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Homemade BBQ Sauce

May 19, 2024 by Larisha Campbell 9 Comments

This homemade BBQ sauce recipe is quick and easy to make. You’ll never want to buy another bottle of Barbecue sauce when you realize how to make BBQ sauce is so easy.

homemade bbq sauce 

You may be wondering why you should make your own homemade BBQ sauce when it seems cheaper and easier to just buy at the store.
The truth is, your taste buds deserve it.
Now, while it CAN be more expensive, it doesn’t have to be.  And yes it is faster to buy at the store, but this recipe isn’t complicated and a child older than 2 can definitely help whisk all this together at the end.
The real focus though is that:
  • You never have to worry about running out – it’s always available to make at home
  • You know exactly what ingredients are going into it
  • It tastes SO MUCH BETTER than ANYTHING store bought
So if you’re ready to make your taste buds happy then you’re in the right place. Also, after we make, we store in glass containers in the fridge.

how to make bbq sauce

How can you make Homemade BBQ Sauce?

A homemade BBQ sauce recipe isn’t difficult.

The base is ketchup. Use a salt-free ketchup for even lower sodium. You mix in apple cider vinegar, brown sugar, honey, and maple syrup. The apple cider vinegar helps aid in the sweetness that is being heightened with the other sweeteners.

Then, to give that savory taste of the best BBQ sauce you’ve tried, you add in spices.  We add in garlic and onion powders, smoked paprika, black pepper, chili powder, and ground cinnamon.

Stir everything together and you’re done.  This easy BBQ sauce is so simple that you’ll wonder why you haven’t done it before.

easy bbq sauce recipe

How to Make BBQ Sauce?

4 from 2 votes
Print
Homemade BBQ Sauce
Prep Time
5 mins
Total Time
5 mins
 

This homemade BBQ sauce recipe is quick and easy to make. You'll never want to buy another bottle of Barbecue sauce when you realize how to make BBQ sauce is so easy.

Course: Condiments
Cuisine: American
Servings: 11
Calories: 69 kcal
Author: Larisha Campbell
Ingredients
  • 1 cup ketchup
  • 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
  • 1/3 cup brown sugar, packed
  • 2 1/2 tbsp maple syrup
  • 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/2 tsp onion powder
  • 1/2 tsp smoke paprika
  • 1/2 tsp cracked black pepper
  • 1/2 tsp chili powder
Instructions
  1. Place all ingredients in a bowl.  

  2. Mix until well combined. 

  3. Store in an air tight container in the fridge up to 3 months.

Recipe Notes

For heated sauce: Place all ingredients in a skillet or pan. Mix together until well combined. Turn heat on low and cook until heated through. 

Nutrition Facts
Homemade BBQ Sauce
Amount Per Serving (2 tbsp)
Calories 69
% Daily Value*
Sodium 202mg9%
Potassium 85mg2%
Carbohydrates 17g6%
Sugar 15g17%
Vitamin A 195IU4%
Vitamin C 0.9mg1%
Calcium 12mg1%
Iron 0.2mg1%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

What can I use Homemade BBQ Sauce for?

Possibilities are endless for how to use this easy bbq sauce recipe! Some of our favorite ways include:

  • Pizza (instead of red sauce)
  • Sandwiches
  • Dip for nuggets or fries
  • Grill Season (put it on everything!)

This post was originally posted on 7/14/2012. Same great recipe, but our photography has greatly improved. Old images below for laughs!

homemade barbecue sauce recipehow to use bbq sauce
quick bbq sauce recipe
simple bbq sauce recipe

Filed Under: Dinner, Home, Recipes Tagged With: bbq, dinner, recipes, sauce

Grilled Fish Tacos with Mango Salsa & Avocado Lime Sauce

June 17, 2017 by Larisha Campbell Leave a Comment

Disclosure: This Grilled Fish Tacos with Mango Salsa and Avocado Lime Sauce recipe has been sponsored by the American Heart Association’s Healthy For Good campaign.  The views, opinions and positions expressed within this post belong to blog name and do not necessarily represent those of The American Heart Association unless explicitly stated. This is an original recipe not endorsed by the American Heart Association.

grilled fish tacos with mango salsa and avocado lime sauce

A few years ago, before we had kids, Andrew complained to me about his heart racing whenever he got worked up about something. It wasn’t like Andrew to complain, so I made a doctor’s appointment. I also scheduled time off to go with him. I remember sitting there as the doctor ran some tests and ordered others. After a follow-up visit, I remember Andrew and I staring in confusion as she told him “you have pre-hypertension”. What did that mean?  How do we get rid of it? What is the outcome of something like this?

