Easy barbecue sauce: No cooking required

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!

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.

How to make this easy barbecue sauce

Here are the ingredients you’ll need for this fast & simple recipe.

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. Some include high fructose corn syrup and are super sweet. Other natural brands, which is what I recommend, are more mild.

So when you’re making the sauce, you’ll want to adjust based on your ingredients & personal preferences. Add more or less maple syrup & molasses to suit your tastes.

Apple cider vinegar adds tanginess, and a bit of sweetness balances that nicely. But if you’d prefer, you can omit the maple syrup & molasses.

If you don’t have apple cider vinegar, rice vinegar or white wine vinegar will work instead.

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 a little goes a long way. Don’t get heavy handed.

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

What to serve with it

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, 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.

Easy barbecue sauce

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.

5 from 6 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Sauce

Cuisine: American, Vegan

Keyword: barbecue, bbq, dip

Prep Time: 1 minute

Cook Time: 1 minute

Total Time: 2 minutes

Servings: 7 servings

Calories: 18kcal

Author: Cadry Nelson

Ingredients

• ▢ 6 Tablespoons ketchup
• ▢ 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
• ▢ ½ teaspoon stone-ground mustard
• ▢ ½ teaspoon liquid smoke
• ▢ ½ teaspoon maple syrup
• ▢ ½ teaspoon molasses
• ▢ Pinch salt

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.

Nutrition

Calories: 18kcal | Carbohydrates: 4g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 122mg | Potassium: 50mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 66IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 4mg | Iron: 1mg

Tried this recipe?Tag @cadryskitchen on Instagram and hashtag it #cadryskitchen!

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