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A healthy homemade BBQ sauce is exactly what you need to take your dinner from bland to outstanding. But where on earth do you find one? Getting high quality, low carb sauces on the shelf at your local grocery market isn’t easy… and when you do, sugar-free BBQ sauce is usually code for flavor-free, as well. And no one wants that.
No, what you need is a rich, tangy, smoky sugar-free barbecue sauce that will take your chicken, ribs, or whatever else you’re cooking up to the next level! That’s why making sugar-free barbecue sauce at home is a great idea.
And with this recipe, you’ll never lack for a flavorful, delicious low carb BBQ sauce again. So fire up that grill and get cooking!
Creating a Sugar-Free BBQ Sauce Recipe
Before making this low carb BBQ sauce recipe, this store bought sugar-free BBQ sauce was the only way we could have a keto BBQ sauce when we grilled out. It’s decent, and much better than any other sugar-free barbecue sauce I’ve tried. However, the balance of flavors is not as rich and smoky as I would like.
The other downside to a purchased low carb barbecue sauce is that they often sweeten with sucralose. You want to be healthier than that when you can. It still tastes pretty good and contains no added sugar, so if you’re not up to making your sugar-free barbecue sauce, it’s still a good option.
However, I wanted to give you a great low carb barbecue sauce. And, here it is!
You can make your own bbq sauce at home that has blue-ribbon flavor.
Ingredients for Keto Low Carb BBQ Sauce
I must admit, this challenge was a bit daunting. Making homemade barbecue sauce can be a Big Deal. People have competitions for barbecue sauce recipes! And, different parts of the country (and the world!) all have different interpretations of what makes an excellent BBQ sauce.
As if that weren’t enough, this low carb blog is also all about recipes with ten ingredients or less. If you’ve ever looked at the ingredient list for a barbecue sauce, or tried to make your own using just about any recipe, you probably know this isn’t the easiest promise to uphold. No matter how you like it, BBQ sauce has a ton of complex flavors!
It took a few experiments to get my low carb barbecue sauce recipe just right. Or at least good according to the family and friends I had as taste testers.
So what’s in a keto BBQ sauce recipe? Not as much as you’d think… and that’s the key.
There is no high fructose corn syrup, pointless chemicals, or crazy additives when you make this keto sauce at home. A healthy, low carb BBQ sauce can be made with only a dozen ingredients that you likely already have in your cabinets.
How cool is that?
(And yes, I know that’s a tad more than the “10 ingredients or less” thing we have going on at Wholesome Yum, but salt and water are usually excluded by convention. Because who doesn’t have those?)
This low carb barbecue sauce is made with the following ingredients:
- Tomato Paste
- Apple Cider Vinegar
- Besti Powdered Monk Fruit Allulose Blend
- Worcestshire Sauce
- Liquid Hickory Smoke
- Smoked Paprika
- Garlic Powder
- Onion Powder
- Sea Salt
- Chili Powder
- Cayenne Pepper
- Water
As with any recipe, you can tweak it to your tastes. Want a low carb BBQ sauce with just a bit more heat? No problem! Increase the cayenne by a pinch.
Need it to be a bit sweeter to offset the other parts of the meal? Voila! Go ahead and a dash more sweetener.
This sugar-free BBQ sauce is delicious as is, but you can always tweak it to be even more perfect for the meal you’re serving it with. Or just to make your tastebuds happier. You do you!
How To Make BBQ Sauce Without Sugar
The perfect healthy barbecue sauce is a balance of sweet, smoky, spicy, tangy, and just the right thickness. This low carb BBQ sauce is all of the above. It’s got the perfect balance of flavors, smoky undertones, and consistency.
The liquid smoke really makes the biggest difference, so don’t skip that part. Even if you have to shop online to find it.
And because you are the master of this keto BBQ sauce recipe, you can make it “just right” for whatever you are planning to use it with. While most people think it’s just right, if you need to you can make it thinner for a dipping sauce, or nice and thick to stick to grilling meats.
Since BBQ sauce is a bit sweet, you’ll swap out the sugar and/or corn syrup used in traditional sauces and even the sucralose used in a store-bought keto BBQ sauce for powdered monk fruit allulose blend (or your choice of another low carb sweetener). Take a peek at this Low Carb Sweetener Guide for a full explanation of your options when making a low carb keto recipe.
