Free Printable: Low Carb & Keto Food List
Get It NowA sugar free 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 keto BBQ sauce on the shelf at your local grocery market isn’t easy… and when you do, “sugar free barbecue sauce” is usually code for flavor-free and full of artificial ingredients. No, thanks.
Before developing this recipe, I thought store-bought sauces with sucralose were the only way to enjoy that sweet and smoky flavor — but there’s a better way! This rich, tangy, smoky sugar free BBQ sauce has been popular every summer for years, and for good reason. It packs a flavorful punch with no added sugar, and will take your chicken, easy grilling recipes, or whatever else you’re cooking up to the next level. Readers have even told me it won awards in contests. Fire up that grill and get cooking!
Why You’ll Love This Sugar Free BBQ Sauce Recipe
- Sweet, smoky and tangy taste
- Thick and smooth texture
- Ready in less than 30 minutes
- No artificial preservatives, thickeners, colors, or sweeteners
- Just 3.5g net carbs per serving
- Healthy, gluten free, sugar free BBQ sauce for tons of flavor
- Award winning in reader contests!
Since BBQ sauce is a bit sweet, we’re swapping out the sugar, high fructose corn syrup, and artificial sweeteners with Besti Powdered Monk Fruit Allulose Blend. This blend gives super smooth texture to sauces, all with 0g net carbs and just-like-sugar sweetness. I use it to make sugar free ketchup, too!
Ingredients & Substitutions
This section explains how to choose the best sugar free barbecue sauce ingredients, what each one does in the recipe, and substitution options. For measurements, see the recipe card below.
- Tomato Paste – Gives BBQ sauce a thick, rich texture and natural sweetness. If you don’t have any, you can use triple the amount of tomato sauce instead and just simmer for longer to thicken.
- Apple Cider Vinegar – Adds tang. If you don’t have any, you can use white vinegar or lemon juice for a similar tart alternative.
- Besti Powdered Monk Fruit Allulose Blend – I exclusively use and recommend this one because it dissolves completely, unlike other sugar substitutes that can leave your keto BBQ sauce recipe gritty or crystallize when you store it. 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 and slight sweetness. I like this one, which is gluten-free. Technically it contains a trivial amount of 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). If you prefer, you could omit it or use a dash of blackstrap molasses with a little water instead.
- Liquid Hickory Smoke – For true barbecue flavor, this ingredient makes the biggest difference — don’t skip it! Many grocery stores carry liquid smoke near other seasonings or condiments, or you can find the one I use online here.
- Spices – Like many store bought brands, this sauce uses a combination of smoked paprika, sea salt, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne pepper (more or less depending how spicy you like it), and chili powder to give the perfect flavor.
VARIATION: Want brown sugar flavor?
Replace half of the Besti powdered sweetener with Besti Brown Sugar Substitute! It dissolves just as easily and tastes just like brown sugar, with zero net carbs.
How To Make Sugar Free BBQ Sauce
This section shows how to make keto BBQ sauce, with step-by-step photos and details about the technique, to help you visualize it. For full instructions, including amounts and temperatures, see the recipe card below.
TIP: Water quantity will vary.
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.
- Cook to reduce. Bring to a gentle boil at 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 or cayenne pepper, if desired.
Storage Instructions
- Store: Keep homemade sugar free BBQ sauce in a mason jar, airtight container, or condiment bottle in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
- Freeze: Keep in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months. You can also freeze in an ice cube tray, then transfer to a freezer bag, to have individual portions on hand for your favorite recipes.
Best Keto BBQ Sauce Uses
You just can’t beat the sweet, smoky, tangy flavors in this sugar free BBQ sauce recipe. It can add a kick of flavor to so many dishes! Here are some of my favorite ways to use it:
- Chicken – Make a BBQ chicken pizza on cauliflower crust, baste crispy oven baked chicken thighs with sauce, or use as a dipping sauce for keto chicken nuggets or keto chicken tenders. You can also toss your shredded chicken in it! My favorite way to use it though is slathered on grilled BBQ chicken legs.
- Beef – Slather sirloin steak, ribs, or chuck eye steak with keto BBQ sauce before throwing them on the grill. Or, use it to top keto meatloaf instead of ketchup.
- Pork – Make pulled pork sandwiches or slather sauce on air fryer pork chops.
- Salad – I always use this to make my BBQ chicken salad.
More Low Carb Sauce Recipes
Keep sugar and fillers out of your sauces with these recipes. If you like this low carb BBQ sauce, you’ll love these other keto sauces to pair with your favorite low carb mains:
Sugar Free BBQ Sauce (Keto)
Satisfy your craving for barbecue with this sweet, smoky, and tangy keto sugar free BBQ sauce. It's so easy to make and has won awards!
Instructions
Tap on the times in the instructions below to start a kitchen timer while you cook.
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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.
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Bring to a gentle boil at 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 still thicker than you like, you can stir in additional water, a tablespoon at a time, until reaching desired consistency.
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.
Recipe Notes
Serving size: 2 tbsp
- Entire recipe makes 2 1/2 cups.
- 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.
Nutrition facts are provided as a courtesy. Have questions about calculations or why you got a different result? Please see our nutrition policy.
© 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. 🙂
293 Comments
Jeff
0My wife says it tastes to much tomato or ketchup taste. What can I do? It was easy to make and I love it.
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi Jeff, You could try reducing the tomato paste a little or other readers have added a little lemon juice, I have not tried either of those so I can’t guarantee the results.
