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My homemade BBQ Sauce Recipe will be your new favorite BBQ sauce to use for everything from chicken and pork to beef! Ready in 15 minutes, this easy BBQ sauce recipe is deliciously sweet, spicy, and tangy. You can really taste the difference using homemade over store-bought!
Jump to:
- BBQ Sauce Recipe
- Homemade Barbecue Sauce Ingredients
- How to Make BBQ Sauce
- Homemade BBQ Sauce Recipe Tips
- Barbecue Sauce Recipe FAQs
- BBQ Sauce Ingredients Substitutions
- Barbecue Sauce Variations
- How to Store BBQ Sauce
- How to Freeze Barbecue Sauce
- Is BBQ sauce gluten-free?
- How to Use BBQ Sauce
- Savory Sauce Recipes
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- 📖 Recipe
- 💬 Reviews
BBQ Sauce Recipe
Living in Florida, I love cooking out with my family and friends. We enjoy BBQ as often as we can, especially during the summer! And if you're cooking an amazing BBQ meal, it deserves its own homemade BBQ sauce.
The key to a great homemade sauce is finding the right mix of flavors. After testing and comparing it to my favorite store-bought brands, this is the sauce I loved the most. I know you'll love it, too!
My easy BBQ sauce recipe is the perfect combination of flavors, with a nice balance of sweet, spicy, and tangy. It makes a great BBQ sauce for wings, ribs, kebabs, pulled pork, and so much more. After making this sauce just once, I knew I wouldn't be going back to buying bottled BBQ sauce at the store!
Homemade Barbecue Sauce Ingredients
- brown sugar
- ketchup
- apple cider vinegar
- water
- Worcestershire sauce
- chili powder
- paprika
- dry minced garlic
- dry minced onion
- salt
- pepper
- cayenne
How to Make BBQ Sauce
- In a large saucepan over medium heat, combine all ingredients.
- Bring to a boil, and immediately drop the heat to low. Cook for a bit longer if you'd like to thicken it further.
- Pour into an airtight container for storage, such as a jar. Or use it immediately, and enjoy!
Homemade BBQ Sauce Recipe Tips
- To thicken the sauce: Cook for longer, use a little less water or add a dash of cornstarch or flour to thicken it out more.
- To thin the sauce: Add more of one of the liquid components, such as water, vinegar, or Worcestershire sauce, to thin the sauce out more. I recommend simply adjusting the water level so the flavor balance stays the same.
- Adjust the spice levels: If you like your sauce more or less spicy, adjust the level of cayenne used.
Barbecue Sauce Recipe FAQs
The main components of a BBQ sauce are generally the main source of sweetness, spice, and zest, along with complementary spices and herbs. In the case of my homemade BBQ sauce, brown sugar, ketchup, apple cider vinegar, and Worcestershire sauce provide the sauce base, while spices such as minced garlic and onion are cooked in to boost the flavor.
BBQ sauce is known for having an acidity that pairs well with grilled and smoked foods; this flavor comes from the vinegar component, and from any tomato component included, such as ketchup. Sweet and spicy flavors may come from the addition of sugar and hot sauce, or simply hot spices.
You can thicken BBQ sauce by cooking it for a bit longer or by mixing in a pinch of cornstarch or flour while cooking. I find the thickness of my BBQ sauce recipe to be ideal for most recipes, but if you want to use it as more of a glaze, you could thicken it further.
BBQ Sauce Ingredients Substitutions
- Ketchup - If you want, you can substitute tomato paste or even tomato jam for ketchup.
- Apple cider vinegar - Red wine vinegar, white wine vinegar, or sherry vinegar may also be used.
Barbecue Sauce Variations
- Add honey and lemon: For extra sweetness and a dash of citrus tang, add 2 Tablespoons of your favorite honey and 1 Tablespoon of lemon juice.
- Honey BBQ sauce: Alternatively, leave out the lemon and substitute the brown sugar entirely for your favorite honey to create a tasty honey BBQ sauce.
- Add hot sauce: To give your homemade BBQ sauce an extra kick, add a splash of your favorite hot sauce to the mix.
- Maple BBQ sauce: Replace half of the brown sugar with pure maple syrup for a super delicious maple BBQ sauce. Make sure to use authentic maple syrup.
- Add bourbon or rum: A bit of bourbon or rum adds a real punch of flavor to this BBQ sauce recipe. Cut down the apple cider vinegar if adding either one by using ¼ cup apple cider vinegar and ¼ cup bourbon or rum.
- Make it smoky: Use smoked paprika instead of regular paprika and add ½ teaspoon of mesquite liquid smoke to make it smoky. You can cut down slightly on the Worcestershire sauce if adding liquid smoke.
