3-Ingredient BBQ Sauce
By Carine Claudepierre
Published on 06/16/2022 - Last updated on 11/04/2023
This recipe may contain Amazon or other affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
This 3-Ingredient BBQ Sauce is an easy small batch of homemade BBQ sauce with a healthy twist and sugar-free keto option.
Plus, it’s ready in 15 minutes and perfect for a dipping sauce on any meat, burger, or fries.
What’s A BBQ Sauce?
A BBQ sauce is a thick, sweet, and smoky tomato sauce made from a ketchup base, vinegar, sweetener, and many other spices that can add all the difference to the sauce.
Some barbecue sauces are extremely smoky with the use of liquid smoke, smoked paprika, or extra sweet as they use more sugar than others.
Why You’ll Love This Sauce
This barbecue sauce recipe tastes delicious and is also:
- Dairy-Free
- Egg-Free
- Gluten-Free
- Grain-Free
- Low-Carb
- Vegan
- Only 3 Ingredients
- Ready In 10 Minutes
- The Best Keto BBQ Sauce
How To Make 3-Ingredient BBQ Sauce
It’s very easy to whip a small batch of BBQ sauce to dip any meat or vegetables or create the most flavorsome burger or sandwich.
Ingredients
All you need are:
- Ketchup – You can either use store-bought ketchup if it’s low enough in carbs or use my ketchup recipe for a healthy BBQ sauce.
- Apple Cider Vinegar – you can of course use other vinegar like white vinegar, but apple cider vinegar is a healthier choice loaded with good bacteria and a lovely apple flavor that marry well with BBQ sauce.
- Brown Sugar – or sugar-free brown erythritol for a sugar-free BBQ sauce. Other healthy options are honey or maple syrup.
Preparation
Simply add all the ingredients to a non-stick saucepan, stir and bring to low-medium heat.
Simmer uncovered for about 10-15 minutes, occasionally stirring with a wooden spoon, until the sauce thickens.
Remove the saucepan from heat and cool down before using the sauce or storing it.
Best BBQ sauce flavors
Of course, to add a boost of flavor to this homemade BBQ sauce, feel free to add some of the flavorings below:
- Liquid smoke
- Smoked paprika
- Worcestershire sauce
- Onion powder
- Black pepper
Storage Instructions
This homemade barbecue sauce can be stored very well in a glass mason jar in the fridge for up to 1 week.
You can freeze BBQ sauce as well, in ice cube trays, zip-lock bags, or airtight containers for up to 3 months.
Use the frozen sauce directly in any hot dishes or thaw it in the fridge the day before using.
Keto BBQ Sauce Options
A keto BBQ sauce is a sugar-free BBQ sauce made with no artificial sweetener, only sugar-free natural sweetener.
To make this recipe keto-friendly, use:
- Homemade ketchup recipe or unsweetened ketchup.
- Sugar-free keto brown sweetener like brown erythritol or brown allulose.
Serving BBQ Sauce
This easy BBQ sauce recipe is delicious as a dipping sauce for meat, fries or to spread on burger buns or sandwiches.
It’s perfect with chicken, pork, and beef steaks and ribs, but it also works on jackfruit and banana blossoms!
Learn how to cook your steak to the perfect level!
Some of the most popular recipes to dip into this tasty BBQ sauce are:
Frequently Asked Questions
Below I listed some of your most frequent questions about this easy barbecue sauce recipe:
Not all store-bought BBQ sauces are gluten-free, and it is worth checking the ingredients listed in the product.
Some BBQ sauce contains gluten as a thickener or in the food coloring used in some brands.
Yes, most of the time yes, BBQ sauces are vegan, but some brands can use some animal food coloring, so it is worth checking.
Yes, and that’s why you should store the sauce in the fridge in an airtight container.
Homemade BBQ sauce lasts about 1 week in the fridge. For store-bought sauce, look at the packaging recommendation date after opening the bottle.
Yes, this homemade BBQ sauce recipe contains sugar and tomatoes that can develop bacteria if not refrigerated after opening.
For food safety, always store the sauce in the fridge in a sealed sterilized jar or store-bought jar.
More Sauce And Dip Recipes
If you like easy, healthy sauce recipes, you’ll love these:
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3-Ingredient BBQ Sauce
Ingredients
- 2 cups Ketchup (note 1)
- ½ cup Apple Cider Vinegar
- 4 tablespoons Brown Sugar (note 2)
Optional flavors
- 2-3 teaspoons Worcestershire Sauce
- ½ teaspoon Liquid Smoke
- ¾ teaspoon Smoked Paprika
- ½ teaspoon Onion Powder
Instructions
- In a non-stick saucepan, add all the 3 ingredients and any optional ingredients from the flavor idea list if desired.
- Stir to combine and bring to simmer for 10-15 minutes over low-medium heat. Cook uncovered until the sauce thickens, stir occasionally.
- Taste the sauce and adjust the flavors by adding salt, pepper, more sweetener, or optional flavoring. Always stir after any addition.
- Cool down at room temperature, in the saucepan, before refrigerating.
Storage
- Store up to 1 week in the fridge in a sealed glass mason jar.
Notes
Want My Kitchen Equipment?
About The Author
Hi, I'm Carine, the food blogger, author, recipe developer, published author of a cookbook and many ebooks, and founder of Sweet As Honey.
I have an Accredited Certificate in Nutrition and Wellness obtained in 2014 from Well College Global (formerly Cadence Health). I'm passionate about sharing all my easy and tasty recipes that are both delicious and healthy. My expertise in the field comes from my background in chemistry and years of following a keto low-carb diet. But I'm also well versed in vegetarian and vegan cooking since my husband is vegan.
I now eat a more balanced diet where I alternate between keto and a Mediterranean Diet
Cooking and Baking is my true passion. In fact, I only share a small portion of my recipes on Sweet As Honey. Most of them are eaten by my husband and my two kids before I have time to take any pictures!
All my recipes are at least triple tested to make sure they work and I take pride in keeping them as accurate as possible.
Browse all my recipes with my Recipe Index.
I hope that you too find the recipes you love on Sweet As Honey!
Disclaimer
The recipes, instructions, and articles on this website should not be taken or used as medical advice. The nutritional data provided on Sweetashoney is to be used as indicative only. The nutrition data is calculated using WP Recipe Maker. Net Carbs is calculated by removing the fiber and some sweeteners from the total Carbohydrates.
You should always calculate the nutritional data yourself instead of relying on Sweetashoney's data. Sweetashoney and its recipes and articles are not intended to cure, prevent, diagnose, or treat any disease. Sweetashoney cannot be liable for adverse reactions or any other outcome resulting from the use of recipes or advice found on the Website.
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Loved it! I made this recipe for a BBQ and actually used it to marinate the meat, turned out great.
I made this sauce with the paprika option and I paired it with your chicken tenders, 👌👌