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
Love this barbecue sauce! So easy to make I use it all the time. And everybody loves it.!
That’s so great! I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Mary!
Super easy. I loved it right off the heat and loved it even more the next day out of the fridge! This is now my go-to DIY barbecue sauce recipe! Thank you.
That’s so great! It sounds like you have a new favorite, Sheryl!
I made this and it was pretty good with a little dr ing it up if i had to do it over I would add only 1/4 cup vinegar and I would add 1/4 cup molasses 1/4 cup more brown sugar and that might make it taste less like too much vinegar I didn’t think it was salty at all but definitely too much vinegar
Hello from Montreal. Great BBQ sauce. I added a teaspoon of smoked paprika and 1\4 cup of maple syrup for extra sweetness. With my favorite dry rub we had the best ribs ever.
Thanks
This the best BBQ sauce EVER! I only made 2 small adjustments….used 2 tsp paprika instead of the 1 TB, and I lowered the black pepper to 3/4 tsp instead of 1 tsp.
Tasted when it was still hot & thought it was too vinegary, too salty.
But then I just put it in the fridge as you suggested.
You were absolutely right… the overnight in the fridge made the BBQ sauce absolutely perfect! No vinegary taste, no overly salty taste….just perfection! Thank you for this wonderful recipe, Natasha!
I’m so glad you liked it, Jeanne! Thank you for the feedback.
Absolutely delicious. grilled chicken thighs on low, turned and basted often. Followed recipe, it’s my go to. Love it.
Decent, but too much tang over sweet for me. I would cut mustard down considerably.
I love this sauce . You can fine tune it however you like . Worth fighting the dreaded pop ups’
Can this be made in bigger quantities and canned? Delicious.
Hi Pamela, I have not tried canning this to advise. You can adjust how much you make though, I recommend clicking “Jump to recipe” at the top of the post, it will take you to our printable recipe where you’ll have the option to change the number of servings. Hover over the number of servings highlighted in red and slide it to how many servings you would like to make. I hope that helps!
I like be all your recipes I have made most of your recipes
This sauce reminds me of a BBQ sauce at a restaurant when I was a child. The beef ribs were resting in this soupy sauce on the buffet table waiting to be plucked out. I used cane sugar and a brand of Worcestershire sauce without soy and an organic cider vinegar with the “mother” since I remember that apple cider vinegar in my youth always had stuff at the bottom of bottle.
Thank you so much for sharing that with me!
Excellent recipe! I made it exactly as stated except for substituting garlic powder for fresh garlic and reducing the black pepper just a tad. Our new favorite BBQ sauce! Thank you!
Great recipe. I did tweak it a tad for my liking as you suggested. I added a heaping tablespoon of molasses for extra sweetness, and added a good dash of red pepper flakes to counter that sweetness a tad. Also used garlic powder as I didn’t have garlic cloves. But the base recipe here proportion-wise is spot for me to tweak around with. Thank you!!
Hi Brad! That sounds great. Thank you for sharing that with us.
I used this recipe tonight for our baby back ribs dinner and I must say, it is absolutely scrumptious and doesn’t have any of the evil soybean oil or canola oils in it! We don’t use any store bought sauces because of almost everything containing those poison oils! Natasha, this bbq sauce recipe made the BEST bbq sauce that we have ever had!!! My hubby said it is the most delicious he’s had in his life and these were the BEST ribs he’s ever had in his life and I have to agree! THANK YOU for this wonderful recipe!!!
That’s amazing, Janice! So glad it was a hit. Thank you for the review.
This is easy and tasty. Didn’t have worchetshire sauce-used Joy Unami and it was fine. I didn’t have the full measure of all the ingredients, but fiddled with what I had and it was just perfect. May never buy bar b que sauce again. (But will make sure I have the necessary ingredients), Oh and used dark brown sugar, but less than if I had had light brown sugar
Did not like this recipe it had an overpowering mustard and vinegar taste.
Hi Melissa, it’s important to let it rest per the instructions for the flavors to meld and those will mellow out.
Have you ever tried a lower sugar alternative? Just curious – I’m sure it wouldn’t taste quite as good 🙂
Hello there! I have not tried that yet to advise. I think it’s going to be fine but less sweeter. Let us know how it goes if you do an experiment!
I made this a couple of times and it is awesome. I added a little liquid smoke and some hot sauce to the last batch as we like spicy and it was the best I’ve ever eaten.
That sounds great, Phillip! I’m glad you enjoyed it!
Thanks for your idea. We too, love our BBQ sauce a bit spicy, so will make it like you suggested.
I just made your sauce smell really good will pos
T if my family likes it
I hope they love it, Delores!
Delicious BBQ sauce. Our chicken was delicious.