Easy barbecue sauce comes together in just minutes. It doesn’t require any cooking – just stirring.

Add a few pantry-friendly ingredients to a bowl, and get saucing!

Jar of barbecue sauce on table with Soy Curls and greens.

When you have a hankering for barbecue but don’t have any sauce in the house, here’s the perfect answer.

Make this easy barbecue sauce with ingredients you already have on hand in the refrigerator & pantry.

It doesn’t require any cooking.

Just add ingredients to a bowl & stir.

Sure, a bottle of barbecue sauce is inexpensive & convenient.

But if you have a problem finishing the whole bottle, or if you’re in a bind & need BBQ sauce quick, it couldn’t be simpler to make your own with this recipe.

This BBQ sauce comes together in only seconds, thanks to a few pantry-friendly staples.

In this post:

Jump to:

Ingredients
Step by step instructions
Make it your own
What to serve with it
How long will it last?
📖 Recipe

Ingredients

Here are the ingredients you will need to make this recipe.

Ketchup: Ketchup brands vary by sweetness. I recommend using a natural ketchup that doesn’t include high fructose corn syrup, so that it’s not overly sweet.

Apple cider vinegar: It adds tang, light sweetness & a bit of apple flavor, which works nicely here. It can be replaced with white wine vinegar or rice vinegar.

Stone ground mustard: This grainy mustard adds tang & bite.

Liquid smoke: Liquid smoke is really a must here to give this sauce the smoky flavor you expect in BBQ.

I like to buy Wright’s brand, because it has only two ingredients – water & natural hickory smoke concentrate.

Keep in mind that with liquid smoke, a little goes a long way. Don’t get heavy handed.

Maple syrup: This adds sweetness & light flavor. It can be replaced with agave syrup.

Molasses: It adds sweetness & depth of flavor.

Salt: A pinch of salt brings it all together.

Step by step instructions

Here’s how to make this recipe at a glance. For complete ingredient amounts & instructions, keep scrolling to the recipe card below.

Spoon lifting barbecue sauce out of jar.

Combine the following:

Ketchup
Apple cider vinegar
Stone-ground mustard
Liquid smoke
Maple syrup
Molasses
Salt

The sauce is ready to use right away.

Or you can put it in a jar in the refrigerator to enjoy later.

Make it your own

Ketchup brands vary by sweetness. Add more or less maple syrup & molasses to suit your tastes.

If you’d like a bit of heat, add a dash of hot sauce.

What to serve with it

Barbecued Soy Curls in skillet by collards and vegan mac & cheese.

Barbecue sauce is great slathered on vegan pulled pork or BBQ jackfruit alongside collard greens, and vegan mac & cheese.

Or stuff barbecued Soy Curls into a vegan BBQ sandwich with coleslaw.

Slather this easy barbecue sauce onto your favorite plant protein on the grill.

Or use it as a dipping sauce with sweet potato fries, vegan pigs in a blanket, air fryer polenta fries, or vegan onion rings.

How long will it last?

All of the ingredients in this sauce are super long lasting.

Kept in a covered container in the refrigerator, it will easily keep at least 2 or 3 weeks, if not longer.

If you try this recipe and love it, let me know! Leave a comment and ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating in the comment section below. It truly makes my day and is such a help!

📖 Recipe

Easy barbecue sauce

Author: Cadry Nelson

5 from 5 votes

When you're in a hurry but need barbecue sauce now, this sauce is a great way to go. It uses pantry-friendly ingredients, and no cooking required.

Makes a little less than ½ cup of barbecue sauce.

Print Pin Rate

Prep Time: 1

Cook Time: 1

Total Time: 2

Servings: 7 servings

Course: Sauce

Cuisine: American, Vegan

Keyword: barbecue, bbq, dip

Ingredients

Instructions

▢
Combine all ingredients in a small bowl until smooth.
▢
Use right away or store in a covered container in the refrigerator.

Notes

Ketchup brands vary by sweetness. If you’d like, you can omit the maple syrup & molasses. However, apple cider vinegar & mustard add a tang that is balanced nicely with a little sweetness.

For the nutrition information, a serving size is one Tablespoon. But obviously, your serving needs will vary depending on the way you’re using the sauce.

Leftovers will keep in a covered container in the refrigerator for at least 2 or 3 weeks.

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Nutrition

Content, recipe, and photos updated March 30, 2021. Originally posted April 3, 2014.

Easy barbecue sauce: No cooking required

Ingredients