By Grocery List Plus Editorial Staff | Published on June 12, 2026
Serves 8
240 cal · 65 min
Easy Homemade BBQ Sauce
Recipe GLPRc38c29e85e1c86
A rich and tangy homemade BBQ sauce made from simple pantry staples. Ketchup forms the flavorful base, balanced with the sweetness of brown sugar and honey, brightened by cider vinegar and Worcestershire sauce, and seasoned with garlic powder and paprika. This sauce simmers low and slow for an hour to develop deep, complex flavors. Perfect for grilling, glazing, or dipping.
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Ingredients
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/2 cup cider vinegar
1/2 tablespoon garlic powder
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon honey mustard
5 cups ketchup
1/2 tablespoon paprika
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
Directions
Gather all ingredients and measure them out into separate bowls for easy addition to the sauce.
Pour the ketchup into a large saucepan and add the brown sugar, cider vinegar, garlic powder, honey, honey mustard, paprika, and Worcestershire sauce.
Stir all ingredients together until well combined, making sure the brown sugar and spices are fully incorporated.
Place the saucepan over medium heat and bring the sauce to a gentle simmer.
Once simmering, reduce the heat to low and maintain a slow, gentle simmer for about 60 minutes. Stir occasionally every 10-15 minutes to prevent the sauce from sticking to the bottom of the pan and to help the flavors meld together.
The sauce is ready when it has thickened slightly and the flavors have deepened. Allow to cool completely before transferring to an airtight container. Store in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks.
Comments
Every ingredient is a pantry staple at every major Charlotte chain—brown sugar, cider vinegar, garlic powder, honey, honey mustard, ketchup, paprika, and Worcestershire sauce are all readily available at Harris Teeter, Food Lion, Kroger, Walmart, and ALDI with no special trips needed. The stated 65 minutes is misleading; actual active time is about 10 minutes of measuring and stirring, then 55 minutes of simmering, so a weeknight cook can spend the time on something else. Cost per serving lands around 40 cents, driven by honey and Worcestershire as the most expensive components. The real limitation is that while the sauce stores well refrigerated for weeks, this recipe yields enough for one meal's worth of grilling rather than a large batch to freeze, making it less of a make-ahead winner than a true BBQ-season staple would be.
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