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 Sweet Baby Ray’s. Have not tried homemade but hope to someday.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I actually don’t like bbq sauce. I prefer just a rub of seasonings.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I have never made homemade BBQ sauce before. I can’t
Please log in or create a free account to comment.wait to try this recipe! Most brands at the store are just too sweet, not to mention all the unhealthy ingredients.
My cabinets are well stocked with all the different varieties of Sweet Baby Ray’s, but I’m always willing to try a homemade version — esp. with a Blendtec!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I am very partial to East Carolina vinegar-based sauces and Sourh Carolina mustard-based sauces. Both styles do not require cooking but sure could benefit from the best blender on the market! Just sayin’.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I make my own BBQ. Will get the recipe to you if you’re wanting it. All homemade BBQ sauces are so much better than store bought.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I love sweet baby Rays
Please log in or create a free account to comment.My fav BBQ sauce is similar to yours, and a recipe from way back, with mustard, vinegar and hot sauce. I haven’t made it in years since the recipe also called for a cup of brown sugar. Your recipe sounds delicious and I’m going to mix up a batch and tweak it just a little to see if my old recipe can be made healthy. Thanks for the inspiration Jillee! As always, I enjoy all your posts! (and I dream of owning a Blendtec!!!!!)
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Sweet Baby Ray’s is also a favorite in my house.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.My favorite BBQ sauce is actually my husbands family recipe . The secret ingredient is Jim Bean or Jack Daniels.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.My mom always made home made bar-b-que sauce for our family as well. (ketchup, vinegar, garlic, honey, Worcester, salt, pepper etc.).
Loving my moms recipes, I have pared a few of hers down, easy peasy for a single gal cooking for one.
My sweet bar b que sauce is just ketchup, a dash of mustard, brown sugar til thick, and garlic powder and salt and peppar to taste. It is so thick I can overcook my chicken in the oven and it comes out moist when totally covered by the thick bar b que sauce! Simple and delish!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I’ve made a BBQ sauce similar to yours but with maple syrup and garlic…delicious! I definitely need to make homemade BBQ sauce more often! If I’m buying BBQ sauce then we usually go for Stubbs!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I usually buy Sweet Baby Rays but tried sauce you had on your site for ribs, mmmm delicious. Now I make that with a little change in ingredients depending on the use.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.My favorite is a delicious local pepper sauce called Punks Gourmet Pepper Sauce, and I like the Smokin’Sauce over the Mild of the two varieties.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Since this post has so many comments I was wondering if any of Jillee’s readers could help me out with a problem I am having. I signed up to receive email updates since Jillee’s blog is one of my favorites but I never receive any. No, they are not in my junk folder. Any ideas? TIA!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Love sweet baby rays but of course nothing beats a good homemade sauce! Yours looks amazing!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Jillee- My Mom is allergic to onions and she lives with us, so… it is a constant battle to find products without onions. IF I can find it, I will buy a bottled sauce without onions but, more & more, my husband concocts his own sauces created totally impromptu. A Blendtec blender would be an IMMENSE help! Thank you for all you do, you’re great!!!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I had no idea that my favorite store-bought sauce was as popular with so many others. Sweet Baby Ray’s is my favorite for ribs and pulled pork. Rudy’s is my favorite for brisket. My Darling Hubby smokes the best meat on the planet, but we haven’t been able to make a home-made sauce better than Sweet Baby Ray’s or Rudy’s. I’ll be anxious to try this recipe and see if it can beat them. Thanks for all you do, Jillee and co.!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I’m a Sweet Baby Ray’s fan for sure! I’d love to try a homemade recipe though, so this is on my list!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I love the one called 6 ingredient..fairly reasonable but Jillee, thanks for posting this. I’ve tried a few homemade sauces and they failed. Can’t wait to try this!!! Thanks again Jillee – we appreciate all that you do!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I honestly can’t stand commercial BBQ sauce! It is so strong! I am on the everlasting hunt for homemade sauce. I would like to give this version a try! TY!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Maybe this will be my favorite BBQ sauce!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Now that the rains have finally stopped in MN, we will be BBQing more often. We use Sweet Baby Rays at our house but looking forward to making your recipe.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.We like either Sweet Baby Ray’s or KC Masterpiece original. Less sugar is better for you but we do like sweet BBQ sauce! :-)
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I love BBQ but haven’t found a sauce I like. Will definitely be trying this.
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