Quick, easy, and deliciously sweet! Honey Barbecue Sauce is the ultimate flavor maker for all your grilling needs!
If you’ve been on the hunt for the BEST barbecue sauce around, look no further! No, you won’t find it in your local grocery store… I’m talking homemade Honey Barbecue Sauce! It’s sweet, tangy, and delightfully delicious and bonus – it pairs perfectly with literally everything.
We love it on grilled ribs or my husband’s personal favorite – Monterey chicken. Homemade honey barbecue sauce is SO much better than store-bought and it’s cheaper too!
HONEY BARBECUE SAUCE
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FINALLY summer is here. It feels like we’ve been waiting forever for hot pool days and warm nights around the fire pit. After an impossibly long year and a half of staying socially distant and keeping our friends and neighbors safe and healthy, we are ready to PARTY.
I’m talking all the camping trips, all the pool parties, all the backyard barbecues. We have to make up for lost time! Of course, with good friends and fun comes good food.
My summertime staple (aside from a sweet fruity cocktail), is any kind of barbecue! Whether it’s bbq chicken, grilled bbq shrimp, or a giant bbq pig roast – if theres barbecue sauce involved, count me in.
In our house we love a slightly sweet and tangy barbecue sauce (my kids will reject any bit of spice…). This honey barbecue sauce recipe is absolute perfection. I keep a batch on hand all summer long… I wouldn’t ever want to have a craving for bbq and have to resort to store-bought sauce!
What does Honey BBQ Taste Like?
Homemade honey barbecue sauce is a unique and delightfully delicious flavor that every member of your family will love. It’s got a great saucy texture that when cooked onto meat becomes caramelized and deliciously sticky (but not stick to your teeth sticky…just need a few wet wipes sticky.)
Honey barbecue sauce is special because it doesn’t have a super sour, tangy flavor like many other bbq sauces. Instead, the honey and vinegar give the sauce a slightly sweet flavor that mixes with literally any type of meat.
My personal current favorite way to use is as a honey barbecue sauce for chicken wings. Messy? Yes. Delicious? DOUBLE yes.
Ingredients
If you’ve ever had the honey barbecue sauce Chick-Fil-A makes, this homemade honey barbecue sauce is like that only BETTER. Made with ingredients that you probably already have on hand, there really is no excuse for using store-bought bbq sauce. Make a double recipe and store some in the fridge to last you all summer long! Here’s what you’ll need:
Ketchup – as with any bbq sauce, honey barbecue sauce’s main ingredient is ketchup. This is the base for your bbq sauce and it gives it that delicious tangy flavor you’re looking for! You’ll be thinning your sauce out a bit with white vinegar too.
Sweetness – of course, to make honey barbecue sauce you’ll need some sugary deliciousness to give that sweet flavor. For this honey barbecue sauce recipe, you’ll need some honey and molasses to achieve that caramel sweetness!
Seasonings – the perfect blend of paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, and dry mustard gives your honey barbecue sauce an irresistible taste. You’ll find yourself using this sauce as a marinade AND as a dipping sauce!
How to make Honey Barbecue Sauce
Homemade honey barbecue sauce literally couldn’t be ANY easier to make. So throw out that old bottle of store-bought bbq sauce from the back of your fridge and whip up a batch of honey bbq sauce!
- Grab your medium saucepan and place it over medium heat. Whisk in all of your ingredients – yup… that’s it. No-fuss, no particular order, just dump it all in a give it a whisk!
- Let your honey barbecue sauce simmer for 10 to 15 minutes. This will get all your flavors blended and ready to smother your favorite meats!
- Once it’s done simmering, remove from the heat and allow your sauce to cool completely.
- If you’re cooking right away, your sauce is good to go! If you’re saving it for later, store it in an airtight container in the fridge until you’re ready for it!
If you want a little heat to your sauce, add a pinch of red chili flakes before you start to simmer the sauce.
Need more ways to use your Honey Barbecue Sauce?
- Grilled Barbecue Chicken Salad
- BBQ Pork Loin Sliders
- Cheesy BBQ Chicken Quesadillas
- Crock Pot Pulled Pork
- BBQ Cauliflower Bites
- more SIDE DISH recipes…
Tools used to make Honey Barbecue Sauce
Medium Saucepan: this is definitely my most used pan in my kitchen! I’ve had it for years and absolutely love it.