By the way, the wonderful thing about this particular sugar-free BBQ sauce is that it’s crazy easy to make! Mix all the ingredients in a saucepan, then let it simmer for twenty minutes.
Totally effortless. You’re welcome.
How To Store Sugar-Free Barbecue Sauce
One of the best things about this low carb barbecue sauce is how easy it is to make. But the other really great thing about it is how well your low carb BBQ sauce will keep for future use.
Go ahead and cook it up (just twenty minutes!), let it cool, and put it into a mason jar or two. Your low carb barbecue sauce will stay fresh in the fridge until you are ready to use it.
So simple!
You can even your mason jars (just below the fill line) and freeze it for a couple of months if you want to batch cook.
It keeps well for at least a week, but I’ve even kept it for a few weeks with no problem at all. Come grilling season, you’re going to want to always have some low carb BBQ sauce on hand for quick weeknight dinners or weekend parties with friends. You just can’t beat the sweet, smoky, tangy flavors in this keto BBQ sauce recipe.
The Best Sugar-Free BBQ Sauce Uses
So, what’s your favorite way to use a low carb barbecue sauce? Chicken? Ribs? Fish? Salad? Pizza? A spoon?
Now that you have this easy sugar-free barbecue sauce recipe that only takes twenty minutes to make, and you know how to store it, the possibilities are endless!
Use it to make a low carb BBQ chicken pizza or to make oven-baked chicken thighs BBQ style. Or dip these yummy keto chicken nuggets into this keto BBQ sauce for a delicious, homestyle treat that you and your kids will both enjoy!
You can also toss your shredded chicken in it and serve it over mashed cauliflower, baked radishes, or grilled cabbage steaks for a Southern-inspired BBQ dinner.
Your next sauce recipe to try: low carb enchilada sauce!
This easy keto BBQ sauce recipe is going to make grill season (and really, all year long) more delicious than ever. Bon Appetit, friends!
Tools To Make Sugar-Free Barbecue Sauce
Tap the links below to see the items used to make this recipe.
- Saucepan – This one is a good size. Not too big or too small.
- Liquid smoke – My secret ingredient for the best, super smoky, sugar-free BBQ sauce!
- Basting brush – For brushing your sauce on whatever you like. This one is silicone and doesn’t retain odors.
Low Carb Sugar-Free BBQ Sauce Recipe:
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Reader Favorite Recipes
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Low Carb Sugar-Free BBQ Sauce Recipe - Keto & Gluten-Free
This keto low carb BBQ sauce recipe is sweet, smoky, spicy & tangy in one. If you want a super easy, sugar-free barbecue sauce that tastes delicious, this is it. Only 5 minutes prep time!
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Get Keto Sweetener For This Recipe
GET BESTIInstructions
Tap on the times in the instructions below to start a kitchen timer while you cook.
- Whisk all ingredients together in a saucepan, adding the water last. Start with a cup of water, then whisk in a bit more at a time, until it reaches a consistency *slightly thinner* than barbecue sauce. I ended up using about 1 1/2 cups of water, but it will vary depending on how thick your tomato paste is.
-
Bring to a gentle boil at medium-high heat, then reduce to medium-low. Simmer, stirring frequently, for 20 minutes, or until slightly thickened.
- Taste and adjust sweetener or cayenne pepper if you prefer the sauce to be sweeter or spicier. If it's still thicker than you like, you can stir in additional water, a tablespoon at a time, until reaching desired consistency.
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Recipe Notes
The Worcestershire sauce linked in the ingredients list is gluten-free. Technically it contains a little sugar, but with 2 tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce used for the entire recipe, each serving would contain only 1/20 tablespoon of it (like a drop). This is factored into the nutrition info and net carbs below. If you prefer, you could even omit it or use a dash of molasses with a little water instead, but it would affect the flavor.
Serving size: 2 tbsp
Entire recipe makes 2 1/2 cups.
This low carb recipe was featured in the June 2020 Wholesome Yum Challenge! Learn more and join the challenge to enter this month's giveaway.
Video Showing How To Make Low Carb Barbecue Sauce:
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235 Comments
Nan
Thank you can’t wait to try your bbq sauce.
Britt
Hi there !
Can you use just regular monk sugar instead of powder?
Thanks !
Britt
Maya | Wholesome Yum
Hi Britt, You could use regular Besti monk fruit sweetener, then yes, because it dissolves completely. It won’t work with other brands because those don’t dissolve well and your BBQ sauce will be gritty. If you use another brand, it must be powdered.
brittney
Hi thank you for your response:)
One more question, can I sub sugar free ketchup for tomato paste ?
