Easy Homemade BBQ Sauce
A simple, flavorful BBQ sauce that’s perfect for ribs, burgers, chicken, and more! With a balance of sweet, tangy, and smoky flavors, this easy homemade sauce comes together in minutes—no need for store-bought when you can make your own.
Servings: 2 Cups
Ingredients
- 4 tbsp butter
- 1/2 yellow onion finely diced
- 1 1/2 cups ketchup sugar-free preferred
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp Ancho chili powder
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1/2 lemon squeezed
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat.
- Add the diced onion and cook for 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally until soft and translucent.
- Add the ketchup, apple cider vinegar, brown sugar, salt, pepper, chili powder, garlic powder, lemon juice, Ancho chili powder, and Worcestershire sauce to the pan.
- Stir everything together and bring to a simmer. Let it cook for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until it thickens.
- Optional but awesome step: Use an immersion blender to carefully blend the sauce until it’s silky smooth. Caution: The sauce is hot, so be careful when blending!
- Taste and adjust. For more sweetness, add extra brown sugar or honey. For extra heat, add cayenne or hot sauce.
- Allow the sauce to cool slightly before using.
Notes
Tips:
- Sweeter: Add honey or maple syrup for a different kind of sweetness.
- Spicier: Boost the heat with more chili powder, cayenne, or hot sauce.
- Smokier: Add a dash of liquid smoke or swap for chipotle chili powder.