Homemade BBQ Sauce

Last updated on July 5th, 2025

This Homemade BBQ Sauce has just the right balance of sweet and tangy, rich and smoky flavours. I love that it’s super easy to make with ingredients I already have on hand, and it keeps in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. 

It’s officially grilling season, and I couldn’t be happier. While I do grill year-round, there’s something truly magical about the combination of warmer weather, longer summer evenings and those crispy, charred edges and smoky flavours that are the hallmarks of summer barbecues.

Following a simple mix and heat formula, this recipe combines sweet, smoky and warming ingredients that transform into a vivid, flavour-packed sauce that keeps beautifully and goes with everything. It makes 4 to 6 servings or about 1 cup and can be doubled or tripled easily to feed a crowd.

Ingredients you’ll need to make it

• 1 cup (225 grams) tomato sauce (passata or any sauce made with pureéd tomatoes and minimal seasoning)
• 2 tablespoons (40 grams) tomato paste
• 2 tablespoons (30 grams) apple cider vinegar
• 2 tablespoons (25 grams) dark brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons (45 grams) molasses 
• 1 teaspoon (5 grams) Dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon (5 grams) Worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon (3 grams) smoked paprika
• 1 clove garlic, minced or finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon (5 grams) finely chopped shallot
• 1/8 teaspoon (>1 gram) cayenne pepper
• ¼ to ½ teaspoon (1 to 2 grams) freshly cracked black pepper to taste 
• ½ to 1 teaspoon (2-3 grams) kosher or fine sea salt to taste

Dark brown sugar is on my list of secret ingredients because it always adds a lovely caramelization to recipes. I love this sauce for grilling ribs, chicken or tofu or as a dip for wings, fries or raw veggies. I also really like that ketchup isn’t on the ingredient list! To make it gluten free, simply replace the Worcestershire sauce with Tamari or a combination of gluten free soy sauce and balsamic vinegar to retain the umami and saltiness. 

More reasons to love this Homemade BBQ Sauce

It’s a seasonal staple—You’ll be amazed how often you’ll use it during the summer months, and it travels well, too. 

It’s ideal for grilling—Grilling is one of my favourite ways to prepare a meal in very little time. It’s low prep with a lot less clean up, all when you’d rather be outside, far from your oven.

It’s freezer-friendly—This sauce keeps well in the fridge for up to 2 weeks or frozen for up to three months, so you can enjoy the taste of summer later.

Summer grilling season doesn’t last long, so give this homemade BBQ sauce recipe a try while you can. It’s flavourful, versatile, made with pantry staple ingredients and so much better than anything you can buy in a store!

4 more recipes to try

Quick Homemade Tomato Sauce

Best Homemade Balsamic Vinaigrette

Apple Cider Vinaigrette

Ginger Miso Dressing

Chewy Ginger Molasses Cookies

If you make this recipe, please tag me on Pinterest or Instagram so I can see! 

And of course, feel free to leave any questions, comments or reviews. This is the best place to reach me, and I’d love to hear from you!

Homemade BBQ Sauce

This homemade BBQ sauce recipe has just the right balance of sweet and tangy, rich and smoky flavours. It's super easy to make with ingredients you probably already have on hand, and it keeps in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. Great for summer grilling!

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Prep Time:10 minutes mins

Total Time:20 minutes mins

Course: Condiment

Keyword: barbecue sauce, BBQ sauce, grilling recipes, homemade

Servings: 4 to 6 or about 1 cup

Ingredients

• 1 cup tomato sauce (passata or any sauce made with pureéd tomatoes and minimal seasoning)
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons molasses
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1 clove garlic minced or finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon finely chopped shallot
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• ¼ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper to taste 1 to 2 grams
• ½ teaspoon kosher or fine sea salt to taste 2-3 grams

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Instructions

• Combine all the ingredients except the salt and pepper in a small sauce pan. Stir and heat over medium heat just until it starts to bubble.
• Turn down heat and let simmer for 5 minutes, stirring often, until the sauce has thickened. Remove from heat, taste and season with salt and pepper as desired. Should you find the sauce to be a little too thick to pour, thin by adding a tablespoon of water (I’ve found that usually just one will do the trick).
• If not using this sauce right away, let cool completely before transferring to a sealable jar or another airtight container.

Notes

Tomato sauce: You can really use any tomato sauce you have on hand. If made with any add-ins (onion, peppers, garlic pieces, etc) give the sauce a quick mix with an immersion blender for a few minutes as it cools.

Molasses: For this recipe, I like to use light or cooking molasses because I find blackstrap to be too thick. For those of you reading this in Canada, I use Crosby’s cooking molasses, a blend of light (fancy) and blackstrap, for both a richer colour and taste.

To make gluten free: Replace the Worcestershire sauce with Tamari or a combination of gluten free soy sauce and balsamic vinegar to retain the umami and saltiness.

Storage: Unused portions will keep well stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks or frozen for up to 3 months.