Pre-hypertension is higher than normal blood pressure. The doctor insisted that there were things Andrew could do to get his blood pressure back into a normal range, but it would be a lot of work and medication would be needed to begin. Reluctantly, Andrew took the medicine. We made some small changes in our lives, but not enough. When we went back for a follow up, he was still in the same situation. The doctor upped his meds.

Things got a little more serious in terms of lifestyle changes at that point. However, quite honestly, it wasn’t until we had kids that things really changed. Both of us completely changed our diets once we had our oldest. We limited overly processed foods, we changed how we looked at dietary fats, and we stopped eating out so much. We knew that if Andrew was going to live a long life with our kids and we were going to ensure they didn’t face the same diagnosis, we had to set up our whole family for a heart healthy lifestyle.

healthy avocados

Fast forward.

Andrew no longer has a pre-hypertension diagnosis and he’s no longer on medication. We could write another whole post about what he did, but there’s one thing that remained constant – how he changed his thoughts on his food consumption. This mainly happened by cooking at home and getting more whole foods into our diet. We reduced the amount of sodium and sugar intake and increased the color of the food we were eating.

mango salsa

Clearly, eating well has been such a huge part of our family’s journey, which is why I’m really excited to share about the American Heart Association’s Healthy For Good movement. Right now, you too can join the Healthy For Good movement.  

Here are five things you can change today:

  1. Have a smoothie for breakfast instead of cereals or bagels
    • For example, try our Banana Bread Breakfast Smoothie or Coconut Cashew Strawberry Banana Smoothie
  2. Replace meat with vegetables, legumes, and whole grains for one meal a week.
    • Our Black Bean Burger recipe is a tasty place to start.
      avocado lime sauce
  3. Add Color to your meals by eating the rainbow!
    • Our favorite way to add color is with avocados! They are a great source of healthy fats, are versatile, and full of nutrient dense! Love One today!
      eat more color
  4. MOVE MORE!
    • Even just 30 minutes 3 times a week can greatly help to be more heart healthy!
  5. Skip the frying! Try over a dozen non-fry methods that are healthier for you. Try our delicious grilled fish tacos.

Recipe: Grilled Fish Tacos with Mango Salsa and Avocado Lime Sauce!

When most people think of fish tacos, they think of fried fish, but grilled fish tacos are even better! The flavor infused when you grill fish is amazing. Try out our Grilled Fish Tacos with Mango Salsa and Avocado Lime sauce tonight for dinner.  The flavor infusion is INSANE!

grilled fish tacos with mango salsa and avocado lime sauce

0 from 0 votes
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Grilled Fish Tacos with Mango Salad & Avocado Lime Sauce
Author: Larisha Campbell
Ingredients
Grilled Fish Tacos
  • 1 lb fish any white fish will work - we use flounder
  • 2 medium limes
  • 3 cloves garlic minced
  • 1/2 tsp cumin
  • 1/4 tsp chili powder
  • 1/4 tsp smoked paprika
  • 3 tbsp oil divided
  • salt pepper to taste
  • 1/2 head red cabbage chopped
  • 1/2 medium red onion diced
  • 1/4 cup cilantro chopped
  • Corn or flour tortillas
  • Extra lime wedges for serving
  • Avocado Lime Sauce Recipe
  • Mango Salsa Recipe
Instructions
  1. Dry fish with a towel.
  2. Squeeze 1/2 a lime over fish.
  3. To a small bowl, add garlic, cumin, chili powder, paprika, 2 tbsp oil, and salt and pepper to taste.
  4. Spoon mixture across all fish. Flip fish a few times to make sure both sides are coated.
  5. Place in fridge and let marinate for 30 minutes (can do 15 minutes if in a rush).
  6. While fish is marinating, make the slaw by combining cabbage, red onion, juice from 1 lime, cilantro, remaining oil, salt pepper in a bowl.
  7. Toss to combine.
  8. Set aside in fridge until ready.
  9. Brush grates of grill with oil and heat to 300-400 degrees.
  10. Cook 3 minutes each side, only flipping once. *Don't worry if fish breaks apart for this recipe.
  11. Remove from grill.
  12. Layer tortillas with avocado lime sauce, fish, slaw mixture, and mango salsa.
  13. Serve lime wedges with tacos.
  14. Enjoy!

 

grilled fish tacos with mango salsa and avocado lime sauce

JOIN US!

