Homemade BBQ Sauce
For quick and easy homemade BBQ sauce taken to the next level, all you need are a few pantry staples and 10 minutes. Sweet, tangy, smoky, and spicy deliver the perfectly balanced sauce for marinating, grilling, and dipping!
As promised, I’m here to share with you the star of our oven-baked BBQ chicken show. As soon as the winter chill gives way to spring, we are eager to break out the outdoor cooking equipment. But there’s no need to wait for warmer weather because this BBQ sauce and your oven can recreate summer vibes even on the coldest day.
We were playing with barbecue recipes, and I finished my first jar of homemade BBQ sauce in just a few days. And judging from the comments below, I’m not the only one who loved the way it turned out. Thank you all from the bottom of my heart.
Quick & Easy BBQ Sauce
This recipe is probably the best-tasting BBQ sauce I’ve tasted. Sweet and tangy layers with smoky and spicy flavors for the perfect balance. Words escape me, so you’ll just have to try it yourself to understand!
I microwaved the onion and garlic to wilt them and reduce their intensity, but you can sauté them on the stovetop if you prefer. Other than that, it’s assemble the ingredients, stir, and let the flavors meld for a bit. In under 10 minutes, you have a finger-licking good sauce.
How to Make Your Own BBQ Sauce
Slightly cook the onion and garlic, mix all the ingredients, and you’re done.
Recipe Notes
- Celery seed is a fairly new ingredient for me, so I was surprised that most BBQ sauce recipes call for it. The depth of flavor it adds without a celery taste has just enough bitterness to balance the sweetness of the ketchup.
- For more flavor, sauté the onion and garlic in a little oil or butter. The caramelization takes a little longer, but it’s worth the time.
- Label the jar with the name of the recipe and the date you made it. A short pencil is better than a long memory.
Make-Ahead and Storage Instructions
Homemade BBQ sauce typically lasts a week or two in the fridge in a glass jar with an airtight lid, but you can also freeze it for up to six months.
We sometimes freeze it in ice cube trays, pop the frozen cubes out, and store them in a large zip-lock bag. Pop out a cube or two to enhance the flavor of stews and sauces.
Other Ways to Use Homemade BBQ Sauce
This versatile ingredient ramps up the flavor in chicken, pork, and meatballs. Add a tablespoon or two to pizza sauce for a BBQ chicken pizza. Add flair to your homemade ranch dressing with a tablespoon of BBQ sauce. And the list goes on.
More Flavorful Sauce Recipes to Enjoy
This blog post was originally published in April 2019 and has been updated with more tips and tempting photos.
Homemade BBQ Sauce
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup (50g) minced onion
- 1 teaspoon (5g) minced garlic
- 2 cups (480g) ketchup
- ½ cup (120g) apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon (15g) lemon juice
- ½ tablespoon (4-5g) chili powder
- ⅓ cup (70g) firmly packed brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons (40g) honey
- 1 tablespoon (15g) Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon (15g) Dijon mustard
- 2 teaspoons (6g) smoked paprika
- 1 tablespoon (15g) molasses
- ½ teaspoon (<1g) red pepper flakes
- ½ teaspoon (1-2g) celery seeds
Instructions
- In a small microwave-safe bowl, combine onions and garlic and microwave for about a minute or two, until the onions are soft and translucent. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, add the rest of the ingredients: ketchup, vinegar, lemon juice, chili powder, brown sugar, honey, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, smoked paprika, molasses, red pepper flakes, and celery seeds. Add in the onions and garlic mixture, and mix well.
- Pour it into an airtight container or jar, and store in the fridge until ready to use. While you can use it immediately, it will taste better the next day.
Tips & Notes:
- Consensus indicates that Heinz ketchup is best for making BBQ sauce. We make sure there are no strange ingredients, especially high-fructose corn syrup. You’ll also want a thick one because watery ketchup will make watery BBQ sauce.
- Taste your ketchup before adding the sugar, salt, and vinegar to achieve a more balanced sauce.
- Please keep in mind that nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary greatly based on products used.
I found this recipe the easiest and quickest one I have seen so far. Thank you and God bless.
Awesome! Thanks so much.
I have it in the crock pot right now…….wish me luck
I’m sure it will turn great 🙂 Don’t forget to share how it goes, Happy Cooking!
Great recipe and easy to make
Exactly it is. That’s how I want to help my audience to be a great chefs with easy steps. Hurry!!!
The most delicious American food is barbecue. It comes with a variety of regional flavorings, like the Memphis-style sticky ribs, the Central Texas-style barbecue brisket and Memphis-style sticky ribs or the Kansas City-style burned ends. There’s more to this famous cuisine than what’s on the surface.
Thank you for sharing. Happy cooking!
I don’t buy molasses .What can I use to replace that ingredient instead? Maybe maple syrup?
Yes, maple syrup, honey or dark corn syrup.
I tried your fish cakes and peas balls and my guest cant stop talking about them. I am trying your barbeque sauce recipe to get a unique flavor for some ribs and chicken. I’ll send the feed back
Thank you for trying them out. Can’t wait for you to try this. Enjoy!
Hi Imma, Made up this sauce exactly as per recipe. Used it on Your Grilled Chicken Wings and took to a gathering of friends as a starter. It was a big hit – so much so that it was then used as a sauce for the main event – a Sausage Sizzle. Love your recipes
Yaaay! How great to hear that it turned out well for you, Rusty. Thanks for letting me know.
I am sure the ingredients used will make this a great BBQ sauce. I am dying to try this out,
Can’t wait to hear how it works out for you.