Deb Coffin
0Scrumptious. I doubled the liquid smoke and Worcestire. Wonderful on grilled chicken breast.
Denise
0After reading the comments about spices/flavour perhaps reading the ingredients on your favourite BBQ sauce and noting the order they are in would help to season the sauce to your taste. Ingredients are supposed to be listed in the order of quantity.
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi Denise, My ingredients are listed in the order that they are used, which is standard recipe convention. When multiple ingredients are combined at the same time, as is the case with this recipe, they are listed in order by quantity from largest to smallest.
Denise
0Would this recipe be ok to can in a hit water bath? We stew down our own tomatoes and can them so it would be a matter of adding spices to the appropriate amount of sauce omitting the water and adding the other ingredients. I haven’t canned anything using substitute sweeteners.
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi Denise, I have not tried to can this recipe, but I think you can.
BKime
0Speaking purely on my own experience and rules in my kitchen- we only can foods and recipes that have been tested as safe to do so. You’d be surprised what people think is safe to can. Check the Ball recipe site, or this site ( https://nchfp.uga.edu/#gsc.tab=0) for tested recipes that are safe to be canned for shelf storage. Otherwise just freeze it like the post says- better to be safe than sorry.
Natalia
0This makes 20 servings as per your info and one serving has 3.5g of carbs, meaning the 2.5 cups of this sauce has SEVENTY (!!!) grams of carbs?
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi Natalia, A serving size is 2 tablespoons which is standard for bbq sauce.
Sabrina
0Can it be regular monk fruit with alulose sweetener or does it need to be powdered?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Sabrina, If you’re using Besti, yes, regular should work fine since it dissolves so easily. Other sweeteners will have trouble dissolving if they are not powdered.
April
0Worcestershire sauce used for the entire recipe, each serving would contain only 1/20 tablespoon of it (like a drop). As someone who suffers from Celiac, that “drop” does and will matter. Please change the sauce to reflect that or take off the gluten free. You really could be making someone really sick.
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi April, As stated in the recipe card… The Worcestershire sauce linked in the ingredients list is gluten-free. The information about the 1/20 tablespoon (like a drop) is in reference to the sugar that is found in Worcestershire sauce. Our recipe ratings are for those who actually made the recipe. Thanks!
Krista
0Would have probably been great had I not misread tomato paste for tomato sauce haha. With tomato sauce, I didn’t need the extra water but the vinegar was sooooo overpowering! I tried to do my best to salvage it and was able to get it to a more edible state haha – but totally my own fault. Thanks for sharing!!
Amir
0Great Recipe. Do you have a metric version? I find it takes the guessing game out of measuring. Thanks– A
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi Amir, In the recipe card you can change from US customary to metric.
Nan
0Thank you can’t wait to try your bbq sauce.
Britt
0Hi there !
Can you use just regular monk sugar instead of powder?
Thanks !
Britt
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi 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
0Hi thank you for your response 🙂 One more question, can I sub sugar free ketchup for tomato paste? Thank you
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Brittney, The sugar-free ketchup likely already has many of these spices already in it. Feel free to adjust seasonings to taste. Enjoy!
Lisa
0Your 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
0Hi 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
0Can I use splenda powder instead of the monk fruit powder?
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi 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
0Hi Sharon, It will work from a recipe standpoint, but you can learn why I don’t recommend sucralose (Splenda) here.
Cherie Langley
0My husband and I really enjoyed this recipe! I will be sharing with everyone I know:)
Sue
0Hi 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
0Maya, 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
0Thank 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.
0The 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
0I’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
0Love having issues finding cayenne pepper all of the sudden maybe due to the election year/ccp virus interruptions dk
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi 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
0Firstly, 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
0Hi 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
0Love 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
0How long will this barbecue sauce stay good in the fridge?
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi A Christopher, It’s best for 1-2 weeks in the fridge.
James Doyle
0prefect taste GREAT, i think I will try it with some mustard next time.
Tom Welsh
0Tremendous 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
0I’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
0Hi Angela, White vinegar or red wine vinegar will work well in place of the apple cider vinegar.
JAN LEDUC
0This is a delicious recipe!
Thank you. This is so good I plan on using it as a base for other recipes.
Kimberly Shepherd
0It was so good and easy! I’ve been missing bbq sauce at family gatherings..Thank you so much for the recipe!
Brejohnna Castorina
0This 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
0It’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
0Hi 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
0Can you substitute the apple cider vinger for another vinegar?
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi A Sutton, Yes, you can use white vinegar if you wish. Apple Cider Vinegar lends a nice flavor to the sauce.
Nancy
0This 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
0Awesome 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
0Hi 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
0I 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
0Thanks for sharing!! Will be my go to recipe! Very good sauce!
Diane Powell
0Thank you, Susan for making a delicious barbecue sauce we can enjoy! We appreciate you and your recipes!!!
John L
0This 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
0John, 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
0Didn’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
0Like 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
0I 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
0I thought it had too much tomato paste flavor. Wasn’t sure how to get it to that true BBQ flavor.
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi 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
0I 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
0Hi 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.
0I 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
0Jay 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
0Good 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
0Hi. 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
0Hi Carolina, Ingredients in the recipe card highlighted in pink are preferred brands. I hope this helps.
Gerri
0Question:
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
0Hi Gerri, No. Psyllium husk will not work in this recipe.
Marianne
0Just 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
0Your 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
0Hi 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
0I was wondering can you can it for canning?
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi 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
0Hi, 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
0Hi Terry, Yes, 15 ounces. Thank you for clarifying!
Roger
0I 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
0I 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.