This brown sugar BBQ sauce is so easy to make and so much better than anything you can buy at the store. It has sweetness from the brown sugar and a little kick from the cayenne and vinegar. A delicious all-around BBQ sauce for chicken, burgers, ribs, or anything that needs a delicious kick of flavor.
If you have not tried making your own homemade BBQ sauce before, this is the perfect recipe to start. This sweet BBQ sauce is our go-to sauce for making baked BBQ chicken (all year no matter the weather), hamburgers and ribs on the grill, and we even add it to our turkey patties and pulled pork sliders.
I started making this when I really wanted to up my summertime BBQ game and now it is one of my favorite recipes. It is also so easy to make.
Ingredients
The ingredients that you need to make this are all commonly found ingredients at the store. I prefer simple recipes like this 🙂
- Brown sugar
- Ketchup. Any variety will work.
- Onion
- Garlic
- Cayenne pepper
- Worcestershire sauce
- Apple cider vinegar
- Vegetable oil. This is to cook down the onions and garlic.
See the recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
Sauté onions and garlic until soft.
Add all other ingredients and simmer.
Once you have chopped the onions and garlic and cooked them, all that is left is to add the other ingredients into the saucepan and simmer for just a few minutes.
If you prefer a completely smooth BBQ sauce, just add the finished sauce to a food processor or blender for a minute until smooth. I also love adding a fruity note to this sometimes adding some nectarine jam.
Tip: This sauce can be made a few days ahead of time and stored in the fridge until you need it. So make this during the week for that weekend BBQ!
Storage
This barbecue sauce stores well in the fridge for up to one week. If I am making this BBQ sauce ahead of time, I like to pour it into a mason jar and let it cool.
Once cooled, I place the lid on top and put it in the fridge until I need it.
Top tip
When cooking with BBQ sauce you want to make sure to cook the meat almost completely before adding the sauce. Since BBQ sauce has sugar in it, it will char quickly when exposed to heat. The best barbecue dishes are made when the BBQ sauce is added during the last 5-10 minutes of cooking.
More BBQ Recipes
Looking for other recipes like this?
Brown Sugar BBQ Sauce
Ingredients
- 1.5 cups Ketchup
- ½ cup Apple cider vinegar
- ¼ cup White onion diced finely
- ¼ cup Worcestershire sauce
- ¼ cup light brown sugar
- 3 Cloves garlic diced finely
- 1 tsbp Chili powder
- 1 tablespoon Vegetable oil
- ⅛ teaspoon Cayenne pepper
Instructions
- In a sauce pan over medium heat, add oil, onions and garlic.¼ cup White onion, 1 tablespoon Vegetable oil, 3 Cloves garlic
- Cook until softened, about 5 minutes.
- Now add the other ingredients to the sauce pan and simmer for another 5 minutes.1.5 cups Ketchup, ½ cup Apple cider vinegar, ¼ cup Worcestershire sauce, ¼ cup light brown sugar, 1 tsbp Chili powder, ⅛ teaspoon Cayenne pepper
- Remove from heat and allow to cool.
- Once cooled, if you prefer a smooth bbq sauce just add it to a food processor and blend until smooth.
- Store bbq sauce in a sealed container for up to one week in the fridge.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition Values are estimates only.
See full nutrition disclaimer hereTried the Recipe? We Would Love To Hear From You In The Comments Below!
Dean R says
We made this brown sugar bbq sauce last night and it is so good. We used it for bbq chicken and I can't wait to try it on steak and burgers next.
Melissa says
I am so glad you enjoyed it Dean!