Homemade BBQ Sauce

Homemade barbecue sauce is cheaper and tastier than store-bought BBQ sauce, and you can use better ingredients with fewer preservatives. This is a mild BBQ sauce. It has a hint of spice when tasted right off the stove, but mellows out even further when applied to grilled meats. For a spicier BBQ sauce, add cayenne pepper to taste. (Yields 2 1/4 cups)

Prep time: PT5M

Cook time: PT30M

Total time: PT35M

Rating

4.94 stars (418 reviews)

Keywords

barbecue sauce, easy bbq sauce, homemade barbecue sauce

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups tomato ketchup
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
2 Tbsp yellow mustard (or Dijon (or 1 Tbsp mustard powder))
1 Tbsp paprika, or to taste
2 tsp onion powder
1 tsp ground black pepper (or to taste)
4 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup water

Cuisine

American

Steps

Combine all ingredients in a saucepan, bring to a boil then lower the heat and simmer uncovered for 30 minutes or until sauce is thickened.
Add more sugar or seasonings to taste if desired, then remove from heat. Cool completely to room temperature then cover and store in the refrigerator up to 2 weeks. You can use it right away for grilling, but the BBQ sauce will taste best with a 1-hour rest in the refrigerator before use.*

Nutitrion

Serving Size: 2 Tbsp
Calories: 56 kcal
Carbohydrates: 14 g
Protein: 0.3 g
Fat: 0.1 g
Saturated Fat: 0.02 g
Sodium: 228 mg
Sugar: 12 g
Unsaturated Fat: 0.1 g

Reviews

Barry on 2026-06-26 (5 stars):
I also had some liquid smoke for a hickory smoke flavor unless I'm making it on my smoker, in which case it doesn't really need it, but you can never have too much smoke flavor.
Lori on 2026-06-13 (5 stars):
OUTSTANDING!!! Tastes wonderfully preservative free. The best!
Jill on 2026-06-02 (5 stars):
Iv made this recipe before and I’m making it again right now. My kids say it’s better than the store bought stuff. Bbq chicken on the grill tonight! Thank you it taste great!
Lee Macdonald on 2026-05-24 (4 stars):
I make mine like yours, but I add tabasco, cayenne and chili powders to heat it up a little. Also this is a good time to rinse out those practically empty various mustard containers with some of the vinegar.
Jerrie Catlett on 2026-05-16 (5 stars):
Love this recipe! It came out very good I will be making this again . My family likes spicy so I used spicy ketchup and added a little red pepper flakes . This is definitely a keeper
Shirley on 2026-04-28 (5 stars):
I will try it
Bill Newton on 2026-04-28 (5 stars):
Easy to make an tastes awesome. I've used this on many different meats and everyone loves it.
Bill Newton on 2026-04-28 (5 stars):
Easy to make an tastes awesome. I've used this on many different meats and everyone loves it.