Homemade BBQ Sauce

5 from 7 votes

This sweet, tangy, and rich homemade bbq sauce takes only minutes to make, uses no bottled ketchup, and is great for more than just grilling!

Step-by-step photos can be seen below the recipe card.

Prep Time5

Cook Time10

Total Time15

Course: Sauce

Cuisine: American

Total Cost: $1.16 recipe / $0.29 serving

Servings: 1/4 cup each

Author: Beth Moncel

Ingredients

8 oz. tomato sauce $0.56*
2 Tbsp tomato paste $0.18
2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar $0.07
2 Tbsp brown sugar $0.06
2 Tbsp molasses $0.36**
1/2 Tbsp Dijon $0.02
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce $0.02
1 tsp smoked paprika $0.10
1/4 tsp garlic powder $0.02
1/4 tsp onion powder $0.02
1/8 tsp cayenne $0.01***
freshly cracked black pepper about 10 cranks of a pepper mill, $0.02
salt to taste, $0.02

Instructions

Combine all of the ingredients except the salt in a small sauce pan. Stir and heat over medium heat, allowing it to come up to a slight simmer.
Let the sauce cook and simmer lightly, stirring often, for five minutes. Taste the sauce and add salt if needed (I did not add any).

See how we calculate recipe costs here.

Notes

*In the U.S., tomato sauce is cooked puréed tomatoes with a little salt (and sometimes a tiny bit of garlic or onion powder). The closest thing to this would be passata in other countries.

**Not black strap molasses. I used Grandma's molasses, which is a light, unsulfured molasses. If you don't have molasses, you can up the amount of brown sugar used, but the flavor of the sauce won't be as rich or as deep.

***Want a spicy BBQ sauce? Try doubling the cayenne or adding a splash of sriracha sauce.

Nutrition