Easy Homemade BBQ Sauce Recipe that is ready in 15 minutes that makes the best Homemade Barbecue Sauce. Sweet and tangy and made from scratch!
BBQ sauce is one of those topics that people can become really, really passionate about. There are the regional camps of North Carolina style BBQ sauce, Kansas City style BBQ sauce, white Alabama BBQ sauce, and then the Memphis style with no sauce at all (well, maybe just a smidge). Everyone has their personal favorites.
And you know, I really love them all.
I’ve shared my Mama’s Coca Cola BBQ Sauce with you that is the one that I grew up with. I’ve also shared our Spicy Mustard BBQ Sauce that we use from time to time, as well as my Peach BBQ Sauce that is the perfect BBQ sauce with a fruity twist. And, I’ve also included our favorite molasses-based Sweet and Spicy BBQ Sauce in my cookbook which just takes ribs to a whole new level!
But today friends, I want to share with you this quick and easy, 15-minute BBQ sauce that takes just a handful of ingredients to make and comes out perfect every single time.
We’ve had friends who call this the best BBQ Sauce they’ve ever tasted and it’s pretty easy to see why!
How to Make Homemade BBQ Sauce
This BBQ Sauce comes together quickly with just a handful of ingredients that I generally have in my refrigerator or my pantry and is one that I think you all will fall in love with as well. I’ve had friends ask me to please make extra for them to take home and if I’d bottle it, they’d surely buy it. ♥️
Ingredients
To make this homemade BBQ Sauce, you’ll need:
- Ketchup – You’ll use 2 cups of your favorite ketchup as the base in this recipe. I prefer to use one with the fewest ingredients and one that does not include high-fructose corn syrup.
- Apple Cider Vinegar – the apple cider vinegar gives the sauce a delicious, tangy flavor that helps to balance it perfectly.
- Brown Sugar – just 1/4 cup of brown sugar not only helps sweeten the sauce but deepens the flavor adding just a hint of molasses flavor.
- Honey – use a couple of tablespoons of your favorite honey. If you can find a reliable local honey provider, I always recommend it!
- Worcestershire sauce – this balances the sweetness with savory flavor in the sauce. If you are gluten-free or sensitive to soy (like me!), you can use coconut aminos in place of the Worcestershire sauce.
- Stone House Seasoning – this is my favorite, go-to blend of seasonings that I have shared previously. It is a blend of kosher salt, black pepper, and garlic that tastes amazing on so many dishes and adds flavor in a snap! We named it Stone House Seasoning since we use it practically on everything except desserts!
- Lemon Juice – A tablespoon of fresh or bottled lemon juice adds just the perfect amount of acid to this sauce to make it perfect.
- Hot Sauce – We love to add just a splash of hot sauce to this BBQ Sauce recipe. It is entirely optional if you’d rather not include it.
Instructions
- Cook the BBQ Sauce. Whisk together all of the ingredients in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Allow the sauce to bubble and then reduce the heat and allow it to simmer for 10 minutes. This helps to deepen the flavors and thicken the sauce.
- Serve. You can use this sauce immediately or see the Storage Tips below.
Storage Tips
To Store. Allow the sauce to cool and then pour it into a quart-size mason jar. Seal it with a tight-fitting lid and store it in the refrigerator for up to 7 days.
To Freeze. Transfer the cooled sauce to a freezer-safe container. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator before serving.
Favorite Ways to Use BBQ Sauce
- Chicken – Use on grilled chicken for a flavorful meal or drizzled over shredded chicken for a BBQ Chicken Sandwich.
- Pork – Delicious with BBQ pork chops, slow cooker ribs, and of course pulled pork sandwiches.
- Burgers – Delicious on hamburgers in place of ketchup for a tasty BBQ Burger.
- Pizza – Use in place of pizza sauce for a BBQ Chicken Pizza or a Pulled Pork Pizza. Yum!
