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Get It NowMy sugar free BBQ sauce is here to take your grilled meals from bland to outstanding! I developed this recipe after years of being frustrated with the options at the store. Getting high quality, healthy, or keto BBQ sauce (that actually tastes good) on the shelf is near impossible… and when you do, “sugar free barbecue sauce” is usually code for flavorless and full of artificial ingredients. Not anymore. Make my healthy version with me and taste the difference!
Why You Need My Sugar Free BBQ Sauce Recipe
- Classic BBQ taste – It’s rich, tangy, and smoky. It’s thick and smooth. It’s just the right amount of sweetness. Everything a great BBQ sauce should be!
- Quick and easy – Just mix all the ingredients together and let them cook away. And you can make a big batch to have ready in your fridge.
- Low carb, gluten free, and no added sugar – Before this recipe, I thought store-bought sauces with sucralose and processed additives were the only way to enjoy that sweet and smoky flavor — but there’s a better way! Now you can whip up your own homemade sugar free barbecue sauce, without the fake stuff. And it’s just 3.5g net carbs per serving.
- Award winning – Some of my readers have won contests with this sauce! Maybe you’re next?
Ingredients & Substitutions
Here I explain the best ingredients for my healthy BBQ sauce, what each one does, and substitution options. For measurements, see the recipe card.
- Tomato Paste – A.k.a. the base that gives my sugar free BBQ sauce a thick, rich texture, natural sweetness, and deep tomato flavor. If you don’t have any, you can use triple the amount of tomato sauce instead, but you’ll need to simmer for much longer to thicken.
- Apple Cider Vinegar – Adds tang. You can also use white vinegar or lemon juice.
- Besti Powdered Monk Fruit Allulose Blend – I recommend only this sweetener, because it dissolves completely, unlike other sugar substitutes that can leave your keto BBQ sauce gritty or crystallize when you store it. (I use it to make sugar free ketchup, too!) I’ve got some alternatives in the tips below to change up the flavor of your sauce. If you still want to use something else, make sure it’s powdered and use my sweetener conversion chart to get the correct quantity.
- Worcestershire Sauce – Adds umami flavor. I like this one, which is gluten-free. Technically it contains a trivial amount of sugar, but each serving of my sauce has only 1/20 tablespoon of it (like a drop). You could omit it or use a dash of blackstrap molasses with a little water instead.
- Liquid Hickory Smoke – My secret ingredient for that smoky flavor! My local grocery store has it near other seasonings or condiments, but I prefer this clean-ingredient brand.
- Spices – Smoked paprika, sea salt, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne pepper (more or less depending how spicy you like it), and chili powder.
How To Make Sugar Free BBQ Sauce
I have step-by-step photos here to help you visualize the recipe. For full instructions with amounts and temperatures, see the recipe card.
- Combine the ingredients. Whisk all ingredients together in a medium saucepan, adding water last. (See my notes on this below.)
- Cook to reduce. Bring to a gentle boil over medium-high heat, then reduce to medium-low. Simmer, stirring frequently, until thickened to your liking.
- Adjust sweetness and heat. Taste and add more Besti if you want your sauce sweeter, or more cayenne pepper if you want it spicier.
My Recipe Tips & Variations
- The amount of water you need can vary. Start with a cup, then whisk in a bit more at a time, until it reaches a consistency slightly thinner than you’re going for. (It will reduce as it cooks.) I ended up using about 1 1/2 cups of water, but it depends on how thick your tomato paste is.
- Make sure your saucepan is large enough, and keep an eye on it. The sauce can splatter depending on how intensely it simmers, but if you cover it will take longer to reduce.
- This sugar free BBQ sauce gets thicker as it cools. So, keep that in mind when deciding how much to cook it down. If it gets too thick, I just add a splash of water to thin it out again.
- Want it extra smooth? Puree in a high-power blender or food processor at the end. I use my twister jar when I do this, but usually skip it because it’s not worth the extra cleanup to me.
- Want brown sugar flavor? Replace half of the Besti powdered sweetener with Besti Brown! It dissolves just as easily and tastes like brown sugar, with zero net carbs.
- Want a honey BBQ sauce? Replace the sweetener with my natural sugar-free honey.
