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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Jess says
This is such a great base! You can leave it alone, or expand on it! Thank you for a great recipe!!!
Mike Vrobel says
You're welcome!
Laura says
Super simple and perfect for my ketchup-loving kiddos! I might tweak it a little next time and try less apple cider vinegar, maybe half apple and half white vinegar or just less apple, just for my preference, but it was very good as is. I did add a bit of fresh ground white pepper tho, it helped cut the ketchup flavor some, but was still mild enough for the kids unlike black pepper. Thanks so much Dad!
Mike Vrobel says
You’re welcome, I’m glad your kids enjoyed it!
go says
great recipe, I added some onion powder, This recipe doesn't have anything I'm allergic too.
Mike Vrobel says
I’m glad you like it!
Gale says
Made this recipe exactly as printed, we'll try the variations next time, this is definitely a keeper. I have not used store-bought barbecue sauce in years due to the excessive unnecessary added ingredients. Thank you for giving me a tasty barbecue sauce without all the unnecessary ingredients
Mike Vrobel says
You’re welcome!