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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
David F.
0This will be my second time making this BBQ sauce. My wife and I loved it and I was easy to make. Thank you for this recipe.
Beverly
0How long does it last? Expiration date?
Wholesome Yum A
0Hi Beverly, see my storage tips in the post above.
John L
0A definite keeper. Followed the recipe exactly and would not change a thing. Very easy prep with common ingredients. Just have a glass of your favorite wine while stirring. Keep the burner temp low enough while simmering and no splatter. Made Slow Cooker Beer Pulled Pork available on allrecipes.com with excellent results. This sauce make the pulled pork low carb. Feeds a crowd. Thanks for posting this excellent sauce recipe.
Leigh
0Not a big fan. This was completely bland. Too much vinegar and acid, it tasted like tomato paste with vinegar. I dressed it up, added brown sweetener, and a TON more seasonings, cocoa powder AND baking soda to remove some of the acidity before it finally became palatable. Not sure I would try this again, I’ll look for another recipe with a better base.
Having said all this- I’m from the South, and picky about my BBQ!!!
D. Wanberb
0This barbecue sauce is delicious! So glad I doubled the recipe.
Michelle Olson
0Great recipe. Tastes even better when cumin and dry mustard are added!
Rebecca
0This title of sugar free BBQ sauce is misleading. Worcestershire sauce has molasses, corn syrup and sugar in it. And liquid smoke has molasses. Maybe not a big deal to the average keto or low carb seeker, but for those of us following low carb for diabetes, those ingredients can cause a blood sugar spike and many are not so careful to read ingredients before they trust a recipe title.
P Thomas
0This is not true, Worcestershire sauce does have those ingredients but there is only 1.7 gram of sugar per tablespoon. This recipe calls for 2 tablespoons which means a total of 3.4 grams in the batch. This makes 20 servings so therefore the total sugar would be 0.17 per serving. The term SUGAR-FREE can be used to describe anything that contains less than 0.5 grams of sugar per serving. Therefore this is Sugar-Free.
Source – https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/cdrh/cfdocs/cfcfr/CFRSearch.cfm?fr=101.60
(i) The food contains less than 0.5 g of sugars, as defined in 101.9(c)(6)(ii), per reference amount customarily consumed and per labeled serving or, in the case of a meal product or main dish product, less than 0.5 g of sugars per labeled serving
Judy
0Good BBQ sauce flavor. I used monk fruit sweetener and added 1 Tbsp of cocoa powder to help cut the tomato paste flavor and added 1 Tbsp of liquid smoke. Very good sauce and will use the remainder for sloppy joes. I am not following a low carb diet but trying to cut out sugars when I can. Thanks for the recipe!
Callie
0This recipe looks like the one I have been looking for. I can’t wait to use it on my chicken and pork steaks.
Thank you so very much for your recipe.
Laura
0I loved it! As other reviewers suggested I added unsweetened cocoa powder and baking soda to neutralize the acidity and it was perfect! Added 1 tbsp more of liquid smoke too. Thank you!
Cynthia Caldwell
0Has anybody tried canning this in pint jars to extend the shelf life?? Thinking of trying a small batch to see how it holds up ☺
Gwen
0I was wondering the same thing?
Sara
0Since I’m doing Whole30, and have been trying to avoid added sugar or sweetener altogether, I subbed the erythritol for 6 dates, put it through the food processor first and then cooked it – it turned out great! thanks so much.
Tater
0If you’re eating sugar free, replacing non glycemic sweeteners with dried fruit wil add a lot of natural sugar to this recipe. If it ends with “…ose” it’s sugar. #fructose
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Tater, My recipe does not contain any dried fruit. It’s true that allulose is in the sugar family, but our body does not metabolize it the way it does other sugar. You can learn more about Besti and allulose here.
Connie
0Love this sauce
Sylviane Teter-Manning
0Great recipe even my husband gives it a thumbs up. The taste is amazing planning a few tweaks on this recipe to give it a little something extra.
Jeanette M
0I made this recipe and love it. It was exactly what I was looking for. A bbq sauce low in sugar and salt and still taste great. Thank you so much.
Bob
0Great recipe thank you!
