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My Sugar Free BBQ Sauce Recipe Actually Tastes Like BBQ Sauce
My 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.
This homemade version has the classic sweet, tangy, smoky flavor you expect from BBQ sauce, with a thick and smooth texture — no gritty sweetener, fake aftertaste, or watery bottled-sauce vibes. Here’s why my healthier version makes all the difference:
- Classic BBQ taste – It’s rich, tangy, smoky, and just sweet enough. The tomato paste gives it body, the apple cider vinegar adds brightness, and the liquid smoke gives it that backyard BBQ flavor. 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.
Some of my readers have even won contests with this sauce, so I can actually say it’s award winning! Maybe you’re next? Make it with me and see!
“Such a great, simple and TASTY recipe that is so much healthier than anything storebought. LOVE this recipe for our family! Some of us are keto and some are not, but this doesn’t taste keto at all. Thank you!”
-Sam
Ingredients & Substitutions
Here I explain the best ingredients for my sugar free BBQ sauce recipe, 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 my variations 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 taste! My local grocery store has it near other seasonings or condiments, but I prefer this clean-ingredient brand.
- Spices – To get that classic BBQ sauce flavor, I used smoked paprika, sea salt, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne pepper (feel free to use more or less depending how spicy you like it), and chili powder.
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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. In a medium saucepan, whisk together the tomato paste, vinegar, powdered Besti, Worcestershire sauce, liquid smoke, spices, and salt. Add 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
- 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, 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.
- Make this a no-cook recipe: You can just mix the ingredients together, and add less water to get the consistency you want. However, I find this sugar free BBQ sauce tastes so much better if I let it simmer to let the flavors develop. If you don’t want this step, the next-best would be to let it sit in the fridge overnight before enjoying.
Sugar Free BBQ Sauce (Sweet & Smoky)
By
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!
Instructions
[ See step photos See my tips ]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 make it? Leave a review or tag me @wholesomeyum on Instagram!
Maya’s Recipe Notes
Serving size: 2 tablespoons
- Tips: Check out my recipe tips above to help you get the best consistency and texture, plus an option to make this a no-cook recipe. If you want to adjust the flavor, see my flavor variations below.
- Storage: Keep this sugar free barbecue 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 tray like this. 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. (The PH of this recipe is very low.) Let me know how it goes if you try it!
- Recipe yield: 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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Sugar Free BBQ Sauce
How To Adjust The Flavor
People are passionate about their BBQ sauce, and this is how I make mine, but you can easily customize it to how you like it:
- Sweeter – Add more powdered Besti, 1 tablespoon at a time. You can do this before simmering, but I usually do it after then the flavor is more concentrated.
- Brown sugar flavor – Replace half of the Besti powdered sweetener with Besti Brown! It dissolves just as easily and tastes like brown sugar, without the sugar spike.
- Honey BBQ – Replace the sweetener with my natural sugar-free honey. This is my favorite variation of all.
- Smokier – Add a little more liquid smoke, but go slowly because it’s strong.
- Spicier – Increase the cayenne, or add chipotle powder or hot sauce.
- More tangy – Add an extra splash of apple cider vinegar.
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, ribs, 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:
310 Comments
Kate
0Love this recipe! I added 2 Tbsp of brown sweetener in the end because we like it a little bit sweeter but other than that it’s very good!! I’m putting ribs in the crockpot in the morning with it! Can’t wait! Definitely missing BBQ sauce on Keto!
Jimmi
0Fantastic BBQ sauce recipe! Perfect as is, but I decided to add and grind up about 1/2 teaspoon of black pepper and an extra slight shake of cayenne. I discovered the recipe and your site on Google but realize I watched one of your video recipes the other day as well. A great resource you’ve put together, and looking forward to more great dishes and recipes!
Janet watkins
0I appreciate your recipes I’m trying to eat low carb to lose weight. Thank you.
Melissa
0Can it be frozen?
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi Melissa, Yes, you can freeze the BBQ sauce. I have some options in the post above.
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.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Jeff, You could add a splash of lemon juice or more of the spices. The strength of the flavor can vary depending on how fresh and potent your spices are, and of course personal preference.
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.
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.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Denise, I have not tried canning this recipe, but I think you can. Let me know how it turns out if you give it a go!
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?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Natalia, A serving size is 2 tablespoons, which is standard for bbq sauce. I hope you’re not drinking it by the cup. 😉
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.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi April, Like I said in the post, the Worcestershire sauce I use and link to 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, not for allergy reasons. My 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
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.