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Easy BBQ Sauce

4.98 from 43 votes
Total 15 minutes
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This homemade BBQ sauce recipe is savory, sweet, mildly spicy, and so easy to make! Everyone needs a quick BBQ sauce to level up their barbecue game.

spoon lifts BBQ sauce from glass jar
Table of Contents hide
1) Why you'll love this recipe
2) BBQ sauce recipe ingredients
3) How to make barbecue sauce
4) Recipe Tips
5) Recipe variations
6) 📖 Recipe
7) Easy BBQ Sauce Recipe

Why you'll love this recipe

Everyone needs a go-to barbecue sauce recipe that's delicious and goes with everything. That is this recipe and here's what else we love about it.

  • easy for any cooking level
  • made with simple pantry ingredients
  • naturally sweetened with honey and molasses
  • bold and rich flavor
  • made without ketchup
  • you control the sodium and sugar
  • saucy, lustrous texture that sticks to meat
  • save money with on-hand ingredients
  • mouthwatering delicious with slow cooker pulled pork, Instant Pot pulled pork, shredded chicken, and these mouthwatering pulled pork sliders.

BBQ sauce recipe ingredients

This easy recipe is made with pantry ingredients, many of which you probably have on hand.

  • unseasoned tomato sauce - This is the base of homemade BBQ sauce and adds tangy flavor and volume.
  • apple cider vinegar - The subtle acidity and natural sweetness makes the perfect flavor profile for barbecue.
  • honey - The honey in this bbq sauce adds a natural sweetness that balances the savory flavors of smoked or grilled meats.
  • molasses - This adds a subtly sweet and smoky flavor to the sauce.
  • Worcestershire Sauce - Optional, but recommended for depth of flavor.
  • paprika - I'm using a Hungarian paprika but if you want to add a kick of heat, use hot paprika.
  • onion powder - This is a convenient way to add onion flavor to the sauce without needing to chop or puree fresh onions.
  • garlic powder - Use as much as you like.
  • chili powder - The smallest amount will enhance and deepen the flavor of your homemade BBQ sauce.
  • black pepper and sea salt
bbq sauce ingredients labeled in glass bowls

How to make barbecue sauce

Making homemade BBQ sauce is as easy as heating ingredients in a saucepan. It's so rich and delicious, you'll wonder why you haven't done it sooner!

Step 1. – Combine BBQ sauce ingredients in a sauce pan and place over medium heat.

bbq sauce ingredients in white saucepan
person's hand is whisking bbq sauce ingredients in white saucepan

Step 2. – Heat the sauce mixture about 20 minutes until it thickens to your liking, whisking as needed.

person's hand is whisking bbq sauce in white saucepan
bbq sauce is whisked in white saucepan

That's it! It's so easy to make this BBQ sauce recipe! Once you taste it, you may never buy packaged sauce again!

spoon lifts BBQ sauce from glass jar

Recipe Tips

  • texture - You can thicken BBQ sauce by simply cooking it a little longer to reduce the liquid. To make a thinner sauce, add a splash of water as needed to adjust the consistency.
  • make-ahead - This recipe is delicious on the first day and the flavor only gets better by the day, so feel free to make ahead!
  • storing and freezing - Allow to cool completely, then refrigerate up to 5 days in an airtight storage container. Freeze BBQ sauce up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator.

Recipe variations

  • tomato sauce - If canned tomato sauce isn't available, you can make this tomato sauce substitute as a delicious workaround.
  • honey substitute - If honey isn't an option, you can substitute brown sugar in equal amounts.
  • adjust sweetness - Adjust the sweetness by adding more honey to taste and simmering as needed to thicken.
  • spiciness - To make BBQ sauce spicier, add small amounts of cayenne pepper or chipotle in adobo to the cooked sauce. Use mustard or vinegar to add a distinctive Southern flavor to homemade barbecue sauce.

