marinara sauce? Yup. Tomatoes naturally have about four or five grams of sugar per serving; however, brands will also add even more sugar to offset the sauce's acidic flavor.

Just because you need a little sweetness to balance out the flavor, though, doesn't mean the amount of sugar found in some popular store-bought pasta sauce brands is necessary.

How much sugar are we talking about? Here's a comparison of three popular sauces and their sugar content alongside foods that contain the same amount of sugar.

Brand	Sugar per ½ cup	Sugar Equivalent
Ragu Chunky Tomato, Garlic & Onion	12 grams	3 mini Butterfingers
Bertolli Tomato & Basil Sauce	11 grams	1 Nutri-Grain cereal bar
Prego Traditional	9 grams	¾ cup of Cinnamon Toast Crunch

Yeesh. If you wouldn't top your spaghetti with three fun-size Butterfinger candy bars, you won't want to pour a serving of Ragu's Chunky Sauce on there, either. Thankfully, these brands are some of the worst offenders—not all marinara sauces are this high in sugar. You can choose healthier by picking the best Keto spaghetti sauce or low-carb pasta sauce brands.

 15 Popular Pasta Sauces—Ranked by Sugar Content

How to Shop for Low-Carb Spaghetti Sauce

If pasta is a regular part of your dinner routine, chances are you're often picking up jarred marinara sauce (unless you're one of those home chefs who makes their own—lucky you!). Marinara sauce can be a healthy addition to your meals since it's typically packed with veggies and lower in fat and calories compared to cream-based sauces like Alfredo.

However, if you're not paying attention to the label on the back of the jar, you could be undoing those benefits with hidden sugars, which is especially problematic for those following Keto or low-carb diets.

"A serving size of marinara is usually 1/2 cup," says Amy Shapiro, RD, CDN, and founder of Real Nutrition. "Aim for a sauce with about 35 to 50 calories, with sugar only coming from the tomatoes."

According to Shapiro, here's what to look for when you're shopping for healthy marinara sauces:

• Opt for brands with 5 grams or less of sugar and roughly the same amount of carbs. While it's ideal to keep sodium under 400 milligrams, it's challenging to find sauces that are low in both sugar and sodium unless you're splurging on premium organic brands.
• Look for minimal ingredients. Shapiro recommends looking for sauces with just three or four whole food ingredients (like tomatoes, onions, garlic, and oil) plus herbs and spices. If sugar is added, it should be low on the ingredient list.
• Consider organic and local options: While organic and locally sourced sauces tend to be less processed, they're not always necessary. Shapiro's top pick (Rao's Homemade, the number one choice on this list) isn't organic, but she still considers it "simple and downright delicious."

The Best Low-Carb Spaghetti Sauce Brands

Prepping a low-sugar, low-carb pasta dinner? First, grab a box of low-carb pasta to cut back on carbs. Then, stock up on any one of these 10 keto-friendly, low-carb spaghetti sauce brands at your local supermarket. Every option has less than seven grams of sugar and 11 grams of carbs per 1/2 cup serving.

Rao's Homemade Marinara Sauce

Rao's Marinara Sauce contains no unexpected ingredients, only whole peeled tomatoes, onions, olive oil, herbs, and spices. That means it tastes an awful lot like homemade sauce—maybe even enough to fool your family when you serve this low-carb pasta sauce over penne.

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Prego No Sugar Added Pasta Sauce

There aren't many popular name brands on this list because they're usually high in sugar. However, Prego made an exception with their Traditional No Sugar Added Sauce by cutting out added sweeteners entirely. This option is a solid choice for people who don't have access to or the budget for gourmet brands but still want to keep their sugar intake in check.

Barilla Premium Marinara Sauce

For a popular store-bought brand, this no-added-sugar Barilla flavor has an impressively healthy profile. It's low in calories, fat-free, and offers more fiber and protein per serving than many other marinara sauces. When it comes to sugar, there are only 5 grams, making this a low-carb spaghetti sauce you can feel good serving.

 10 Best Low-Calorie Pasta Sauces for Weight Loss

365 Organic Marinara Pasta Sauce

When you're looking for a tasty, low-carb pasta sauce that uses fully organic ingredients, try 365 Organic Marinara Pasta Sauce. With only 4 grams of sugar from natural sources, 2 grams of fiber, and 8 grams of total carbs, you can't go wrong with this delicious marinara sauce. Pick it up at Whole Foods or order it from Amazon Fresh.

Primal Kitchen Tomato Basil Marinara Sauce

If you've tried any restrictive diets, you might already be familiar with this diet-friendly Tomato-Basil Marinara Sauce from Primal Kitchen. It's packed with health benefits, including being soy- and gluten-free, certified Paleo, and Whole30 approved. Plus, it's made with heart-healthy avocado oil instead of canola or soybean oil, giving you an extra boost of good fats.

Victoria Marinara Sauce

Clean, whole ingredients and low sugar content (plus availability at your local Target!) make Victoria Italian-Style Marinara Sauce a great foundation for many Italian dishes. Some reviewers note that it can be more watery than other sauces, so it might be best used as a base for soups, meat sauces, and casseroles rather than on its own.

Thrive Market Organic Marinara Sauce

As an organic marinara, this sauce promises sustainably grown tomatoes and clean, non-GMO ingredients. Reviewers seem to give both the taste and consistency two thumbs up, so if you're a regular Thrive Market shopper, you can feel good about adding this sauce to your cart.

 10 Best Trader Joe's Keto Foods for Weight Loss

Cucina Moderna Robust Marinara

This Robust Marinara Sauce from Cucina Moderna is everything you could want in a Keto spaghetti sauce. With only 3 grams of sugars from natural sources and just 5 grams of net carbs, you can enjoy a low-carb dinner and a tasty pasta sauce.6254a4d1642c605c54bf1cab17d50f1e

Hoboken Farms Gourmet Marinara Sauce

This farmer's market-originated marinara is keto-certified, with only six carbs and no sugar added. It's also good for Whole30 and low-sugar dieters, with only three grams of sugar per serving. There are only four ingredients here, not including herbs and spices, and it's vegan and non-GMO as well.

Yo Mama's Foods Marinara Sauce

Is this low-carb spaghetti sauce a little bit pricey? Yes, but if you're really looking for a healthy sauce, you can't beat Yo Mama's stats. This sauce has the lowest amount of sodium on this list and only two grams of sugar.

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