This easy and homemade brown sugar BBQ sauce recipe is one you’ll make over and over! The perfect blend of sweet, tangy, spicy, and ready in less than 20 minutes. Gluten free + Vegan friendly!
Having a homemade BBQ sauce is one of those things that really sounds more complicated than it really is. Using pantry staples like ketchup, soy sauce, and pineapples (the secret ingredient!), you can mix up the best BBQ sauce ever in under 20 minutes.
Plus, it’s super allergy friendly with modifications for most dietary restrictions like fish free, soy free, gluten free, vegan, and refined sugar free!
Free from: Wheat, gluten, dairy, casein, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, coconut, fish, shellfish, crustaceans, mollusks, celery, corn, sesame, lupin, sulfites, and more
Optional free from: Soy, Refined Sugar
A bottle of store-bought sauce can be convenient, but they aren’t always allergy friendly or vegan. A lot of brands have anchovies or corn to sweeten or thicken the sauce.
There are some brands that are available in stores that are fish free, like Annie’s or Primal Kitchen.
But honestly, this is a super simple brown sugar barbecue sauce that tastes so good, you won’t ever need to buy a bottle of barbecue sauce again!
We use this exact recipe in my house all the time for things like BBQ Lentil Burgers, as a dipping sauce for sweet potato wedges, or even on pizza! You can also use it for baked beans, on top of a meatloaf, or anything else you use BBQ sauce for.
Jump to:
Why You’ll Love this Brown Sugar BBQ Sauce
- Super easy to mix up in one bowl and 15 minutes on the stovetop!
- Allergy Friendly recipe
- Naturally gluten free
- Make with pantry staple ingredients
- TONS of flavor; it’s so flavorful!
Ingredients
Here is a quick rundown of all the ingredients you’ll need for this brown sugar BBQ sauce. For the exact recipe measurements, allergy substitutions, and variations, keep reading, and the full recipe is in the recipe card below.
- Ketchup: I use Annie’s ketchup for most of my sauces, however, you can use your favorite ketchup to be the base of this barbecue sauce recipe. If you only have tomato sauce, you can still make this recipe, just increase the sugar and spices to get the similar flavor profile of ketchup.
- Brown Sugar: This is the sweetness of the sauce! This sauce is on the sweeter side so if you would like it less sweet, simply use less sugar. I would recommend reducing it to a ¼ cup of sugar to start.
- Date Syrup / Molasses: This adds that rich, thick, undertone to the sauce and is a must! I really recommend that you use date syrup if possible. However, using unsulfured molasses and NOT blackstrap molasses is also delicious.
- Pineapple Juice: This is the secret ingredient! The pineapple juice brings a bright and tangy flavor to the sauce.
- Soy Sauce: I like to use soy sauce in place of liquid smoke or worcestershire sauce. Those ingredients aren’t super allergy friendly. Soy sauce brings that umami flavor and works perfectly.
- Spices: Ground mustard powder, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, and chili powder round out the spices here. See the recipe variations on how to further customize the flavors to get exactly what you love!
Allergy Substitutions
If you are gluten free, make sure that you are using Tamari in place of soy sauce.
If you are avoiding corn, make sure that you use a ketchup that has no high-fructose corn syrup.
Avoiding soy? Make sure to use coconut amino acids in place of the soy sauce.
Need a tomato free version? Make sure to check out my Tomato Free BBQ Sauce recipe!
Recipe Variations
The best part about making homemade barbecue sauce from scratch is how adaptable the recipe is. You can totally customize your sauce until it’s perfect for you. Here are a few ideas on how to get started!
- Make it sweeter: Add 2 tablespoons more of brown sugar and an extra tablespoon of pineapple juice for even more sweet bbq sauce!
- Make it tangy: After simmering on the stove, add 1 teaspoon of apple cider vinegar and mix.
- Make it smokier: Use smoked paprika in place of sweet paprika for some light smoky flavors. I don't typically like to add liquid smoke, as they contain a lot of artificial colors and flavors.
- Make it spicy: In addition to the chili powder, add up to a teaspoon of chipotle powder, depending on how spicy you enjoy it!
- Refined Sugar Free: A great way to reduce the sugar content is to replace the brown sugar with an equal amount of coconut sugar. You can also add in some maple syrup in place of the brown sugar, however, this can make the sauce a little less thick. Finally, you can simply reduce the amount of sugar til it is as sweet as you like!
