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 like a balance between sweet and smoky, with a kick!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Excited about the Blendtec!!!
I love BBQ sauce! BBQ season is awesome! I’m from Canada so I haven’t seen a lot of the sauces mentioned in the comments. I like Kraft smoked flavor. We have been talking about making our own for a long time. It’s now time! I will try this recipe. This Blendtec looks amazing! I use my old blender (got it as a wedding gift 26 years ago) with the blades screwed onto a sealer jar! Works well, but a new one would be awesome!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.My new favorite BBQ sauce is Rufus Teague (made some sauce). It is the best BBQ sauce I have ever eaten. I make BBQ salmon frequently and when I used this last time it was fabulous.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.My homemade BBQ sauce is my favorite – very similar to your recipe, only I use ketchup.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I like an oldie; Open Pit. It is full of sugar I’m sure, but I use it sparingly.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I really don’t have a favorite brand, however, I love any sweet and spicy sauce….especially, when someone else cooks for me… I’ll take their BBQ! :-)
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Our favorite sauce is Joe Allen’s sauce in Abilene Texas
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I haven’t made my own yet but I do like Sweet Baby Ray’s sauce!!!!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I’m a sucker for Sweet Baby Ray’s. So bad for you and yet so good! I’ll have to try this recipe out now… and hopefully make BBQ ribs a little more often now that the sauce isn’t a dessert in and of itself.
Thanks Jillee!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.My favorite barbecue sauce is Sweet Baby Ray’s!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Sweet Baby Ray. Nasim mentioned Trader Joe’s. I’ll be trying that next.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I love Famous Dave’s Devil Spit.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Hello! This sounds really good!! My family LOVES Head Country BBQ Sauce. We’re from Oklahoma, and I believe Head Country is made here in OK!!! :) Good luck on winning the blender, everyone! I really wish I would win, too!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.We like Bullseye, but are still experimenting and trying different brands in an attempt to find the one that suits us best.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Sweet baby rays is a family favorite. (Even more my fav when it’s buy one get one free, woohoo!)
Please log in or create a free account to comment.We love Sticky Fingers- and it does not have high fructose corn syrup in it. I used to buy Sweet Baby Rays until I realized they used HFCS. Would love to try your recipe too.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.My go to BBQ sauce is one my late father in law made. It has Spiced Rum in it. I also use this in the slow cooker to do ribs.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.My favorite sauce is red and sweet.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I like a smoky BBQ sauce and not too sweet.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.We usually use Sweet Baby Ray’s BBQ =)
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Sweet baby rays
Please log in or create a free account to comment.We love Sweet Baby Rays! Use it all the time, but I think making my own would be awesome!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.So many out there. I like a honey BBQ either homemade or Jack Daniels is good.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.My favorite bbq sauce is Bone Suckin Sauce, sweet, rich and robust.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I make homemade sometimes, but also love Sweet Baby Rays.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.