Thank you
Wholesome Yum M
Hi Brittney, The sugar-free ketchup likely already has many of these spices already in it. Feel free to adjust seasonings to taste. Enjoy!
Lisa
Your Recipe sounds good, but if your using Worcestershire sauce, it is not sugar free. As Worcestershire sauce contains molasses, and sugar as it’s 2nd & 3rd ingredients. Being high on the ingredients list means that there is a lot of it in there.
Wholesome Yum M
Hi Lisa, There are several brands of Worcestershire sauce available for purchase, and some are cleaner than others. Be sure to shop around and find one that is low sugar.
Sharon Butler
Can I use splenda powder instead of the monk fruit powder?
Wholesome Yum M
Hi Sharon, Yes, that should work fine in the recipe. Use this sweetener calculator to determine how much you will need to match the level of sweetness in the recipe.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
Hi Sharon, It will work from a recipe standpoint, but you can learn why I don’t recommend sucralose (Splenda) here.
Cherie Langley
My husband and I really enjoyed this recipe! I will be sharing with everyone I know:)
Sue
Hi Maya, I made this recipe last week, as I enjoy BBQ sauce on home made pizza & the commercial brands have far too much sugar. I live in Australia & the flavour is dffinaetly different (more tomatoie that I’m used to. I had to search for the liquid smoke, but found that & all the other ingredients. It took 5 minutes to put together & I simmered it for the 20 minutes suggested while I went about doing another job……..came back to the kitchen after 10 minutes & you should have seen the mess. I had simmering on the lowest setting (I used a medium size saucepan). There was sauce on my floor, on all of my cupboards, the stove top was totally red, I even had splotches on my ceiling!
5 minutes to put together, 20 minutes on low simmer, and hour & a half to clean up! I had to mop the floor twice!
I think maybe I should have used a bigger saucepan (or boiler). It tasted fine, I’ve poured it into ice cube trays to freeze into single serves. Lucky I have a sense of humour! Love your other recipes & will keep on trying.
Terry Leslie
Maya, this looks perfect! I’m starting keto to get ready for beach season and I was searching for a recipe that I could adapt to an Instant Pot.
Thanks for the wisdom! 🙂
Tim Start
Thank you so much for taking the time to post this. Since I had not a clue where to start. I didn’t find the comments until after I had experimented, lol. I made this recipe exactly as the directions said except I couldn’t find smoked paprika. At that point, tomatoey but not without hope. I had not discovered anything I couldn’t live with in the flavor. so..I live in Oklahoma and I have to say I prefer a dark, bold, bbq sauce — not too sweet. So, I dibbed and dabbed to get it to my tastes. I added more liquid smoke than you did, definitely more cayenne. I found the secret in getting rid of the tomatoey taste was lemon juice. It countered the acidity in the tomatoes very well. Thanks again for a great sugar free homemade recipe.
Melissa and Shaun.
The whole family loved it. Thanks for all the amazing recipes. My mother is a stubborn sugar fiend and I have been sneaking in lots of your low carb low sugar recipes and she loves em! I didn’t have tomato paste so I used strained tomato puree ! It was great, oh and added in a dash of hot sauce for extra heat!
Cheryl
I’m glad I read the reviews first about needing to add extra spices. I did, mostly liquid smoke and garlic. But it’s better to need to add spice than have it be too strong. And I got a sauce I really like in the end.
Chris Reese
Love having issues finding cayenne pepper all of the sudden maybe due to the election year/ccp virus interruptions dk
Wholesome Yum M
Hi Chris, Sorry about that. There are always options to find cayenne pepper online if you can’t find it in your local area.
LaShanna Doyle
Firstly, I want to say “Thank you” for sharing your low carb/keto recipes. I followed the recipe as given since it was my first time making this BBQ sauce and I was a bit disappointed. I found it to be overly tomato-y. My husband thought I had put spaghetti sauce on the BBQ ribs. I’m thinking maybe a brown sugar substitute would add a bit richer flavor. Less tomato paste and more of something else (not sure what). Definitely heavier on the spice notes.
Wholesome Yum M
Hi LaShanna, Thanks for your feedback. BBQ sauce is a very subjective recipe to make, as the styles and flavors vary a lot depending on where you live. Feel free to use this recipe as a springboard, and add the spices/flavors you love in a BBQ sauce.
