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Home » Recipes » Sauces » Homemade BBQ Sauce

By The Kitchen Girl

Homemade BBQ Sauce

11shares
Jump To Recipe

Mouth-watering Homemade Barbecue Sauce with a hint of sweet and balanced spice, made only with pantry staples. It's the best bbq sauce for pulled pork, tacos, salads, sandwiches, BBQ pork sliders, french fries ... everything!

barbecue sauce in glass jar being scooped up with a spoon

This homemade barbecue sauce recipe is slightly sweet with a hint of heat. It has the perfect texture ... lustrous, pour-able, and sticks to your food in all the right ways. If you don't know how to make barbecue sauce, it's an easy two-step process. The best part, you get to control the sodium and sugar, unlike packaged sauce. It's so much cheaper to make bbq sauce from scratch and is match made in heaven with my Slow Cooker Pulled Pork or Instant Pot Pulled Pork.

Blogpost Contents hide
1) What is bbq sauce made of?
2) How to make bbq sauce
3) How long does bbq sauce last?
4) What's the best bbq sauce for pulled pork?
5) How to make bbq sauce spicy
6) How to use barbecue sauce
7) Serve barbecue sauce next to these easy homemade condiments
8) Recommended Tools
9) Homemade BBQ Sauce Recipe
9.1) Ingredients
9.2) Recipe Instructions
9.3) RECIPE NOTES
9.4) Nutrition

What is bbq sauce made of?

My bbq sauce recipe is made with pantry ingredients only, many of which you probably have on hand. It's starts with packaged tomato sauce or tomato purée, then sweetener and seasonings are added for flavor. Homemade barbecue sauce recipes are naturally versatile with infinite combinations.

homemade barbecue sauce ingredients in glass bowls with text overlay

How to make bbq sauce

Visit recipe card below 👇🏼 for printable amounts and instructions

Homemade barbecue sauce can be made in 2 steps:

  1. Combine ingredients in a sauce pan.
  2. Heat 10-20 minutes until it thickens, stirring as needed.

That's it! It's so easy, you'll probably never buy packaged bbq sauce again!

barbecue sauce ingredients in a white skillet next to whisk

How long does bbq sauce last?

Homemade bbq sauce can be refrigerated up to 1 week and 30-60 days in the freezer. These storage containers are my favorite for keeping the sauce optimal, sometimes longer than the suggested times.

What's the best bbq sauce for pulled pork?

The best bbq sauce for pulled pork depends on your preference for heat and sweetness. Pulled pork with a sweet rub goes nicely with spicy barbecue sauce. A spicy rubbed pork will be complemented with a sweet bbq sauce. It's all about balance, unless you want to go full sweet or spicy.

How to make bbq sauce spicy

This bbq sauce recipe has the perfect balance of spice and sweetness. If you want a spicy bbq sauce, just add cayenne pepper, chili paste, or chipotle in adobo sauce in small amounts to dial in your heat preference.

How to use barbecue sauce

  • Instant Pot Pulled Pork
  • Shredded Chicken
  • Slow Cooker Pulled Pork
  • pork ribs
  • Pulled Pork Sliders
  • hot dogs and hamburgers
  • french fries
  • pizza
  • salads
  • sandwiches

the kitchen girl logo More GAME DAY RECIPES from Kitchen Girl

Serve barbecue sauce next to these easy homemade condiments

  • Coleslaw Recipe
  • Refrigerator Dill Pickles
barbecue sauce in glass jar next to bbq sauce coated spoon

Recommended Tools

  • sauce pot (lid optional)
  • whisk
  • airtight storage container
  • cute serving jar
barbecue sauce in glass jar being scooped up with a spoon

Homemade BBQ Sauce Recipe

Mouth-watering Homemade Barbecue Sauce with a hint of sweet and balanced spice, made only with pantry staples. It's the best bbq sauce to put on sliders, tacos, salads, french fries ... everything!
5 from 6 votes
Print Pin
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes
Yield: 20 oz
Author: Traci - TheKitchenGirl.com

Ingredients

  • 1 15 oz can Tomato Sauce or Tomato Puree
  • 1/4 cup Apple Cider Vinegar
  • 1/4 cup Honey or brown sugar
  • 1 Tbsp Molasses or brown sugar
  • 2 Tbsp Worcestershire Sauce
  • 2 tsp Paprika
  • 2 tsp Onion Powder or dehydrated onion
  • 1 tsp Garlic Powder
  • 1/2 tsp Chili Powder
  • 1/4 tsp Black pepper
  • 1/2 tsp Salt

Recipe Instructions
 

  • Combine all bbq sauce ingredients together in a saucepan over medium-high heat.
  • Heat sauce until it starts to bubble.
  • reduce heat to medium-low and simmer 10-20 minutes until it thickens to your liking, stirring as needed.
  • Serve immediately or allow BBQ sauce to cool and refrigerate in an airtight container up to 1 week or 30-60 days in the freezer.
Tried this recipe? I'd love your review!Visit the comments below and tell me how it went.

