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A silver spoon dipping into a glass jar filled with the finished vegan bbq sauce. Tiny tomatoes are in the foreground.

Easy Homemade Vegan BBQ Sauce

This easy and homemade brown sugar BBQ sauce recipe is one you’ll make over and over! The perfect blend of sweet, tangy, spicy, and ready in less than 20 minutes.
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Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes
Total Time 10 minutes
Servings: 8 quarter cup servings
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: American
Calories: 101
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 1 ¼ cups ketchup
  • ½ cup brown sugar can swap for coconut sugar
  • ¼ cup date syrup can swap for molasses
  • ¼ cup pineapple juice
  • ¼ cup water
  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce can swap for tamari or coconut amino acids
  • 2 teaspoons mustard powder
  • 2 teaspoons paprika
  • ½ teaspoon garlic powder
  • ½ teaspoon onion powder
  • ¼ teaspoon chili powder can swap for chipotle powder, add more to taste
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • Black pepper to taste

Equipment

  • Mixing bowl
  • Mixing spoons
  • measuring cups
  • Measuring spoons
  • Whisk
  • Cooking pot

Method
 

  1. Combine the ingredients. Measure out the ingredients into a large bowl. Using a whisk, mix until everything is well combined and smooth.
  2. Simmer. Transfer to a large pot for cooking. Over medium heat, bring the sauce to a gentle simmer. Make sure to stir frequently so nothing burns! Once it is simmering, let it simmer for 3 minutes to melt the sugars. When it’s done remove from the heat to cool for 5 minutes and enjoy!

Notes

Recipe Variations 
  • Make it sweeter: Add 2 tablespoons more of brown sugar and an extra tablespoon of pineapple juice for even more sweet bbq sauce! 
  • Make it tangy: After simmering on the stove, add 1 teaspoon of apple cider vinegar and mix. 
  • Make it smokier: Use smoked paprika in place of sweet paprika for some light smoky flavors. I don't typically like to add liquid smoke, as they contain a lot of artificial colors and flavors. 
  • Make it spicy: In addition to the chili powder, add up to a teaspoon of chipotle powder, depending on how spicy you enjoy it! 
  • Refined Sugar Free: A great way to reduce the sugar content is to replace the brown sugar with an equal amount of coconut sugar. You can also add in some maple syrup in place of the brown sugar, however, this can make the sauce a little less thick. Finally, you can simply reduce the amount of sugar used. 
How to Store + Make Ahead 
  • Fridge: Allow the BBQ sauce to cool to room temperature and then transfer it to an airtight container. Store in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. 
  • Freezer: Allow the BBQ sauce to cool to room temperature and then transfer to an airtight freezer-safe storage container. Pop it in the freezer for up to 3 months. Let it thaw in the fridge overnight before heating and using again. 
  • Make Ahead: This sauce tastes amazing after resting overnight in the fridge! Make this a few days in advance to allow the flavors to blend together.