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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
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
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Amir, You can change from US customary to metric on the recipe card above.
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.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Lisa, Please review my notes on the Worcestershire sauce in the post above. There are 2 tablespoons in the entire recipe and the whole thing makes 20 servings, so the amount per serving is very small.
Sharon Butler
0Can I use splenda powder instead of the monk fruit powder?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Sharon, It will work from a recipe standpoint, but you can learn why I don’t recommend sucralose (Splenda) here.
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Sharon, I don’t recommend sucralose for reasons 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.
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 lemon juice 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.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Andrew, 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. Many people have told me they loved this recipe without any modifications.
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.
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
1I 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 my 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.
Sharon
0This was awesome. I didn’t have 2 1/2 cans of tomato paste so I used one 6 oz can of tomato paste and one 6 oz can of tomato sauce. Cut back on the sweetener and water a little, but otherwise made it as the recipe called for. I simmered the sauce for 45 minutes (as I was on the phone) and I think it helped meld the flavors. My tomato sauce said it had 3.5 servings at 3 carbs per serving, that’s 10.5 carbs. My tomato paste said it had 5 servings at 6 carbs per serving, that’s equal to 30 carbs. A total of 40.5 carbs for the whole recipe. My recipe made 4 1/2 cups, that’s 72 Tablespoons at less than 1 gram of carbs per Tablespoon. What am I missing?
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Sharon, Your version of the recipe made almost twice the volume mine does (2.5 cups), that will make a big difference in the final carb count for the recipe. I am thrilled that you enjoyed it!
Jann
04.5 carbs for 1 T of sauce is A LOT! What makes this sauce so high in carbs?
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Jan, Tomatoes are higher in carbs and greatly contributes to the carb count of this recipe.
Carol Burba
0How long does this sauce last in the fridge$
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Carol, Your sauce will keep in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
Philip T.
0I wanted to let everyone know that I just made this recipe. I only made two subs, one out of necessity and one out of personal taste. I didn’t have any tomato paste on hand so instead I used a 14 oz can of Diced Tomatoes, that I pureed in my blender. I also added a tsp of fresh ground black pepper as I think all BBQ sauce needs black pepper in it. The result was great, I will be trying these on some baby back ribs tonight, but I have already tasted the sauce and it is amazing.
Jillian Stewart
0Personally, I despise liquid smoke. So much so, that I searched how to cook without it, but still get the smoky flavor. You smoke an onion. I’m not sure based on the size of your recipe how much it would increase the carb count, but trust me when I tell you, it’s lip smacking good in BBQ.
Sue
0I added some Worcestershire sauce to it and a bit more salt….it was delicious, will definetly make it again
LadyJ1225
0Oh yeah I can have BBQ sauce! When I made some pulled pork I was feeling sad because I used to eat a side of BBQ sauce with my pork – yes I LOVE LOVE LOVE BBQ sauce. So when I found this keto recipe I had to try it and I was not disappointed. It is so easy to throw this together and I love that it can be customized easily depending on taste. This is a really good sauce and I will be making this often. Now I’m thinking of other ways I can use this. Thank you = )
Drew
0Very very sour! I’ve never experienced BBQ sauce with any hint of sourness before so this was not palatable for me at all sorry.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Drew, That’s very unusual, it should not be sour. Did you add the sweetener? Did you change any of the other ingredients?
Desirae
0Tastes mostly like tomato paste…and I only used one can as others had recommended. 🙁
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Desirae, Most likely adding more water was necessary. Did you add more at the end?