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Sure you can buy it at the store, but homemade BBQ sauce tastes infinitely better and is SO easy to make! Here’s how to make BBQ sauce.

BBQ Sauce
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Ever made BBQ sauce at home? If not, it’s time to try. This BBQ sauce recipe is so tangy and savory, you won’t want to buy store bought ever again! Whether it’s to paint onto burgers or steaks or shrimp, this homemade barbecue sauce goes with just about anything and takes only a few minutes to whip up. Alex actually invented it for a recipe featuring something you’ll never guess (BBQ…guess!), but we decided it was too good not to share separately too. So: here’s everything you need to know about making homemade barbecue sauce — keep reading for the recipe!

Related: Mustard BBQ Sauce | Sugar Free BBQ Sauce

Homemade BBQ sauce

How to make BBQ sauce

Why make homemade barbecue sauce when it’s easy to find at the store? First of all, the flavor is out of this world. It tastes so, how do we say it…real, it’s hard to want to go back. Second, you can control the ingredients that go into your BBQ sauce, so you don’t have loads of sugar or preservatives. And lastly: it’s so easy! It’s truly nothing more than throwing ingredients into a pot and simmering.

How to make BBQ sauce? Here are the main steps:

  1. Place the ingredients in a saucepan: organic ketchup, apple cider and white vinegar, maple syrup, smoked paprika, soy sauce, cumin, hot sauce, and salt.
  2. Simmer for 10 minutes, until slightly thickened.
  3. Store in a sealed container in the refrigerator.

For the ketchup, it’s preferable to get an organic or natural ketchup. Take a look at the ingredients on the container and make sure they’re pretty normal: you may want to make sure there is no high fructose corn syrup.

How to make BBQ sauce

How to serve BBQ sauce

Of course, there are a multitude of ways to serve BBQ sauce that you probably have already thought of! But if you’re in need of inspiration, here are some delicious recipes with BBQ sauce that we love:

Homemade barbecue sauce

Types of BBQ Sauce

Want to make homemade BBQ sauce from scratch? Here are our best recipes with several types of BBQ sauce!

Looking for other essential recipes?

Whether it’s how to make salad dressing or hard boiled eggs, our essential recipes are easy DIYs to make at home! Here are few more of our essential and DIY recipes:

This BBQ sauce recipe is…

This recipe is vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free, plant-based, dairy-free, and refined sugar free.

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Homemade BBQ Sauce

Healthy BBQ Sauce
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Sure you can buy it at the store, but homemade BBQ sauce tastes infinitely better and is SO easy to make! Here’s how to make BBQ sauce.

  • Author: Sonja
  • Prep Time: 0 minutes
  • Cook Time: 10 minutes
  • Total Time: 10 minutes
  • Yield: 1 ½ cups 1x
  • Category: Sauce
  • Method: Stovetop
  • Cuisine: American

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 cup organic ketchup
  • 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons white vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons maple syrup
  • 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon hot sauce
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • Black pepper

Instructions

  1. Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan. Heat for 10 minutes on low heat.
  2. Store in a sealed container in the refrigerator for 1 month.

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About the authors

Alex & Sonja

Hi! We’re Alex & Sonja Overhiser, authors of the acclaimed cookbooks A Couple Cooks and Pretty Simple Cooking—and a real life couple who cooks together. We founded the A Couple Cooks website in 2010 to share seasonal recipes and the joy of home cooking. Now, we’ve got over 3,000 well-tested recipes, including Mediterranean diet, vegan, vegetarian, pescatarian, smoothies, cocktails, and more!

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3 Comments

  1. Rose says:

    Hi, just made this BBQ sauce and it’s a keeper! So simple and delicious. I’ve made a batch of your veggie burgers (which I am addicted to!) and will use it on them tomorrow, when I’m ready to go. Thanks so much!!

  2. Brittany says:

    Do you have a BBQ sauce recipe that starts with tomatoes (canned or fresh) rather than ketchup? We try to eat as little precessed food as possible…

    Thanks!

    1. Alex says:

      We don’t, but maybe we’ll work on one for you!