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Home / Courses

Homemade BBQ Sauce

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Author: Imma Published:4/03/2019Updated:4/28/2021
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Homemade BBQ Sauce – take your favorite barbecue recipe to the next level with this 10-minute sweet, tangy, smokey and spicy best ever BBQ sauce. Perfect for marinating, grilling and dipping!

Homemade BBQ Sauce

As promised, I’m here to share with you the guys the star of the show on our Monday’s Oven Baked BBQ Chicken. The very reason why I’m already enjoying a good barbecue at the start of spring. Sorry guys, if I went on first. I couldn’t think of anything other than nibbling a good barbecue meat right at home. And I’m about to finish my first jar of homemade bbq sauce since I made this a week ago. 🙂 I definitely can’t wait for summer!

Quick & Easy BBQ Sauce

This homemade bbq sauce is quite probably the best tasting BBQ sauce I’ve ever tasted. It has the balanced sweetness and tanginess layered with that smokey and spicy flavors. I couldn’t even describe it well through words, but you will know that it was a massive hit when you’ve been eating anything barbecue more too often. Ooops! Okay, we might have gone a little over the line but it was so worth it.

You probably might have most, if not all, of  the ingredients sitting in your pantry right now. All you have to do is mix them all together, combine and store in a jar. As easy as that! No special equipment or some complicated methods required. Just 10-15 minutes of your time and you’ll have an unbeatable homemade BBQ Sauce stored in your fridge.

They are waaaay nicer than the ones you can buy at the store!

Homemade BBQ Sauce

For this recipe, you can use you favorite ketchup as  base for this sauce, but I generally go for those ones that doesn’t have high fructose corn syrup. The reason behind is that I’m using brown sugar, and a bit of honey and molasses as a sweetener for this homemade bbq sauce. If you’re sensitive to soy, you can replace the Worcestershire sauce here with coconut aminos.

Now you’d ask, “But Imma, what is that celery seed? Can I leave it out?”. Celery seeds are actually quite a revelation here. They taste earthy, grassy with the slightest hint of bitterness. They add  a great layer of flavor and texture in this sauce. You can find them in the spice section of most grocery stores and use them for salad dressings, brining and on pickle mixes. Leave it out if you can’t find it in your neck of woods.

How Long Does Homemade BBQ Sauce Last?

Depending on your family size and appetite for barbecues (*coughs* excuse us *coughs* 😂 ), a medium-size jar as show in the photos would yield approximately 2 cups. If stored properly in a jar with tight fitting lid, you’re assured that this homemade bbq sauce would last up to a week when stored in the refrigerator.

Can I Freeze BBQ Sauce?

As far as I know you can freeze store-bought BBQ sauce for up to 6 months (it should, with all those preservatives added into it.). But with homemade bbq sauce, others wrote online that you can freeze them in freezer bags, containers and jars for up to 2 months and when ready to use, just thaw it in the fridge overnight. Since I haven’t tried it myself, I can’t say for sure. BBQ Sauce doesn’t seem to get solidified well, plus the fact that we’re using molasses in this recipe which sugars act as an anti-freeze.

Other Recipes Using Barbecue Sauce

Once you stash a jar of this homemade BBQ sauce, you can try other recipes using this best ever sauce. Below are just some of which that you can try:

Caribbean Jerk Barbecue Ribs

Brunswick Stew

Baby Back Ribs Recipe

Pineapple Glazed Meatballs

Southern Homemade Baked Beans

Homemade BBQ Sauce

Don’t wait til summer to make this homemade bbq sauce. Remember to always label your container with dates (don’t be like me..totally forgot it. 😀 ). You will never ever buy those store-bought again once you made your first barbecue for this year using this one. If you miss our Oven Baked BBQ Chicken, you can check it out HERE including a video.

Enjoy!

 

 

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Barbecue Sauce
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Homemade BBQ Sauce

Homemade BBQ Sauce - take your favorite barbecue recipe to the next level with this 10-minute sweet, tangy, smokey and spicy best ever BBQ sauce. Perfect for marinating, grilling and dipping!
4.80 from 5 votes
Prep: 10 minutes mins
Total: 10 minutes mins
American
Servings 4 -6

Ingredients

  • 1/3 cup minced onion
  • 1 teaspoon minced garlic
  • 2 cups ketchup
  • ½ cup apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • ½ tablespoon chili powder
  • 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
  • 2 tablespoons honey
  • 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
  • 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
  • 1 tablespoon molasses
  • ½ teaspoon dry crushed pepper flakes
  • ½ teaspoon celery seeds
US Customary - Metric

Instructions

  • In a small microwave safe bowl, combine onions and garlic and microwave for about a minute or two until onions are soft and translucent. Set aside.
  • In a medium bowl, add all the ingredients: ketchup, vinegar, lemon juice, chili, brown sugar, honey, Worcestershire, mustard, paprika, molasses, pepper flakes and celery seeds. Finally add in the onions and garlic mixture.
  • Mix together until fully combined.
  • Place in an air tight container or jar and store in the fridge until ready to use.