I do have a cooking question as I am no master chef. I couldn’t get it to a simmer it popped too much before I could get it there. I tried a splatter screen but it came through that so I had to put a lid on it and all I could get was popping. Since I couldn’t stir it I shook it around like Jiffy Pop then later reduced the heat but it still just popped no simmer.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Bob, You could thin it out a bit more to simmer (and it will thicken again as it simmers) or you can cover as it simmers.
antbeebee
0This is great thanks for the recipe. always avoided bbq sauce because of the sugar. So glad I tried this, made sloppy joes– yum yum 🙂
Betty Avery
0Trying this on the grill with chicken breast. Will let you know how it flavored the meat!
Kelly
0This sauce is amazing! Thank you!
Darcy
0Where does the * for the worcestershire sauce refer to?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Darcy, The note about it is in the Recipe Notes section on the recipe card.
Gwendolyn W Mathews
0Can this sauce be canned?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Gwendolyn, I’m not a canning expert, but it should work for canning.
Laurel
0How long will the left over sauce be good if kept refrigerated?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Laurel, At least a week, but I’ve kept it for a few weeks with no problem.
Stephanie
0Just cooked BBQ chicken with this and it was amazing! Thanks for sharing. I added a bit of oregano and it was a hit with the family.
Steph
0I wish I could have rated this a zero and still left a comment. This tastes nothing like bbq sauce. It tastes like tomato paste and that’s it. I tried doctoring it up a ton and nothing helped.
Selina
0I just made this sauce. And I have to say. It really wasnt to my liking. In fact I had to throw it away it was that bad. I dont usually give my opinion and would rather be encouraging. But I cant be on this one. I guess though there would be people out there that would like it.
Wholesome Yum A
0Hi Selina, I’m sorry to hear that. I linked all the ingredients I used in the recipe card — did you make any substitutions? I hope you give this one another try soon!
Jules Shepard
0Always up for nudging sugar out of my diet! Great recipe!
Deb
0I’ve used sugar free maple extract instead of Worcestershire sauce too.
Sam Kay
0Play this by ear a little bit, so didn’t follow the recipe exactly. I used a combination of swerve confectioner’s sweetener and Lakanto maple flavored syrup as my sweeteners. Unfortunately, I found the acidity of the tomato paste a little too strong. I added about 3 tablespoons of cacao powder (chili makers trick, cacao powder processed with alkali is, as you might guess, alkaline) and then ended up adding some baking soda to further neutralize some acid. I also skip the liquid smoke and use chipotle chili pepper powder (smoked jalapenos) instead. I’m pretty happy with it, and glad to have a big batch of BBQ sauce to put on stuff. :-).
Angie
0So How do I make it less tomato tasting? Use less tomato paste? Otherwise, loved the sweet and spice to it.
Maggie Ryan
0Thanks Sam, I too thought it was very acidic so added the cacao powder and baking soda. Made a huge difference. I’ll have to try the cacao in chilli. Thanks again for the tips.
Sherry
0This is really nice. I added some DaVinci sugar free cherry syrup and it really took it to the next level for me. Can’t wait to try it on some ribs I picked up this week. It does have a strong tomato flavor which I love but it might not be for everyone.
Sherry
0I also wanted to mention that I added Sukrin Gold Brown Sugar Substitute when I made it. I have since tried this bbq sauce on chicken thighs, ribs, franks, and dabbed a little on some homemade cheese chips. All turned out great, even my husband likes this sauce and he is hardcore sugar/carb obsessed.
Gritty lil Fremont
0My sister and I put together all the ingredients and did a quick taste test before heating up the sauce. The recipe calls for 1/3 cup sweetener (we used Stevia), and it was way to much. We had to throw it all away. We recommend starting with a teaspoon and adjusting it from there.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0The recipe calls for 1/3 cup powdered erythritol, not stevia. 🙂 I definitely don’t recommend using anywhere near that much stevia, which is way more concentrated. Please check the sweetener conversion calculator to see how much to use if you’re changing the sweetener.
Joanne M Pinette
0I made the BBQ sauce tonight and it was great! Used 15 oz can of tomato sauce and followed the recipe after that. Used about 1 cup of water and it was perfect. The comments helped a lot.
Dave
0Easy to make, and super delicious! I’m a bbq sauce fanatic, it’s my favorite condiment. Which makes low carb bbq tough. This sauce on its own feels light without the syrupy thickness, but on meat, it’s just delicious. Thank you!
