Easy Homemade Barbecue Sauce

Name: Easy Homemade Barbecue Sauce
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 25 min
Ingredients: 2 cups ketchup; 1/2 cup water; 1/2 cup brown sugar; 1/2 cup diced onion; 2 tbsp worchestershire; 2 tbsp vinegar; 2 tbsp lemon juice; 2 tbsp mustard; 1/2 tsp pepper; 1/2 tsp salt

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Making your own homemade barbecue sauce is easier than you may think. With a few minutes of your time, you can have a flavorful sauce perfect for any meal or occasion.

BBQ sauce from ketchup

Have you ever planned dinner to taste one way only to realize you were missing the main ingredient, like the sauce? I can't count how many times I picture something already being in the pantry and plan a meal around it only to realize it's gone when I go to actually cook the meal.

Thankfully homemade barbecue sauces like this one have come in handy just as many times. It's so easy to take a few basic staples and cook them into a flavorful sauce so I never truly have to worry about being without.

All you need to do is measure, boil, and whisk. Easy enough, right?

an aerial view of ingredients needed to make barbecue sauce

Ingredients to make barbecue sauce

Ketchup
Water
Brown sugar: You can use regular granulated sugar if you don't have brown sugar but the depth of flavor from the molasses really makes the sauce taste great.
Onion: Any onion will do but I prefer yellow, white, or sweet onions.
Worchestershire sauce
Vinegar: You can use any vinegar but I prefer apple cider vinegar.
Lemon juice
Mustard
Pepper
Salt

What you’ll need to make this recipe

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an angled view of a jar filled with barbecue sauce and a used pastry brush on the lid in the background

Tips for making easy BBQ sauce

Making this sauce is pretty easy so there are not too many tips to share.

Every batch will make enough for multiple uses or layers of sauce if you like to apply it thickly.

Keep in mind that at the beginning of the cooking process it will smell more like tomatoes thanks to the ketchup and as it cooks the tomato flavor and smell will become toned down and lend together better with everything that we have going on.

Adding in ¼-1/2 teaspoon of liquid smoke can really take the flavors up a notch.

If you want the sauce to be blended smooth simply take it and add it to a food processor in batches to puree until smooth. This is optional and not necessary.

a jar filled with homemade barbecue sauce and a pastry brush rubbing it on the counter next to the jar

FAQ's about ketchup BBQ sauce

How long is homemade BBQ sauce good for?

This sauce can be kept in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week or be frozen in an airtight container for up to 3 months.

How to make easy homemade barbecue sauce

Add all of the ingredients to a medium-sized pot over medium heat.

Whisk together until boiling and then reduce the heat to medium-low.

Allow the sauce to simmer uncovered for 10 minutes or until thickened.

Remove from heat and let cool. Use as desired.

a glass mason jar filled with barbecue and a used spoon in front

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5 from 1 vote