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    Recipes » Special Diet » Dairy Free

    Homemade BBQ Sauce

    Published: Feb 29, 2012 · Updated: Jun 6, 2018 · This post may contain affiliate links · This blog generates income via ads

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    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.

    Homemade BBQ Sauce from Living Well Kitchen

    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.

    [clickToTweet tweet="Tasty BBQ sauce is a lot easier to make than you'd think, w/out HFCS, sodium or MSG" quote="Tasty BBQ sauce is a lot easier to make than you'd think, w/out HFCS, sodium or MSG"]

    Crock-Pot Pulled Pork from Living Well Kitchen

    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.

    BBQ Chicken Pizza

    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.

    BBQ Chicken Pasta

    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.
    BBQ Sauce from Living Well Kitchen

    Homemade BBQ Sauce

    Tasty BBQ sauce 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
    5 from 1 vote
    Print Rate
    Prep Time: 10 minutes
    Cook Time: 1 hour
    Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
    Servings: 24 servings
    Author: Meme

    Ingredients

    • 1/2 tablespoon 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 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
    • 1 tablespoon brown sugar or honey
    • 2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
    • 3/4 teaspoon garlic powder
    • 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
    • 1/8 teaspoon curry powder
    • 1/2 teaspoon liquid smoke
    • 1/4 teaspoon 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

    *Makes 3 cups
    *Make sure all of the ingredients are gluten free and/or dairy free if needed. Worcestershire commonly has gluten, so read the labels.
    *Really good with Crock-Pot Pulled Pork, BBQ Chicken Pizza, and Skillet BBQ Chicken Pasta
    Did you try this recipe?Be sure to leave a comment & recipe rating below. Bonus points for tagging @memeinge & #livingwellkitchen on Instagram! THANK YOU! xo

    [showhide type="post" more_text="Click here for Nutrition Facts" less_text="Clear Nutrition Facts"]
    *

    Nutrition Facts
    Homemade BBQ Sauce
    Serving Size
     
    2 TBSP
    Amount per Serving
    Calories
    30
    % Daily Value*
    Potassium
     
    187
    mg
    5
    %
    Carbohydrates
     
    6
    g
    2
    %
    Sugar
     
    5
    g
    6
    %
    Vitamin A
     
    150
    IU
    3
    %
    Vitamin C
     
    2.7
    mg
    3
    %
    Calcium
     
    15
    mg
    2
    %
    Iron
     
    0.6
    mg
    3
    %
    * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
    *
    [/showhide]

     

    Meme

    Pin for later:
    Tasty Homemade BBQ Sauce from @memeinge is a lot easier to make than you'd think! This recipe is gluten free, dairy free and has less sugar than store bought. Plus, you can make it without all of the added unnecessary ingredients like high fructose corn syrup, sodium, and MSG

    « Crock Pot Pulled Pork
    Skillet BBQ Chicken Pasta »
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    Comments

    1. thekitchenchaotic says

      February 29, 2012 at 1:00 pm

      Wow, not only am I intrigued by the BBQ sauce, I have never seen. A BBQ sauce pasta skillet recipe. Sounds so interesting!

      Reply
      • memeinge says

        February 29, 2012 at 1:10 pm

        Oh it's gooood! I'm posting that recipe tomorrow, so be sure to come back 🙂

        Reply

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    Meme (a brunette female) is holding umbrella and spinning around in front of the Eiffel Tower wearing a denim jacket, skirt, and blue shoesHi, I'm Meme -- a thirty-something girl from Alabama living in San Diego! Join me as I prove that living a guilt-free, healthy lifestyle can be budget friendly, delicious & fun!
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