Storage Instructions
- Store: Keep the sauce in a mason jar, airtight container, or condiment bottle in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
- Freeze: Stash in the freezer for up to 3-6 months. You can freeze the whole batch and thaw in the fridge overnight, but I like to portion this low carb BBQ sauce into a silicone ice cube tray. Then I can pop out individual portions and microwave to thaw.
- Canning: I haven’t done it, but don’t see any reason that you couldn’t can this sauce in a water bath. Let me know how it goes if you try it!
Ways To Use It
There are so many ways I use this sugar free BBQ sauce! Try these to add a kick of flavor to your dishes:
- Chicken – You’ve got lots of options! Make my saucy BBQ chicken legs in the summer or Crock Pot chicken legs in the winter. Dunk keto chicken nuggets or keto chicken tenders. Brush it on grilled chicken or bacon wrapped chicken.
- Pizza – Try this keto BBQ sauce instead of marinara on keto pizza or cauliflower pizza. It works particularly well with chicken, red onions, cheddar cheese, and a drizzle of ranch as toppings, which is why I particularly love it on chicken crust pizza.
- Shredded Meats – Mix it into my shredded Instant Pot chicken, or use it for pulled pork sandwiches. Try them on my low carb hamburger buns.
- Ground Beef – This sugar free BBQ sauce is amazing on burgers! Just add cheddar cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, and maybe even caramelized onions and bacon if you want to get fancy. Sometimes I also use it as a glaze for keto meatloaf, too.
- Salad – It’s my fave for making BBQ chicken salad.
More Sugar Free Sauce Recipes
If you like this sugar free barbecue sauce, you’ll love my other sweet sauces with no sugar added:
Sugar Free BBQ Sauce (Keto)
You'll love my award-winning sugar free BBQ sauce, made with simple real food ingredients. It's sweet, smoky, tangy, and so easy to make!
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Instructions
Tap on the times in the instructions to start a kitchen timer.
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Whisk all the ingredients together in a medium 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.
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Bring to a gentle boil over medium-high heat, then reduce to medium-low. Simmer, stirring frequently, for 20 minutes, or until slightly thickened.
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Taste and adjust sweetener or cayenne pepper if you prefer the sauce to be sweeter or spicier. If it's thicker than you like, you can stir in additional water, a tablespoon at a time, until it reaches the consistency you want.
Did You Like It?
Leave a rating to help other readers (this also helps me continue to provide free recipes on my site), or get the recipe sent to your inbox.
Maya’s Recipe Notes
Serving size: 2 tablespoons
The entire recipe makes 2 1/2 cups.
📖 Want more recipes like this? Find this one and many more in my Keto Cheat Sheet System!
I provide nutrition facts as a courtesy. Have questions about calculations or why you got a different result? Please see my nutrition policy.
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© Copyright Maya Krampf for Wholesome Yum. Please DO NOT SCREENSHOT OR COPY/PASTE recipes to social media or websites. We’d LOVE for you to share a link with photo instead.
Sugar Free BBQ Sauce
Gratitude Moment
With 4th of July just around the corner, it’s the perfect time to whip up a batch my sugar free BBQ sauce!
My family often takes a trip over the holiday, with a mix of grilling and going out. This picture is my favorite memory from last year, blurry and all.
We had dinner with our friends and their kids at this cute restaurant in Wisconsin Dells. The girls played in the sandbox right on the patio next to our table, and we watched the fireworks from there while happy music played in the background. It was magical compared to the usual crowded fireworks experience.
What’s your favorite 4th of July memory?
310 Comments
Krista
0Made this yesterday. Pretty good. Needed more salt and a lot more liquid smoke.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Krista, Thank you for the feedback! I’m glad you liked it overall. Definitely feel free to adjust the salt and liquid smoke if you want more.
Eleanor
0Oh my God this barbecue sauce is awesome! And the fact that it’s low in carbs and sugar is even better! I want to bottle this stuff up and give it to all my friends as a happy summer gift. I definitely will make again.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0I am so happy you liked it, Eleanor!
Rodriguez Deborah
0The sauce came out very good. I didn’t have tomato paste, so I used a can of tomato and simmered it for a long time, then puréed it with a submersion blender. It was a hit!
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0I am so happy to hear that, Rodriguez!