Guillermo
Love this so much. I was making some pulled meat for the bread recipe you have on here. It was great. My only edit, that I’ll use next time, is to leave out the liquid smoke. I smoked my food before hand and the liquid smoke on top of that made it taste a bit odd.
A Christopher
How long will this barbecue sauce stay good in the fridge?
Wholesome Yum M
Hi A Christopher, It’s best for 1-2 weeks in the fridge.
James Doyle
prefect taste GREAT, i think I will try it with some mustard next time.
Tom Welsh
Tremendous recipe! I made it exactly as suggested. After reading a few comments, I agree with you about the regional preferences as to barbecue sauces…more vinegar in the Carolinas, sweeter in Texas, etc. One of the great things about this recipe is that it can serve as a fine base for tweaking to our own tastes and needs. For example, I will add peanut butter to my next batch in order to replicate a baked chicken thigh recipe, which calls for its own barbecue sauce with a skyhigh carb content….it will be perfect! Cheers!
Angela Sutton
I’m allergic to apples so cider vinegar isn’t and option for me. So I have to substitute another vinegar . Is than another vinegar that would be better than white vinegar? Thank you!!! I love your recipes.
Wholesome Yum M
Hi Angela, White vinegar or red wine vinegar will work well in place of the apple cider vinegar.
JAN LEDUC
This is a delicious recipe!
Thank you. This is so good I plan on using it as a base for other recipes.
Kimberly Shepherd
It was so good and easy! I’ve been missing bbq sauce at family gatherings..Thank you so much for the recipe!
Brejohnna Castorina
This is a very good recipe and definitely lays a good foundation for a good keto BBQ Sauce. I ended up modifying it by adding a tablespoon of blackstrap molasses and dicing 3 chipotle peppers out of a can, and using about tsp of the adobo sauce it was it for a little sweet heat and it came out amazing! Definitely ready to grill this Labor Day weekend
Andrew
It’s edible but it’s like a weird tasting tomato paste. Read the other comments. Everyone is modifying it for taste till it finally resembles a BBQ sauce.
Wholesome Yum M
Hi Andrew, I am sorry the recipe didn’t turn out as expected. BBQ sauce looks and tastes very different according to region, so what you are accustomed to may be different from my recipe. Feel free to make any changes you see fit to suit your tastes.
A sutton
Can you substitute the apple cider vinger for another vinegar?
Wholesome Yum M
Hi A Sutton, Yes, you can use white vinegar if you wish. Apple Cider Vinegar lends a nice flavor to the sauce.
Nancy
This recipe is perfect! It made a lot, more than what I needed so I will cut it in half next time, but it kept in the fridge beautifully. My family didn’t even know that it was sugar free and that is saying something when they love their barbecue sauce. Thank you so much for a great recipe!
Chadwick Holland
Awesome recipe taste incredible. My question is I doubled the recipe to make extra, is it shelf stable to where I can can it and it stay good without being frozen or refrigerated?
Wholesome Yum M
Hi Chadwick, I am not sure if this recipe can be canned, I have not tested that method of preservation. The BBQ sauce is great in the fridge for up to a couple of weeks. If you have extra, it can be frozen and reheated when ready for use.
Michael Demmons
I made this recipe and bottled it in sterile Mason jars. I used it a couple of months later and it was just as delicious as the day I made it.
Luke
Thanks for sharing!! Will be my go to recipe! Very good sauce!
Diane Powell
Thank you, Susan for making a delicious barbecue sauce we can enjoy! We appreciate you and your recipes!!!
John L
This recipe yields BBQ sauce that is spot on for my tastes. I’ve made it several times remaining true to the instructions. The leftovers are frozen in zip lock bags and they keep very well. I find this does not have a strong tomato taste mentioned by some other reviewers. My non-keto family members don’t know this is low carb and they all like it. This is my go to BBQ sauce recipe and I highly recommend giving this a try.
rick
John, I thought it was spot on too – We’ve been using this recipe since it was first posted and it is so tasty. We also freeze batches, but it doesn’t last long! We use it on just about everything we bbq! Not sure where the negative comments are coming from but to each their own! 🙂
Don
Didn’t have all the tomato paste on hand. So I used 1 can of tomatoes with hot peppers and one can of tomato paste. I left out the chili and cayenne peppers and only used about a half cup of water. Very Good.
