• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Swirls of Flavor
  • Home
  • Recipes
  • Meet GG
  • Contact
  • Shop
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Home
  • Recipes
  • Meet GG
  • Contact
  • Shop
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
  • search icon
    Homepage link
    • Home
    • Recipes
    • Meet GG
    • Contact
    • Shop
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
  • ×

    Home » Recipes » Grilling » Quick and Easy Homemade Barbecue Sauce

    Quick and Easy Homemade Barbecue Sauce

    Published: Jun 17, 2022 Modified: Jun 16, 2022 by GG

    21 shares
    • Facebook
    • Yummly
    • Twitter
    Jump to Recipe
    homemade barbecue sauce in mason jar with text overlay

    Once you try our Homemade Barbecue Sauce you will never go back to store-bought sauce again! Ready in just minutes, our bbq sauce is made with basic kitchen ingredients.

    homemade barbecue sauce with wooden spoon
    Simple homemade BBQ sauce!

    Homemade Barbecue Sauce

    Hold the preservatives, hold the high sodium, it’s time to make your own Homemade Barbecue Sauce. 

    You probably have all the ingredients for this quick and easy barbecue sauce in your kitchen already.

    With a brown sugar and ketchup base and a few seasonings and spices, this flavorful sauce will be ready in literally minutes. Just combine, boil and simmer.

    The beauty of a homemade bbq sauce is that you get to control the ingredients and there are no added preservatives.

    And you get to make it spicier if you want to too! Just add the optional cayenne pepper and you’ll get a kick of heat for sure!

    Not a fan of spice, don’t add the cayenne. Easy as that!

    Prefer a smoky barbecue sauce? Just substitute smoked paprika for the paprika and you will love the smoky notes that come through.

    This is the perfect bbq sauce for ribs and it is also so delicious on steak, pork and chicken too.

    Both sweet and tangy, just slather it on and grill to perfection. I typically rub a seasoning mixture over the meat and grill until it is almost cooked through, brushing with the sauce towards the end of the grilling time.

    And don’t forget to give the food one more slathering when it comes off the grill. Now we’re talking saucy barbecue!

    Many times I serve a ramekin of sauce on the side because everyone always wants more!

    Just in time for grilling season, I know you'll be making this quick and easy BBQ sauce all summer long!

    I make commissions for purchases made through links in this post.

    Be sure to visit the Swirls of Flavor Amazon Storefront for GG's personal kitchen recommendations!

    How to make an easy barbecue sauce with ketchup

    Scroll down for the full recipe instructions and ingredient amounts in the recipe card below

    barbecue sauce ingredients in a pot
    Combine all the ingredients in a pot.
    • Combine brown sugar, ketchup, apple cider vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, chili powder, paprika, garlic powder, dry minced onion, salt, black pepper in a saucepot.
    cooking BBQ sauce in a pot
    • Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

    Swirls of Flavor Recipe Tips

    • Be sure to pack the brown sugar which means to press it into the measuring cup so it is compact. If you don’t measure the brown sugar correctly the flavors in the sauce will not be balanced.
    • Add minced fresh jalapenos for a jalapeno bbq sauce that has a kick of heat!
    • Stir in a tablespoon or two of your favorite jelly or jam, such as raspberry jam or grape jelly, for added fruity sweet notes

    Substitutions

    • For a smoky flavor, substitute smoked paprika for the paprika
    • Substitute finely minced fresh garlic for the garlic powder
    • Substitute onion powder for the dry minced onion
    • You can substitute dark brown sugar for the light brown sugar
    BBQ sauce in a jar
    You can store your homemade sauce in a mason jar.

    Storage

    • Store your BBQ sauce recipe in an airtight container, covered, in the refrigerator.
    • This sauce will keep in the refrigerator for about one week.
    • As always, I find it helpful to visit the FDA website for food storage guidelines

    Easy Grilling Recipes

    • Grilled Skirt Steak
    • Chimichurri Steak
    • Bruschetta Pork Chops
    • Grilled Honey Glazed Chicken from Bowl Me Over
    • Grilled Pork Chops from Jersey Girl Cooks

    Ingredients for homemade barbecue sauce

    barbecue sauce ingredients
    • brown sugar
    • ketchup
    • apple cider vinegar
    • Worcestershire sauce
    • chili powder
    • paprika
    • garlic powder
    • dry minced onion
    • salt
    • black pepper
    • cayenne, optional
    homemade barbecue sauce with wooden spoon
    Print
    5 from 2 votes

