This sweet-and-savory Homemade BBQ Sauce Recipe tastes so much better than store-bought, and it’s cheaper too. Best of all, you can make it with better ingredients and fewer preservatives. Watch the video tutorial and see how easy it is.
If you love homemade sauce recipes like Classic Pesto, and Tartar Sauce, this BBQ Sauce will be a new favorite.
This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy.
We’re always looking for ways to save money by making our own sauces and condiments, and when those money-saving recipes also end up tasting better than the original, it’s definitely a win. There’s just something so satisfying about making your own kitchen staples like BBQ sauce, hummus, and marinara.
Homemade BBQ Sauce Video
Watch Natasha make homemade barbecue sauce, then grab the ingredients below and give it a try.
Easy Barbecue Sauce Recipe
This homemade BBQ sauce is the best I’ve ever had, and I’d put it up against any store-bought BBQ sauce—it’s just that good. It’s perfectly seasoned, sweet without being too sweet, and it can be easily customized to your liking. Here’s why you will love this recipe:
- Easy – Once you mix all the ingredients in a saucepan, this recipe is pretty hands-off. Just let it simmer until it’s nice and thick, stirring occasionally.
- Delicious – It’s literally the best BBQ sauce, with the perfect balance of flavors.
- Healthier – Okay, barbecue sauce isn’t exactly a health food, but when you make it from scratch, you can skip the preservatives, corn syrup, and artificial flavors.
- Versatile – Whether you use it as a sauce for Instant Pot Ribs, a topping for a burger, or a marinade for grilled chicken, you’ll have plenty of ways to use this sauce.
We love making sauces and condiments from scratch, from Easy Hollandaise Sauce to Tzatziki Sauce. If you do too, then you’ll want to save this homemade BBQ sauce recipe.
Ingredients
Scroll down to the recipe card below this post for ingredient quantities and full instructions.
- Tomato ketchup – Use any brand you like.
- Apple cider vinegar – Apple cider vinegar is the classic choice for homemade barbecue sauce, but white vinegar will work in a pinch.
- Worcestershire sauce – This adds irresistible umami flavor to balance out the sweet, savory, and acidic flavors in the recipe. It’s a must.
- Light brown sugar – Dark brown sugar has a more pronounced molasses flavor than light; you can use it in this recipe, but the flavor of the finished sauce will be different.
- Yellow mustard – The kind you put on hot dogs is just fine here.
- Paprika – Sweet or smoked paprika will work in this recipe.
- Onion powder – Onion powder is a fantastic way to add lots of savory flavor to a recipe without loading it with actual pieces of onion.
- Ground black pepper – Grind this fresh, if you can.
- Garlic cloves – We use 4 garlic cloves here to make the BBQ sauce extra delicious.
- Water – You could use chicken stock if you happen to have some on hand.
How to Make Homemade BBQ Sauce
When I say this recipe is easy, I really mean it. There are only two steps involved:
- Simmer – Place all of the ingredients in a large saucepan. Stir and bring the mixture to a boil, then lower the heat to a simmer. Continue to simmer uncovered for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until the sauce has thickened.
- Season – Taste the sauce and season to taste. You can add more sugar, spices, or salt at this point. Remove from heat and use the sauce right away or store it. This BBQ sauce is best when you let it rest for at least 1 hour in the refrigerator.
Pro Tip: Right off the heat, the sauce will taste a little spicy and it will smell vinegary – this is normal. Once you refrigerate it, the flavors will meld and mellow out.
Common Questions
Barbecue sauce is one of those kitchen staples that can be used in a number of ways, including marinating meat, dipping, topping, and basting. It typically has a tomato base and a flavor that’s sweet and a little bit spicy.
This is a mild sauce. It has a hint of spice when tasted right off the stove but mellows out even further when applied to grilled meats.
You can use an equal amount of dijon mustard or substitute it with 1 tablespoon of mustard powder.
I recommend an everyday kind of ketchup. There’s no need to spend extra money on gourmet ketchup when you’re using it to make barbecue sauce since you’ll be adding so many of your own seasonings.
