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
Found your recipe today and made it right away! Added some honey and shredded chicken, then ate it on top of baked potatoes – I won’t need to buy bbq sauce anymore! My family loved it and said it reminded them of Texas bbq. Your recipe instructions (which are always at the bottom of the page on the recipe card) were perfect. Thank you!
Unfortunately Natasha didnt explain how much of each ingredient to use. 😡
Hi Tamara! The recipe card is at the bottom of the blog post. You can also click on “jump to recipe” at the top of the page.
I ran across this recipe late at night but it sounded so easy and good, I stayed up to give it a try.
So far this is the best BBQ sauce recipe I’ve tried. I make a few changes and may have gotten it a little too sweet but it’s still sooo good. I’ll make this as my standard BBQ sauce and test minor alterations to adapt to my taste.
I combined ketchup, apple cider vinegar, Worcestershire, in place of the half cup water, I added 1/4 cup water and 1/4 cup pickled jalepeno juice. I used dark brown sugar rather than light. onion powder rather than onion, garlic powder rather than garlic cloves, fresh ground black pepper, I added 1 tbs of honey, paprika, and brown mustard instead of yellow. It turned out excellent.
This recipe is SO good I can’t even believe it. So easy to make and really does taste like authentic BBQ sauce! Only substitute i used was honey instead of sugar, same amount. I also didn’t have to simmer it for so long, I think it was ready by around 22 mins. It came out GREAT!
Isn’t it the best when you find a great recipe that is also easy? Thank you for your awesome review, Mel!
You are absolutely right! Since making this barbecue sauce, I haven’t purchased anymore.
Made this tonight and my husband and son loved it. I mixed it with some shredded chicken and put it on a couple ham buns and they loved it. I did add another 1/4c water to it as it was just a tad tangy. But other than that made exactly as directed. Made with Mac and cheese and coleslaw and Voila!! Two thumbs up from a very picky husband!!🤣
Love it when picky eaters love my recipes too!
Can this sauce be bottled? I want to make alot ahead and keep some in our RV as well as share with family and friends.
That’s fine. But 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.
Delish used on ribs but could be used on any meat. Note cooked ribs in the oven for 2 1/2 hours set grill to 500 brushed ribs 5 minutes each side, any longer and they will burn.
Incredibly easy! Thankfully we cook often and had all the ingredients to make this on the spot. I substituted the yellow mustard with Dijon (a use-what-you-have scenario) and water with leftover pickled pepper juice. For a little kick, I added 1 tbsp of red pepper flakes and Fly By Jing’s Mala Spice. The sauce was delicious! The perfect tangy sweet heat.
Wonderful! So glad you enjoyed the recipe.
can I use garlic powder instead of garlic cloves and how much?
Hi Gilbert! That should be fine. I haven’t tested it to provide the exact quantity to use so add it to your preferred taste. A general rule of thumb is to use 1/4 teaspoon of granulated garlic powder for 1 clove of fresh garlic.
Very tasty! I did not add any sugar and it was sweet enough just using ketsup.
I will make it again .
Thanks for a great recipe
I bought prepared pulled pork from the store, but this brand was not prepared in any BBQ sauce. Somehow I didn’t have any BBQ sauce either and didn’t feel like going back out. So I found this recipe online. I all the ingredients, and it was very quick. I did microwave the sauce in a glass jar (2 minutes full power; 1 minute 50%) instead of cooking it in a saucepan because our meat was ready and so were we. WONDERFUL flavor! SUPER EASY!!!
I’m so glad you found this recipe, Cathy! Thank you for the wonderful review.
Another great recipe by Natasha’s kitchen. I followed this recipe to the t and it’s delicious! I cannot wait to research the rest of site for more ideas and recipes!
Yummmm , we’ve always used Sweet Baby Ray’s but ran out so tried this recipe! It was a big hit, thank you Natasha!!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
This sauce is very easy and delicious. My daughter is allergic to corn and can’t have corn syrup so we haven’t found a commercial BBQ sauce that she can have . . . now we don’t have to! Thank you!
That’s just awesome! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review, Pam! I’m so glad this is perfect for your daughter too!
Would I be able can this in a water bath? I am wanting to do a triple batch and can it up for gifts and use later on
Hi Reanna! I have not tried canning this to advise.
Check the university of Georgia’s website. They have an amazing canning section
I just made this barbecue sauce…completely left out the brown sugar. It is perfect… the minced garlic is a game changer. Will have it tonight with our brisket. Also my partner is ordering your new cookbook tonight. ❤️
Thank you for your good feedack, Carol. That’s wonderful to hear! I hope you will both enjoy the recipes that you will try from my cookbook.
Second time making this recipe, I added some molasses and habanero ketchup, just a beautiful bbq sauce
This recipe turned out great for my pulled pork BBQ sandwiches!! I did add a few extra seasonings. Turned out perfect. Thanks😄
Can I use balsamic vinger instead of apple vinger. And can I regular molasses syrup.
Hi Jimmy! I haven’t tested those substitutions. I think it could work, but will alter the taste. Let us know if you experiment.