This Sweet BBQ Sauce Recipe is a thick, rich, and tangy sauce that is so good! Making your own BBQ sauce at home is easy, and you'll wonder why you've never made it before! Make this bbq sauce sugar-free or regular.
You'll Love This Homemade BBQ Sauce
Okay BBQ lovers, I've come up with more homemade BBQ sauce recipes - each unique and tasty and perfect for your next grilling adventure! Try Blueberry BBQ Sauce, Carolina Gold BBQ Sauce, and Peach BBQ Sauce on chicken, pork, and beef. Happy grilling! Enjoy!
Best BBQ Sauce Recipe!
Well, we think it's the best BBQ sauce recipe, anyway! LOL. You will love this sauce. Homemade barbecue sauce is always better than store bought. This version is thick and sticky, finger-licking good.
Make Extra And Store In Your Fridge!
You can easily double or triple this recipe and store some in the fridge for your next grilling adventure! 🙂 It's just as easy to double or triple a recipe as it is to make one batch.
Sugar-Free Sweet BBQ Sauce (Low Carb & Keto)
This sweet barbecue sauce can be made two ways - sugar-free and regular. I actually always make the sugar-free version, and no one has ever guessed that it's healthy.
The sugar-free version is my preferred way to make my sauce (for health reasons. I serve it all the time at cookouts - and everyone goes on and on about how good it is. Let's keep that a secret! 🙂
What You'll Need
Here are the ingredients and tools you'll need to make this sweet BBQ sauce recipe:
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Yellow Onion - you could also use red onion or a sweet onion to make this sauce even sweeter!
- Garlic
- Salt and Pepper - I typically use kosher salt
- Beef Broth - I prefer beef broth but you can use chicken or even vegetable broth.
- Unsweetened Ketchup or Regular Ketchup - (Note: if you used regular sweetened ketchup, start with ¼ cup and add more to taste)
- Apple Cider Vinegar - rice vinegar can also be substituted.
- Brown Sugar or a Sugar Substitute - It is perfectly fine to use a substitute brown such as Gold Monk Fruit/Erythritol or my favorite Brown Allulose. Double check that it has a 1:1 sugar ratio and make adjustments if needed.
- Liquid Smoke - gives this sauce a nice smoky flavor.
- Cumin
- Celery Salt
- Cayenne Pepper
Tip: if you used a sweetened ketchup, reduce the sugar called for in this recipe by ¼ cup.
For exact ingredient quantities, please see the recipe card below!
Substitutions and Variations
- Spicy - hot sauce or red pepper flakes to make this a sweet and spicy BBQ sauce.
- Add a little Worcestershire to the sauce to increase tang and "beefiness"
- Make it a honey BBQ sauce - by substituting half of the brown sugar.
- Give it a smoky flair - add 1 teaspoon (or more to taste) of smoky paprika.
How To Make This Sweet BBQ Sauce Recipe
Saute Onions and Garlic
In a skillet, saute onion and garlic in olive oil over medium heat until the onions are soft.
Add Remaining Ingredients
Add remaining ingredients and bring to a boil.
Simmer and Reduce
Reduce heat and simmer 25 to 30 minutes until the sauce is very thick.
Stir occasionally to keep the sauce from sticking.
Makes approximately 12 ounces.
How To Use It
Here are a few ways to use this sweet barbecue sauce recipe:
- Brush chicken, lamb, pork, beef, and burgers while grilling.
- Make a BBQ chicken pizza - use pre-made pizza dough, barbecue sauce instead of marinara, grilled chicken, onions, and cheese. De-lish.
- Use it in this slow cooker pulled pork recipe, these baby back ribs, on grilled pork steaks, and slow cooker BBQ chicken thighs or baked BBQ chicken drumsticks.
Kori's Tips
- If sweetened ketchup is used, reduce the brown sugar called for by ¼ cup.
- Pay attention to ketchup ingredients. Sugar-free does not mean unsweetened. Sugar-free ketchup is often sweetened with Sucralose, so it is sweetened. Reduce the brown sugar by ¼ cup.
- If you're not following a sugar-free/keto diet, feel free to substitute regular brown sugar and ketchup for this recipe!
- Play with this recipe to your liking. Increase or decrease sugar to your liking. Substitute garlic salt for celery salt. Increase cayenne pepper for more spice. Add 1 tbsp bourbon or whiskey for added flavor!
FAQ's
BBQ sauce can easily be sweetened with honey, molasses, brown sugar, and regular sugar. If you are following a low sugar diet, keto, or watching calories, use a sugar substitute. Add a little at a time, tasting as you go until it reaches your desired sweetness level.
Yes, absolutely! You can add honey to BBQ sauce to give it more sweetness.
Sweet BBQ sauce is most commonly made with honey, molasses, or brown sugar, along with ketchup, mustard, vinegar, and various spices depending upon the recipe.
Many people don't realize that sugar-free ketchup does not necessarily mean it is unsweetened. Unsweetened ketchup has no sweetener in it at all, while sugar-free ketchup usually means that it is sweetened but not with sugar. The most common sweetener used in sugar-free ketchup in the grocery store is Sucralose, but you may see different types.
Can I ask you a favor?
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📖 The recipe.
Tangy and Sweet BBQ Sauce
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- ½ cup finely chopped onion
- 4 garlic cloves (minced)
- ¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper
- 1 cup beef broth
- 1 cup unsweetened ketchup or regular ketchup (see note ketchup below)
- ¼ cup of apple cider vinegar
- ½ cup brown sugar substitute (see note on ketchup below)
- 1 teaspoon liquid smoke
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon celery salt
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
Instructions
- In a nonstick saucepan pan, saute onion and garlic in olive oil over medium heat until the onions are soft.
- Add remaining ingredients and bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 25 to 30 minutes until the sauce is very thick. Stir occasionally to keep the sauce from sticking. Makes approximately 1¼ cup.
Video
Kori's Tips
- Pay attention to ketchup ingredients. Sugar-free does not mean unsweetened. Sugar-free ketchup is often sweetened with Sucralose so it is sweetened.
- If sweetened ketchup is used, reduce the brown sugar called for by ¼ cup.
- If you're not following a sugar-free/keto diet, feel free to substitute regular brown sugar and ketchup to this recipe!
- Play with this recipe to your liking. Increase or decrease sugar to your liking. Substitute garlic salt for celery salt. Increase cayenne pepper for more spice. Add 1 tbsp bourbon or whiskey for added flavor!
Nutrition
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Grilling Recipes
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