Honey BBQ Sauce
This Honey BBQ Sauce recipe is a sweet and tangy honey barbecue sauce you can use on burgers, chicken wings, pizza, and more! It only takes about 20 minutes to make and keep in your fridge.
Once upon a time, I used to be really ambitious in the kitchen and made almost everything from scratch – homemade flour tortillas, fajita seasoning, sweet chili sauce.
Then when I quit my office job and freelanced full-time, all of my time and energy went into my business and keeping myself afloat.
I’m still cooking mostly from scratch but do use some shortcuts, such as premade flatbread for Brussels Sprouts Pizza and premade burgers for Avocado Burgers.
However when I was making my BBQ Bacon Burgers, I knew I had to make at least one of the elements homemade to keep with my roots.
That’s where this Honey BBQ Sauce recipe comes in. It’s a sweet and tangy homemade barbecue sauce you can easily make in 20 minutes (which includes gathering and measuring your ingredients!).
Keep a jar of this small batch BBQ sauce in your fridge then slather it on some Honey Barbecue Wings, Barbecue Chicken Tostadas, and more!
Ingredients For Honey BBQ Sauce Recipe
The ingredients for your honey barbeque sauce are:
- Ketchup: Using premade ketchup is a bit of a shortcut that helps save you time (learn how to make ketchup here!) and also acts as a thickener for the sauce.
- Brown sugar: Sweetens the sauce. Using brown sugar vs. white sugar means there is a bit of molasses added to the sauce.
- Honey: Also sweetens the sauce. Clover honey is the most common, but any honey variety will do.
- Cider vinegar: Adds a bit of tang and balances out the sweetness. Cider vinegar isn’t as harsh as white distilled vinegar.
- Worcestershire sauce: Adds a bit of umami thanks to the anchovies
- Paprika: Adds some heat and smokiness
- Garlic and onion powders: Adds a bit of savoriness and a smoother sauce without adding actual pieces
- Salt: Balances the sweetness and acidity from the other ingredients
- Black pepper: Adds a bit of a kick along with the paprika
How To Make Honey BBQ Sauce
Making homemade honey BBQ sauce is easy! All you need is a large saucepan with a lid and a whisk.
Add your ketchup, brown sugar, honey, cider vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and black pepper in a large saucepan then bring to a boil.
Once boiling, turn the heat down to simmer then cover with a lid to minimize splashing. Cook for about 5 minutes or until the honey and sugar have dissolved, whisking occasionally.
Remove the lid and cool to room temperature. Refrigerate for up to 1 week.
How To Use Up BBQ Sauce
Now that your honey barbeque sauce is done, time to start cooking! Here are some delicious recipes to use up your BBQ sauce:
- BBQ Chicken Pizza
- BBQ Potato Salad
- Slow Cooker BBQ Pulled Chicken – You can easily substitute the sauce ingredients with your premade sauce.
- Crock Pot Ribs from Foxes Love Lemons
Honey BBQ Sauce
This Honey BBQ Sauce recipe is a sweet and tangy honey barbecue sauce you can use on burgers, chicken wings, pizza, and more! It only takes about 20 minutes to make and keep in your fridge.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup ketchup (homemade or store bought)
- 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar (make sure it's vinegar, not juice)
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon ground smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder (not salt)
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder (not salt)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt (preferably kosher)
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
- In a large saucepan, whisk together your ketchup, brown sugar, vinegar, honey, Worcestershire sauce, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil.
- Once boiling, turn the heat down to a simmer then cover with a lid. Cook for 5 minutes or until the sugar and honey have dissolved.
- Remove from the heat and cool to room temperature. Refrigerate for up to 1 week.
Notes
- Use your BBQ sauce for Honey Barbecue Wings and BBQ Potato Salad.
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