Have you ever read the ingredients on the back of your favorite store bought BBQ sauce? I love me some sweet, tangy store bought BBQ sauce but on the  top of the ingredient list is high fructose corn syrup.  This is a fabulous home made version, and tastes even BETTER, and uses ingredients you likely already have in your pantry! Bonus- it only takes 10 minutes to make.Â
A worthy subsitute!  It was hard finding a recipe that didn’t include ketchup.  I mean, if you are going to add two cups of ketchup you might as well be slurping up store-bought…and we can do better. For this recipe, we used canned tomato sauce. The richness of the tomato flavor compliments the sweetness of the honey creating the perfect sauce.Â
Don’t let the ingredient list intimidate you.  I’ll bet you already have most of it on hand.
If you don’t have liquid smoke on hand, here’s a few substitution ideas:
- Substitute a minced chipotle pepper for some added smokey flavor.
- You could also double the amount of smoked paprika if you really want a smokey flavor.
- Increase honey by 2 tablespoons for a sweetened up sauce.
- Add 2 tablespoons of orange juice, or even mango juice for a fruity kick.
- Sweet and spicy go great together, consider adding a little extra red chili flakes.
We are big fans of fresh and delicious BBQ food- here’s a few of our favorite recipes for BBQ season!
- Air Fryer BBQ Chicken
- 3 Step Fall Off The Bone Ribs
- Cauliflower ‘potato’ SaladÂ
- Oven Roasted Corn on the Cob
Clink!
Kathi
Homemade BBQ Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 15 oz . can tomato sauce
- 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1/3 cup honey
- 1/4 cup tomato paste
- 1/3 cup molasses
- 3 tablespoons . worcestershire
- 2 teaspoons liquid smoke
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon salt
- Pinch of chili flakes
Instructions
- Pour all ingredients in large saucepan and whisk.
- Bring to a simmer and cook for about 10-15 minutes until sauce is thickened.
- Store in sealed container.
- Will keep in refrigerator for up to one week.
Nutrition
Hi,
Boy this sounds great, my question is…. can I use dark brown sugar in place of the honey ?? I really never have honey on hand. I appreciate any help and advise
Yes! You certainly could. Your sauce will most likely be a bit sweeter but I like it that way!
Thanks for the help, my hubby will be so pleased with a sweet sauce !
Yippee! That sounds really good and I’m going to try it out, thanks!