Growing up, my Mom always made her own homemade BBQ sauce and that's where this recipe was adapted from. This easy Bbq Sauce with ketchup is great for anything you need BBQ sauce for, it's a quick BBQ sauce (it only takes about 5 minutes, if that, to throw together.)
Although I generally buy BBQ sauce these days because I need to save time wherever I can, I always make this one if I run out and am in a pinch! So, why not make your own BBQ sauce? And if you don't have all the exact ingredients, don't worry - I have lots of substitutions you're bound to have on hand! It's also WW friendly. This BBQ sauce uses pantry ingredients so it's quick and easy to make and tastes great! In fact, it's the best homemade BBQ sauce I've ever tasted.
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🥘 Ingredients
Yeah you guessed it- KETCHUP is the main ingredient in this homemade bbq sauce! You will only need a handful of ingredients, including:
- lemon juice
- garlic
- brown sugar
- HP sauce
- chili sauce (I use Heinz)
🍽Equipment
You simply need a spoon or a whisk to stir the ingredients together. You can store this homemade BBQ sauce in a jar or any sealed container in the fridge. A barbecue brush (affiliate links) also comes in handy.
📖 Variations & Substitutions
- Lemon Juice: use white vinegar instead of lemon juice (if you don't have lemon juice) *My Mom actually used vinegar in the original recipe
- Chili Sauce: skip the chili sauce and use additional ketchup and a ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper and ¼ teaspoon chili powder if you don't have chili sauce on hand
- HP Sauce: substitute 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce for HP sauce if you don't have it
- Sugar: you can use white granulated sugar if you don't have brown sugar
- Lighten it up/reduce calories: use sugar-free ketchup to lower the WW points, if you desire
- Garlic: use minced garlic in a jar, if you don't have fresh or use garlic powder if you have neither
- Smoky flavor - use a ¼ teaspoon of liquid smoke to give it a smoky flavor
⚖️Scaling the recipe
You can cut this easy barbecue sauce recipe in half or double it, depending on your needs. I make the entire amount and it's more than enough for our family of 4. However, if you want more or less, simply click on the blue servings number, change it to the servings you want and the recipe will automatically adjust accordingly.
🌡️Storing
You can make this easy barbecue sauce with ketchup a day or two in advance and it can be stored in the fridge for up to 3 days. Store it in an airtight container or a mason jar.
🌶️ Can this be made spicy?
Add a few dashes (to your liking) of Tabasco sauce or another type of hot sauce to make it spicier!
🍖Grilling
If you don't have a BBQ or it's either too cold to grill or you don't want to shovel a path to the BBQ, then consider investing in a stovetop grill! (affiliate link). They do a great job of grilling meat, in the comfort of your home, give you gorgeous grill marks, and are very economical and easy to store!
💭My Favorite Ways to use BBQ sauce
- On BBQ chicken or baked chicken: Easy Baked Hoisin Chicken Quarter Recipe
- On pork, steak and burgers
- On barbecue ribs: Smoky Mesquite BBQ Slow Cooker Beer Ribs *shown below
- Meatballs: Slow Cooker Cranberry Turkey Meatballs
If you're looking for an easy homemade bbq sauce you can make with ingredients you already have on hand (like ketchup) then you'll love this one!
Happy Grilling!
📋Easy Barbecue Sauce (with ketchup) recipe
Ingredients
- ¾ cup ketchup
- ⅓ cup lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon minced garlic
- ⅓ cup chilli sauce
- 2 tablespoon of HP sauce
- 2 tablespoon brown sugar
Instructions
- Mix all ingredients together!
Vanessa
What a great way to quickly whip up some BBQ sauce! We always seem to have ketchup on hand do this is great!
AmyG
Thanks for sharing this recipe now i have a backup for when i run out of barbecue sauce. Pinning so I don't loose this recipe!
AmyG
Thanks for sharing this recipe now i have a backup for when i run out of barbecue sauce. Pinning so I don't loose this recipe!
nancy
thanks for this recipe. it's perfect for bbq and ribs this weekend!