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
Growing up my favorite BBQ sauce was from a local restaurant called Hal’s Grubstake…no longer exists. My family would stop by about once a month to buy a quart of their sauce. We have worked at trying to replicate the flavor and think we may have gotten close…close enough that we enjoy our recipe. It has much the same ingredients as yours but we use honey as the sweetener…so good!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I don’t have a favorite BBQ sauce…which one I use depends on my mood and what I am making. I look forward to trying this one, though! I always prefer to make something homemade if I can!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I love a bbq sauce that has a bit of a kick to it!! I recently have grown to love Franks sauce, and have started to add it to every thing! I may have to try making my mom recipe for bbq sauce and add some Franks.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I love a vinegar-based, spicy BBQ sauce
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Sweet baby rays, but I would love to try this recipe. Hope I win this great blender.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.favorite sauce? homemade of course!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Kinder’s BBQ sauce here in California is the best! :)
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I love, love, love BBQ sauce. I almost always make my own (and have been impressed by the comments that I have read here–willing to try some new ideas!) and follow my Mom’s simple recipe. . .tomatoes, a bit of salt, sugar/molasses, mustard, onion, tabasco and allspice. The.Best.Ever.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.My favorite store bought brand is Bull’s Eye Original. I lost my favorite homemade recipe years ago and cannot find or replicate it!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.My husband just started making his own BBQ sauce recently and it is so good! It has a good spicy kick to it and doubles perfectly to use the leftovers as an Enchilada Sauce.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.My favorite BBQ sauce is homemade but I don’t have a recipe. I just throw stuff in until it tastes good! It must contain molasses or dark brown sugar though!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.We like Cattlemen’s, I believe it is smokehouse. Very good but this one reminds me of my favorite sauce from the County Line BBQ in Austin. Thanks for sharing!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I don’t have a favorite but I like hot bbq sauce!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.My favorite seems to change, often. Currently an amazing local brand (no hfcs here ) but this recipe looks yummy also!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I love my BBQ sauce a little sweet and a little tangy!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Aloha!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.My favorite bbq sauce is one I make with homemade guava syrup, tomato sauce, shoyu, oyster sauce, liquid smoke, lemon juice, and just a little Hawaiian chili peppers! :)
This sounds good! I recently tried a rhubarb bbq sauce recipe-not bad!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I recently tried a bbq sauce with rhubarb! Not too bad-this one sounds good!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I currently don’t have a favorite bbq sauce. I found a recipe a few years back that I made and thought was good, but now I can’t find it again. Oops!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.My favorite bbq sauce is Sweet Baby Rays. Yummy!!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Sweet Baby Ray’s is my favorite
Please log in or create a free account to comment.The best BBQ sauce I’ve had is from a small place near where I grew up called The Swingin’ Door. I have no idea what makes it special, but it’s delicious!!!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Sweet baby ray’s all the way..I may have to try this recipe if I win though. My current blender is on the fritz.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.My favorite sauce is dependent on what I am making/eating. It can be Kraft original or a homemade recipe. Just love BBQ sauce.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.We love Sweet Baby Rays.
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