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!
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.
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.
How to make bbq sauce
Homemade barbecue sauce can be made in 2 steps:
- Combine ingredients in a sauce pan.
- 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!
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
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Serve barbecue sauce next to these easy homemade condiments
Recommended Tools
- sauce pot (lid optional)
- whisk
- airtight storage container
- cute serving jar
Homemade BBQ Sauce Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 15 oz can Tomato Sauce, or Tomato Puree
- ¼ cup Apple Cider Vinegar
- ¼ 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
- ½ tsp Chili Powder
- ¼ tsp Black pepper
- ½ tsp Sea Salt
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.
Recipe Notes from TKG
Nutrition
Nutrition data provided as courtesy estimates using unbranded ingredients from a nutrition database. Please consult preferred resource for precise data.
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Jeff says
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!
The Kitchen Girl says
Awesome, Jeff! I'm so glad you love the pork sliders as much as I do 🙂 The BBQ sauce makes it imo! Thank youuuuu
Claudia Lamascolo says
Wow I am bookmarking this for the summer can't wait for grilling season and trying this recipe!
The Kitchen Girl says
Awesome, Claudia! Glad you can enjoy this recipe 🙂 Thanks!
Jess says
Never buying store-bought sauce again!
The Kitchen Girl says
Lol...samesies! Homemade bbq sauce is where it's at! 🙂 Thanks!
Amanda Wren-Grimwood says
This is so thick and delicious. I love the idea that I have all these ingredients at home already.
The Kitchen Girl says
Awesome! Glad you like this recipe 🙂 and so convenient, right? Thanks!
Dannii says
You can't beat homemade BBQ sauce. We love chilli in ours.
The Kitchen Girl says
Yay! Glad to hear it 🙂 Thanks!
Jess says
Yum, this is absolutely delicious!
The Kitchen Girl says
Awesome, Jess! Sounds like you love it as much as we do 🙂 Glad to hear it...thanks!