Andre
0The sauce came out great but I did tweak it a bit. Only one can of paste and about 1 cup of Heinz sugar free ketchup. Also to kick up the flavor a bit I put in one tablespoon of Korean GOCHUJANG PASTE. If you have never tried it before I highly recommend it. Gives a lot of spicy, sweet umami body to the sauce. It does add a little bit extra carbs but it is well worth it.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Thanks for sharing with us, Andre! Have a great day!
Lora Ball
0Can you use honey as your sweetener? If you can would you still use the listed 1/3 cup?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Lora, Yes, you can, but it would not be sugar-free or low carb. The amount would probably be similar, but I recommend starting with a bit less and adjusting to taste just in case.
DeeD
0Love this sauce!!! Didn’t have tomato paste but did have 1gram sugar ketchup…turned out great!!!!
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi DeeD! I am so happy you liked the BBQ sauce! Have a great day!
Claudia
0Hi there,
What would you use to substitute evaporated milk for a more keto friendly ingredient list?
Thanks for your help with this. I get so much value from your blog!!
Claudia
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Claudia, There is no evaporated milk in this. Are you looking at a different recipe?
Julie a Carlson
0Great try, but it’s not that good. Too much tomato paste, and is lacking real onion, real garlic, and carb free things that might make it a lot better. Sorry…
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Julie, Thank you for the feedback. I wanted to make it as quick/easy as possible, and keep the carb count down, so opted for garlic powder and onion powder, but you can use the actual veggies if you prefer. If you feel it’s missing other ingredients, I’d love to hear what you would add.
Lisa Cowan
0I was so happy to find a low carb sugar free barbeque sauce – Thank You! After adding the 1 and 1/2 cups water, it was still quite thick for us. So, I add beef broth to thin, and it is really good. The recipe fills a glass quart jar and that’s an easy way to store it in the fridge.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Lisa! I am so happy you liked it! Thanks for stopping by!
Rick Cann
0This is some VERY good tasting bbq sauce!!! I did add the molasses (couple tablespoons) and ended up adding close to 3 cups of water to get the right consistency. The finished product was quite tangy, which concerned me a bit, but once it was cooked on the chicken, it was the best bbq’d chicken my wife and I have ever eaten!!! (we used thighs with bones in).
Thanks for this great sauce….you can bet we’ll be using it frequently – btw………I did a double batch of it………so good!!
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0I am so happy you like it, Rick! Thank you for stopping by!
Brittani
0Has anyone tried this without any sweetener? I am trying to stay away from all sweeteners.
Rick Cann
0I could definitely understand the no sweeteners – I even added 2 tsp of molasses, BUT….I’m betting the sauce would still be very good with no sweeteners at all. Most people like it sweet, even put honey in it (which isn’t as bad for you as sugar or even any fake sweeteners). I do like mine somewhat sweet for sure.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Brittani, I haven’t tried since BBQ sauce is generally sweet. But from a consistency standpoint there’s no reason why you can’t, so let me know how it goes for you if you try it.
Lisa
0How long can you store it in the fridge?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Lisa, It stores for a while! At least a week, but even a few weeks has worked out fine for me. Give it a stir or shake if it sits for a while.
Anna Jalovec
0Maya,
I’m thinking of using Heinz Reduced Sugar ketchup instead of tomato paste. You haven’t by chance tried it have you? Any thoughts on how this would work? I like all the ingredients you out together for this sauce.
Thanks!
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Anna, Sorry, I haven’t tried. Let me know how it goes if you do!
Connie
0Very tomato tasting. Had to add many spices and tweak it to taste like a bbq sauce. Thank you though. I love all the keto recipes.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Connie, Sorry that it wasn’t for you. I’m glad you were able to tweak it to your liking.
Charity
0Made this today (had to use Splenda as my Swerve isn’t arriving until next week) and it’s good, but very heavy on the tomato flavor (obviously due to the paste). I added about a tbsp of liquid smoke which helped the flavor. Like I said it’s good and going on my ribs later, but I think next time I’ll cut back on the tomato paste and try some other minor tweaks.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Charity, Thank you for the feedback! The recipe does have liquid smoke already but you can always add more. Let me know how it goes if you make some other tweaks!
Victoria
0how long can I store this BBQ sauce in the frig.?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Victoria! I don’t have an exact duration for how long it would last in the fridge, but it should be the same as any other BBQ sauce (which is a while). I’ve had mine for a couple of weeks and it’s still good. There’s a fair amount of vinegar in it, so that helps it stay fresh. Have a great day!
