With just 4 simple ingredients, you can make this delicious Homemade BBQ Sauce. It’s sweet and smoky and goes perfectly with grilled meat.
If you love this sweet barbecue sauce, make sure to try it on this beef brisket or these pork ribs.
Table Of Contents
Recipe Details
With only 4 simple ingredients, you can make your own Homemade BBQ Sauce. My family uses this recipe on almost all of our barbecued meats, like these garlic chicken kabobs and grilled pork kabobs.
- TASTE: Sweet and smoky, this BBQ sauce is so tasty.
- TEXTURE: Because of the molasses and honey and the simmering time, this sauce is deliciously thick. It will coat any meat you add it to.
- TIME: It takes about an hour to make.
- EASE: This is so easy to make. You just pour everything into a saucepan and letting it simmer.
What You’ll Need
Ingredient Notes
- Ketchup– This is the tomato base of most barbecue sauces.
- Honey– This brings a light sweetness to the sauce.
- Molasses– It thickens and sweetens the barbecue sauce.
- Liquid smoke– Adds the smoky flavor.
Add-ins and Substitutions
- Tangy– Add some apple cider vinegar, mustard, or citrus juice, like lemon or orange to make a tangier version.
- Spicy– If you prefer a spicier homemade sauce, you can add crushed red pepper flakes, Tabasco, Frank’s Red Hot, or cayenne pepper.
- Bourbon– Add some bourbon to the sauce and allow the alcohol to cook off, leaving that sweet, delicious flavor behind.
- Low carb– Use any kind of keto or low carb liquid sweetener, like monkfruit sweetener.
- Thinner- Just use less molasses and more honey, or add some apple juice.
- Smoky- Add some smoked paprika (much smokier than regular paprika) to your barbecue sauce.
How to Make BBQ Sauce
- Add ingredients together. In a saucepan, combine the ketchup, honey, molasses, and liquid smoke. If you have other ingredients on hand that you want to add, or if you need to make a substitution, go for it. This is a very versatile recipe.
- Simmer the sauce. Heat the saucepan over medium-low and let the sauce simmer for about 1 hour. Then serve or store it.
Pro Tip: Make sure not to simmer it on high heat because it can splatter all over your stovetop.
Recipe Tips
- Stir everything together- Stir everything well before it starts simmering so the flavors are combined when it thickens.
- Simmer- Make sure to allow the sauce to simmer the full hour so it becomes thick and not runny.
- Use medium-low heat- Doing this avoids splatter all over the stove as the sauce will start bubbling and spitting at higher temps.
FAQs
The basic foundation for bbq sauce is ketchup. Usually there is a sweetener, such as molasses or brown sugar, and sometimes there is vinegar. Spices are also included.
In an airtight container in he refrigerator, homemade bbq sauce can last for up to two weeks.
Serving Suggestions
This homemade Barbecue Sauce recipe is versatile and delicious, with notes of honey and smoke. It’s great with meats, fries, and on burgers and sandwiches.
- Fries: Dip some Crispy Air Fryer French Fries, Air Fryer Zucchini Fries, Air Fryer Sweet Potato Fries, or Air Fryer Potato Wedges in this yummy sauce.
- Meats: Serve this homemade BBQ Sauce recipe with Healthy Chicken Nuggets with Quinoa, Smoked Chicken Wings, Breaded Chicken Skewers, or Smoked Ribs.
- Sandwiches: Add it to sandwiches, like this Classic BLT Sandwich, Brisket Sandwich, or Turkey Croissant Sandwich.
- Burgers: Spread some of this on a Chipotle Burgers with Avocado Sauce or this homemade Burger Patty on a Brioche Bun (VIDEO).
Make This Recipe in Advance
Make ahead: You can prepare this sauce days in advance because it will stay fresh in the fridge in a lidded jar.
Storing: This barbecue sauce can be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container, like a masonjar, for up to 2 weeks. It’s a great sauce to have on hand when you’re cooking and this will keep it fresh.
Freeze: You can freeze this sauce in a ziplock freezer bag, but it will thaw on the thin side.
More Delicious Sauces!
Full Recipe Instructions
Homemade BBQ Sauce
Instructions
- In a sauce pan, combine ketchup, honey, molasses, and liquid smoke.
- Heat the saucepan over medium low and let the sauce simmer for about 1 hour. If not used the same day, store in the refrigerator in an airtight container.
Notes
Nutrition
This recipe was originally posted on May 16, 2016, but we have adjusted it a bit to improve the recipe.
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LINDA says
THIS RECIPE IS SO YUMMY!!! VERY EASY TO MAKE!
THIS COULD HAVE WHISKEY OR WHATEVER. SO GOOD!
Dina says
Thank you Linda! So happy to hear you loved this bbq sauce so much! Thank you so much for taking the time to leave your feedback! I hope you find more recipes to enjoy from my food blog. 🙂
Joyce says
Love the taste of it. We will not cook the sauce as we are making barbecue ribs. Added a little chili powder and dry taco seasoning. We tasted before cooking was very good we may add a little bourbon. Thanks for the recipe
Dina says
You are very welcome Joyce! 🙂 Very happy to hear you enjoyed this recipe! Thank you so much for your support and feedback! 🙂
Peggy says
I just found this recipe and i am so thankful.
Dina says
Hi Peggy 🙂 Glad you found this BBQ sauce! I hope you love this recipe! Let me know how it goes 🙂
Bruce Camplin says
Why not wait until your favorite ” NON- HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP” ketchup is on sale then make this up in pint or half pint jars and can it up properly. Fill to 1/4 inch from top and use a 10 minute boiling water bath. It will last for a year. Adding a pound of chopped yellow onions sauteed in vegetable broth then run thtough a blender would make it perfect. I won a contest in 1960 with this recipe. Of course we had no liquid smoke then. We used a pan of water boiled slowly in an oak smoker.
Olga says
This is a great recipe. Tastes much better then store bought. My husband doesn’t like barbecue sauce but this one he was pouring over grilled ribs and shashlik. Never will buy barbecue sauce again.
simplyhomecooked says
Wow Olga that’s awesome! I’m glad your husband is a fan of my barbecue sauce!