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Just like Sweet Baby Ray’s BBQ sauce! My homemade bbq sauce recipe is quick and easy to put together. All you have to do is combine everything in a saucepan and let it simmer. It’s tangy, smoky, sweet, and so much better than the store-bought sauce!
This is a story of how we added a bunch of ingredients to a saucepan and made a copycat of Baby Ray’s BBQ Sauce in no time!
Being from Texas means there’s no shortage of good BBQ everywhere you look. And though today’s bbq sauce recipe is not anything close to a Texas-style BBQ sauce, it is a sauce that tastes delicious on just about any kind of grilled meat, poultry, and even vegetables. Homemade bbq sauce comes together by simmering a few ingredients and tastes a harmonious balance of sweet, spicy, tangy, and smoky flavors.
We use homemade bbq sauce regularly in our household. Whether it’s to baste chicken with on the grill, or as a sauce on my bbq chicken pizza (an all-time favorite!) It goes on cheesy bbq chicken – a weeknight classic. It’s a key ingredient in my smoky southern baked beans. It’s also an ingredient in the dressing for my Crispy chicken salad, and a part of the sauce for my pickle-brined crispy chicken sandwich!
Ingredients for Homemade Sweet Baby Ray’s BBQ Sauce:
- Ketchup: is the base of this recipe. Keep in mind, you want to use a ketchup that isn’t too sweet here otherwise the bbq sauce will end up being extremely sweet with the addition of brown sugar and molasses. There are several brands that have no sugar added, I suggest using something like that
- Brown sugar: adds sweetness to the sauce
- Molasses: add both sweetness and a deep rich flavor to the sauce
- Pineapple juice: adds a unique fruity flavor profile
- Worcestershire sauce: adds an umami flavor to the sauce. Keep in mind that Worcestershire does make this sauce not suitable for my vegan friends. So if that’s you, you might want to swap the Worcestershire for one that is vegan friendly
- Apple cider vinegar: adds the tang that you find in bbq sauce
- Seasonings: There’s a few select seasonings I like to use that make the best sauce! Smoked paprika is the most important one of them all. It adds so much depth of flavor. You’ll also need dry mustard powder, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne pepper, salt, and black pepper. Keep in mind that the cayenne is optional, if you want to make this not spicy, leave the cayenne out!
- Hot sauce: adds a bit of a kick!
- Cornstarch: helps thicken the sauce
Why do you add pineapple juice to your bbq sauce recipe?
If you’re wondering why pineapple juice, it’s because I turned over the bottle of Sweet Baby Ray’s bbq sauce and saw that it says pineapple juice right smack dap in the center there. Who would’ve even thought?
I like bbq sauce with a more smoky flavor, how can I achieve that?
The smoked paprika is meant to give this recipe a smoky flavor, and for us, it’s just the right amount. If you usually prefer a more smoky sauce, you can add 1-3 teaspoons of liquid smoke to the recipe to help boost that smokiness. I would start with 1 teaspoon and build from there based on preference!
How to make just like Sweet Baby Ray’s BBQ Sauce:
- Combine the ingredients: I like to add all the ingredients in a medium saucepan along with a big splash of water and whisk until smooth.
- Bring to a boil: Place the saucepan over the stove and allow the sauce to start bubbling before you lower the heat and continue to let it simmer for 5-7 minutes. The longer you simmer, the thicker the sauce will be. Don’t panic if it isn’t super thickened by the end of the cooking time. The sauce will continue to thicken as it cools.
- Serve: Brush the prepared sauce on meats or poultry while you’re grilling. Use as a sauce on my bbq chicken pizza or in dips and dressings!
How to store leftover bbq sauce:
I store the leftover sauce in a jar with a tight fitting lid. You can keep the sauce in the fridge for up to 4 weeks from when you prepared it!
