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 like Sweet Baby Ray Hickory & Brown Sugar when I buy. I have a recipe that I mix up when I make meatballs that is yummy also.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.It has to be Gates! Or Rendevoux rub.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.My favorite bbq sauce is Annie’s Sweet & Spicy…yummy good and readable indredients gives it a ++. My 40+ year old Oster blender is moody and sometimes decides not to do any work when I need it most, so a new BlendTec would be awesome. Good luck everyone.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.My favorite is Sweet Baby Rays.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I found a fabulous homemade BBQ sauce recipe in an Amish cookbook I purchased early on in our marriage. It is YUMMY!!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I start my BBQ sauce with ketchup. I also cook it on the stove until thickened, try it sometime! Thanks for all of your great ideas! Judy
Please log in or create a free account to comment.‘Cookies’ is a hit at my house, no HFCS and I can buy it in bulk ;)
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Our favorite for flavor is Sweet Baby Rays. I don’t like that it has high fructose corn syrup in it though.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Our family favorite is Sweet Baby Ray!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.My current favorite is one make with roasted strawberries and Chipotle, and we used to have an awesome BBQ restaurant that made their own sauces and my favorite from them was Cujo Monkey Sauce, it was sweet but quite spicy.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I don’t have a favorite brand, but flavors… smoky, slightly sweet, just enough vinegar to thin and flavor – not to kick you. I don’t really like the hot-spicy type.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Our favorite BBQ sauce is Carolina Treet.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.My favorite BBQ sauce for red meat is Sweet Baby Ray’s but for chicken I like Maurice’s (a mustard based BBQ) out of South Carolina.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I love sweet/spicy BBQ sauces the best, but can’t have sugar. So I have recently tried making my own. Can’t wait to try out this recipe!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.My husband’s sauce is awesome! We are from Tennessee, so BBQ is our thing, ya’ll. I love Memphis style BBQ. Yummy!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.We are big fans of Sweet Baby Ray’s here and often purchase it by the jug through our local warehouse store.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Like you, Jillee, my mom always made a homemade BBQ sauce when I was growing up. It was a dark vinegar sauce with brown sugar and lots of sweet onions simmered on the stove. I’ve made her sauce a few times, but like you, I often resort to the convenience (albeit less desirable) bottled sauce. You inspire me to get back o using the good stuff! I have BlendTec envy.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I just by the cheapest, but it would be great to make a customized version!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Oh, memories… I loved my Grandma’s Hortencia BBQ Sauce, it was sweet but just with the righ hint of spices & full of flavor. Just, Yummy!
I miss my grandma…
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Our favorite BBQ sauce is “Carolina Gold” (mustard based) by Trader Joe’s!!! Mmmmmm GOOD!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.My favorite BBQ sauce is Stubb’s. My husband is not a big fan of most BBQ sauces because they are too sweet for him, so I’ll have to try your sauce and see how he likes it. Thank you for sharing.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.My grandma had a recipe that U now have. It takes a long time to make. I may need to make this one or do some experimenting on her recipe!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I generally like Sweet Baby Ray’s but this recipe sounds incredibly delish! Would love to try this on my amazing baby back ribs recipe!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Stubb’s Sweet Heat, but I’d love to try this recipe too!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Since eating clean, we don’t buy store bought sauces. We don’t seem to make the same sauce twice but what we do make is spicy. The spicier the better.
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