We’d love to have you join us in creating and maintaining behaviors that improve your health. Small, daily changes are the key to maintaining this lifestyle long-term. You can visit the American Health Association’s Healthy For Good website to get more recipes, videos, and info about health. Join us in the Healthy For Good movement TODAY!

Filed Under: Dinner, Home, Recipes Tagged With: avocado, dinner, fish, lime, mango, recipes, salsa, sauce, tacos

Honey Mustard BBQ Sauce Recipe

February 9, 2016 by Larisha Campbell 6 Comments

This homemade Honey Mustard BBQ Sauce Recipe is the best mustard based bbq sauce recipe you can find!  Simple and Delicious sauce for marinating, dipping, and more!

To me, a sauce is life.

Apparently, I never grew up because having something to dip my food in is still something I love doing. I need extra sauce on my pasta.  I need extra sauce to dip my pizza in, especially the crust.  I need extra cheese sauce for my nachos.  You get the point.

While growing up, my sauce dipping didn’t really expand beyond ketchup or mustard, I finally started experimenting with more sauces in college.  Truth be told, until I was in my 20s, the thought of anything BBQ sauce seemed so gross to me.  Who really knows why! Honestly, if I had to guess, it was probably one of those things that my mom didn’t like again.  My friends couldn’t understand why I didn’t dip my nuggets in BBQ or honey or sweet and sour sauce.  But nope, just ketchup please.

Around 3 years ago, I ran out of bottled BBQ sauce and freaked out since I needed it for something I was making for dinner.  Someone suggested I make my own.

HUH?!?

Duh!  Make my own BBQ sauce recipe!  I had no idea how simple it was to do so and yet to this day, I haven’t purchased another bottle of BBQ sauce at the store.  Then recently, I had the brilliant idea to combine honey mustard and BBQ sauce together.

honey mustard barbecue sauce recipe

A Honey Mustard BBQ Sauce Recipe.

O-M-G…The result was phenomenal. Our toddler devoured the sandwiches that we put it on and Andrew, the world’s pickiest eater who won’t touch anything that mentions mustard, tasted and loved it too.

This sauce would be fantastic on grilled chicken, pulled pork, as a sauce in fish tacos, spread over a salad in the summer and so much more.  The possibilities are truly endless.

Here’s the recipe:

5 from 1 vote
Print
Honey Mustard BBQ Sauce Recipe
Prep Time
5 mins
Total Time
5 mins
 

This homemade Honey Mustard BBQ Sauce Recipe is the best mustard based bbq sauce recipe you can find!  Simple and Delicious sauce for marinating, dipping, and more!

Course: Condiments, Sauces
Cuisine: American
Servings: 6
Calories: 93 kcal
Author: Larisha Campbell
Ingredients
  • 1/4 cup honey
  • 1/4 cup mustard
  • 2 1/2 tbsp Homemade BBQ Sauce
  • 2 tbsp mayo
  • 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
  • Pinch Salt
  • Pinch Pepper
Instructions
  1. In a small bowl, combine all ingredients.
  2. Using a whisk, mix all together until well combined.
  3. Use immediately or store in the fridge in a sealed concealed for up to 2 weeks.
Nutrition Facts
Honey Mustard BBQ Sauce Recipe
Amount Per Serving (2 tbsp)
Calories 93 Calories from Fat 27
% Daily Value*
Fat 3g5%
Cholesterol 1mg0%
Sodium 220mg10%
Potassium 38mg1%
Carbohydrates 15g5%
Sugar 14g16%
Vitamin A 15IU0%
Vitamin C 1.2mg1%
Calcium 8mg1%
Iron 0.3mg2%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

We hope you enjoy this sauce as much as we have!  We store our leftover sauce in the fridge in mason jars. What’s your favorite sauce?  Comment below and let us know!

honey mustard BBQ sauce recipe

Filed Under: Dinner, Home, Recipes Tagged With: condiments, recipes, sauce

Ridiculously Easy BBQ Chicken

July 19, 2012 by Larisha Campbell Leave a Comment

I don’t really care for bone-in chicken, I don’t like digging around to find all my meat, I dislike the fat, so I always have to cut it off, and it takes longer to cook.  However, its usually cheaper than boneless so occasionally I will just buy it and suck it up.
I do, on the other hand, love our easy BBQ chicken, especially when it has my bbq sauce recipe on it. Since I started making my BBQ sauce, I try to figure out any and everything I can make to put it on, it’s really that amazing.
So here’s what I did…

Remove chicken from packaging and then I removed as much fat as possible.

 

 

 

Sprinkle seasoning on it.