- Dip – as a dip with Sweet Potato Fries and ranch dressing
Here’s my best Homemade BBQ Sauce recipe. I hope you love it as much as we do!
Homemade BBQ Sauce Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cups ketchup
- 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce, or coconut aminos
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon Stone House Seasoning
- 1/4 teaspoon hot sauce, optional
Instructions
- Whisk together all ingredients in a medium saucepan situated over medium heat. Allow to come to a bubble and then reduce the heat to low. Allow to simmer until thickened, about 10 minutes.
- Serve immediately or allow to cool slightly and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week.
Notes
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Enjoy!
Robyn xo
Novice vegetarian chef who loves BBQ sauce on pizza. I believe I followed the recipe exactly, but my sauce… too saucy, in an uncool way. The consistency of the sauce wasn’t thick, but the taste! Spectacular!!! Where did I go wrong with consistency?!?!
Hi Antonio,
I’m thrilled you liked the taste of the sauce – isn’t it delicious?!
I find that my bbq sauce thickens to consistency we like for our sauce after the simmering as directed in step 1. Make sure you allow it to come to a bubble first, then reduce heat to simmer. If you want it a bit thicker, you could simmer for a few more minutes longer than noted in the recipe. Hope this helps! Thanks!
Whipped this up because I didn’t have any bbq sauce for a recipe and I like this better than store bought!! Going to be my new go-to
Thanks so much, Katie. My family loves it better than the commercial ones, too.
Do you think other flavored vinegars would be ok to use?
I’ve not tried other flavored vinegars in this Marcy but please let me know if you try any others. Thanks!
Great sauce.Very easy and wonderful taste.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it Joe! Thanks so much for letting me know you liked it!
Hi Robyn,
I loved your recipe, as did my friends. But I was wondering how long it typically lasts in the fridge? With all the ingredients acting as a natural preservers, I’d guess a few weeks to a month?
Sam, I leave mine in the refrigerator in airtight containers up to a week.
Having dinner late tonight — making BBQ chicken sandwiches but have no BBQ sauce – found your recipe, just made this (took 10 minutes) — PERFECT!! Thank you SO much – will be using your sauce as my goto BBQ sauce from now on. Can’t wait to use this on my chicken sandwiches 🙂 Have a wonderful weekend!
This makes me so happy to hear, HappyLuckyBlessed! I’m glad it was there for you when you needed it and so happy you enjoy it! Thanks! xo
Very easy to make ,used on pork ribs a lot of great complements plus I entered in our fall Fair and got 1 st. Prize
Oh wow, Linda!!! What great news! I’m so happy you (and the Fair judges!) enjoyed the BBQ Sauce! I bet those ribs were delicious! Thanks! xo
Very nice.proper bbq taste
Fantastic! We’ll be saving this recipe for use again!
Thanks Kevin! Glad to hear you enjoyed it!
I added a drop of liquid smoke to the recipe! Turned out great!
I have tried many bbq sauce recipes across the board. I have a pretty decent vinegar based sauce, an ok Carolina mustard sauce but I’ve just never been happy with the bbq sauces I have made in the past. I always end up scrapping them and then buying a local sauce. However I stumbled upon this recipe and gave it a shot. We loved it. It’s simple. It’s quick. And it’s very tasty. This sauce has become my go to favorite for my pork shoulders and even for some brisket I whipped up last week. Thanks for sharing you finally gave me the last piece of my bbq sauce trio.
Awesome! I’m so glad you love it, Bryan!
Such a great sauce! I had everything I needed except lemon. I used lime I had on hand. Turned out great! Thank you for a quick, delicious recipe.
Glad you liked it, Sarah!
A very nice bbq sauce recipe. I’ve never cooked with coconut aminos. I’ll havev to give that a try on my next sauce. Interesting!
Thanks! It’s delicious! Hope you enjoy it Mike!
Just made this. My son’s loves it. Thx mucho