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
Thanks Robyn. I used your recipe in a pinch . It was fast and easy to whip up without too many ingredients .We loved the results and will make it again.
Thanks, Patricia. I’m so glad you liked it. Don’t you love how easy it was to make?
hi robyn
i m a french lady and i will try your recipe because i think it is great
thank you very much
brigitte
I hope you enjoy the BBQ sauce, Brigitte. I hope you find more recipes you will want to make. Thanks.
Dear Robyn,
Appreciate your generosity in sharing recipes. This is the first recipe I tried and my brother loves it so much (he’s a hard to please fussy eater). I substituted kosher for himalayan salt as I couldn’t find Diamond Crystal kosher salt in any physical store in Melaka, Malaysia. However, I’ll be ordering it online since you insisted that the bbq sauce will taste so much better with kosher salt. Again, thank you.
Yen
Thanks, Yen. I’m so happy you and your brother liked the BBQ sauce.
Used this to sauce up 8 pounds of pulled pork and the family loved it. My wife says this is her favorite sauce we’ve made.
Easy peasy and so yummy. Thanks for the recipe.
Thanks, Daniel. So glad you and your wife loved it.
Hi,
I’d like to try to make your sauce and I’m wondering how long it can last for if I’ve contained it in air tight sterilised bottles.
Hi Conor,
I leave mine in the refrigerator in airtight containers up to a week. Hope you enjoy the sauce!
I’m making this today for ribs. I also mix in crushed pineapple and mangos and let it simmer a while then strain it. MmmmmMmmm good. The whole family loves it
Sounds delicious, Brandon! Enjoy!
I needed something last minute on a whim (vs. a trip to the store) and stumbled across this – seemed reasonable and I had everything. I am from Texas and if there are two things I’m picky about, it’s BBQ sauce and salsa, but this was simply awesome. I will never buy BBQ sauce at a store – even specialty – again. There’s no point!!! Love some of the ideas on the modifications people have posted. I “heated” it with Frank’s and it was just delicious. Thank you so much for posting!!!
Hi Carrie,
I’m so glad you stumbled upon my recipe when you were searching and loved it! Don’t you just love how easy this recipe is? Thanks!
This looks delicious and I want to make it for my family with boneless chicken breasts. Would you marinate the chicken in the sauce and then grill or would you slice the chicken with a little salt and pepper and while
grilling brush on the bbq sauce?
Thanks
Hi Tamad,
I don’t marinate the chicken in the bbq sauce but you can use this sauce however you would use any bbq sauce. Hope you like it!
Hi Robyn, as a South African, I tried for years making a good BBQ sauce.I bought so called American sauces at supermarkets,only to be disapointed.I grilled some steaks for a few friends and everybody loved your sauce.Thank you for this great sauce.Now to find the best Southern style fried chicken herbs and spices.
Hi Enzo,
It makes me happy that you and your friends enjoyed the BBQ sauce recipe. You also may like my Oven Fried Chicken Recipe and the herbs and spices I use with it. Thanks
This recipe was very good. I used ghost pepper Infused honey by Akron Honey Co. And it was really good. I could’ve added cayenne pepper instead of black pepper for a little more heat because it’s not that spicy. But the flavor with the little heat on the tongue was great. This was easy better than any BBQ I’ve purchased.
Thanks so much, Chyna! So glad you liked this BBQ sauce.