How to Store BBQ Sauce
Allow BBQ sauce to cool completely, then transfer it to an airtight container such as a mason jar. Store for up to 2 weeks in the refrigerator.
How to Freeze Barbecue Sauce
To freeze homemade BBQ sauce, first, allow it to cool completely. Then add it to an airtight, freezer-safe container. Store for up to 3 months.
If adding to a jar, make sure it is big enough to leave at least 1 inch at the top to account for liquid expansion. And be sure to label the container with the freezing date!
Is BBQ sauce gluten-free?
Not all store-bought BBQ sauce is gluten-free, so homemade is a perfect alternative to making sure your sauce contains no gluten.
So long as you double-check that your Worcestershire sauce is gluten-free, then this homemade BBQ sauce recipe is completely gluten-free. Be aware of any substitutions or edits you make to the recipe that may contain gluten.
How to Use BBQ Sauce
- BBQ sauce for chicken: Slather chicken wings, grilled chicken (especially kebabs!), pulled chicken, or baked chicken thighs or breasts with homemade BBQ sauce for an amazing combination.
- BBQ sauce for beef: Try homemade BBQ sauce with beef ribs and beef brisket. It's especially delicious with slow cooker recipes!
- Turkey with BBQ sauce: BBQ smoked turkey is super delicious, especially if you're making it into a sandwich.
- BBQ sauce for pork: Homemade BBQ sauce is incredible with pork. Try it on pork ribs, with brisket, or even in pulled pork.
- BBQ sauce for burgers and sandwiches: Western-style burgers with BBQ sauce are absolutely delicious. It makes a great sauce for BBQ sandwiches and even sloppy joes, too!
- BBQ sauce pizza: Homemade BBQ pizza is so much better than any frozen pizza or even what you can get at a restaurant! Try grilling the pizza for an even more flavorful combo.
- Try my Vinegar BBQ Sauce to change things up!
Savory Sauce Recipes
- Peri Peri Sauce
- Buffalo Sauce
- How to Make Pesto
- Chimichurri Sauce
- Next, try more of my Dipping Sauce Recipes!
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Homemade BBQ Sauce
Equipment
- 1 large sauce pan
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cup brown sugar
- 1 ½ cups ketchup
- ½ cup apple cider vinegar
- ¼ cup water
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 ½ tablespoon chili powder
- 2 teaspoons paprika
- 1 tablespoon dry minced garlic
- 1 tablespoon dry minced onion
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon of cayenne more for a spicier result
Instructions
- In a saucepan over medium heat, combine all the ingredients.1 ½ cup brown sugar, 1 ½ cups ketchup, ½ cup apple cider vinegar, ¼ cup water, 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce, 1 ½ tablespoon chili powder, 2 teaspoons paprika, 1 tablespoon dry minced garlic, 1 tablespoon dry minced onion, 1 ½ teaspoon black pepper, ½ teaspoon of cayenne
- Bring to a boil and immediately drop the heat to low.
- Pour into an airtight container for storage.
Video
Notes
- To thicken the sauce: Cook for longer, use a little less water, or add a dash of cornstarch or flour to thicken it out more.
- To thin the sauce: Add more of one of the liquid components, such as water, vinegar, or Worcestershire sauce, to thin the sauce out more. I recommend simply adjusting the water level so the flavor balance stays the same.
- Adjust the spice levels: If you like your sauce more or less spicy, adjust the level of cayenne used.
Nutrition
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Nicole says
I was out of barbecue sauce, so I made this to go with shredded chicken. I made a few substitutions because I was out of items. I made a substitution for Worcestershire sauce using soy sauce, ketchup, and vinegar. Instead of minced onion and garlic, I used spices because that’s what I had on hand. I had a little of Sweet Baby Ray’s barbecue sauce so I decided to compare the two, and the homemade was so much better and no high fructose corn syrup. It is delicious. Thank you for sharing the recipe.
em says
That is so awesome to hear, Nicole. Thank you so much for sharing, and we're so glad you enjoyed it!
Tim says
Wonderful sauce and great recipe directions and adds. I make it all the time!
Thanks.
Isabel Laessig says
Thanks so much, Tim! I'm so glad to hear you enjoy it!
Lanie B says
Came out really tasty. I made it with 1/4 cup less brown sugar and only used 2 tsp garlic. It is really good and so easy to make. I used it on pulled pork sammiches for our 4th of July BBQ and it was a raving hit. Thank you! Will use this recipe again.
Isabel Laessig says
Thank you very much, Lanie! I'm very happy to hear you enjoyed it and will use it again!