Yes, you can double the recipe. Keep in mind that it will need to simmer longer in order to thicken.
Add cayenne pepper to taste if you want to make a spicy barbecue sauce.
Serve BBQ Sauce with
My family loves this homemade barbecue sauce in and with:
- Grilled Steak
- Slow Cooker BBQ Chicken
- Pulled Pork
- Grilled Chicken Breast
- Barbecued Chicken Thighs
- Instant Pot Ribs
Make-Ahead
You don’t need a fancy bottle for your BBQ sauce; a glass Mason jar is perfect (or empty jam jars, which is what I used), or you can even store it in an airtight plastic container.
- To Refrigerate: Store homemade BBQ sauce in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
- Freezing: Transfer the sauce to a freezer-safe container or zip-top bag; press out the excess air and freeze for up to 3 months.
- To Thaw: Frozen barbecue sauce can be thawed in the refrigerator overnight before using, or if you’re in a time crunch, you can place the sealed freezer bag in a bowl of warm water to thaw it faster.
Once you try this homemade BBQ sauce recipe, you’ll never buy store-bought again.
More Homemade Condiments and Sauces
If you love this Homemade BBQ Sauce, then you won’t want to miss these sauce recipes.
- Chimichurri Sauce
- Horseradish Sauce
- Pizza Sauce
- Easy Cherry Sauce Recipe
- White Pizza Sauce (Quick & Easy)
Homemade BBQ Sauce Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups tomato ketchup
- 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
- 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
- 2 Tbsp yellow mustard
- 1 Tbsp paprika or to taste
- 2 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp ground black pepper, or to taste
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/2 cup water
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients in a saucepan, bring to a boil then lower the heat and simmer uncovered for 30 minutes or until sauce is thickened.
- Add more sugar or seasonings to taste if desired, then remove from heat. Cool completely to room temperature then cover and store in the refrigerator up to 2 weeks. You can use it right away for grilling, but the BBQ sauce will taste best with a 1-hour rest in the refrigerator before use.*
Notes
Nutrition Per Serving
Filed Under
simple to make and tastes great. I substitued terriaqi sauce instead of tge worchestire sauce and it tasted great on my ribs.will definetly make this sauce again
Thank you so much for sharing that with me, Jim! I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Amazing sauce! I thought I had a bottle of BBQ sauce in my cabinet and realized I didn’t after I already started cooking ribs. This recipe not only saved dinner but has replaced the bottled stuff in my household. I did use dried garlic instead of minced and added quite a bit of fresh ground pepper and cayenne to spice it up a bit because my family likes it sweet and spicy. Thank you so much!
I’m so glad that you enjoyed it betten than storebought! Thanks so much for sharing your feedback, we appreciate it.
I wouldn’t say this is the best bbq sauce… But, it’s a darn good basic one. I actually added a tad more brown sugar, probably 1/4 cup more and a Tablespoon of molasses. I probably would have added celery seed if I had some as well.
OMG first of all I rarely write reviews. And when I do, I am not one to tell everyone about all the alterations I made so that the original recipe is a distant memory at the end of it all. But I had to come here and tell you…this recipe is awesome AND I did make an alteration however it was really a MISTAKE! I was so tired, didn’t wanna cook but I had some country ribs…they are still in the air fryer as I type but I stuck my finger in the sauce (kabooom!). so here it is. I accidentally grabbed the teriyaki sauce which sits next to my soy. I was going to use soy bc I didn’t have Worcestershire!! As I added the teriyaki I screamed! I couldn’t believe the only food I had to make for dinner and here I just wasted all the rest of the ingredients and was out of ideas for these stupid ribs(again, super tired!). Anywho, here’s to say I KNOW this recipe would stand amazing on its own and if you happen to pour Teriyaki instead of worcestershire, don’t despair!!
Hi Becky! Thank you so much for sharing. Those are the best types of mistakes to make. I’m glad it still turned out for you!
