Once you realize how easy it is to make really good smoky BBQ sauce at home, you might never buy bottled again!
I know. It’s super easy to just grab a bottle of barbecue sauce at the store. But do you know how easy it is to make your own? And from ingredients you probably already have on hand? And in about 15 minutes?
I do, and I’m sharing the recipe with you. And maybe best of all, this recipe isn’t just good—it’s really good. It’s everything you want in a barbecue sauce. It’s sweet, spicy, and smoky. And you can even adjust it to make it more or less so—if you like a sauce that’s sweeter, or spicier.
Scroll down to read more about how it all comes together or click here to jump straight down to the recipe.
Video: How To Make BBQ Sauce
Homemade BBQ Sauces
You might remember when I shared a recipe for a Basic Homemade BBQ Sauce—with only three ingredients!—and that’s still my go-to when I’m short on ingredients and time. Or when I just want something super simple. But when I want my barbecued foods to have more depth, more flavor—more oomph—this is the recipe I use.
Like I said earlier, you can easily adjust the recipe to your taste. If you like it sweeter, just add some more brown sugar. If you like it spicier, just add more cayenne. If you want it totally mild, cut down on the cayenne, or leave it out altogether. And if you want it more or less smoky, just adjust the smoked paprika. You can also add a little liquid smoke if you want it smokier. But beware—a little of that goes a long way.
You may also want to try my Mango Chipotle Barbecue Sauce for a little something different. Or browse my whole collection of sauce recipes!
Using This Smoky BBQ Sauce
Some of my favorite ways to use this sauce are on grilled chicken, grilled pork chops, grilled pork tenderloin, and ribs. But it’s also great as a burger topping, a sauce for pulled pork sandwiches, a dipping sauce for french fries, or even a pizza sauce for barbecued chicken pizza!
If you do a lot of grilling, you might want to make a double batch. Then stash it in a jar or bottle in your fridge—perhaps in the spot where you used to keep the store bought stuff?—and enjoy amazing homemade sauce again and again. Plus, I’ve got plenty more ideas for using leftover BBQ sauce that you’re sure to love.
Yum! – Christine :)
Podcast Episode: Making Sweet, Spicy, Smoky BBQ Sauce
Listen to me explain briefly about how to make this BBQ Sauce, along with some other great tips, by clicking the play button below:
Listen to more Recipe of the Day episodes here.
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Sweet, Spicy, Smoky BBQ Sauce Recipe
- Prep Time: 8 minutes
- Cook Time: 7 minutes
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 2 cups 1x
- Category: Sauce
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
DESCRIPTION
Once you realize how easy it is to make really good barbecue sauce at home, you might never buy bottled again! The the note below for a version that uses different spices.*
Ingredients
- 1 cup ketchup
- 1/2 cup cider vinegar
- 1/2 cup molasses
- 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
- 3 Tbsp. smoked paprika
- 2 tsp. chili powder
- 2 tsp. garlic powder
- 2 tsp. onion powder
- Pinch of ground cloves*
- 1 tsp. hot sauce (such as Tabasco)
- 1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
- 1/8 to 1/4 tsp. ground cayenne pepper
- Salt, to taste
Instructions
- Combine everything except the salt in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat.
- Reduce to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add salt to taste and set aside to cool.
Love this recipe? I’d appreciate it if you could scroll down and add a *5 star rating* to help others know they’ll love it as well!
Notes
*I was recently live on the set of Fox Orlando 35 making this BBQ sauce. However, I was talking about playing with spices and used some different things. The recipe that the show hosts all tasted and loved is as follows: 1 cup ketchup, 1/2 cup cider vinegar, 1/2 cup molasses, 1/2 cup packed brown sugar, 1 Tbsp. smoked paprika, 3 tsp. sumac, 3 tsp. whole toasted cumin seeds (ground up after toasting), 2 tsp. chili powder, 2 tsp. garlic powder, 2 tsp. onion powder, 1 tsp. hot sauce, 1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce, 1/2 tsp. smoked sea salt. The cooking instructions are as given above.
**The original recipe that I posted here called for 1 teaspoon of cloves. I had feedback in the comments below that the cloves were way too prominent. I agree and believe that 1 teaspoon was a typo. I have changed it to a pinch, which gives a subtle hint of spicy clove, and definitely not the overpowering flavor others have experienced. My sincerest apologies for this mistake. Thank you to those who let me know about it. Your comments help so much!
This post originally appeared in April 2019 and was revised and republished in October 2023.
Perfect bbq sauce. I live in Germany where it is hard to find a decent BBQ sauce. This is slightly sweet, smokey, and tangy with a bit of spice. I used a berry vinegar because I didn’t have any Apple cider vinegar and I didn’t add any cloves (just not a fan). This is delicious!!
I’m so happy this helped you, Julia! Thanks for sharing your tweaks and results with us. :)
I cut the paprika by half, and cayenne to 1/8 tsp. Everything else included as directed. My husband loved it and it was not too spicy for him.
Thank you for sharing your adjustments with us, Brenda! I’m glad it was a hit.
Absolutely delicious. A keeper. Thank you.
You’re welcome, Caroline! So happy you loved it.
This barbecue sauce was delicious and easy to make. I had all the ingredients in my cupboard. We have tender tongues so I cut back on the cayenne and chili powder.
Thank you, Janelle! Love that you had everything you needed at home.
I wasn’t sure making BBQ sauce myself was going to be worth it, but it totally was! I slightly adjusted the spices for my preferences and it’s sooo good.
What would be best to substitute the ketchup? It comes through a little strong for me. I already substituted the cider vinegar with Coca Cola and also added 1 tsp of liquid smoke (to a 2x recipe). Has good all around flavor, but I’d like to remove that instantly identifiable ketchup flavor.
Thank you.
Steve, I’d try tomato sauce. Just a basic marinara. You might have to use less of it than the ketchup called for. It forms the main base of the sauce, but isn’t as thick as ketchup, so using less might help with that. If you do use less, I’d consider stirring in some tomato paste to pump up the tomato flavor in the overall sauce. The general idea will be to have a tomato-forward base that doesn’t actually taste like ketchup.
I made this recipe for a party of 50. The ground cloves ruined a huge batch. If I had just read the review I could have left the cloves out. Good recipe…drop the cloves.
You are absolutely right. That must have been a typo since I don’t even put that much cloves into pumpkin pie or into mulled wine. I have re-tested and edited the recipe. Thank you so much for letting me know about this, and my sincerest apologies for your ruined batch, Toni.
Wonderful recipe, but I’m only taking away 1 star because I felt that 1 tsp or ground cloves was too much. I ended up adding more of the other ingredients to dull it down. Will be using this recipe again, just without or less cloves.
Thanks for the feedback, Cole! I appreciate you taking the time to let me know.