Jackie
0I didn’t realize that tomato paste can be loaded with sugar. The 12 oz can I got has 30 grams of sugar and 60 carbs. Need to look for a low sugar or sugar free type for this recipe to work
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Jackie, Tomato paste does not usually have any added sugar, it is just very concentrated tomato puree. When divided among multiple servings, this barbecue sauce comes out to 3.5g net carbs per serving (2 tablespoons).
Jen in ND
0I made this for the Superbowl last weekend. It was super thick due to the 15 oz. of tomato paste, and I even doubled the water! Next time I’ll take the extra carbs and use tomato sauce, with maybe a half can of tomato paste, and some water. My mother is convinced you meant sauce instead of paste, but I scrolled through the comments. Otherwise, I really liked the flavor, and nobody complained, I’ll make it again for sure, just with the changes I mentioned.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Thank you for the feedback, Jen. The recipe was with tomato paste but the sauce thickens depending on how long you simmer and even the simmer temperature, so the amount of water is variable. If it was thick, you would need even more water. It might work fine with tomato sauce, too, but the paste has more intense flavor.
Tobler William
0Hi Maya. Excellent BBQ sauce. A little sweet for me, and I will fix that next time I make it. “Simmer uncovered for 20 minutes” is not possible. Your whole kitchen will be red with BBQ sauce. Next time I’ll put less water in and simmer “covered” for 10 minutes and call it good. Thanks for all your hard work, I think you nailed it.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Tobler, Thank you so much, I’m glad you liked it! If it splatters, I’m thinking either the heat was too high or it wasn’t enough water. But, you can probably cover it if you want to.
Jessica
0If using tomato sauce, instead of paste, would you recommend omitting the water, or still add water and reduce liquid until it’s the consistency of a bbq sauce?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Jessica, You will still need water, but less of it. You can add more until it reaches about the consistency of barbecue sauce. It will reduce more as it cooks, but you can always add a bit more water if needed to thin it out.
Barb
0Started low carb, just made this. It’s fantastic! I used xylitol and there is no aftertaste. It’s tangy smoky goodness! Thank you.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Thank you, Barb!
Frank
0Tried it today, found it way too sweet. I’d suggest cutting the sweetener in half and then adding to taste. Otherwise very flavourful, I’ll be trying it again.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Frank, I’m glad you liked it otherwise. The sweetener can definitely be adjusted to your taste. 🙂
Brian
0What is the serving size for the nutrition facts?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Brian, the serving size is two tablespoons of BBQ sauce.
Jim Hallmark
0You list the net carbs as 3.5 but shouldn’t it actually be .5 instead? My understanding is that you also subtract the sugars to get the net carbs.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Jim, No, 3.5 is correct. You should not subtract sugar when calculating net carbs. Sugar definitely counts as carbs.
Healthy World Cuisine
0Loving this sauce- all the main components, spicy, slightly sweet, savory and tangy! Can’t wait to try it! Just pinned!
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Thank you!
Patrick Manley
0I used this with pulled pork at our church lunch, and everybody loved it. Tasted others in the family on it, and they couldn’t get over how good it was. For the sweetener I used 1/2 honey and 1/2 pure maple syrup, and I doubled the cayenne and chili powder. It wasn’t too hot at all.
Great Recipe. Thanks!
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Thank you, Patrick! Happy to hear everyone enjoyed it!
Sherie
0I made this today and used 1/2 cup of Splenda and it’s AWESOME! Sweet and then you get the fabulous smoked spicy from the paprika for a great finish! I love it and will keep it on hand at all times!
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Thank you, Sherie! I like to always keep it on hand, too.
Linda Carter
0I was thinking it will freeze well – kind of like spaghetti sauce will. I think I will try freezing it in ice cube trays, then when frozen putting the cubes in a freezer tight bag. I am single so I do this with spaghetti sauce and it is awesome. Just take out what you need.
This is a GREAT recipe. Thanks for all the work that went into it AND how patiently you answer people.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Thank you, Linda! I love the idea of freezing this in ice cube trays. I’ll need to try that next time I make it!
Gene Olvera
0You poor thing, having to repeat yourself over and over. I tried this recipe and it is awesome.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Thank you, Gene! I’m glad you liked it.