Mason Jars: I store everything in mason jars. They’re cute AND practical.
*This post originally posted on 07/15/2015.
Ingredients
- 1 cup ketchup
- 1 cup white vinegar
- 1 cup honey
- 2 tablespoons molasses
- 2 teaspoons ground mustard powder
- 1 ½ teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 ½ teaspoons onion powder
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
Instructions
- Whisk all ingredients together in a medium saucepan over medium heat.
- Allow barbecue sauce to simmer for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Remove the pan from heat and allow the sauce to cool to room temperature.
- Transfer the barbecue sauce to an airtight container, and store it in the refrigerator until ready to use.
Nutrition
Ann Fishback says
Great sauce recipe. I have made this 3 times and will making it again tomorrow. I have to watch my salt intake so this is the perfect sauce recipe for me. I love sweet barbeque sauce and your recipe is much better then any I have tried before. I really missed bottled sauce and thanks to you I found one just as good and much better for me than store bought. Thank you very very much.
Jan Baker says
I made this and followed the recipe to the letter. It was awful. Tasted like eating straight vinegar. I had to add a can of tomatoes sauce, brown sugar and a little water just to get it to where we could eat it.
Will not make it again!
Ann Fishback says
This is the best barbeque sauce I have ever made. The taste is the best. Much better than store bought. I have made it 3 times and plan to make it many more in the future.
Jen says
Used this sauce to make BBQ chicken pizza tonight. It was so yummy!
Aubrey Cota says
Awesome! Thank you, Jen.
Carol says
Sounds like a winner for bbq sauce but can you freeze it?
Aubrey Cota says
I’ve never had the need to freeze BBQ sauce before so I couldn’t answer that with total confidence. This should keep in the refrigerator for quite some time, especially if keeping it in an airtight container. That being said it is just sauce so freezing it shouldn’t be a problem just be mindful of what container you choose to put it in.
Mindy says
Love love this recipe!!! We paired it with sauteed chicken and served it on a bed of basmati rice. I will definitely use this recipe again! Thanks!!
Aubrey Cota says
Thank you so much, I’m so happy to hear you liked it!
Lisa says
Fantastic recipe. We keep bees and were looking for a good honey sauce recipe. My daughter plans to make this for gifts. As to the question about canning, I will check the pH on our next batch but the ratios look like this will have a pH less than 4.6, so we anticipate boiling water canning should be fine. Otherwise, pressure canning…
Aubrey Cota says
Thank you!
Karina says
Hi, I just now made this recipe, and… my sister and mother really liked it! My mom said a little less onion powder because she is allergic to them and also it was a little strong but other than that it was good and my sister just said “Yum”. I am putting it on spare ribs for our lunch today.
(oh, and I’m eleven and I LOVE to cook so that’s why i volunteered)
Aubrey Cota says
That’s so awesome!! Thank you so much for trying and I think it will go very nicely on your spare ribs. Keep up the good work, that makes me so proud to hear that you are already a cooking enthusiast.
Heather says
I think I will cut down the mustard to 1/4 teaspoon
Or omit it entirely and substitute it with something else.
Aubrey Cota says
If you’re not a fan of mustard you might try turmeric powder or even some horseradish powder (used sparingly). You are always welcome to customize to whatever works best for you!
Cynthia Graham-Pettis says
Really good! Added a little cayenne for a bit of heat.
Carol Grosklags says
I just now made this. Next time I make it, I will put in killer bee honey and call it “Killer Sauce! LOL
Aubrey Cota says
HAHA! I like it 🙂
Beverly Reynolds says
This sounds delicious. I’m going to try and make instead of buying it at store. We love BBQ in our home. Thank you for the recipe.
Gwen says
Can you can this recipe in jars?
Erin says
Holy momma!!! This is awesome stuff!!! So easy and delicious. I didn’t have dry mustard on hand so I substituted Frenches Deli mustard with Horseradish. Yummy!!
Thank you for this amazing recipe!!!
Kylie says
Looks yummy and I love that I can print it off. Thanks 🙂
Sinea Pies says
Wow, Aubrey, this sounds delicious!