    Homemade Barbecue Sauce

    Once you try our Homemade Barbecue Sauce you will never go back to store bought sauce again! Ready in just minutes, our bbq sauce is made with basic kitchen ingredients.
    Course Condiment
    Cuisine American
    Keyword BBQ sauce, easy sauce, homemade barbecue sauce, summer grilling
    Prep Time 5 minutes
    Cook Time 15 minutes
    Total Time 20 minutes
    Servings 20
    Calories 86kcal
    Author Gwynn Galvin

    Ingredients

    • 1 ½ cups packed brown sugar
    • 1 ½ cups ketchup
    • ½ cup apple cider vinegar
    • 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
    • 1 tablespoon chili powder
    • 2 teaspoons paprika
    • 2 teaspoons garlic powder
    • 2 teaspoons dry minced onion
    • 2 teaspoons salt
    • 1 ½ teaspoon black pepper
    • 1/2 teaspoon cayenne , optional

    Instructions

    • Combine all the ingredients in a saucepan.
    • Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat then reduce the heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
    • Use the barbecue sauce immediately or let it cool and then transfer the sauce to a container and store, covered, in the refrigerator for up to one week.

    Notes

    This recipe makes about 2 1/2 cups barbecue sauce.
    Servings are based on 2 Tablespoons of sauce per serving.
    Swirls of Flavor Recipe Tips
    • Be sure to pack the brown sugar which means to press it into the measuring cup so it is compact. If you don’t measure the brown sugar correctly the flavors in the sauce will not be balanced.
    • Add minced fresh jalapenos for a jalapeno bbq sauce that has a kick of heat!
    • Stir in a tablespoon or two of your favorite jelly or jam, such as raspberry jam or grape jelly, for added fruity sweet notes
    Substitutions
    • For a smoky flavor, substitute smoked paprika for the paprika
    • Substitute finely minced fresh garlic for the garlic powder
    • Substitute onion powder for the dry minced onion
    • You can substitute dark brown sugar for the light brown sugar

    Nutrition

    Calories: 86kcal | Carbohydrates: 22g | Protein: 0.4g | Fat: 0.1g | Saturated Fat: 0.02g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.05g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.02g | Sodium: 419mg | Potassium: 101mg | Fiber: 0.3g | Sugar: 20g | Vitamin A: 249IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 21mg | Iron: 0.4mg

    Related Posts

    • Italian Pork Chops With Tomato Basil ToppingItalian Pork Chops With Tomato Basil Topping
    • Homemade Burger RecipesHomemade Burger Recipes
    • Frozen Peach Bellini RecipeFrozen Peach Bellini Recipe
    • One Pot Mac and CheeseOne Pot Mac and Cheese

    « Old Fashioned Pea Salad
    How To Ripen A Pineapple »

    About GG

    Gwynn Galvin, known to many as GG, is the creative and talented chef and nutritionist behind Swirls of Flavor. Gwynn is an award-winning culinary professional with over twenty five years of recipe development, food styling, test kitchen management and culinary innovation experience. Gwynn's passion is gathering people around the table with her simple real food recipes to savor the moments together.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Amy Liu Dong

      June 24, 2022 at 10:38 am

      5 stars
      I am planning to host a barbeque party this sauce is perfect.
      It looks delicious, and I will def make this!

    2. Ann

      June 26, 2022 at 3:23 pm

      5 stars
      I love making my own BBQ sauce. I make a very similar recipe, but have never tried adding chili powder to the mix!

    Thanks for stopping by. Leave a tip or comment...

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    Primary Sidebar

    GG, owner and creator of Swirls of flavor website

    Hi there, I'm Gwynn, the creator of Swirls of Flavor. Welcome to my kitchen where delicious memories are made. My passion is bringing people together through food. I create easy, family friendly recipes made with fresh, simple ingredients. So come on in and gather round the table. Let's Cook, Share and Savor the Moments together.

    More about me →

    Join my Recipe Club!

    Sign up for the newsletter and get my 7 Simple One Pot Suppers eBook for free!

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • Meet The Chef
    • Privacy Policy
    • Accessibility Policy

    Resources

    • Archives
    • Blogger Resources
    • Recipe Index

    Contact

    • Contact GG
    • Let's Work Together

    COPYRIGHT © 2021 SWIRLS OF FLAVOR · IMPLEMENTED BY WPOPT