Side Dish Sauces and Condiments Sauces BBQ Sauce Recipes 24 Homemade Barbecue Sauce Recipes That Are So Good, You'll Never Buy Store-bought Again We'll be making these all season long. By Melanie Fincher Melanie Fincher Melanie Fincher is a Birmingham, Alabama–based food writer who covers everything from cooking techniques to gadget reviews. She has nearly 7 years experience writing news and lifestyle content. Allrecipes' editorial guidelines Updated on May 24, 2024 Close Photo: DOTDASH MEREDITH FOOD STUDIOS Whether its for a Memorial Day barbecue or a summer grilling gathering, you need a great barbecue sauce. But, as many of us know, barbecue sauce is a matter of personal preference, and folks can be particular about what ingredients should or shouldn't be included. Making your own barbecue sauce ensures you have complete control over what goes in it, unlike what you'll find at the store. No matter what regional barbecue camp you fall into, here you're sure to find a homemade barbecue sauce that suits your taste. 01 of 24 Big Al's K.C. Barbecue Sauce As one of just two cities that can claim their own unique barbecue style (the other being Memphis), Kansas City knows a thing or two about barbecue sauce. This classic KC-style sauce gets its sweetness from molasses and ketchup, and liquid smoke gives it its signature smoky flavor. View Recipe 02 of 24 A Very Popular Barbecue Sauce DOTDASH MEREDITH FOOD STUDIOS This sauce is just the right balance of sweet and spicy, thanks to the brown sugar, ketchup, and hot pepper sauce. Reviewer DMB4LIFE says, "It would be foolish to ever buy the store bought kind again. You just can't compare them." View Recipe 03 of 24 Vegan Barbeque Sauce Danielle K You can serve this vegan barbecue with another vegan barbecue alternative like jackfruit or glazed on top of a rack of ribs. Oh, and you can can use it right away or make it ahead store in a glass jar in the fridge to use throughout the summer. View Recipe 04 of 24 Kathy's Award Winning Barbecue Sauce "This is a thick and spicy barbecue chicken recipe that has won several cooking contests," says recipe creator Kathy. "The sauce consists of molasses, brown sugar, tomato juice and spices all pureed together in a blender." View Recipe 05 of 24 Buzzsaw's Barbecue Sauce You can use this sauce on the side or as marinade for beef, pork, or chicken. "I used this sauce for chicken thighs and it was so good!" says reviewer Tami H. "It doesn't even come close to store bought barbecue sauce. Next time I will try it on ribs!" View Recipe 06 of 24 Korean Barbecue Sauce Reviewers say this sauce—which includes soy sauce, Sriracha, fresh ginger, and sesame oil—is great served over grilled salmon, spare ribs, or chicken thighs. View Recipe 07 of 24 Mustard Based Barbecue Sauce Many barbecue sauces are ketchup-based, but mustard-based sauces reign supreme in South Carolina's "Mustard Belt." This traditional recipe features just five pantry staple ingredients. View Recipe 08 of 24 Sweet and Tangy Barbecue Sauce Vinegar gives this sweet sauce a bit of kick. You'll want to keep some of this sauce in the fridge for all your summer grilling. View Recipe 09 of 24 Smokin' Jack Barbecue Sauce Chipotle peppers in adobo sauce add fiery flavor to this top-rated BBQ sauce. Recipe creator Big Chag suggests trying it on a pulled pork sandwich with coleslaw as the ideal sauce. View Recipe 10 of 24 Alabama-Style White Barbecue Sauce DOTDASH MEREDITH FOOD STUDIOS Alabama's signature barbecue sauce was created in 1925 at Big Bob Gibson's in Decatur. It's a peppery mayonnaise-based sauce that can be used as a marinade, basting sauce, or serving sauce. View Recipe 11 of 24 Easy Barbecue Sauce "I came up with this recipe via trial and error after running out of barbecue sauce one too many times. Now my family will not have any other kind," says recipe creator Joyce. "I make it in double batches and store it in a mason jar in the refrigerator." Ketchup, brown sugar, onion, teriyaki sauce, hot sauce, and liquid smoke are all you need to make this easy barbecue sauce. View Recipe 12 of 24 Raspberry Hot Barbecue Sauce Before you toss your jar of pickles, be sure to save the juice for this unique sauce. The acidity of the pickle juice helps to balance the sweetness of the raspberry preserves and the spice of the hot pepper sauce. View Recipe 13 of 24 Costa del Sol Barbeque Sauce This sauce, straight from the Spanish Costas, gets a kick from red chile peppers and cayenne pepper. View Recipe 14 of 24 Guava Barbeque Sauce Guava's tropical, tangy flavor is an excellent pairing for savory meats, particularly pork. View Recipe 15 of 24 Eastern North Carolina Barbecue Sauce with a West Coast Twist Chef John's take on East North Carolina-style sauce uses honey in place of sugar. This all-purpose condiment is especially fantastic on pulled pork. View Recipe 16 of 24 Easy Barbecue Sauce Fennel seeds and soy sauce add non-traditional flavor to this sauce. "I think this would be outstanding on ribs or even grilled pork chops," says Allrecipes Allstar lutzflcat. View Recipe 17 of 24 Blackberry Habanero Barbecue Sauce If you're looking for an out-of-the-box barbecue sauce, your search ends with this sweet-heat blackberry sauce. View Recipe 18 of 24 Pomegranate Molasses Barbecue Sauce The fruity, tart flavor of this sauce plays well with meats like pork, chicken, and lamb. View Recipe 19 of 24 Peach-Jalapeno Barbeque Sauce Say hello to summer grilling with this seasonal sauce! Peaches complement a variety of meats, including chicken, pork, and beef. View Recipe 20 of 24 Caribbean Barbecue Sauce Spiced rum adds Caribbean flair to this tangy, island-style sauce. View Recipe 21 of 24 Bacon and Onion Barbecue Sauce For added texture, try crumbling the bacon and adding it back to the sauce, as Allrecipes Allstar lutzflcat suggests. View Recipe 22 of 24 Pacific Rim Barbecue Sauce Hoisin sauce, soy sauce, ginger, and Chinese 5-spice powder add Asian-inspired flavor to this East-West fusion sauce. View Recipe 23 of 24 Tahini Barbecue Sauce Tahini is responsible for the unique, nutty flavor of this Barbecue sauce. "It goes wonderful with chicken!" says recipe creator Reima. View Recipe 24 of 24 Maple Whiskey Barbecue Sauce Recipe creator France C suggests making this sauce a day ahead of time to give the flavors time to marry. View Recipe More Inspiration Top-Rated Recipes for Your Barbecue Menu The Best Barbecue Side Dishes 16 Barbecue Recipes You Can Make Without a Grill Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! 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