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
I love southern style BBQ sauce. Jillee I love your blog and site, keep up the great work. I really appreciate your time and giving of your knowledge, and your research. I think it’s wonderful for you to be able to work with so much of your family!!! Thanks!!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.My favorite is from a restaurant in our town called J.L.’s BBQ. It is so good you could drink it!!!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I just started using Stubbs and it is yummy and only 1 of 2 BBQ sauces I’ve found that does not contain high fructose corn syrup.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Sweet Baby Rays is our favorite. I will try your recipe. Thanks for the chance for the blender!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.My favorite BBQ recipe is ketchup, mustard & brown sugar. I brush it on my meatloaf, chicken, pork, etc.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Thanks for the opportunity to win a BlendTec blender…Awesome!!
Sounds like a great sauce, cant wait to try it!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I’ve never tried to make my own sauce, which is shameful. lol However, I agree with all the others that Sweet Baby Ray’s is a great tasting sauce & my favorite. I’m currently out of it so I should try your recipe. Thanks Jillee for another great giveaway!!!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Any flavor of Stubbs BBQ sauce
Please log in or create a free account to comment.My favorite sauce is the “Carolina” sauce from our local BBQ shop. It is smokey, barely sweet with a mustard tang. Yum!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I think this one in today’s column is going to be my favorite. Avoiding sugar like I do, I needed one using stevia. I can’t wait to try this.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I make my own. Recipe from Taste of Home I found years ago.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.My favorite BBQ sauce is a recipe my Father uses (which he hasn’t shared) my nephew and son uses it as a dipping sauce for everything. If he’ll share I’ll post it.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I have been using Walmart’s Great Value BBQ Sauce. I like it.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I also have to say sweet baby rays. It has a great taste and also a great price!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I thought I hated BBQ sauce until I tried making my own for a meatball recipe. Nothing beats the goodness of homemade! Liquid smoke adds that extra oomph that turns the brown sugar/garlic/ketchup concoction into a tempting treat for the tongue. My husband’s not convinced yet, but I’ll get him there someday.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Love a great simple recipie for school nights!! This is way yummy vs a jar!!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I’m not a huge fan of bbq sauce because of all the sugar and unhealthy additives. Your’s sounds easy and healthier- I’ll have to try it!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.my favorite sauce was from a little place in texas that sent their folks to a traveling rib show that i attended several years ago. it was not overly sweet and had just enough heat. pure perfection.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.i promise that if i win the gorgeous blendtec i will start making my own barbecue sauce! it would be wonderful to control the ingredients! (thanks for your recipe. xoxo)
We make a delicious homemade BBQ sauce but it has more sugar than I’d like. I’m excited to try your recipe! I love Liquid Smoke. Thanks for sharing.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Love love love Stubbs!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.My favorite BBQ sauce is Head Country’s Award Winning BBQ sauce! It’s just the right balance of sweet and savory.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I also love the BBQ sauce at a restaurant called County Line.
Still searching for a favorite.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I really like Sweet Baby Rays for those quick meals. When I have the time I mix up my own.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I like homemade grape ketchup as a BBQ sauce.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I like Montgomery Inn BBQ sauce, but I’ll bet that’s going to change when I make your recipe! Thanks!
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