Tasty Homemade BBQ Sauce recipe is a lot easier to make than you'd think! Plus, you can make it without all of the added unnecessary ingredients like high fructose corn syrup, sodium, and MSG. This version even has an extra dose of veggies for flavor and nutrients.
The other day I posted a recipe for Crock-Pot Pulled Pork. One of the main ingredients is BBQ sauce, but I don't love store bought bottled BBQ sauce since it's usually filled with sugar, artificial colors & flavors, and sodium - no thanksssss!
Take a look at the ingredients in some BBQ sauces next time you're in the grocery store. High fructose corn syrup is usually the first ingredient -- ingredients are listed in order of predominance -- meaning high fructose corn syrup makes up the majority of your BBQ sauce.
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That bothers me, so I like to make my own BBQ sauce. I'm not anti-high fructose corn syrup (or any sugar for that matter), but I don't think it's necessary when you can easily make a more nourishing and equally delicious bbq sauce at home.
It's easy, and it tastes so much better than bottled versions. Once you make your own, you'll probably never want to buy it again.
In the past month, I've already made two batches of BBQ sauce, and I've been having the best meals:
BBQ Chicken Pizza, Crock-pot Pulled Pork and Skillet BBQ Chicken Pasta, to name a few.
I hope I've now convinced you to make your own BBQ sauce. If anything, it will make you feel really good about yourself. I love making homemade versions of things most people buy in a store, especially when they taste much better and are a little more wholesome.
Note: BBQ sauce does have a pretty fair amount of sugar, so try not to go overboard or you might end up with a sugar crash.
The beauty of making your own sauce is that it doesn't have all of the added unnecessary ingredients like high fructose corn syrup, sodium, and added MSG. By all means, feel free to add these things if you're so inclined, but I'm gonna stick with my tasty version 🙂
How to make Homemade BBQ Sauce
You start by sautéing the onion. Then you add everything else and simmer for about an hour. Once that's cooked for a while, you'll remove the pot from the heat and use an immersion blender to blend the onion completely into the sauce.
You can also use a regular blender, but be careful. I like to let it cool for a little bit; then when you are blending, remove the center part of the blender top and cover with a kitchen towel. This will allow steam to escape.
Cook it for about 10 more minutes to make sure all the flavors mix together.
Cook's Tips
- What's great about sautéing the onion before you make the sauce is that it'll give your bbq sauce a little more sweetness and depth without having to add extra sugar.
- You can use honey or maple syrup in place of the brown sugar if desired.
- If you are trying to make this dairy free, gluten free, or vegan be sure to check the labels of your ingredients.
Homemade BBQ Sauce
Ingredients
- 1/2 TBSP avocado oil or olive oil
- 1 large red onion or white onion, diced
- 8 oz can no salt added tomato sauce
- 6 oz can tomato paste
- 1 cup water
- 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1/3 cup molasses
- 1 TBSP Worcestershire sauce
- 1 TBSP brown sugar or honey
- 2 tsp Dijon mustard
- 3/4 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp ground ginger
- 1/8 tsp curry powder
- 1/2 tsp liquid smoke
- 1/4 tsp hot sauce
Instructions
- In a large saucepan, heat oil over medium heat. Sauté onion until soft and translucent, about 10 minutes.
- Whisk remaining ingredients into the saucepan. Bring mixture to a boil, and turn down heat to medium-low. Simmer for 30-45 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Remove from heat. Blend sauce together using an immersion blender (or regular blender but be careful), making sure that all of the onion is blended into the sauce. Whisk sauce together. Return saucepan to medium-low heat, and cook an additional 10 minutes.
- Taste sauce, and adjust seasonings as needed. Allow the sauce to cool slightly before storing it in an airtight container in the refrigerator. The sauce will last up to 2 weeks in a refrigerator and about 1-2 months frozen. Enjoy!
Notes
Meme
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thekitchenchaotic says
Wow, not only am I intrigued by the BBQ sauce, I have never seen. A BBQ sauce pasta skillet recipe. Sounds so interesting!
memeinge says
Oh it's gooood! I'm posting that recipe tomorrow, so be sure to come back 🙂