RECIPE NOTES

How long does bbq sauce last?
Homemade bbq sauce can be refrigerated up to 1 week and 30-60 days in the freezer. These storage containers are my favorite for keeping the sauce optimal, sometimes longer than the suggested times.
What's the best bbq sauce for pulled pork?
The best barbecue sauce for pulled pork depends on your preference for heat and sweetness. Pulled pork with a sweet rub goes nicely with spicy barbecue sauce. A spicy rubbed pork will be complemented with a sweet bbq sauce. It's all about balance, unless you want to go full sweet or spicy.
How to make bbq sauce spicy
This bbq sauce recipe has the perfect balance of spice and sweetness. If you want a spicy bbq sauce, just add cayenne pepper, chili paste, or chipotle in adobo sauce in small amounts to dial in your heat preference.
How do you use barbecue sauce?
Use bbq sauce for ribs, pulled pork sliders, tacos, hot dogs, hamburgers, french fries, pizza, salads, sandwiches ... the sky's the limit!
Serve these other easy homemade condiments with all of your BBQ entrees:
  • Coleslaw Recipe
  • Refrigerator Dill Pickles

Nutrition

Serving: 2oz | Calories: 20kcal | Carbohydrates: 5g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 77mg | Potassium: 42mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 115IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 6mg | Iron: 1mg

Nutrition data provided as courtesy estimates using unbranded ingredients from a nutrition database. Please consult preferred resource for precise data.

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barbecue sauce in glass jar
barbecue sauce ingredients being whisked in a white skillet
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About The Kitchen Girl

Hi! I'm Traci ... the girl behind these wholesome, easy recipes with simple ingredients, painless instructions, and ALL the flav. Don't be shy, start with my easy dinner recipes and eat happy tonight!

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Comments

  1. AvatarJeff says

    January 30, 2021 at 7:49 am

    5 stars
    Wow! This bbq sauce is sooooo good on your Pulled Pork Sliders and well, it belongs on any BBQ food. Perfectly seasoned and balanced flavor. Just so good!

    Reply
    • The Kitchen GirlThe Kitchen Girl says

      January 30, 2021 at 7:57 am

      Awesome, Jeff! I'm so glad you love the pork sliders as much as I do 🙂 The BBQ sauce makes it imo! Thank youuuuu 💚

  2. AvatarClaudia Lamascolo says

    January 28, 2021 at 5:15 am

    5 stars
    Wow I am bookmarking this for the summer can't wait for grilling season and trying this recipe!

    Reply
    • The Kitchen GirlThe Kitchen Girl says

      January 28, 2021 at 6:27 am

      Awesome, Claudia! Glad you can enjoy this recipe 🙂 Thanks!

  3. AvatarJess says

    January 28, 2021 at 4:42 am

    5 stars
    Never buying store-bought sauce again!

    Reply
    • The Kitchen GirlThe Kitchen Girl says

      January 28, 2021 at 6:27 am

      Lol...samesies! Homemade bbq sauce is where it's at! 🙂 Thanks!

  4. AvatarAmanda Wren-Grimwood says

    January 28, 2021 at 3:00 am

    5 stars
    This is so thick and delicious. I love the idea that I have all these ingredients at home already.

    Reply
    • The Kitchen GirlThe Kitchen Girl says

      January 28, 2021 at 6:28 am

      Awesome! Glad you like this recipe 🙂 and so convenient, right? Thanks!

  5. AvatarDannii says

    January 28, 2021 at 1:05 am

    5 stars
    You can't beat homemade BBQ sauce. We love chilli in ours.

    Reply
    • The Kitchen GirlThe Kitchen Girl says

      January 28, 2021 at 6:28 am

      Yay! Glad to hear it 🙂 Thanks!

  6. AvatarJess says

    January 28, 2021 at 12:32 am

    5 stars
    Yum, this is absolutely delicious!

    Reply
    • The Kitchen GirlThe Kitchen Girl says

      January 28, 2021 at 6:29 am

      Awesome, Jess! Sounds like you love it as much as we do 🙂 Glad to hear it...thanks!

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