Jack Tripper
0I made this tonight to go on some ribs and I have to say it was quite crackin’ good. I didn’t have worcestershire or onion powder but I added a couple tablespoons of this Pepper Plant Chipotle sauce in instead, and a LOT more cayenne pepper and some black pepper. I mean, wow. That’s proper sauce and thanks to the smoked paprika and liquid smoke its pretty amazing. I still can’t get over the weird artificial flavor of the stevia/erythritol, it gives you that “diet soda taste” but all in all I really like the recipe. Thank you!
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Jack, I’m glad you enjoyed the barbecue sauce and that your modifications worked for you. There is no stevia in the recipe (though it could be used if desired). You could definitely try a different sweetener if you’d like, if you’re detecting a flavor from the powdered erythritol. I chose powdered erythritol, because the powdered consistency keeps the sauce smooth and to me it doesn’t have an aftertaste, but everyone’s taste buds are a bit different when it comes to sweeteners.
Karen
0Can you use honey?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Karen, Honey might work, but it would not be low carb or sugar-free.
Lauren
0I’m glad I wasn’t the only one to notice this! Worcestershire sauce contains a LOT of sugar and, unless you’re specifically buying a gluten free variety, it also has soy sauce. I guess Maya isn’t reading her labels very carefully!
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Lauren,
This should have had more clarification. I do always read labels. 🙂 The Worcestershire sauce linked in the recipe has no soy sauce in it and is gluten-free. I added some notes to the recipe card about it as well.
The amount of Worcestershire sauce per serving comes out to 1/20 of a tablespoon. A teaspoon of Worcestershire sauce has 1g of sugar according to the label, and 1/20 of a tablespoon is about 1/7 of a teaspoon. So that’s about 0.14g sugar per serving from the Worcestershire sauce, which I thought was low enough to call it sugar-free. (The rest of the carbs in the BBQ sauce come from the tomato paste, with no sugar added). The nutrition facts do reflect all of this. Hope that helps!
Monika
0So 15 ounces of tomato paste? And Worcestershire sauce isn’t typically gluten-free, so is the one you link to gluten-free? It contains mostly sugar.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Monika, Yes, the recipe uses 15 ounces of tomato paste – either tomato sauce or paste is an integral part of BBQ sauce. The Worcestershire sauce used in the recipe is gluten-free (there’s a link in the ingredients list). It does technically contain sugar, but the amount of Worcestershire sauce per serving ends up being only 1/20 tablespoon. I added some notes to the recipe card about this.
Kim | Low Carb Maven
0I love making my own BBQ sauce for the exact reason you list above. Store bought is good, but aspartame is something I try to avoid and sucralose is something I try not to have too much of. I bet your version is good with the chili powder in it. I agree, you can’t skip the liquid smoke – it’s like liquid gold. I like this recipe very much Maya! Thanks for sharing.
Taryn Scarfone
0Yum! I really need to make bbq sauce. I don’t use it very often so I normally just cave and use a tiny bit of the bad for you store bought ones.
Georgina
0I love anything that contains liquid smoke – yum!!
Michelle
0I am going to try this recipe this weekend. I like to use BBQ sauce to make my version of sloppy joes. The low carb sauces in the store just don’t work because they are way too thin.
Katrin
0I am so trying this recipe – my kids go crazy for BBQ ribs, I am sure they would love this sauce
Rhiannon Taylor
0How long would it last in the fridge? And could you freeze it?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Rhiannon, I don’t have an exact duration for how long it would last in the fridge, but it should be the same as any other BBQ sauce (which is a while). I’ve had mine for a couple of weeks and it’s still good. There’s a fair amount of vinegar in it, so that helps it stay fresh. You should be able to freeze it without a problem too, but I haven’t tried it. If you do, keep air away to prevent freezer burn, and just thaw it in the fridge or in water before use.
Abby
0I’m eager to try this recipe…. GUY’S BBQ SAUCE is the one I use also. this recipe sounds so easy & looks yummy ! Thanks
Sarah
0Oh, I can’t wait to make this! I love to grill chicken, slather it with barbecue sauce, and top it with bacon and cheese – Smokey mountain chicken!
Stacey Crawford
0I love making my own suace & trying out new BBQ sauce recipes. You’re right , the ones in the store are not so great.