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.
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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
This is a great recipe for us. We add, subtract, adjust as needed for the meat/dish and how we are cooking. Pressure cooked ribs finished off under the broiler with this sauce was fantastic!!! No one knew we hadn’t slow cooked them on the grill. Time saver!
Thank you for sharing your helpful review! I’m so glad you enjoyed the BBQ sauce recipe.
I took this BBQ sauce recipe and had to eyeball it because I didn’t have enough ketchup, but it still came out WONDERFUL for BBQ pulled chicken sandwiches!
The only change I made was the vinegar – ousted it for a Breckenridge bourbon and the family LOVED it!
I’m so happy you enjoyed that. Thank you for sharing that with us, Armando!
This is a great recipe. The whole family loves it. I’ve made this multiple times and my husband won’t buy bbq sauce anymore, this is way better. The last time I made it, I did try to sub rice vinegar for the apple cider vinegar and it was a hit. I also replaced the brown sugar with 1/2 cup of monk fruit and 1/4 cup of molasses to make it a little healthier and it turned out great.
This sauce is great! I try to avoid products with high fructose corn syrup, so use ketchup without it. I’m considering whether to pressure canning would work.
Hi Tamara! I haven’t tried canning this. Let us know if you experiment.
I read all the comments, like any new recipe I make it exactly as written and then tweak the next time. Next time I went to make it I didn’t have apple cider vinegar, substituted with Rice vinegar and that was a huge game changer, I thought the 1st time it was too vinegary(even after 2 days), this substitute made the difference. I add a 1/4 cup more of Worcestershire sauce and red pepper flakes.
Recipe is versatile and a great bbq sauce as written.
Thank you for the recipe, family requests it every time we have anything BBQ.
I made this recipe keto style! I made my ketchup from scratch, substituting monkfruit for sugar (0 glycemic index). I used monkfruit and molasses to make my own brown sugar, added in equal amounts of white to black pepper, doubling the amount. Changed out for homemade smoked paprika. Added cayenne to taste, as I love a little heat!
This recipe (wif me own changes) is permanently in me cook book!
I made this BBQ sauce and it was delicious 😋 I added a little organic honey 🍯
I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe, Sharon.
This tasted so amazing can’t wait for my husband to try it. Supper easy had everything and made it for another recipe so glad I did. Won’t be buying BbQ sauce again.
Home made really is best! That’s so great! It sounds like you have a new favorite!
i like it it’s a great starter recipe. it’s tried it a gf the stove and flavors have not mended yet but as stated will be peppery and vinegary. i o ly needed a small amount so did my best to convert the measurements to a smaller batch so it could have altered the taste. This is way to sweet for my liking. i added more vinigar a little salt and even lemon trying to cut the sweetness it helped but still strong
Hi Theresa, let the bbq sauce rest as instructed in the recipe and it will mellow out and won’t be too strong.
Is this safe for canning? Enough vinegar to make it safe is what I meant.
I have not tried canning this.
For me this bbq sauce is comparable to Spring Creek BBQ’s sauce. I boiled for 20 minutes & let sit with the burner off for 10.
Recipe is definitely a keeper. I made it today and once it cooled and was refrigerated, it was so good.
I haven’t made yet but wondering if hot honey can be added? If so, before or after simmer?
Hi Lori! Honey can be sensitive to heat, so add it at the end.
Very good balance. I have made this sauce twice, it’s a keeper.
Great recipe, I made it exactly as written 1st time, it was a little vinegar forward but still great. 2nd time I didn’t have apply cider vinegar, do I substituted with Rice wine vinegar and holy smokes, it brought it to a new level. Recipe is very versatile, sometimes I use ground mustard some time French’s, I also add red pepper flakes we love our BBQ sauce spicy.
When it’s 1st done the flavors are strong, but once it cools off, flavors meld perfectly, once I got the recipe right for my family, it never goes to waste.
Thank you for a very easy recipe! I made a reduced-sugar version using lower sugar ketchup, and then using a low-glycemic sweetener mixed with a little bit of molasses to make it “brown”.
I love the stronger flavors and less sweet tanginess!
Yum! Super easy and delicious! No more store bought ever again. Thank you!
I can’t recommend this BBQ sauce, even after adding tomato paste and water to try to mellow it it’s still very strong. I found it too oniony and garlicky and I love garlic. Unfortunately this was a waste of ingredients for me.
Hi Cal, make sure to let the flavors meld and let it rest before enjoying per the recipe instructions. It will mellow out.
Can the brown sugar be substituted with honey
Hi Corinne, I haven’t tried that substitution myself to advise. One of my readers mentioned they substituted part for the brown sugar for honey, but not all of it.
Thank you again Natasha for another great recipe. Love that this BBQ sauce recipe has basic every day ingredients. I was running low on catsup so I substituted a jar of my homemade tomato sauce and doctored it a bit to taste like catsup. Next time I think I will try reducing the brown sugar and add honey. This recipe is a keeper!
You’re so very welcome! I’m happy you enjoyed the recipe!