📖 Recipe

spoon lifts BBQ sauce from glass jar

Easy BBQ Sauce Recipe

This easy homemade BBQ sauce is savory, sweet, and a little spicy. Skip the packaged stuff and make this quick BBQ sauce for amazing barbecue every time!
Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time10 minutes
Total time15 minutes
Yield 2 cups
Author Traci Antonovich
4.98 from 43 votes
Print Pin

Ingredients 

  • 1 (15-ounce can) Unseasoned Tomato Sauce or Tomato Puree
  • ¼ cup Apple Cider Vinegar
  • ¼ cup Honey or brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon Molasses or brown sugar
  • 2 tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce
  • 2 teaspoons Paprika
  • 2 teaspoons Onion Powder or dehydrated onion
  • 1 teaspoon Garlic Powder
  • ½ teaspoon Chili Powder
  • ¼ teaspoon Black pepper
  • ½ teaspoon Sea Salt

Equipment

Instructions

  • Combine ALL ingredients in saucepan. Cook over medium-high heat just until boiling, stirring as needed.
  • Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer about 15 minutes, or longer for thicker sauce, stirring as needed.
  • Serve immediately or cool to room temperature and use as needed.
  • To store, refrigerate in an airtight container up to 1 week or freeze up to 90 days. To reheat, cover and heat using a medium setting on a microwave or stove, stirring as needed.

Final step

Click stars to vote. Please visit 'Comments' below for reviews.

4.98 from 43 votes

Recipe Notes

  • texture - You can thicken BBQ sauce by simply cooking it a little longer to reduce the liquid. To make a thinner sauce, add a splash of water as needed to adjust the consistency.
  • make-ahead - This recipe is delicious on the first day and the flavor only gets better by the day, so feel free to make ahead!
  • storing and freezing - Allow to cool completely, then refrigerate up to 5 days in an airtight storage container. Freeze BBQ sauce up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator.
  • See recipe variations for ingredient substitutions.
Did you make this recipe? I'd love to see it!Follow @thekitchengirl on Instagram, snap a photo, and tag #thekitchengirl. This always makes my day!

Nutrition

Serving: 0.25cup | 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
Course Condiment, Sauce
Cuisine American
Diet Gluten Free
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Comments

  1. Paul says

    5 stars
    simply great. I have made it sauce per the recipe and several variations on it (adding bourbon and more molasses, some cayenne, and other spice) all have been great

    Reply

    • Traci says

      Yay!! I'm so glad you're enjoying it. Love your add-ins too. Thanks for sharing your experience!

  2. Marie says

    5 stars
    Very easy to prepare and delicious!
    Try adding whiskey ….. yummy

    Reply

    • Traci says

      Yay! So glad you enjoyed and I love your suggestion. YUM! Thanks for sharing!

  3. John Tretter says

    5 stars
    Excellent

    Reply

    • Traci says

      I'm glad you're enjoying the recipe. Thanks for taking the time to leave a rating!

  4. Bill says

    5 stars
    Nice sauce subbed minced fresh onion, A-1 sauce and used balsamic vinegar. Sooo good ! Thanks for sharing this. Never going back to store bought.

    Reply

    • Traci says

      I'm glad to hear it you're enjoying the recipe 🙂 Thanks for sharing your experience!

  5. JB says

    5 stars
    Just polished off a batch of this - again! There is no need to ever buy sauce when your homemade bbq sauce is THIS good!! Actually, you need to bottle it and put your label on it. Facts.

    Reply

  6. Andrea says

    5 stars
    Never buying bottled sauce again. This is amazing. I'm using it for a culinary school assignment. We had to create a healthy contemporary sauce and I think this will do the trick.

    Reply

    • Traci says

      Awesome Andrea! I'm so glad you gave it a try. We love it too and we also haven't had the need to buy the packaged stuff LOL. Thanks for the feedback. Enjoy! 🙂

  7. Quinn C says

    4 stars
    This was really good and so easy! I subbed liquid aminos for the worcestershire sauce and didn't have molasses/brown sugar. I added some diced habaneros for heat. I really liked the tang of this sauce and will definitely make it again.

    Reply

    • Traci says

      Hiya, so glad you enjoyed it 🙂 Yes, it's so versatile for substitution. I like your choices. Thanks for the feedback. Cheers!

  8. Jeff says

    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 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

  9. Claudia Lamascolo says

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

    Reply

    • The Kitchen Girl says

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

  10. Jess says

    5 stars
    Never buying store-bought sauce again!

    Reply

    • The Kitchen Girl says

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

  11. Amanda Wren-Grimwood says

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

    Reply

    • The Kitchen Girl says

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

  12. Dannii says

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

    Reply

    • The Kitchen Girl says

      Yay! Glad to hear it 🙂 Thanks!

  13. Jess says

    5 stars
    Yum, this is absolutely delicious!

    Reply

    • The Kitchen Girl says

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