Bernice Humphrey
Like others found, the recipe (as is) tasted too much like tomato paste. I just love how folks will rate a recipe 5 stars then share all the adaptations they made to get it to their taste! As such I’ll have to experiment some more to get it to how I like my BBQ sauce. Still, it’s a good starter.
Mary
I agree with many others that say too tomato-y. If you want ketchup that has a smoky flavor, this is it. For BBQ sauce it isnt. I make my own BBq sauce often with vinegar as well so that is not the reason. I think adding mustard would give it more depth.
Susan rubino
I thought it had too much tomato paste flavor. Wasn’t sure how to get it to that true BBQ flavor.
Wholesome Yum M
Hi Susan, I’m sorry this recipe didn’t turn out as expected. BBQ sauce can be subjective depending on where you live and the type of BBQ you enjoy. Feel free to use this as a starting point and add some of the BBQ flavors you look for in a sauce.
Sherry Knowles
I had a lot of hope for this bbq recipe and I made it. I even added some brown splinda but it did not come out well..Sorry… I guess I was hoping for that bold flavor but what I got, even before adding brown splinda was something near ketchup… Sorry not even a good ketchup..I will admit I’m not a cook but I try..
I will tell you I followed the recipe.
Wholesome Yum M
Hi Sherry, I am sorry this recipe didn’t turn out as expected. BBQ sauce has many different varieties and flavors depending on tastes or style of BBQ. Feel free to use what you have as a starting point and add some of the flavors you prefer in a BBQ sauce. Best wishes!
K.C.
I think this is a good base recipe. I grew up in TN, so we don’t really use vinegar in our BBQ sauce. I made this with my dad yesterday and he helped me get more of the flavor we wanted. We added twice the amount of water, maybe another teaspoon of monkfruit, a good sprinkle of hot chili powder and smoked paprika and another good splash of liquid smoke.
Ginger Snapped
Jay is right – tomato pastes are different and many contain sugar. One name brand has 50g of carbs per can. You should definitely advise in recipe to be cautious when choosing a store bought paste. But yes compared to other bbq sauces, this recipe is much improved.
Sharon
Good recipe! Easy and all common ingredients. We like our BBQ sauce spicy and smite tart so I added more vinegar and hot sauce. Added a little brown mustard as well. Will make again.
Carolina
Hi. Im from Mexico and I would like if you can update the links to the ingredients on Amazon at least to know which brand you recommend. Just by name is hard to figure it out. Thanks.
Wholesome Yum M
Hi Carolina, Ingredients in the recipe card highlighted in pink are preferred brands. I hope this helps.
Gerri
Question:
Do you think the recipe could have psyllium husk powder to the recipe to add fiber. If so would there be any benefit to doing so – such as lower the Net carbs? Thanks.
Wholesome Yum M
Hi Gerri, No. Psyllium husk will not work in this recipe.
Marianne
Just finished making this on the stovetop. I tasted it and thought it was a bit flat. I added more salt and that helped. But, it still seemed to be missing something. I added a dash of garlic oil and red pepper oil. However, it was adding about half a tsp of ginger that satisfied me. I think the pungent warmth are just what is missing.
So, good foundation but lacking the complexity I was looking for.
Jay
Your BBQ sauce is not sugar free! Tomato based sauces have sugar due to the sugar content in the tomato paste. Reduced sugar yes, totally sugar free, nope! sorry
Wholesome Yum M
Hi Jay, This recipe does not contain any sugar, but it does contain tomatoes. Most BBQ sauce includes brown sugar and molasses. If you are interested in making a keto version of BBQ sauce, then this recipe is a great fit.
Annette
I was wondering can you can it for canning?
Wholesome Yum M
Hi Annette, I have not personally tried this, but as long as you can get a proper seal through the canning process it should work fine.
TERRY L SNEAD
Hi, I’m sorta confused about how much tomato paste – it says 2 1/2 6 oz cans – do you mean 15 oz total? Thanks!
Wholesome Yum M
Hi Terry, Yes, 15 ounces. Thank you for clarifying!
Roger
I love this recipe, made it a few times now and it’s great. I’ve made 1 edit for myself. I add 1tbs of yellow mustard for a bit more flavour. ( we are huge mustard fans in this house ).
Sara
I have made so many Bar-B-Que Sauce recipes for the Keto journey, and haven’t liked a one of them. I really liked this recipe and it is the most like regular sauce than any other I have tried. Thank you. I will use this often.