If you like this recipe, you might also like:
Just Like Sweet Baby Ray’s BBQ Sauce
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 1/3 cup ketchup
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup molasses
- 6 ounce pineapple juice no sugar added
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon dry mustard powder
- 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon hot sauce any kind
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper optional
Instructions
- COMBINE: Add 1/3 cup water along with all the ingredients listed to a saucepan and whisk until smooth. When all the lumps have been worked out, bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
- SIMMER: When it starts bubbling, lower the heat so it just simmers and allow it to cook for 5-7 minutes until it thickens. Keep in mind the sauce will thicken even further as it cools so you don’t want to cook it too much longer than that.
- SERVE: Brush on meats or poultry when grilling, as a sauce for pizza, or as a base for dips and dressings!
Notes
- If you prefer to make this smokier, you can add 1-3 teaspoons of liquid smoke to your taste. Start with 1 teaspoon and build as desired.
- Store covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 weeks
- To make the sauce vegan, be sure to use a Worcestershire sauce that is vegan friendly!
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Like This? Leave a comment & rating below!
Could you make a suggestion for how much water to use? Thanks
It should read 1/3 cup!
For those who want to can their sauce, it goes into a hot water bath for 20 minutes.
There is no way that this sauce is acidic enough to be safe to water bath can. Botulism bacteria could grow in this. Don’t put rebel canning misinformation like this out there, you could kill someone.
I made this recipe for the bbq for pulled pork. Everyone loved it! I ended up sending several people home with the recipe! I don’t think I’ll buy Sweet Baby Ray’s again!
My daycare kiddos and I made this for a Father’s Day gift and it’s delicious! Will definitely make again!
can you can these with a water bath for bulk ?
Did you happen to water bath can this recipe? I just made it and would love to water bath what we definitely won’t use within the 4 weeks.
I mixed it with about 1/8 cup hot honey so good
I’m dying to try this recipe! I have one question. Can this sauce be frozen? I live alone so I probably wouldn’t use the whole qt. jar up in time. Thanks.
Mary
This is the best BBQ sauce I have ever made! My husband absolutely loves it the only thing I do differently is I put a little more cayenne pepper and a bit more hot sauce.Thanks for sharing.
Thank you for this recipe! In my opinion it doesn’t taste like Sweet Baby Ray’s in a direct comparison, but it is the same style of sauce and an amazing sauce regardless. I omitted the corn starch by accident, which turned out to be a happy accident, as the sauce would have turned into pudding otherwise. Now the consistency is just right.
As molasses is not available in my country, I substituted it with 100ml sugar syrup and omitted the brown sugar, since the syrup is sweeter than molasses. Perhaps those modifications are why my sauce tastes differnet, haha. Will definitely make it again!
Just here to say I made this, trying to find an alternative to purchasing sweet baby rays and I absolutely love this! Just amazing thank you!
I’ve tried quite a few recipes and nothing came close to sweet baby rays! Really really good all around BBQ sauce!
I followed this recipe but instead of ketchup I did tomato paste and beets to avoid corn syrup, I reduced the amount of garlic and onion powder because I have an allium intolerance, and I swapped cayenne out for Chipotle. I also added ginger and turmeric for antiinflammatory properties. It tastes great! Like the honey chipotle version of baby Ray’s!
I LOVE this recipe! I love the idea that I can make my own bbq sauce and I know what’s in it. I’ve made this recipe about 6 or 7 times and my hubby really enjoys it.
Can this be frozen? Going to try it out this weekend
I love Sweet Baby Ray sauce so decided to try this recipe. I didn’t have pineapple juice so I added apricot jam. It tastes delicious. A keeper!
Made this last night and we loved it! Saving to make again! Thank you!
Sorry missed the rating 5 Stars of course. Would give it more if I could
I did not think it was possible to make something better than Sweet Baby Rays, but this did it. amazing recipe, THANKS
I make this recipe with honey instead of brown sugar. Increase everything to make 8 quarts at a time and can it. Love this!!!
Can you share your canning instructions?
I want to really thank you for sharing this recipe. I am using it for BBQing and dipping and really like the flavor. I use my own ketchup replacement in place of the ketchup. I have been looking for a long time for a recipe for a BBQ sauce that agrees with me, and this one is perfect.
What is the acidity level, i want to know if I can water bath can this for shelf stable.