Instructions
For the full instructions, complete with ingredient amounts, please see the recipe card below!
Making this sauce from scratch is super simple! All you do is mix it all together in a bowl (or to be honest, you can even mix it in the pot!) and bring it to a simmer for 3 minutes. That’s it!
- Combine the ingredients. Measure out the ingredients into a large bowl. Using a whisk, mix until everything is well combined and smooth.
- Simmer and serve. Transfer to a large pot for cooking. Over medium-low heat, bring the sauce to a gentle simmer. Make sure to stir frequently so nothing burns! Once it is simmering, let it simmer for 3 minutes to melt the sugars. When it’s done remove from the heat to cool for 5 minutes and enjoy!
Recommended Equipment
This recipe has you simmering the sauce on the stove, which can cause a big mess! I suggest using a splatter screen to cut down on how messy this can get.
A glass Mason Jar are one of my favorite methods for storing homemade sauces in the fridge.
Tips and Tricks
Freeze smaller amounts of this in an ice cube tray if you only need a few tablespoons of sauce at a time, for example for playing on top of a bbq chicken pizza!
How to Store + Make Ahead
Fridge: Allow the BBQ sauce to cool to room temperature and then transfer it to an airtight container. Store in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
Freezer: Allow the BBQ sauce to cool to room temperature and then transfer to an airtight freezer-safe storage container. Pop it in the freezer for up to 3 months. Let it thaw in the fridge overnight before heating and using again.
Make Ahead: This sauce tastes amazing after resting overnight in the fridge! Make this a few days in advance to allow the flavors to blend together.
More BBQ Recipes to Love
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Recipe
Equipment
- mixing bowl
- mixing spoons
- measuring cups
- measuring spoons
- whisk
- Cooking pot
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ cups ketchup
- ½ cup brown sugar can swap for coconut sugar
- ¼ cup date syrup can swap for molasses
- ¼ cup pineapple juice
- ¼ cup water
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce can swap for tamari or coconut amino acids
- 2 teaspoons mustard powder
- 2 teaspoons paprika
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon chili powder can swap for chipotle powder, add more to taste
- ½ teaspoon salt
- Black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Combine the ingredients. Measure out the ingredients into a large bowl. Using a whisk, mix until everything is well combined and smooth.
- Simmer. Transfer to a large pot for cooking. Over medium heat, bring the sauce to a gentle simmer. Make sure to stir frequently so nothing burns! Once it is simmering, let it simmer for 3 minutes to melt the sugars. When it’s done remove from the heat to cool for 5 minutes and enjoy!
Notes
- If you are gluten free, make sure that you are using Tamari in place of soy sauce.
- If you are avoiding corn, make sure that you use a ketchup that has no high-fructose corn syrup.
- Avoiding soy? Make sure to use coconut amino acids in place of the soy sauce.
- Need a tomato free version? Make sure to check out my Tomato Free BBQ Sauce recipe!
- Make it sweeter: Add 2 tablespoons more of brown sugar and an extra tablespoon of pineapple juice for even more sweet bbq sauce!
- Make it tangy: After simmering on the stove, add 1 teaspoon of apple cider vinegar and mix.
- Make it smokier: Use smoked paprika in place of sweet paprika for some light smoky flavors. I don't typically like to add liquid smoke, as they contain a lot of artificial colors and flavors.
- Make it spicy: In addition to the chili powder, add up to a teaspoon of chipotle powder, depending on how spicy you enjoy it!
- Refined Sugar Free: A great way to reduce the sugar content is to replace the brown sugar with an equal amount of coconut sugar. You can also add in some maple syrup in place of the brown sugar, however, this can make the sauce a little less thick. Finally, you can simply reduce the amount of sugar used.
- Fridge: Allow the BBQ sauce to cool to room temperature and then transfer it to an airtight container. Store in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
- Freezer: Allow the BBQ sauce to cool to room temperature and then transfer to an airtight freezer-safe storage container. Pop it in the freezer for up to 3 months. Let it thaw in the fridge overnight before heating and using again.
- Make Ahead: This sauce tastes amazing after resting overnight in the fridge! Make this a few days in advance to allow the flavors to blend together.
Nutrition
The nutritional information on this website is only an estimate and is provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
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