Clean BBQ Sauce Recipe {Healthy Recipe}

Heat up the grill this weekend and make a batch of this finger lickin' Clean BBQ Sauce to pour over, well, everything.

This easy, homemade recipe makes two cups of delicious, smooth smoky barbecue sauce that can be stored in your fridge for 7 days. Use it to add extra flavor to meat casseroles, laden on burgers, as a marinade or a quick dipping sauce.

We've had to get a little creative in the kitchen lately. The Covid situation has meant that quite a few of our 'regular pantry items' haven't always been available.

It's not a tragedy and yes, we can live quite well without them - but it does give me a kind of smug satisfaction being able to create some 'store bought' products at home in my own home kitchen.

Smoky BBQ sauce is one of those luxury items that you don't miss until you don't have it. It's our go to burger sauce and I use it in marinades (like these BBQ Chicken and Pineapple Skewers) and as an easy pizza topping.

Homemade vs Store bought BBQ Sauce

I'm not a fan of making EVERYTHING from scratch and I try and save time by choosing to buy certain products instead of making them at home. BBQ sauce would normally fall into that category - but times are a little strange right now, aren't they?

If you are near a larger store, or can wait for delivery then Primal Kitchen have a really good, clean BBQ Sauce that tastes amazing. It's made with 100% whole ingredients (the kind of stuff you have in your own kitchen) and it's sugar and gluten free. 

Looking for more Clean sauce recipes? Try these:

• Healthy mushroom sauce for EVERYTHING!
• Bit of a kick Clean Chipotle sauce
• The Bestest Ever kid approved clean pasta sauce

Homemade BBQ sauce from scratch

And for those time when you can't get hold of a good store bought one like the ones above, then making a homemade bbq sauce from scratch is a good alternative. Or if you've got a spare hour then it's fun to make anyway, and it tastes smoky barbecue-y amazing.

The recipe isn't hard to make, and the ingredients are of the everyday variety.

Clean Eating Barbecue Sauce Recipe

You most probably have most of these ingredients in your pantry right now. I use bottled ginger as it saves me on prep time and we use it quite often. Prepping fresh ginger is a pain and I have to wash the grater. So I just don't do it. 

Also, when you are choosing dijon mustard - read the ingredients. For some reason certain brands like to add a whole lot of unnecessary chemicals to the mix. This mustard is an example of a clean dijon. 

I forgot to add oil to my ingredients picture above. I use coconut oil when frying pretty much anything. Choose the regular and not the extra virgin if you want to avoid the 'coconut' aftertaste. 

How long does homemade BBQ last in the fridge?

This Clean bbq sauce will last for up to 7 days in the fridge. I like to store it in these glass bottles, it makes it look appealing and I like them, plus they have screw tops and make storage easier. They're also quite small, which means I can have a couple of bottles in the fridge and not have to open one until the others all used up. But you can store this Clean BBQ sauce however you like, just keep it sealed in the fridge.

Can I freeze homemade barbecue sauce?

I don't like to freeze this sauce. The consistency doesn't return and the only way I could get it back to somewhere near it's original delicious state was to reheat it on the cooker top. Which to me, is a total faff and so I don't freeze it.

How to Make Homemade BBQ Sauce 

Fry your onions in a little coconut oil (or olive oil if you're using a lower heat) until they have softened and sightly browned. 

Add the smoked paprika, garlic and ginger and fry gently for 1 - 2 minutes to release all those delicious flavors and smells. Your kitchen will smell real good - and the kids will start to hover.

If your mix gets a too thick, sticks together or is hard to stir, you can add a little more oil or couple drops of water.

Add the remaining ingredients and stir well to combine.

Cover the pan and simmer for 15 minutes on a medium heat. 

Blend until smooth. I use my handheld immersion blender (fancy name for a stick blender), but if you don't have one of these then you can transfer the sauce to a regular blender. Process until the sauce is smooth. 

Quick Note on Stick Blenders: If you don't have one, get one! This is one of those kitchen tools you don't know how much you will love it until you have one. I whip mine out often to puree tomatoes, soups, sauces or make a quick smoothie. 

If you want a thicker sauce, return to the pot and simmer (without a lid) for an additional 5 minutes until sauce has thickened. 

Pour your sauce into a jar or bottle and allow to cool. You can store your BBQ Sauce in the fridge for up to 7 days. 

And that is it!! Two generous cups of smooth and smoky, Homemade Clean Eating BBQ Sauce ready and waiting for the weekend.