A Delicious Homemade BBQ Sauce That’s Ready In Seconds
When I was a girl, I loved most of the food my mom made, but I was always particularly excited when she made ribs with homemade BBQ sauce. Mom’s BBQ sauce was thick, sweet, and slightly tangy — exactly how I like it!
I didn’t find out that her recipe had a bonafide secret ingredient — prunes baby food — until my siblings and I were teenagers. (Knowing how we would have reacted to that knowing that were eating a fruit puree for babies, I can’t say I blame her for keeping that a secret as long as she did!)
With it being grilling season, I thought I’d share my take on my mom’s easy BBQ sauce recipe here in this post! Grab your blender and a few simple ingredients, and you’ll be seconds away from a delicious sauce that’s sure to steal the show at your next backyard barbecue.
How To Make Blender BBQ Sauce
Ingredients:
- 1/2-1 cup brown sugar (for a sweeter sauce, use the higher amount)
- 1 cup ketchup
- 1 (2 1/2 ounce) container prunes baby food (my mom’s secret ingredient!)
- 2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 Tbsp liquid smoke
- 1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp garlic powder
Directions:
Get ready for the world’s easiest instructions…
Put all the ingredients in your blender, then blend until smooth. At that point, you can either warm the sauce on your stove or use it as is. And that’s it!
Additions & Substitutions
The recipe above is great as is, but don’t be afraid to add or swap ingredients to make it your own! You can add a dash of hot sauce or cayenne to give it a bit more heat, use less brown sugar, add more garlic — whatever sounds good to you!
One of the great things about this BBQ sauce recipe is that you can make a big batch of it and freeze whatever you won’t use right away. (I suggest pouring the extra sauce into an ice cube tray and freezing it, then transferring the frozen cubes to a ziplock freezer bag!)
What Can I Put Blender BBQ Sauce On?
Brush this easy BBQ sauce on grilled chicken and serve with a fresh salad for a perfect summertime meal. I also love this sauce on a homemade BBQ chicken salad with black beans, corn, red onion, and ranch dressing. So good!
You can brush blender BBQ sauce on meatloaf and burgers, add it to shredded pork or chicken for sandwiches, and even stir into some mayo to make a tangy dip for french fries and onion rings. It’s also great on delicious BBQ chicken pizza too!
More Hot-Off-The-Grill Goodness
Check out these other posts:
Do you have a favorite recipe or dish with BBQ sauce?
Blender BBQ Sauce Recipe
Equipment
- Blender or a bowl and whisk
Ingredients
- ½-1 cup brown sugar to taste
- 1 cup ketchup
- 2½ ounces baby food prunes or prune puree
- 2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 Tbsp liquid smoke
- 1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp garlic powder
Instructions
- Add all ingredients to your blender and blend until smooth.
- Warm before using, if desired.
Nutrition
More Ideas You'll Love
Sweet Baby Ray’s – I put it on pretty much everything :)
Please log in or create a free account to comment.My favorite store bought is regular Jack Daniels…when I was a teenager my friends mom made the best homemade BBQ sauce and she is the one who got me started on liking BBQ sauce…
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Stubb’s BBQ sauce is our family favorite!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I like a sweet BBQ sauce so I usually use Sweet Baby Ray’s but my favorite is my mom’s homemade recipe. I haven’t made it in a few months. Maybe this week!!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.For me, when we lived in NC, a deaconess in our church got us hooked on the simplest barbeque.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.A little oil (I use olive), Cayenne Pepper (I prefer the ground) and Apple Cider Vinegar. Add until it’s to your liking and finish with a little salt & pepper to taste. Great and not so messy.
I make a combination depending on what I have in the cabinet and refrigerator. I like catsup, Sweet Baby Ray, Heinz 57, brown sugar, hot sauce…whatever I can find. Thanks for the opportunity to win a Blentec!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Being from Kansas City, I am a bit opinionated when it comes to BBQ. We love Gate’s and Rosedales, both KC classics. Thanks for the chance to win and the great recipe
Please log in or create a free account to comment.My favorite BBQ sauce is Rudy’s!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Our family loves Sweet Baby Rays! However one of my dreams is to own a Blendtec so I can make my family fresh, healthy and yummy recipes like this one! What a dream!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Between my daughter and I we love just about every bbq out there but our favorite is a friends homemade sauce, he calls is Emma-q sauce my daughter!!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Cattleman’s BBQ sauce is my favorite although I also keep Sweet Baby Ray’s because my son uses it as a base for all his crazy dipping concoctions he makes!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I love the sweet baby ray’s bbq sauce! Its so delicious!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I like Sweet Baby Rays, but will make my own when I have the time. Would love to try a healthier version with a new blender!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I have never made my own barbecue sauce but would love to give it a try. The heating option on the blendtec sounds awesome! I think the last kind of sauce we purchased was Kraft brand.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I’ve always used Kraft. I posted this on fb with the comment about trying to get away from a lot of preservatives and junk, and making my own one of these days. I have two recipes to try. Since they take effort and use ingredients I don’t normally keep in my pantry, I’ll most likely continue to use Kraft.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I never really liked BBQ sauce until my hubby asked for bbq chicken one day and I had to make my own since we were out. I found a recipe from the Neely’s on the Food Network and I actually liked it. I think that making my own bbq sauce instead of buying it, may help me like it more!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Ohhhh I NEED that Blendtec SO BAD Jillee!!!
I love Sweet Baby Ray’s for bottled sauce, but if I am making my own I use Ina Garten (Barefoot Contessa)’s recipe. It is really good and has a great depth of flavor!
Barbecue Sauce:
1 1/2 cups chopped yellow onion (1 large onion)
1 tablespoon minced garlic (3 cloves)
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 cup tomato paste (10 ounces)
1 cup cider vinegar
1 cup honey
1/2 cup Worcestershire sauce
1 cup Dijon mustard
1/2 cup soy sauce
1 cup hoisin sauce
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1/2 tablespoon crushed red pepper flakes
Directions:
In a large saucepan on low heat, saute the onions and garlic with the vegetable oil for 10 to 15 minutes, until the onions are translucent but not browned. Add the tomato paste, vinegar, honey, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, chili powder, cumin, and red pepper flakes. Simmer uncovered on low heat for 30 minutes. Use immediately or store in the refrigerator.
Yield: 1 1/2 quarts.
This stuff is really da BOMB, although it is a bit of work. I bet I could make it with the BLENDTEC BLENDER if I HAD ONE!!!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Thanks for all the great stuff Jillee! Keep up the good work!
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Your recipe looks fairly easy and I have most of the ingredients. I’ve added yours to the list of those I want to try. It’s a short list–I had 2, added Jillee’s, and now yours; total 4.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I love Stubb’s- and any that are low in sugar, but would love to be able to make my own! Thank you so much for giving away such an amazing blender!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.My favorite is any homemade kind, with some type of dark beer in it!!! :) <3
Please log in or create a free account to comment.And it also has to have a spicy element, preferably a Habanero!!! ;)
Please log in or create a free account to comment.We like Rufus Teague, all natural BBQ sauce.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I like to mix balsamic vinegar with worscheshire (sp?) marinate the meat in it then brush on as a glaze when the meat is almost done. Add a little bit of red pepper for some heat.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I really like HP and A1 sauces .
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I have not been able to find a BBQ sauce b/c of all the sugar and gluten! Can’t wait to try yours !!!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I love any BBQ sauce with a little kick to it.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.My family loves mt recipe for BBQ sauce – loaded with brown sugar – so going to give this a try!
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