A good low carb thickener does the job of flour or cornstarch with almost none of the carbs, and the right pick depends on whether you are building a sauce, a soup, a gravy, or a dessert. Cream cheese is my default, and it is one of seven worth keeping in mind. The table below sorts them by net carbs, what they thicken best, and the catch with each.
If you haven't realized by now my go to natural thickener is cream cheese. Some people prefer gum paste or cornstarch, but my opinion is that if I'm going to add something to my dish it needs to do more than thicken it, I want flavor. I also believe in cooking as natural as possible and in my opinion cream cheese is the most natural thickener. I'm not saying add a whole block to your recipes. You just need a little here and there. So the next time you are making a sauce or gravy try adding cream cheese instead of a yucky gum paste.
The low carb thickeners, compared
Net carbs come from product labels and USDA data, rounded, so read them as close estimates. The amounts are what you actually use, which for the gums is tiny.
Thickener
Net carbs
How much
Best for
The catch
Cream cheese
about 1 g per tbsp
A tablespoon or two
Cream soups, pan gravy
Adds tang and fat; makes a sauce creamy more than thick
Xanthan gum
about 0 g per tsp
1/8 tsp at a time
Sauces, gravies, dressings
Clumps fast, turns slimy if overused
Glucomannan (konjac)
about 0 g per 1/2 tsp
A pinch
Hot soups, stews
Very strong; add at the end, slimy if overused
Gelatin
about 0 g per envelope
1 envelope
Desserts, jellies, cold sauces
Bloom in cold water first; sets firm when cold
Egg yolk
about 0.5 g per yolk
1 to 2 yolks
Custards, pan sauces, hollandaise
Curdles if boiled; temper it in slowly
Reduction (no thickener)
0 g added
None
Pan sauces, gravy
Takes time; you just simmer the liquid down
Psyllium husk
about 0 to 1 g per tsp
1/4 tsp
Baked goods, firm gels
Soaks up a lot of liquid, can turn gummy
Why cream cheese is my default
Cream cheese earns its spot because it does two jobs at once. It thickens and it seasons, folding tang and richness into a sauce that a flavorless gum cannot. Drop a tablespoon or two into a pan off the heat and whisk until it melts in, so it loosens instead of seizing into lumps. It shines in anything already creamy, which is why it carries my cream of spinach, my mushroom bisque, and my tomato bisque. For a pan gravy like the one with my marinated pork loin, a spoonful of cream cheese gives body without a roux. It will not turn a thin, clear sauce stiff, so save it for dishes that want to be rich.
The French trick: thicken with no thickener
Long before keto cooks reached for gums, French kitchens thickened sauces with nothing but heat and fat. The first method is reduction, simmering a sauce until enough water cooks off that it coats a spoon, which concentrates flavor as it thickens and adds zero carbs. The second is finishing the sauce with a swirl of cream or a knob of cold butter off the heat, the move French cooks call monter au beurre, which gives a glossy body no powder matches. Both are slower than a pinch of gum, and both are worth it for a pan sauce. When low-carb cooks do reach for a powder, the European keto crowd tends to pick glucomannan over xanthan for hot, liquid sauces, because xanthan is the one that turns slick and slimy when it sits in heat.
How to fix slimy or clumpy xanthan gum
Xanthan is the thickener people fight with most, and the failures are predictable. It clumps the second it touches liquid, so it needs to go in slowly: sprinkle 1/8 teaspoon at a time while whisking hard, or stir the powder into the dry spices or a little oil first so the grains stay separate. If a sauce turns slimy or snotty, you used too much; thin it back with cream or stock and accept that the next batch needs less. Glucomannan behaves the same way, so mix it with a spoon of cold water and add it at the very end of cooking. With all of them, the rule is the same. You can always add more, so start with less than you think.
Sources
USDA FoodData Central, nutrient references for cream cheese, egg yolk, and psyllium husk.
Carb Manager and Eat This Much, xanthan gum, glucomannan, and gelatin nutrition, 2026.
Diet Doctor and keto cooking guides, thickening methods for low carb sauces and soups, 2026.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best low carb thickener?
It depends on the dish. Cream cheese is best for cream soups and pan gravy, xanthan gum for sauces and dressings, glucomannan for hot soups and stews, and gelatin for desserts and cold sauces. The table in this post sorts them by use.
Does xanthan gum have carbs?
Almost none, about 0 net carbs a teaspoon, since it is mostly fiber. The catch is that it clumps the instant it hits liquid and turns slimy if you use too much, so add it a pinch at a time.
How do I thicken keto gravy without flour or cornstarch?
Three easy ways: simmer it down to reduce and concentrate it, finish it with a little cream or cold butter, or whisk in a small pinch of xanthan gum or glucomannan off the heat.
Why did my xanthan gum sauce turn slimy?
You used too much. Xanthan thickens instantly, so a slimy or snotty texture means it is overdosed. Thin it back out with cream or stock, and next time sprinkle in 1/8 teaspoon at a time.
Can I thicken a sauce with cream cheese?
Yes. Melt a tablespoon or two into the sauce off the heat. It adds tang, fat, and body, and works best in cream soups and pan gravy rather than thin, clear sauces.
