Homemade healthy barbecue sauce, made with just 10 ingredients in 20 minutes! Perfect for fries, burgers, marinades, dipping, grilling, and just about everything else.

I'm not a barbecue sauce lover, I like some brands and I hate others, but Alberto LOVES it so much and as I needed it to make vegan pulled pork sandwiches (recipe coming soon!), I decided to prepare my own, using natural and unrefined ingredients to make a healthier version of this popular sauce and I'm so happy with this recipe, I love this BBQ sauce SO much!
Store-bought barbecue sauces are usually made with refined sugar and nasty ingredients. As we didn't use it very often, we used to buy it, but not anymore!
This recipe is so simple, you just need to add all the ingredients to a saucepan, stir until well combined, bring it to a boil and then simmer for 15 minutes, that's all guys! Then let it cool down and keep it in the fridge. Besides, it's made with easy to get ingredients and is pretty inexpensive.
Making your own sauces at home is really easy and you can add your favorite ingredients and change the recipe to make it more or less sweet, savory, tangy or whatever. In addition, they're healthier as you can easily avoid those additives and preservatives that many store-bought sauces are made of.
Looking for recipes to use this homemade BBQ sauce? Look no further! Whether you're whipping up Vegan BBQ Jackfruit Pulled Pork, Vegan Burgers, or Vegan Chickpea Burgers, this versatile sauce adds a delicious smoky flavor.
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Healthy Barbecue Sauce
Ingredients
- 2 cups tomato puree
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ½ cup maple or agave syrup
- ¼-½ cup water, see notes
- 3 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 2-3 tablespoon paprika, see notes
- 2 tablespoon tamari or soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon yellow mustard
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
- Add all the ingredients to a saucepan and stir until well combined.
- Bring it to a boil and then simmer at low temperature for 15 minutes, partially covered.
- Remove from heat and let it cool down at room temperature.
- Keep it in the fridge in a sealed container for at least 1 or 2 weeks.
Notes
- Add more or less water, depending on how thick you want your barbecue sauce. We added ½ cup (125 ml).
- We added 3 tablespoon of paprika, but it has less flavor than the paprika we used in Spain, so I recommend you to add it gently until it tastes okay for you.
- Feel free to add other sweeteners, vinegars or spices you have on hand.
Pit Brothers BBQ says
Look so tasty. You can also try Pit Brothers BBQ sauce also.
Iosune Robles says
Hi! Thanks for your kind comment 🙂
AJ says
Hi, could this be frozen?
Iosune Robles says
Hi! Feel free to freeze it after step 3 🙂
Raum says
Keep it sealed for at least 1 to 2 weeks? Does that mean wait for it to tast different before consuming or did you mean up to 2 weeks?
Iosune says
Hi Raum! No, you don't have to wait, you can enjoy it immediately, but you need to consume it in 1-2 weeks 🙂
Dana says
I used 1 15 oz can tomato paste, same as puree I believe. Omitted maple syrup and sugar, replaced with 8 pitted medjool dates. Used 3/4 cups water, 2 TB yellow mustard and 2 TB smoked paprika. Added apple cider vinegar, soy sauce, garlic powder, and black pepper as stated in recipe. Blended all in my vita mix until hot. Quick and very tasty!
Iosune says
Hi Dana! Thanks a lot for your comment, sounds amazing 🙂
Leo says
using dates instead of sugar or maple syrup is much more healthier..nice!