Thanks Becky! I am getting ready to make this and also don’t have worcestershire. But I DO have teriyaki! Gonna try it. Really didn’t want to go to the store.
I just made your BBQ sauce and it is amazing. My dad always made the sauce because he made BBQ and put it in stores. I never thought to ask for his recipe…so I can’t make it like him. But I ran across yours and I have ribs in crock pot with your sauce. I tasted it and so did my friend and it is SOOOOOO VERY GOOD. Thanks for sharing. GOD BLESS Y’ALL
Hi Bonnie! Thats wonderful. I’m so glad you found this recipe. Thank you for sharing.
I haven’t tried this yet, but I am curious about the option that says black pepper or 4 cloves of garlic minced. To me, black pepper and garlic have completely different flavor profiles. Can you please clarify?
Hi, I’m so glad you asked because that should have been on it’s own line in the recipe card. The recipe calls for pepper and garlic cloves. I’m not sure why it wrapped to the same line as pepper but I have corrected this now. Thanks again!
Way too sweet. Half as much sugar. I also added some cumin, curry powder, a dash of liquid smoke. It will be fun to continue to tweak is recipe in different and interesting ways. Smells great as it reduces on my stove top right now.
I’ve been making this in bulk since I first tried it last year. It makes a nice Christmas gift when packaged prettily.
For simple math and no leftover ketchup–a 32oz bottle of ketchup is just right for 2.5x the base recipe 🙂
Thank you Natasha once again for the excellent recipes!
Thank you for sharing! Gifting this as a gift is such a great idea.
Loved this! My 9 year old normally doesn’t like bbq sauce, but she liked this one! I added some liquid smoke to it for some Smokey flavor.
So glad to hear that she liked it!
I made it low sugar with Splenda brown sugar and it’s still on the stove but it tastes like a sweet ketchup that is popular on the market now, which was my favorite until I tasted this. I will just jar this up when I get low!
Hi Julie! That’s wonderful. Thank you for the feedback.
A really great BBQ sauce. Highly recommended! Thanks for both metric and imperial measurements.
Thank you for your excellent comments and feedback, Ian. Appreciate it!
Hi, Once you made this bbq sauce can you use it right away or does it have to be in the fridge for two wks?
You may use the sauce right away or store it.
Made this recipe for ribs, love it ! Will definitely make again.
I’m so happy you enjoyed these ribs, Olivia!
Hoooo, boyyyy! I used your basic recipe but added a bit of molasses, bourbon, and a pinch of cloves. Fantastic tasting BBQ sauce, with a great texture and thickness.
I’m so glad you loved the recipe. The add-in’s sound amazing!
This is quick, easy sauce with a great flavor. Add some slap yo mama or cayenne pepper for a spicy flavor.
Thank you for the suggestion! I’m glad you loved the recipe.
Just made this tonight and it was delicious! I used smoked paprika and it gave it such an amazing smoking slightly spicy flavor. Will be the only BBQ sauce we use from now on!
I’m so happy you enjoyed that. Thank you for sharing that with us, Mary!
Hi Natasha, I have made your BBQ sauce before and it is delicious. Would I be able to freeze some of it before I’m able use it up within your two week time limit in the fridge? There’s only two of us and I can’t seem to use it all up in time. Or should I just cut the ingredients in half?
Hi Caroline! See my “make-ahead” notes above for freezing instructions.
Hi i was wondering Can you add oranges and lemon zest to this recipe for homemade BBQsauce?
Hi Patricia! I don’t see why not. Let us know if you experiment with it.
I only put in 1/4 cup of vinegar as I didn’t want it too tart. Otherwise I followed the recipe exactly. It was so easy! No more high fructose corn syrup and cheaper to boot. Thank you for sharing.
So glad you loved it! Thank you for the feedback.
Great taste ! But I add about tablespoon of Chipotle for a zing!
I thought it was ok.. Wife loved it. Less vinegar and sugar next time I think and maybe a cheeky habanero.
Thank you for the feedback, Matt!