Easy Homemade BBQ Sauce

This easy homemade BBQ sauce recipe is packed with flavor and made with simple ingredients you have in your pantry (no ketchup). It’s delicious on anything!

This is one of my favorite new recipes! I was hesitant to try and develop my own BBQ sauce, but after spending the entire summer taste-testing different brands and not finding exactly what I was looking for, I decided to give it a try. 

How to Make BBQ Sauce from Scratch 

As I developed this homemade BBQ sauce, I realized that it actually isn’t very hard to make it from scratch! I wanted to try it truly from scratch, so I opted to leave out ketchup and make my own tomato and vinegar base. 

This recipe really is easy – all you do is add the ingredients into a sauce pot and let them simmer low and slow. Once the sauce has simmered and reduced, all you have to do is blend it until it’s smooth. So easy!

How to Store Homemade BBQ Sauce

Once you have made your homemade BBQ sauce, you can easily store it in a jar in the fridge. I find it lasts for quite a while, but the recommended food safety guidelines suggest no more than 7 days. 

If you have a lot of extra homemade BBQ sauce you can also freeze it. I freeze it in 1 cup portions in Ziplock bags. Check out this post for tons of more freezer meal ideas!

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5 from 1 vote

Homemade BBQ Sauce Recipe

This easy homemade BBQ sauce recipe is packed with flavor and made with simple ingredients you have in your pantry (no ketchup). It’s delicious on anything!

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Keyword easy homemade bbq sauce, homemade bbq sauce, how to make bbq sauce from scratch

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

Servings 3 cups

Calories 192kcal

Author Alli

Ingredients

• 2 teaspoons oil vegetable or canola
• 1/2 cup onions chopped
• 1 tablespoon garlic
• 1/2 teaspoon dried mustard
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1 teaspoon mustard
• 1/4 cup crushed pineapple use pineapple and the juice
• 2 cups tomato sauce
• 2 tablespoons molasses
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon liquid smoke optional
• 1/4 cup water

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

• Heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. 
• Add onions and cook until translucent. 
• Add garlic, dry mustard, cayenne pepper, salt, pepper. Cook 1-2 minutes longer. 
• Add the remaining ingredients and bring to a simmer. 
• Simmer for 20 minutes, or until the sauce is darker and reduced. 
• Blend, if desired. 
• Keep refrigerated for up to 1 week. 

Nutrition

Calories: 192kcal | Carbohydrates: 41g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 3g | Sodium: 1276mg | Potassium: 799mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 36g | Vitamin A: 740IU | Vitamin C: 14.7mg | Calcium: 75mg | Iron: 2.4mg