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.
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. Trust me when I say it makes everything taste even better. Try it with these Air Fryer BBQ Chicken Breasts, Air Fryer BBQ Chicken Thighs, and Baked BBQ Chicken Thighs to see what I mean!
Why This Recipe Works
- Basic ingredients. It's so easy to take a few basic staples and cook them into a flavorful sauce. Most of the ingredients needed are probably in your own home already.
- The steps are easy. All you need to do to make this BBQ sauce from ketchup is measure, boil, and whisk. Easy enough, right?
- Flavorful possibilities. You can use this sauce on everything from chicken to Instant Pot Beef Back Ribs and still enjoy every bite.
Jump to:
🥘 Ingredients
Ketchup- This will be the base of our sauce, as most bbq sauces tend to be tomato based.
Water- Adding in just enough to help us get the right consistency.
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.
Worcestershire sauce- This stuff adds a depth of flavor that you're going to love!
Vinegar- You can use any vinegar, but I prefer apple cider vinegar.
Lemon juice- Add in a little lemon juice to help freshen the taste.
Mustard- Adding in mustard will help to cut down on the sweetness a little.
Salt and Pepper- Keep the seasonings simple and basic with just some salt and pepper.
For specific quantities, see the recipe card below.
🍽 Equipment Needed
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🔪 Instructions
Check out how to make an easy homemade barbecue sauce with these simple step-by-step instructions:
Add the onions and water to a pot over medium heat.
Cook for about 3 minutes until softened.
Add in the brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, vinegar, lemon juice, mustard, salt and pepper.
Whisk to combine.
Whisk in the ketchup, continue to whisk 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.
🍴 Recipe Tips
Making this easy BBQ sauce is pretty simple and straightforward, 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.
📖 Variations
Adding in ¼-1/2 teaspoon of liquid smoke can really take the flavors up a notch.
If you want the ketchup BBQ sauce to be blended smoothly, simply take it and add it to a food processor in batches to puree until smooth. This is optional and not necessary.
💭 FAQs
This sauce can be kept in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week, or it can be frozen in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
This recipe, as written, is not vegan friendly because Worcestershire sauce is traditionally made with anchovies. You can use a vegan-friendly soy sauce in its place though. That would make this recipe vegan-friendly!
Yes, this sauce could be used as a marinade for meats. Simply place thawed meat into the cooled sauce in a covered container for up to 4-6 hours in the fridge, or place meat and sauce in a sealed container in the freezer for up to a few weeks. Thaw overnight in the fridge and then cook as desired.
More great butter and spread recipes to try
📖 Recipe
Easy Homemade Barbecue Sauce
Ingredients
- ½ cup Onion, diced ($0.35)
- ½ cup Water ($0.00)
- ½ cup Brown sugar ($0.19)
- 2 Tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce ($0.20)
- 2 Tablespoons Vinegar ($0.08)
- 2 Tablespoons Lemon juice ($0.08)
- 2 Tablespoons Yellow mustard ($0.04)
- ½ teaspoon Salt ($0.05)
- ½ teaspoon Black pepper ($0.05)
- 2 cups Ketchup ($0.80)
Instructions
- Add the onions and water to a pot over medium heat and cook for about 3 minutes until softened.
- Add in the brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, vinegar, lemon juice, mustard, salt and pepper. Whisk to combine.
- Whisk in the ketchup, continue to whisk 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.
Notes
Recipe Tips
- 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 ketchup BBQ 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.
Storage
- 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.
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