Suzie Danielson
0I made the recipe. I used only 1/4 cup Xylitol as the sweetener. I doubled the liquid smoke and smoked paprika. It was great!!!!!!!!!!!!! Thanks so much for sharing.
Mart
0Could you freeze this sauce? Or how long would it last in the fridge thanks
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Mart, Yes, you can freeze it. But, it keeps a really long time anyway. I’ve stored it for weeks without a problem.
Chris
0I love your BBQ sauce, is there any ways to keep it from splattering out on every thing. You call for it to simmer uncovered.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Chris, A splatter screen should work.
Bernadette
0I sub’d the sweetener for sugar-free maple syrup – it’s a Canadian thing 😉 Also, added extra hickory smoke, and more smoked paprika. Got some in the slow cooker right now with pork back ribs – something I thought I’d have to give up on Keto. Thx for the awesome recipes!
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0I am so happy to hear that, Bernadette! Thanks for stopping by!
Jessica
0Should we be using sugar free tomato paste?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Jessica, I’m not aware of any tomato paste that has sugar added, but yes, make sure it has no sugar added. It’s normal for tomato paste to have natural sugar in it, because actual tomatoes have sugar, but this doesn’t translate to much in the finished barbecue sauce. The nutrition info is on the recipe card above.
Dale C Meech
0Great recipe a little sweet a little tangy a little spicy. My new favorite. Don’t like hot sauces can’t taste the meat flavor. Thanks
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0I am happy you liked it, Dale! Thanks for stopping by!
Braden McGuire
0Soooooo good! I subbed erythritol for stevia leaf powder and it was absolutely incredible! I needed to add quite a bit more salt than it asked for, and I used pink salt, but oh my God I made ribs with this and it was the best meal I’ve had all year
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0I am so happy to hear that, Braden! Thank you!
Vanessa
0Thanks for sharing! Does it keep long?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Vanessa, Yes, it keeps for a while, up to a couple weeks.
Chad
0Hello there. Made a batch today and it came out more like marinara than Bbq sauce. What should I change to correct this?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Chad, Sorry to hear that – it was likely too thick? You can thin it out with more water if needed. Many people also enjoy adding more of the hickory smoke.
Roberta
0This recipe is actually easy to make, but in my opinion, there’s too much tomato paste, which is already concentrated. So at the end you’ll have a sort of smokey tomato sauce that is not the same as a BBQ sauce in balance of flavors. Just to share my considerations…
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Thank you for sharing, Roberta. It could be that it was cooked for too long and got too concentrated, but otherwise sorry to hear it wasn’t for you. It should be pretty easy to adjust the spices if you’d like. A few readers have said they added more hickory smoke.
Darlene
0I will definitely be trying this but I wanted to comment on freezing in mason jars. I’ve had the bottom of 2 mason jars crack in the freezer. The contents were chilled when added to the jar and there was plenty of headroom.
KTGreen
0Everyone seems to be on a Keto diet! I need to cut down on sugar. So was having a 60th celebration for a bestie and made your bbq sauce for pulled chicken in my crock pot. Big hit! Even my thin husband who doesn’t worry about that stuff loved it!
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0I am so happy you liked it! Thanks for stopping by!
Sarah
0Such a great quick and easy bbq sauce!! I save my old squeeze bottles so I filled one up with this. I have been using it on everything.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Yay, so glad to hear that, Sarah! Good idea to store it in a squeeze bottle.
Anja
0This was absolutely delicious as is. Thank you for providing a healthier alternative to BBQ sauce. 🙂
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0I am so glad you liked the BBQ sauce, Anja! Thanks for stopping by!
Charlee
0Are those nutrition facts for the whole recipe or just for the 2 tbsp serving size?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Charlee, The nutrition info is per serving.
Caroline Brunet
02 1/2 cup of tomato paste or 6 oz ??
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Caroline, It’s 2 1/2 6-oz cans. So, 15 oz total.
Karen
0Too much tomato paste! I tried to weaken/thin it out and it didn’t help. I will use one tomato paste or sauce!
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Karen, Thanks for sharing. It does sound like it needed to thin out a lot more.
Tracy
0I was so happy to find this recipe! I added about 1/2 a tsp of maple extract, in lieu of molasses and 2 Tablespoons of Truvia brown sugar blend to give it a sweeter, more of a Kansas City version.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Thank you, Tracy! Those sound like delicious updates to the recipe.