BBQ is one of my (and my kids’) favorite dipping sauces for finger foods and enjoying over grilled meats. But as I was developing this recipe, I was completely shocked by two things: 1) just how much sugar is in most store-bought BBQ sauces and other BBQ sauce recipes. And 2) just how easy it is to make BBQ sauce at home. I honestly can’t believe this has been a purely purchased condiment for me for so many years. From here forward, it’s only homemade, baby.
Recipe Highlights
Lower in sugar but still sweet: My recipe is sweetened with a little brown sugar, but in a much-reduced amount, making it lower in sugar than most purchased BBQ sauces and recipes (as well as lower in carbohydrates, sodium, and saturated fat). The sauce itself has a subtle sweetness. It’s not crazy sweet like Sweet Baby Rays, but it has pleasant sweetness from both the tomato paste and brown sugar. The apple cider vinegar and mustard help create the perfect balance by adding tangy acidity. This all-natural recipe is lower in
Great consistency: The texture of this sauce is not super thick, but it’s not thin either. It’s the perfect consistency for pouring, tossing with shredded chicken, or basting grilled meats.
Simple real-food ingredients: Just a few everyday ingredients, like tomato paste, Dijon mustard, vinegar, and spices, come together to make a delicious barbecue sauce.
10 minutes total: It takes 10 minutes, start to finish, to make a batch of this homemade BBQ sauce. Just bring the ingredients to a gentle simmer in a saucepan and it’s ready to use. One recipe makes 1 ½ cups, which is enough for plenty of recipes and uses, depending on the serving size.
It Takes Only A Few Simple Pantry Ingredients
Here are the few everyday ingredients that come together to make this homemade BBQ sauce recipe:
- Tomato paste – this is the key ingredient, which helps create the rich, flavorful base of this sauce. Use no-salt-added tomato paste for lower sodium.
- Brown sugar – As I was testing this recipe, I tried several different sweeteners. I discovered that light brown sugar makes the best BBQ sauce, creating the perfect sweet molasses flavor and dissolves well in the sauce. Dark brown sugar, pure maple syrup, or pure honey were also good sweeteners and could be used instead.
- Dijon mustard – this tangy ingredient helps build layers of flavor in the sauce and creates the perfect balance for the sweetness of the tomato and brown sugar. Yellow mustard also can be used.
- Apple cider vinegar – I prefer apple cider vinegar to help create the iconic tangy finish on the tongue, but other types of vinegar can be used, such as red wine vinegar or white wine vinegar.
- Worcestershire sauce – this ingredient adds so much, so don’t skip it. For those with celiac or following a vegan diet, look for Worcestershire sauce that is verified gluten free or vegan. Soy sauce can be used as a replacement.
- Seasonings – I call for simple spices in this BBQ sauce recipe, including garlic powder (or onion powder), chili powder, paprika (either smoked paprika or regular), dried oregano, salt, and pepper.
Find the ingredient list with exact measurements in the recipe card below.
Getting The Perfect Consistency
As written, this recipe provides a sauce that is of medium consistency, meaning that it pours well, but it’s also thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. To adjust the consistency, make it thinner by adding another 1-2 tablespoons of water. Or thicken it by letting it simmer longer on the stovetop.
Use For Dipping, Slow Cooker Recipes, And More
My favorite way to use this homemade BBQ sauce recipe is to make my recipe for slow cooker shredded BBQ chicken or tossing with pulled pork sandwiches or bowls. It’s also great for making BBQ beef, slathering over baby back ribs, or spreading over sheet pan meatloaf. It also makes a nice marinade for grilled chicken or kebabs. My kids and I especially like it as a dipping sauce for chicken nuggets and these air fryer chicken tenders, tossing with crispy chicken wings, hot dog bites, fries, and other finger foods.
Customize The Flavor
If a smokier Kansas City-style sauce is desired, add a dash of liquid smoke. For a Texas-style spicy BBQ sauce, add a dash of cayenne pepper, hot sauce, chipotle powder, or adobo sauce.
Store For Up to 2 Weeks
This easy recipe stores well in the refrigerator and can be used for up to 2 weeks. I store my sauce in a mason jar with a tight-fitting lid, but any airtight container will work.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, this sauce can be frozen for up to 3 months. Freeze about 2-tablespoon portions of the sauce in silicone ice cube molds and pop out a cube or two when a recipe calls for some BBQ sauce. Allow it to thaw at room temperature or heat it for about 30 seconds in the microwave.
Yes, honey or maple syrup can be substituted for the brown sugar in this easy BBQ sauce. It will make the sauce slightly thinner and the flavor profile will be slightly different, but those sweeteners can be used if preferred.
It is possible! This recipe doesn’t call for ketchup and instead has a tomato base created from tomato paste.
Other Homemade Sauce Recipes
Want to save this recipe?
Enter your email below & we’ll send it straight to your inbox. Plus you’ll get great new recipes from us every week!
BBQ Sauce Recipe
This delicious homemade BBQ sauce is made from simple everyday pantry ingredients and spices. It’s subtly sweet and has the perfect pourable consistency for using in recipes, dipping foods, and enjoying BBQ-flavored meats and veggies.
Ingredients
- 1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste
- ½ cup water
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 2 teaspoons smoked or regular paprika
- 1 ½ teaspoons dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon fine salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
Get Recipe IngredientsInstructions
- In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine all of the ingredients.
- Bring to a gentle simmer then reduce to low heat, stirring occasionally, until the brown sugar is completely dissolved and the sauce is smooth, about 5 minutes.
- Remove from heat and use in grill recipes. Or, allow to cool completely, then store in an airtight container (like a mason jar with a tight-fitting lid) for up to 2 weeks.
Last Step! Please leave a review and rating letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business thrive so we can continue providing free recipes and high-quality content for you.
Nutrition Information
- Serving Size: 2 tablespoons
- Calories: 36
- Fat: 0 g
- (Sat Fat: 0 g)
- Sodium: 256 mg
- Carbohydrate: 8 g
- (Fiber: 1 g
- Sugar: 6 g)
- Protein: 0 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
Dietary
Recipe Changelog
- January 2026: We previously published a BBQ sauce recipe that was part of a recipe with roasted sweet potato wedges. The ingredients were blended in a blender and the sauce was primarily sweetened with pitted dates. Download the previous version here.
The photos in this post were taken by Megan McKeehan.
For ultimate success, we highly recommend reading the tips in the full blog post above. All photos and content are copyright protected. Please do not use our photos without prior written permission. If you wish to republish a recipe, please rewrite the recipe in your own unique words. Link back to the source recipe here on The Real Food Dietitians. Thank you!
Hmmmm. I don’t exactly know and I didn’t find anything in a Google search so I would say start with 1-2 tablespoons and increase to taste.
How long would the sauce stay good for in the fridge?
The sauce will keep for at least a week in the fridge. If you want to keep it longer, I recommend freezing it.
Can you freeze the sauce?
Yes, you can.
We haven’t specifically experimented with other sweetener options so we can’t say for certain. If you try other ingredients, let us know how they turn out!