Tips & Notes:

Please keep in mind that nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary greatly based on products used.

Nutrition Information:

Calories: 271kcal (14%)| Carbohydrates: 65g (22%)| Protein: 2g (4%)| Fat: 1g (2%)| Saturated Fat: 1g (6%)| Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g| Monounsaturated Fat: 1g| Sodium: 1199mg (52%)| Potassium: 595mg (17%)| Fiber: 1g (4%)| Sugar: 57g (63%)| Vitamin A: 1411IU (28%)| Vitamin C: 7mg (8%)| Calcium: 66mg (7%)| Iron: 2mg (11%)
Author: Imma
Course: Condiment
Cuisine: American
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How to Make Homemade BBQ Sauce

Homemade BBQ Sauce

In a small microwave safe bowl, combine onions and garlic.

Homemade BBQ Sauce

 Microwave for about a minute or two until onions are soft and translucent. Set aside.

Homemade BBQ Sauce

In a medium bowl, add all the ingredients: ketchup, vinegar, lemon juice, chili, brown sugar, honey, Worcestershire, mustard, paprika, molasses, pepper flakes and celery seeds. Finally add in the onions and garlic mixture.

Homemade BBQ Sauce

Mix together until fully combined. Place in an air tight container or jar and store in the fridge until ready to use.

Homemade BBQ Sauce
Homemade BBQ Sauce
Homemade BBQ Sauce

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Comments & Reviews
  1. Tina Marie Allen says

    Posted on 6/29 at 3:40AM

    I have it in the crock pot right now…….wish me luck

    Reply
    • Imma says

      Posted on 6/29 at 12:46PM

      Sure it would turn great 🙂 Don’t forget to share how it goes, Happy Cooking!

      Reply
  2. Prescy Dias says

    Posted on 6/6 at 11:38PM

    4 stars
    Great recipe and easy to make

    Reply
    • Imma says

      Posted on 6/7 at 2:14AM

      Exactly it is. That’s how I want to help my audience to be a great chefs with easy steps. Hurry!!!

      Reply
  3. best barbecue restaurants in charleston sc says

    Posted on 5/29 at 8:45PM

    The most delicious American food is barbecue. It comes with a variety of regional flavorings, like the Memphis-style sticky ribs, the Central Texas-style barbecue brisket and Memphis-style sticky ribs or the Kansas City-style burned ends. There’s more to this famous cuisine than what’s on the surface.

    Reply
    • Amina says

      Posted on 5/30 at 10:01AM

      Thank you, Stay tuned to enjoy this summer with amazing BBQ recipes 😉

      Reply
  4. Doreen Acotd says

    Posted on 9/21 at 11:32AM

    I don’t buy molasses .What can I use to replace that ingredient instead? Maybe maple syrup?

    Reply
    • imma africanbites says

      Posted on 9/21 at 9:53PM

      Yes, maple,honey or dark corn syrup.

      Reply
  5. Cynthia says

    Posted on 5/23 at 2:17PM

    I tried your fish cakes and peas balls and my guest cant stop talking about them. I am trying your barbeque sauce recipe to get a unique flavor for some ribs and chicken. I’ll send the feed back

    Reply
    • imma africanbites says

      Posted on 5/23 at 8:34PM

      Thank you for trying them out. Can’t wait for you to try this. Enjoy!

      Reply
  6. Rusty says

    Posted on 4/15 at 2:34PM

    5 stars
    Hi Imma, Made up this sauce exactly as per recipe. Used it on Your Grilled Chicken Wings and took to a gathering of friends as a starter. It was a big hit – so much so that it was then used as a sauce for the main event – a Sausage Sizzle. Love your recipes

    Reply
    • imma africanbites says

      Posted on 4/15 at 3:55PM

      Yaaay! How great to hear that it turned out well for you, Rusty. Thanks for letting me know.

      Reply
  7. Agrasena Yapa says

    Posted on 4/3 at 8:25AM

    5 stars
    I am sure the ingredients used will make this a great BBQ sauce. I am dying to try this out,

    Reply
    • ImmaculateBites says

      Posted on 4/3 at 10:08AM

      Can’t wait to hear how it works out for you.

      Reply

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