Easy homemade barbecue sauce. This recipe needs no cooking, is made with pantry ingredients, and tastes even better than store-bought sauce.
I became a cooking fanatic thanks to barbecue. Now, with the kids, I only make baby back ribs or pulled pork a few times a summer. One of the things I learned was how to make barbecue sauce. It takes no time at all - I can whisk up a batch of this no-cook barbecue sauce in about ten minutes, and it keeps in the fridge for just about forever. I may not make low-and-slow BBQ as much, but I make this homemade bbq sauce recipe all the time - it's that good.
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Is it worth it to make your own BBQ sauce?
Absolutely! My easy barbecue sauce takes six pantry ingredients, and two minutes at most of whisking to combine them. No cooking necessary! And, if six ingredients is just too much for you, three of them are optional. You can get a basic BBQ sauce with just ketchup, brown sugar, and cider vinegar. That said, I like the extra flavors added by the Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, and hot sauce, so I never skip them.
Ingredients
- 1 cup ketchup
- ¼ cup molasses (or brown sugar, or honey)
- ¼ cup cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce (optional)
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce (optional)
- 1 tablespoon Franks Red Hot (optional)
How to Make Easy Homemade BBQ Sauce
- Put all ingredients in a bowl.
- Whisk to combine.
- (That's it, you're done)
Variations
Brown Sugar BBQ Sauce
- Replace the molasses with brown sugar. (I do this one a lot. Molasses is the byproduct of making brown sugar, so they have the same taste profile, but the brown sugar version of the sauce is sweeter.)
Honey BBQ Sauce
- Replace the molasses with honey. This is if you like extra sweet in your sauce. A quarter cup of honey is sweeter than a quarter cup of brown sugar.
Texas Style BBQ Sauce
- Cut the molasses back to 2 tablespoons, and add a tablespoon of fresh ground black pepper to the sauce.
Storing Leftover BBQ Sauce
- I make a big batch of this barbecue sauce and keep it in the refrigerator, where it is good for up to 6 months.
Frequently Asked Questions
This sauce is pretty thick to begin with, but if you want it even thicker, put it on the stove over low heat and simmer it, stirring often, until the sauce is as thick as you want it.
Absolutely! I make a big batch and use it throughout the summer.
If you want to add some smoke flavor, add ¼ teaspoon of liquid smoke to the recipe.
[This is a rewrite of my original blog post from October 2, 2008. I use this recipe all the time, so it was due to be cleaned up. Ah, the memories.]
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Easy Barbecue Sauce Recipe
Description
Easy Barbecue Sauce recipe - make your own barbecue sauce from pantry ingredients.
Ingredients
- 1 cup ketchup
- ¼ cup molasses (or brown sugar, or honey)
- ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
- 1 tbsp worcestershire sauce (optional)
- 1 tbsp soy sauce (optional)
- 1 tbsp Franks Red Hot (optional)
Instructions
- Put all ingredients in a bowl.
- Whisk to combine.
Notes
Really - it's that easy. Whisk and go.
- Category: Accompaniment
- Cuisine: American
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Notes
- Obviously, this recipe can vary quite a bit (see all the optional ingredients and variations)
- When I have it on hand (almost always), I'll add a tablespoon of barbecue rub to the sauce instead of the Frank's red hot.
- I usually make a 4x batch of this recipe - I buy a 32oz bottle of ketchup, and go from there. Voila - enough barbecue sauce to last for a couple of months!
- In case you missed it in the original picture, check out my mad art skills on the label:
Inspired by: Cook's Country magazine, Chicago Style Ribs (subscription required) and Virtual Weber Bullet.
Related Posts
What do I use this sauce on? Quite a lot...
- Grill Smoked Baby Back Ribs (Grilling Basics)
- Rotisserie Grilling: Barbecued Chicken
- Grilled BBQ Chicken Thighs
- Instant Pot BBQ Meatballs
- Pressure Cooker Pork Steaks, St. Louis BBQ Style
- Instant Pot Pulled Pork - Quick and Easy Recipe
- Instant Pot Boneless Pork Ribs (Country Style Shoulder Ribs
- Instant Pot Spare Ribs with BBQ Rub and Sauce
- Sweet Hot Mustard
- Cajun Rub
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MS says
Excellent recipe! Used this for some BBQ chicken. Thank you for sharing your knowledge!
Mike Vrobel says
You’re welcome, glad you liked it!
Robin says
Hi dad. Quick question is cider vinegar the same as Apple cider vinegar. Thank you so much. I am making your pork steak recipe tonight with your dry rub and I need a barbecue sauce I don't care for store bought.
Mike Vrobel says
Yes, apple cider vinegar is cider vinegar.
Lori Johnson says
Thank you for the laugh, I needed that!!! Made the sauce last night. Definitely delicious, I used hot creole seasoning because I didn’t have Franks red hot sauce. Will never buy bbq sauce again. Look forward to checking out the more of your recipes!!!
Mike Vrobel says
Thank you, I'm glad you enjoyed it!
Susan B. says
I have searched for so long for a good substitute for barbecue sauce but healthy. This is it! Thank you for sharing! This sauce is amazing! I used molasses and coconut aminos for the soy sauce because we can't have soy. It was amazing!
Mike Vrobel says
Thank you, I’m glad you like it!
Monica says
Very good recipe - best I have tried!
Mike Vrobel says
Thank you!
Jessica says
I never realized how easy it was to make a bbq sauce and this turned out great! I used honey and it was perfect!
Mike Vrobel says
I'm glad you enjoyed it!
Gen Adams says
Ran out of store bought BBQ sauce. It was awesome, even better, I didn't have to cook it. Making a batch. This is inexpensive recipe.
DEBRA LIVESEY says
Helped me in a direction situation. Didn't have brown sugar, but the honey was AWESOME!!! THANK YOU!!!
Mike Vrobel says
You’re welcome!
Mykki says
What a fantastic base for a BBQ sauce! I added a little bit of gochugaru for some extra spicy kick and it was fantastic. 🙂
Raziela Rosenbloom says
so easy took 5 mins i put it on some chicken we will find out how it tastes
Jason says
This was good in a pinch. I was out of Worcester shire sauce but it still was good. Thank you!!
Mike Vrobel says
You're welcome!
Ed Martinez says
Thank you for your receipt! One of my Great Grandson's thinks I'm the best cook under the sun.
Ed
Mike Vrobel says
You're welcome!
sunny says
youre the best bro
Mike Vrobel says
Thanks!
Tammy says
Thank you! Quick, easy and delicious. I found out at the last minute that I didn't have barbecue sauce and found your recipe. Yummy!
Tanya Mihkelson says
Was that easy. Good to go with our marinated pork chops for dinner tonight. Thx for the recipe!
James D Jordan says
This is great! Thanks for making a simple recipe. Now that I have the basic recipe down, I can experiment with adding garlic powder etc. Can't go wrong with simple!
Valerie Manuel says
I love it.so simple.and taste great.a great add in recipe.