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Home > Recipes > Side

Homemade BBQ Sauce

Written by Chrisy | 07/09/18

Recipes Side 30 minutes or less potluck sauce

Make classic BBQ sauce at home in less than 5 minutes by taking common sauces and spices and whipping them up in a food processor (so no cooking required!) It's a must-have recipe for countless crowd-pleasing dishes!

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Homemade BBQ Sauce! Make classic BBQ sauce at home in less than 5 minutes by taking common sauces and spices and whipping them up in a food processor (so no cooking required!) It's a must-have recipe for countless crowd-pleasing dishes! | HomemadeHooplah.com

About Homemade BBQ Sauce

I have a few store-bought BBQ sauces that I absolutely love, but there have been times when I’ve “somehow” managed to run out right when I need it the most. And by “somehow” I mean I routinely spend whole weeks putting BBQ sauce on everything I possibly can so of course all the sauce is gone because I’ve eaten all of it.

Because, why not eat it on everything? It’s one of the best sauces out there!

So, seeing as this tasty red blend tends to be an endangered sauce in our house, I had to get my hands on a homemade version that no only 1) tasted just as good as my favorite store-bought and 2) didn’t include extra cooking time.

And out of all the need-it-now BBQ sauce recipes I’ve tried, this one was by far the winner.

You can whip it up in a blender in less than five minutes!

Homemade BBQ sauce made in a blender.

Is it BBQ, barbecue, barbeque, bar-B-Q, or bar-b-cue?

I was surprised to discover there are some strong opinions on how to spell the name of this tasty red sauce, so I did a little digging to determine what the “proper” moniker was.

And no matter what method you prefer, I have some good news for you:

All of the above spellings are acceptable.

Most dictionaries will use either “barbecue” or “barbeque” as the root word, but the slang forms (meaning BBQ, bar-b-q, and bar-b-cue) have become so common practice that they’re accepted by most spellchecks and grammar fans.

Being from the south, I grew up knowing and reading this sauce as “BBQ”, and it’s still what I prefer to this day.

What can you make with BBQ sauce?

I think the easier question here is what can’t you make with BBQ sauce. It’s just one of those garnishes that manage to make everything better.

Here are a few of my favorites:

  • Cranberry BBQ Drumsticks
  • One Pan BBQ Chicken
  • Sweet Pulled Pork
  • BBQ Chicken Flatbread Pizza
  • BBQ Brisket Nachos

Should you refrigerate homemade BBQ sauce?

For best results, this sauce should be stored in a sealed container and kept chilled.

It should stay good in the refrigerator for one to two weeks.

Can you freeze BBQ sauce?

Yes, you can freeze BBQ sauce, but the quality may vary once thawed. I have only ever made this sauce using “mainstream” brand ingredients (Heinz, etc) and the sauce was still good once thawed. I have not tried other brands or substitutions would perform to know how they would perform. If you have any doubts, be sure to research any of your preferred ingredients.

Once you’re ready to freeze, transfer the BBQ sauce to a freezer bag, taking care to remove as much air as possible. BBQ sauce can be frozen for up to three months.

Quick and easy BBQ sauce recipe made without cooking.

Notes & tips for BBQ sauce

  • You’ll need a trusty food processor for this recipe. I bought the Ninja Blender System almost 10 years ago and it hasn’t failed me yet!

More great sauce recipes

Salsa Verde

    Catalina Dressing

      Cranberry Sauce with Apple, Orange, and Cinnamon

        Homemade Teriyaki Sauce

          How to make BBQ sauce

          This next part is only a photo tutorial of the recipe steps. If you’re looking for the full recipe measurements and instructions, scroll down to Recipe Details.

          Step 1 – In your favorite food processor, add ketchup, brown sugar, water, red wine vinegar, ground mustard, Worcestershire sauce, salt, and paprika.

