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Easy Homemade BBQ Sauce has the most amazing flavor combination and only takes minutes to make! This tangy and smoky BBQ sauce will become a family favorite! 

Made from the heart with all the special ingredients that will be grilled with, slathered on and dipped in over and over again with each BBQ meal. Here are a few recipes to get you started using this Homemade BBQ Sauce, BBQ Chicken Nachos, BBQ Chicken Stromboli, or Grilled Hawaiian BBQ Chicken. Just substitute the bottle for this homemade goodness!

Homemade BBQ sauce in a mason jar.

Easy Homemade BBQ Sauce

My son and I tested this recipe in the kitchen and we think we have it perfected. He told me that this is the best BBQ sauce that he has ever had. It has been so fun scheming up recipes with him and watching him become a little foodie himself! This is the perfect way to enjoy a rich, thick flavorful BBQ sauce that can be drizzled on or substituted in for just about any BBQ recipe.

This Homemade BBQ Sauce comes in handy, especially with teenage boys, on a daily basis. Marinating, dipping and grilling this BBQ sauce will become a staple in your refrigerator to grill. It is simple to make and most the ingredients you probably already have in your pantry. Skip the BBQ bottle from the store and make this sweet, tangy, smoky BBQ sauce that everyone will fall in love with while it is dripping from the BBQ plate that you just made.

How do you make Homemade BBQ Sauce?

  • In a medium sauce pan stir together ketchup, molasses, brown sugar, cider vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, paprika, chili powder, onion powder, salt and liquid smoke.  
  • Bring to a simmer over medium heat and cover with a lid.  Let cook stirring occasionally until the sauce thickens about 10-15 minutes.  Can use right away or let cool and store in an airtight container for about a week.  

Wisking Homemade BBQ Sauce in a bowl.

How Long will Homemade BBQ Sauce Last?

Once the homemade barbecue sauce has cooled, pour into a glass jar  or sealed container and store in the fridge. The Homemade BBQ Sauce will keep in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. It does not do well frozen.

How can you use Homemade BBQ Sauce?

There are SO many ways to use this homemade BBQ sauce! The options are endless!

  • Chicken
  • Meatballs
  • Salad
  • Pizza
  • Ribs
  • Little Smokies

close up on homemade BBQ sauce in a jar.

What are some more great BBQ recipes?

BBQ sandwich on a plate.

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Easy Homemade BBQ Sauce

5 from 1 vote
Easy Homemade BBQ Sauce has the most amazing flavor combination and only takes minutes to make!  This tangy and smoky BBQ sauce will become a family favorite! 
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients 

  • 1 cup ketchup
  • 1/3 cup molasses
  • 1/3 cup brown sugar
  • 3 tbsp cider vinegar
  • 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 tsp smoked paprika
  • 1 tsp chili powder
  • 1 tsp onion powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 2 tsp liquid smoke

Instructions 

  • In a medium sauce pan stir together ketchup, molasses, brown sugar, cider vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, paprika, chili powder, onion powder, salt and liquid smoke.  
  • Bring to a simmer over medium heat and cover with a lid.  Let cook stirring occasionally until the sauce thickens about 10-15 minutes.  Can use right away or let cool and store in an airtight container for about a week.  

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Side Dish
Tried this recipe?Mention @alyssa_therecipecritic or tag #therecipecritic!

 

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About Alyssa Rivers

Welcome to my kitchen! I am Alyssa Rivers and the food blogger behind The Recipe Critic. The blog launched in 2012 as a place to share my passion for cooking. I love trying new things and testing them out with my family. Each recipe is tried and true, family-tested and approved.

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13 Comments

  1. Re! Easy BBQ sauce is chili powder chili seasoning or cayenne pepper ? Some tell me it’ the powder , others it”s the pepper. I want to try the recipe this weekend.

    Thanks

  2. 5 stars
    I’ve made this a couple of times thus far. Very easy to make and is excellent for the people who do not want very much heat (almost none). Will keep this around for those folks and will be crafting a heated sauce using these ingredients but adding some heat–will probably try the Korean BBQ hot chili sauce, Gochujang–it’s hot with a lot of flavors.

  3. This looks very similar to the sauce I have been making for years now. Mine does not have the chili powder or the paprika but I add garlic powder, mustard powder, hot horseradish, and a bit of hot sauce just to kick it up a notch. All other ingredients are the same though.
    Sweet and hot, the way I like it.

  4. Will it still be good without liquid smoke or should I wait for this recipe until I have the ingredient?

  5. You said this does not freeze well. I want to use it in your brisket recipe and I will be freezing some of the cooked brisket. Will the BBQ sauce survive that type of freeze?

  6. I love this recipe! I’m tired of buying items which are so easy to make, and this recipe is wonderful. I omitted the liquid smoke, just not a fan of it.

  7. Since all the ingredients have a fairly long shelf life, I’m wondering why this only lasts 2 weeks. Is that just an optimum time period?