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 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.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.We usually use a tomato based sweet and spicy BBQ sauce, whatever is on sale. I keep toying with making my own, however, because all the regular brands contain high fructose corn syrup.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.My husband’s BBQ sauce, he uses what is in the house so it is different every time. Usually he uses chipotle sauce.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I love our local bbq restaurant’s sauce. It’s got just the right amount of everything.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I’ve tried making my own, but it could never compare to what my dad used to make. He’d slow simmer it for hours and made the house stink so good!! I’ve never heard of, much less used the liquid aminos for cooking. Would this be an integral part of this recipe? For now, my go-to sauce has also always been Sweet Baby Ray’s. No BS, just darn good sauce. =)
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I have to say Sweet Baby Rays, but I think I will be making the recipe that you gave to give it a try. Thanks!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.We like the Sweet Baby Rays! Or my Hubby’s homemade when he has the time to make it!!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I love a BBQ sauce from a small local place that makes their own. It is not a vinegar-y sauce, more mustard and a little sweet from honey? They won’t reveal the “secret recipe” LOL
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I usually buy Sweet Baby Ray’s, but we also like Montgomery Inn, which is a local sauce.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Sweet Baby Ray’s barbecue sauce is our family’s favorite.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.My favorite BBQ sauce is Trader Joe’s Kansas City Style.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Up till NOW it was Sweet Baby Ray’s on my favorite list (basically because it’s gluten free)….but THIS sounds amazing too!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Sweet Baby Ray’s
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Always add honey, just enough to balance the vinegar! Oh, and a little liquid smoke! Aaahhhh, Blendtek, fingers crossed! Love your stuff Jillee!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I have struggled to find a store bramd that is both gluten free and has no HFCS. Looking forward trying this!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Last summer I made a BBQ sauce that beat any other I’ve ever tried! My winning flavors? Fresh summer peaches and chipotle peppers!!! My mouth is watering just thinking about it!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.We eat a lot of BBQ! Homemade sauce is the best. This recipe is close to what I use. I will be trying this. We love to put BBQ sauce on salmon. For those of you who haven’t tried it, you need to. It is our favorite. YUM!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I love Sweet Baby Rays. Although, so often in a pinch, I make kido bbq sause = Catsup, mustard, brown sugar, and vinegar. Sensory kids just don’t like anything SPICY!!!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Sweet Baby Ray’s
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Maurice’s from SC!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.