          Homemade BBQ Sauce Step 1 - Add ketchup. Homemade BBQ Sauce Step 1 - Add brown sugar. Homemade BBQ Sauce Step 1 - Add water. Homemade BBQ Sauce Step 1 - Add red wine vinegar. Homemade BBQ Sauce Step 1 - Add ground mustard. Homemade BBQ Sauce Step 1 - Add Worcestershire sauce. Homemade BBQ Sauce! Make classic BBQ sauce at home in less than 5 minutes by taking common sauces and spices and whipping them up in a food processor (so no cooking required!) It's a must-have recipe for countless crowd-pleasing dishes! | HomemadeHooplah.com Homemade BBQ Sauce! Make classic BBQ sauce at home in less than 5 minutes by taking common sauces and spices and whipping them up in a food processor (so no cooking required!) It's a must-have recipe for countless crowd-pleasing dishes! | HomemadeHooplah.com

          Step 2 – Blend everything together until creamy and incorporated, about two to three minutes.

          Homemade BBQ Sauce! Make classic BBQ sauce at home in less than 5 minutes by taking common sauces and spices and whipping them up in a food processor (so no cooking required!) It's a must-have recipe for countless crowd-pleasing dishes! | HomemadeHooplah.com Homemade BBQ Sauce! Make classic BBQ sauce at home in less than 5 minutes by taking common sauces and spices and whipping them up in a food processor (so no cooking required!) It's a must-have recipe for countless crowd-pleasing dishes! | HomemadeHooplah.com Homemade BBQ Sauce! Make classic BBQ sauce at home in less than 5 minutes by taking common sauces and spices and whipping them up in a food processor (so no cooking required!) It's a must-have recipe for countless crowd-pleasing dishes! | HomemadeHooplah.com

          Step 3 – Serve as desired!

          Classic BBQ sauce made at home.

          Recipe Details

          PRINT THIS RECIPE
          RATING:
          4.8 from 5 votes
          Homemade BBQ Sauce! Make classic BBQ sauce at home in less than 5 minutes by taking common sauces and spices and whipping them up in a food processor (so no cooking required!) It's a must-have recipe for countless crowd-pleasing dishes! | HomemadeHooplah.com

          Homemade BBQ Sauce

          Make classic BBQ sauce at home in less than 5 minutes by taking common sauces and spices and whipping them up in a food processor (so no cooking required!) It's a must-have recipe for countless crowd-pleasing dishes!

          Prep: 5 minutes
          Calories: 181 kcal
          Yields: 7 servings (about 1/2 cup each)

          Ingredients

          • 1 1/2 cup ketchup
          • 1 cup light brown sugar
          • 1/2 cup water
          • 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
          • 2 tbsp ground mustard
          • 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
          • 2 tsp salt
          • 1 tsp paprika
          US Customary - Metric

          Instructions

          1. In a food processor, add ketchup, brown sugar, water, red wine vinegar, ground mustard, Worcestershire sauce, salt, and paprika. Cover and blend until smooth, about 2-3 minutes.

          2. Serve immediately as desired.

          Recipe Notes

          This recipe makes about 3 1/2 cups.

          Nutrition

          181kcal | Sodium: 1165mg | Potassium: 230mg | Carbohydrates: 44g | Sugar: 41g | Vitamin A: 425% | Vitamin C: 2.4% | Calcium: 37% | Iron: 0.7%
          I do my best to provide nutrition information, but please keep in mind that I'm not a certified nutritionist. Any nutritional information discussed or disclosed in this post should only be seen as my best amateur estimates of the correct values.

          Made this recipe?

          I'd love to see what you whipped up! Post it on Facebook or Instagram and tag @HomemadeHooplah or use the hashtag #HomemadeHooplah!
          Recipe shared by Chrisy

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          Recipes Side 30 minutes or less potluck sauce

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          Reader Interactions

          Comments

          1. Mimi
            07/10/18
            Reply

            Looks like a great recipe. I personally don’t like BBQ sauces that are overly sweet or overly vinegary. But home made is always better!

          2. Jim Mascioli
            07/15/18
            Reply

            Going to make it for sure

          3. Sandra Marie Kelly
            11/11/19
            Reply

            taste fair added some dry bbq rub to make it better

          Leave a Reply to Mimi Cancel reply

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