Name: BBQ Sauce Recipe
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 35 min
Ingredients: 1½ cups Tomato ketchup; ¼ cup Vegetarian Worcestershire sauce; ½ cup Apple cider vinegar; ¾ cup Packed light brown sugar; 1 tsp Liquid smoke; 2 tbsp Yellow mustard; 2 tsp Onion powder; 1 tbsp Paprika; Black pepper (to taste); ½ cup Water

Jump to Recipe

Experience the bold, smoky flavor of our homemade BBQ sauce recipe. Carefully crafted with a blend of spices, our sauce will take your BBQ to the next level. This sauce is versatile and delicious, perfect for marinating, brushing on, or dipping. Whether you’re grilling up some burgers or dipping pizza, our homemade BBQ sauce will add depth and complexity to your meal. Try it once, and you’ll never go back to store-bought again!

A spoon dripping with the best BBQ sauce.

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When having people around for cheesy pizza and Neapolitan pizza, we served up our BBQ sauce recipe but didn’t tell anyone it was homemade; we wanted to see if they could tell the difference.

Everyone wanted to know the store we bought it from as they hadn’t tasted this good for a long time. They were shocked when we told them it wasn’t bottled BBQ sauce; it was our own!

Why you’ll love this homemade barbecue sauce recipe

Bursting with flavors to suit you, this is much better than store-bought BBQ sauce!
Double up and freeze, so you always have this delicious sauce.
Perfect for outdoor cooking, pizza night, or game day.
All the ingredients are 100% vegetarian.

Ingredients you’ll need

You’ll need all the ingredients shown in the photograph below to make the best BBQ sauce.

Ingredients needed, yellow mustard, black pepper, smoked paprika, light brown sugar, vegetarian Worcestershire sauce, apple cider vinegar, tomato ketchup, onion powder, water, and liquid smoke.

Say goodbye to bland store-bought BBQ sauce and hello to homemade smoky BBQ sauce with this recipe. Perfect for your next backyard cookout.

How to make homemade BBQ sauce with step-by-step recipe

A complete printable recipe and the measurements in both US customary and metric are available in the recipe card below.

Add tomato sauce (or tomato ketchup), vegetarian Worcestershire sauce, apple cider vinegar, light brown sugar (or dark brown sugar), liquid smoke, yellow mustard, onion powder, smoked paprika, ground black pepper, and water to a saucepan.

Adding liquid smoke into pan of ingredients. — Add tomato ketchup and veggie Worcestershire sauce.

Adding brown sugar into the tomato mixture. — Add sugar and liquid smoke.

Bring to a boil and then reduce to medium heat to a gentle simmer; leave until the sauce has thickened, approximately 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Adding black pepper and onion powder into the pan. — Add the remaining ingredients and stir to combine.

BBQ sauce cooked in a pan. — Simmer until thickened.

Remove from the heat, let it cool and transfer to an airtight container or a mason jar.

Enjoy your new favorite homemade BBQ sauce recipe!

Recipe notes and expert tips

Beware
Regular Worcestershire sauce is not vegetarian as it contains fish.
Spice
Adjust the ingredients to suit you, and add more spice if you like a hot sauce.
Storage
Store in an airtight container or mason jar in the fridge for p to 2 weeks, and freeze for up to 3 months.

How to store homemade BBQ sauce

In the fridge, you can store homemade barbecue sauce in an airtight container or mason jar for up to 2 weeks.

You can also freeze barbecue sauce for up to 3 months.

Spice it up

If you prefer a more spicy barbecue sauce, then add cayenne pepper and just a touch of chili powder.

Make sure you taste to ensure you’ve got the perfect spicy BBQ sauce for you.

How can I make my BBQ sauce thicker?

You can either simmer the sauce for longer or add a little corn starch or flour to thicken your homemade sauce.

What to serve barbecue sauce with

This easy BBQ sauce is absolutely delicious with our Margherita pizza recipe, or you can dunk your air fryer pizza rolls.

Baked sweet potato wedges and crispy air fryer potatoes cry out to be dipped in this great sauce.

And it’s awesome slathered over a vegan burger or a pizza bagel!

Delicious homemade barbecue sauce in a jar with spoons next to it.

More easy sauce recipes for you to try at home

If you like our great BBQ sauce recipe, why not try these delicious sauce recipes?

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Garlic aioli in a serving bowl with a spoon.

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Homemade BBQ sauce with a spoon of it dripping into the jar.

Print Pin Recipe

5 from 35 votes

BBQ Sauce Recipe

Add serious flavor to your BBQ this summer by making your own BBQ sauce that's quick, easy, and delicious! You can marinate vegetables, grill Portabello mushrooms, or slather it on a veggie burger. Use it as a dip for pizza, bagels, or veggie sticks. Give it a try today!

Prep Time5

Cook Time30

Total Time35

Servings servings

Calories55

Course: Dips, Sauce

Cuisine: American

Author: Mandy Applegate | Splash of Taste

Ingredients

1½ cups Tomato ketchup
¼ cup Vegetarian Worcestershire sauce
½ cup Apple cider vinegar
¾ cup Packed light brown sugar
1 tsp Liquid smoke
2 tbsp Yellow mustard
2 tsp Onion powder
1 tbsp Paprika
Black pepper to taste
½ cup Water

US Customary – Metric

Instructions

Add tomato ketchup, vegetarian Worcestershire sauce, apple cider vinegar, light brown sugar, liquid smoke, yellow mustard, onion powder, paprika, ground black pepper, and water to a saucepan. Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat to a gentle simmer; leave it to simmer until the sauce has thickened, approximately 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat and transfer to an airtight container. Store in the fridge for up to 3 months.
1½ cups Tomato ketchup, ¼ cup Vegetarian Worcestershire sauce, ½ cup Apple cider vinegar, ¾ cup Packed light brown sugar, 1 tsp Liquid smoke, 2 tbsp Yellow mustard, 2 tsp Onion powder, 1 tbsp Paprika, Black pepper, ½ cup Water

Notes

Beware
Regular Worcestershire sauce is not vegetarian as it contains fish.
Spice
Adjust the ingredients to suit you, and add more spice if you like a hot sauce.
Storage
Store in an airtight container or mason jar in the fridge for p to 2 weeks, and freeze for up to 3 months.

Nutrition

Disclaimer

Please note that nutrient values are estimates only. Variations can occur due to product availability and manner of food preparation. Nutrition may vary based on methods of origin, preparation, freshness of ingredients, and other factors.

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5 Comments

Shilpa says:

February 2, 2023 at 10:15 am

I’m loving the use of apple cider vinegar in this bbq sauce. My sauce was slightly thin for my liking so I used cornstarch to thicken it as you suggested. Turned out perfect. Thank you!

Addison says:

February 2, 2023 at 3:25 pm

This homemade BBQ sauce is way better than anything store bought!

Jenn says:

February 2, 2023 at 4:23 pm

I never used liquid smoke before but it was the perfect addition to this BBQ sauce! I’m going to put it on everything – yes, it’s that good!

Gina says:

February 2, 2023 at 4:57 pm

Love the flavor of this BBQ sauce, made it in a pinch when running out of store bought and I don’t think I’ll be going back to premade sauce again!

Rupali says:

February 3, 2023 at 12:06 pm

Love the flavor of this sauce. So much better than the syrupy store-bought one. Goes with everything!

Homemade BBQ sauce recipe

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