3-Ingredient BBQ Sauce

This 3-Ingredient BBQ Sauce is an easy small batch of homemade BBQ sauce with a healthy twist and sugar-free keto option. Plus, it’s ready in under 15 minutes and perfect for a dipping sauce on any meat, burger, or fries.

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I love to use BBQ sauce in my favorite recipes, like my Blackened Chicken, Smoked Cauliflower, or even Air Fryer Brussel Sprouts but commercial versions are loaded with questionable ingredients. So I decided to make it myself with as few ingredients as possible.

A classic BBQ sauce is a thick, sweet, and smoky tomato sauce made from a ketchup base, vinegar, sweetener, and many other spices that can add all the difference to the sauce. Some barbecue sauces are extremely smoky with the use of liquid smoke, smoked paprika, or extra sweet as they use more sugar than others.

Ingredients and Substitutions

All you need are:

• Ketchup – You can either use store-bought ketchup if it’s low enough in carbs or use my ketchup recipe for a healthy BBQ sauce.
• Apple Cider Vinegar – you can of course use other vinegar like white vinegar, but apple cider vinegar is a healthier choice loaded with good bacteria and a lovely apple flavor that marry well with BBQ sauce.
• Brown Sugar – or sugar-free brown erythritol for a sugar-free BBQ sauce. Other healthy options are honey or maple syrup.

How To Make 3-Ingredient BBQ Sauce

It’s very easy to whip a small batch of BBQ sauce to dip any meat or vegetables or create the most flavorsome burger or sandwich.

1. Simply add all the ingredients to a non-stick saucepan, stir and bring to low-medium heat.
2. Simmer uncovered for about 10-15 minutes, occasionally stirring with a wooden spoon, until the sauce thickens.
3. Remove the saucepan from heat and cool down before using the sauce or storing it.

Adding Flavors

You can add a boost of flavor to this homemade BBQ sauce, feel free to add some of the flavorings below:

• Liquid smoke
• Smoked paprika
• Worcestershire sauce
• Onion powder
• Black pepper

Storage Instructions

This homemade barbecue sauce can be stored very well in a glass mason jar in the fridge for up to 1 week. You can freeze it in ice cube trays, Ziploc bags, or airtight containers for up to 3 months. Use the frozen sauce directly in any hot dishes or thaw it in the fridge the day before using.

Keto Option

A keto BBQ sauce is a sugar-free BBQ sauce made with no artificial sweetener, only sugar-free natural sweetener. To make this recipe keto-friendly, use:

• Homemade ketchup recipe or unsweetened ketchup.
• Sugar-free keto brown sweetener like brown erythritol or brown allulose.

Serving Suggestions

This easy BBQ sauce recipe is delicious as a dipping sauce for meat, fries or to spread on burger buns or sandwiches. It’s perfect with chicken, pork, and beef steaks and ribs, but it also works on jackfruit and banana blossoms!

Learn how to cook your steak to the perfect level! Some of the most popular recipes to dip into this tasty BBQ sauce are:

More Sauce And Dip Recipes

If you like easy, healthy sauce recipes, you’ll love these: