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
We are also partial to Stubbs! However, since I’m Paleo, and my family is low-sugar in general, we are always looking for new homemade recipes. I can’t wait to try this one and maybe infuse it with a little Canadiana by using maple syrup in place of the stevia. Thanks so much for sharing!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I love white sauce!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.My favorite bbq sauce is the one my husband makes, my second fav is masterpiece, I like it sweet and spicy and its gia have that smoke flavor to it, yours meets my criteria so have to try it. A Blendtec would be the perfect thing to whip it up. Good luck to everyone.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.We like Stubbs or making our own using my brother’s fresh maple syrup.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.This sauce looks great and very easy. I’m definitely going to try it. Our current favorite is Williams BBQ sauce which we buy in gallon jugs!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I like to make my own bbq sauce and my favorite always has honey or brown sugar in it.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I use a bottle sauce mostly but would try this the next time I have company over. Pretty sure it will impress them. Does the blender come in colors?
Please log in or create a free account to comment.My Dad’s bar-b-que sauce for his grill ribs – not too sweet, not too tomatoey with just the right amount of zing from vinegar!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Love Stubbs now and still Sweet Baby Rays but make an awesome vinegar based on that was my grandpa’s when I can.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I love a good smokey, hint of sweet BBQ sauce. Liquid smoke makes everything taste really good. ;) I’ll have to give this a try.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Our favorite BBQ sauce is from Dinosaur BBQ in Syracuse NY! Mmmm! I grew up with that sauce and it didn’t take much to convert my husband to it!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I like sweet baby rays original. However, as I have gotten more aware of what I eat I read it contains high frutose corn syrup. :( Would love to have a blentec to make my own.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I love Stubb’s Hickory Bourbon BBQ sauce!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.My fave is Garland Jack. It’s made in Garland Texas, not far from where I live. No HFCS. It is so dang good!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I have never made homemade barbecue sauce. Sounds delicious! I usually buy Sweet Baby Rays.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Not much of an expert on bbq sauce but usually like those that are more on the sweet side :)
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I don’t really have a favorite sauce recipe. We usually make it from scratch. I would love a blendtec. I know we’d use it for a lot of different recipes. My mom would be thrilled to have one of these gadgets.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.If it’s BBQ, it has to be Sweet Baby Ray’s!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I am always looking for good recipes to make. I do buy store bought but as soon as I find a good recipe that’s it. I am going to try this one, it looks like a keeper. I use honey in most of my recipes.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I like a mix of Jack Daniels w/ honey, lemon and garlic and seasonings, reduce and paint it on your BarB Q
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I go back and forth between Sweet Baby Ray’s and Head Country. love them both. I can’t wait to try this homemade version. And a Blendtec would be divine!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I like a sweet BBQ and Sweet Baby Ray’s has been at the top of my list for a while now. I also love an Asian inspired BBQ with ginger, soy, and honey for sweetness! YUM!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I like the sweeter ones too, I can’t think of a specific favorite but probably a local shop, maybe Whitt’s.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Sweet Baby Rays all the way.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.The favorite BBQ sauce is a family recipe of my wife’s family. The family name is Farley so the sauce is called Farley-Q but for a good and quick sauce I always have a few bottles of Sweet Baby Rays on hand in the pantry. If you’d like the secret recipe for Farley-Q please let me know and I’ll e-mail it to you.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.