This Homemade Barbecue Sauce is ready in just 20 minutes and perfect on ribs, chicken, and so much more. The tangy and sweet sauce is made from scratch with wholesome ingredients (and no ketchup) and will have you licking your fingers!
Homemade is always better and that sentiment definitely applies to barbecue sauce. This homemade barbecue sauce has all the flavors you’d want from a barbecue sauce but it’s made from scratch with ingredients you can feel good about giving your family.
Notably missing from the ingredient list of this homemade sauce is high-fructose corn syrup which is often found in store-bought versions or even homemade versions that use store-bought ketchup as a base.
The best part? You likely already have all the ingredients needed to whip up a jar of this barbecue sauce and you only need about 20 minutes to do so!
Ingredients in Homemade Barbecue Sauce
- Pureed tomatoes: about 1 standard jar of tomato passata.
- Honey and maple syrup: They add the perfect amount of sweetness and flavor to this sauce. I opt for honey as I like to avoid refined sugar where I can. Maple syrup is another great substitution for the honey.
- Apple cider vinegar: Adds acidity to the sauce, adding to the tanginess of the sauce.
- Worcestershire sauce: Adds flavor.
- Spices and seasonings: smoked paprika, onion powder, mustard powder, salt, chili powder, and cayenne pepper. The cayenne adds a little heat to the sauce, but can be omitted if you do not want any spiciness.
**Note: Ingredient quantities and full instructions are in the recipe card at the end of this post.**
Simple steps to making homemade barbecue sauce:
- Bring sauce to a boil. Place all ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium.
- Cover and simmer. Cover the saucepan with a lid but leave the lid slightly lifted on one side (I rest the saucepan lid on a wooden spoon to keep it slightly lifted). This will reduce splatter as the sauce simmers but still let steam escape. Simmer the sauce for 15 minutes or until the sauce has reduced to a desired consistency. [Note: If the sauce is simmering too vigorously and splattering, reduce the heat to medium-low.]
- Adjust seasonings. Taste and adjust the seasonings to suit your own tastes. Enjoy.
Substitutions for homemade barbecue sauce
- Add more heat: you can adjust the spices in this homemade barbecue sauce to suit your own taste preferences. Add more cayenne for added heat, or use dashes of hot sauce instead.
- Substitute a different sweetener: I often use honey in this recipe to avoid refined sugar (also why I don’t use ketchup) but you can always use brown sugar if you prefer. Maple syrup is another great substitution.
What to serve with barbecue sauce
This sauce goes well with:
- meatballs
- ribs
- grilled chicken
- pulled pork
- barbecue chicken pizza
- mozzarella sticks
- barbecue baked beans
- and so many more!
How to store barbecue sauce
Homemade barbecue sauce should can be cooled completely and then transferred into an airtight container like a mason jar with a secure lid. It should keep for about 5 days stored this way.
I hope you enjoy this recipe!
-Cathy
You may also like my other homemade sauces and seasonings:
Roasted Tomato Sauce
Tzatziki Sauce
Sweet Chili Sauce
Homemade Cranberry Sauce
Jamaican Jerk Seasoning
Taco Seasoning
Homemade Barbecue Sauce
Ingredients
- 3 cups pureed tomatoes (about 1 standard jar of tomato passata)
- 1/3 cup honey
- 1/4 cup molasses
- 1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 1/2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon mustard powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Instructions
- Place all ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium.
- Cover the saucepan with a lid but leave the lid slightly lifted on one side (I rest the saucepan lid on a wooden spoon to keep it slightly lifted). This will reduce splatter as the sauce simmers but still let steam escape. Simmer the sauce for 15 minutes or until the sauce has reduced to a desired consistency. [Note: If the sauce is simmering too vigorously and splattering, reduce the heat to medium-low.]
- Taste and adjust the seasonings to suit your own tastes. Enjoy.
Note: Metric ingredient measurements are provided as a courtesy using a third-party calculator and are rounded to the nearest unit. The recipes provided on this site have not been tested with metric measurements and their accuracy cannot be verified.
Nutrition
The nutritional information provided is based on third-party calculations and is an estimate only. Accurate nutritional facts will vary based on the particular brands used, portion sizes, measurement accuracy and more.