 

Place in greased baking dish. Cook in preheated oven for 20 minutes.

Take out and cover one side entirely with BBQ sauce. Return to oven for an additional 20 minutes.

Remove and cover again with more BBQ sauce to cover entire chicken.  Return to oven for an additional 5 minutes of until chicken is cooked thoroughly.

Serve with your favorite sides and leftover sauce for dipping!
 
0 from 0 votes
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Ridiculously Easy BBQ Chicken
Author: Larisha Campbell
Ingredients
  • 4 pieces bone-in chicken
  • 1 tbsp Mrs Dash Chicken seasoning
  • 1 serving BBQ Sauce recipe divided
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease baking dish and sit aside.
  2. Remove any fat from the chicken if desired.
  3. Sprinkle seasoning onto chicken and place in baking dish. Cook for 20 minutes.
  4. While this is cooking, make the BBQ sauce.
  5. Remove chicken and smother the side that's up entirely with sauce.
  6. Return to oven and cook for an additional 20 minutes.
  7. Remove and again smother chicken entirely on side that's up with sauce. Return for an additional 5 minutes or until chicken is cooked entirely. Remove and enjoy with your favorite sides.
  8. Use remaining BBQ sauce for dipping.
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Filed Under: Dinner, Home, Recipes Tagged With: bbq, chicken, dinner, recipes, sauce

Spicy Vegetarian Spaghetti Sauce

July 3, 2012 by Larisha Campbell Leave a Comment

I have always loved spicy food.  There’s nothing better than a little heat.  Since I found out I was pregnant, my love for it has increased like crazy.  I always want something spicy.  I was watching the Food Network the other day and saw a recipe for Spicy Spaghetti.  How could I resist!? I was determined to make my own spicy vegetarian spaghetti sauce.

I’ll admit…at first I was somewhat nervous.  The last time I tried to make homemade spaghetti sauce (about 8 years ago) it was disgusting. Like, almost inedible.  To top it off I knew I would have to work extra hard to chopped everything up very small because my fiance HATES chunky sauce. I decided to give it a go anyways.

Start by gathering a onion, green pepper, jalapeno, and 2 cloves of garlic.

 

Chop all very fine.

 

 

 

 

 

Add olive oil and choppedingredients to a medium saucepan. Heat on medium for 10 minutes until everything is very tender.

Add crushed tomatoes, oregano, Salt, cracked pepper, cayenne, hot sauce, and sugar.Turn heat down and simmer for 20 minutes.

Serve over top of your favorite pasta! 🙂

This was quite the spicy dish.  If making for kids, I would consider easing up on the spice.  We both really enjoyed this meal and it will be added to the dinner rotation 🙂

0 from 0 votes
Print
Spicy Vegetarian Spaghetti Sauce
Prep Time
5 mins
Cook Time
30 mins
Total Time
35 mins
 

This spicy vegetarian spaghetti sauce is the perfect sauce for pasta, on top of meat, and so much more.

Course: Sauces
Cuisine: American, Italian
Servings: 8
Calories: 79 kcal
Author: Larisha Campbell
Ingredients
  • 1 whole chopped green pepper
  • 1 whole chopped small yellow onion
  • 1 whole chopped jalapeno ,seeded
  • 2 garlic cloves ,minced
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon hot sauce
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
  • Salt and Cracked Black Pepper to taste
Instructions
  1. In a medium sized pot, add oil, pepper, onion, jalapeno, and garlic and heat on medium for 10 minutes or until very soft.
  2. Then add oregano, cayenne pepper, hot sauce, sugar, and tomatoes.
  3. Add Salt and Cracked Black Pepper to taste.
  4. Heat on simmer for an additional 20 minutes.
  5. Serve over top of your favorite cooked pasta.
Nutrition Facts
Spicy Vegetarian Spaghetti Sauce
Amount Per Serving (0.5 cup)
Calories 79 Calories from Fat 27
% Daily Value*
Fat 3g5%
Sodium 139mg6%
Potassium 356mg10%
Carbohydrates 11g4%
Fiber 2g8%
Sugar 6g7%
Protein 2g4%
Vitamin A 355IU7%
Vitamin C 28.8mg35%
Calcium 46mg5%
Iron 1.5mg8%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Whats your favorite type of pasta?  I love rotini, but used fettuccine last night 🙂

This recipe is also amazing with our Bacon Fried Meatballs!!

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Filed Under: Dinner, Food Creations, Home, Recipes Tagged With: dinner, recipes, sauce, spaghetti


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