Homemade BBQ Sauce
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Sweet, smoky, and just tangy enough—this homemade BBQ sauce is the kind of thing you’ll want to keep in the fridge all summer long.
You can definitely buy a tasty barbecue sauce at the store, but it’s surprisingly easy to make your own—and so much better. My kids put this homemade BBQ sauce on just about everything. It’s a classic Kansas City–style sauce made with ketchup, brown sugar, molasses, cider vinegar, and spices, and the tangy, smoky flavor is miles better than anything store-bought. The sweetness makes it especially good slathered on BBQ chicken, pulled pork, or baby back ribs.
Because of the high sugar content, it’s best to brush the sauce on toward the end of cooking so it doesn’t burn. Feel free to double the recipe—it keeps well in the fridge for up to a week.
“This was my first time making homemade barbecue sauce, but it won’t be the last! The hubby said “Honey, keep making this!” so I know it’s a winner. We slathered it on chicken wings last night.”
What You’ll Need To Make Homemade BBQ Sauce
- Vegetable oil, yellow onion & garlic: The starting point for the sauce—sautéed first to build flavor.
- Ketchup, water, light brown sugar, molasses, apple cider vinegar & Worcestershire sauce: This combo gives you that classic sweet-tangy BBQ flavor with rich body and balanced acidity.
- Chili powder, smoked paprika & ground cumin: A smoky, mildly spicy blend that rounds everything out with BBQ flavor.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Sauté the aromatics. In a medium saucepan, heat the oil over medium-low heat. Add the onion and cook until soft—about 4 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook for 1 minute more.
Step 2: Simmer the sauce. Add the ketchup, water, brown sugar, molasses, cider vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, chili powder, smoked paprika, and cumin. Stir to combine, bring to a simmer, and cook for about 15 minutes until slightly thickened. The sauce is ready as is, but for a smooth consistency, carefully transfer it to a blender and purée until smooth.
Step 4: Serve or store. Let the sauce cool, then serve or transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate for up to a week. (This sauce gets better after a day or two in the fridge—if you have time, make it ahead and let the flavors meld.)
Variations & Serving Suggestions
- Customize the heat: Add a pinch of cayenne pepper or a few dashes of hot sauce if you like a spicier BBQ sauce.
- Make it your own: A spoonful of bourbon, coffee, or chipotle in adobo adds a delicious twist depending on what you’re pairing it with.
- Great for more than meat: Try using it as a dipping sauce for fries, or chicken tenders, brushing it on roasted veggies, using it as a burger or sandwich spread, or stirring into baked beans for extra depth.
More Homemade sauces and condiments You’ll Love
Homemade BBQ Sauce
This homemade barbecue sauce recipe comes together fast and works with everything from weeknight chicken to weekend ribs—double it if you want leftovers.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- ½ cup finely chopped yellow onion
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1½ cups ketchup
- ½ cup water
- ¼ cup packed light brown sugar
- 3 tablespoons molasses
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan, heat the oil over medium-low heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring frequently until soft, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute more. Add the ketchup, water, brown sugar, molasses, cider vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, chili powder, smoked paprika, and cumin; stir to combine and bring to a simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened, about 15 minutes. At this point, the sauce is ready to serve, but if you'd like to make it completely smooth, transfer it to a blender and blend until smooth. Store the BBQ sauce in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to one week.
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (16 servings)
- Serving size: 2 tablespoons
- Calories: 69
- Fat: 2 g
- Saturated fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 14 g
- Sugar: 11 g
- Fiber: 0 g
- Protein: 0 g
- Sodium: 232 mg
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
Gluten-Free Adaptable Note
To the best of my knowledge, all of the ingredients used in this recipe are gluten-free or widely available in gluten-free versions. There is hidden gluten in many foods; if you're following a gluten-free diet or cooking for someone with gluten allergies, always read the labels of your ingredients to verify that they are gluten-free.
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Used this recipe after finding my pantry bare of my favorite BBQ sauce. This was quick and delicious! I may never buy BBQ sauce again. I used red onions instead of yellow as that’s all I had. You could easily adjust this to incorporate more spice, add honey or even maple syrup. I didn’t process it, but I see the advantages of doing so if your chop isn’t fine on the onions and garlic or whatever else you might want to add like a jalapeno. Thanks again Jenn!
I made this with your chicken recipe and it is SO good with that! Do you think it would work on meatloaf as well? Thank you!!
Glad you liked it! Yes, I think this would work nicely on meatloaf.
How long will this keep in the refrigerator?
Hi Mari, It should last nightly for up to a week.
This is a delicious (and easy) barbecue sauce! To make it vegetarian for my daughter, I swapped in soy sauce for the Worcestershire. I used it to make pulled jackfruit (similar to pulled pork or chicken, but good for vegetarians).
Very good! I halved the chili powder because of our family’s tolerance to heat, but kept the rest the same. Will make again!
Since this is “homemade” could the ketchup be substituted with pulpa or other canned tomato product? I try to use a little processed food as possible and it seems that most of your ingredients are what is in ketchup anyway.
Hi Dennie, I do think you could use canned tomato sauce, but you will likely need to add more sugar and seasoning to taste. Hope that helps!
Would maple syrup be ok instead of molasses if I don’t have any? Or do I need is thickness?
Sure, Judy, that should be fine. Enjoy!
I used maple syrup and it was off the charts yummy.
I don’t have molasses in the house – can I just use dark brown sugar instead of the light?
Sure – I’d replace the molasses with the dark brown sugar and use dark brown sugar in place of the 1/4 cup of light brown sugar. Please LMK how it turns out!
Tried this recipe for ribs that I made and have to say it’s very very good. My new bbq sauce for sure.
Why is it suggested that the sauce keeps only for a week in the refrigerator, when all ingredients would normally last much, much longer individually? Thank you
Hi Jim, it may very well keep nicely for longer than that, but I like to err on the conservative side from a food safety standpoint. Hope that clarifies!
FYI, there appears to be a typo in the “prep time”: . . . 10 hours, 15 minutes!
I’ll look forward to trying this recipe.
– Mark
LOL – oops! That would be a long time to spend on BBQ sauce! Thanks for letting me know. ☺