Homemade Bourbon BBQ Sauce
Tired of store bought barbecue sauce that’s laden with sugar and preservatives? This Homemade BBQ Sauce is sweet and smoky with no refined sugar and ingredients you can pronounce. It’s so easy to make and it comes together in about 15 minutes!
It’s mid-May and the weather is heating up, which means I’m firing up my grill a lot more often. I have a huge craving for grilled bbq chicken, which means I’ll be making a batch of this Bourbon BBQ Sauce in the near future.
I started making homemade bbq sauce a few years ago because store bought brands contain so much sugar and a laundry list of ingredients that I can’t pronounce.
I love that I can customize this sauce to suit my taste, and it’s incredibly easy to make.
It’s perfect for grilling season, and I’ve listed a number of other ways to utilize it in the Serving Suggestions section towards the bottom of this post.
Why you’ll love this recipe:
- Bourbon barbecue sauce is sweet and smoky with no refined sugar and a few ingredients that you can pronounce!
- It takes about 5 minutes of prep time and 10 minutes to make.
- It keeps for up to 2 weeks in the refrigerator or it can be frozen for up to 3 months.
- It can be customized a number of ways based on what you have on hand.
Recipe ingredients
The ingredients list may seem a bit long for this bourbon bbq sauce recipe, but they’re necessary to develop the depth of flavor that all great barbecue sauces have.
Most of the ingredients are probably already in your pantry or fridge, but just in case they aren’t I’ve included plenty of substitutions in the ingredient notes below.
Ingredient notes
- Ketchup. For the best quality, use a natural ketchup with minimal ingredients and sugar. The longer the list of ingredients, the more preservatives it’s likely to have. I love Primal Kitchen, but use your favorite.
- Bourbon. I don’t drink bourbon, but I love the flavor that it adds to recipes like my pork chops with creamy mushroom sauce. It adds great depth of flavor to this bbq sauce as well. No bourbon? Substitute it with the same amount of your favorite alcohol or fresh fruit juice, or add a tablespoon or two of jam or fruit purée.
- Vinegar. Apple cider vinegar is my go-to for this recipe, but it may be substituted with white vinegar or even balsamic in a pinch.
- Orange juice. Fresh orange juice brightens the flavors and adds another dimension of sweetness. If you don’t have any on hand, consider using pineapple juice or more maple syrup or honey.
- Maple syrup. Substitute with honey.
- Spices. Onion powder, garlic powder and smoked paprika have been added for flavor and smokiness, but you can use your favorite spices.
- Worcestershire sauce. Adds great savory depth of flavor. It can be substituted with soy sauce, tamari or coconut aminos.
- Dijon mustard. Dijon adds savory flavor. Substitute with yellow mustard if you don’t have any on hand.
- Tomato paste. Adds umami flavor and thickens the sauce.
- Liquid smoke. This is optional, but is essential for this smoky bourbon bbq sauce recipe.
How to make bourbon barbecue sauce
This recipe is so easy! It takes about 5 minutes to gather your ingredients and another 10 minutes to cook the sauce.
Pro tip: Make the maple bourbon bbq sauce up to a few days in advance to have on hand for busy weeknights. This recipe is easily doubled as well.
See the recipe card below for full instructions.
- Place all of the ingredients in a medium sauce pan and stir until combined.
- Bring to a boil over medium heat, reduce the temperature to medium low, and simmer for 10 minutes until the sauce has thickened. The sauce will thicken more as it cools.
FAQs
There are quite a few ingredients in this homemade bourbon BBQ sauce, but they are essential to develop depth of flavor that all great barbecue sauces have. Each ingredient is probably in your pantry now, or you can substitute some ingredients with what you have on hand.
This sauce includes natural ketchup, bourbon, apple cider vinegar, maple syrup, fresh orange juice, onion powder, garlic powder, smoked paprika, dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce, tomato paste and liquid smoke.
The liquid smoke is optional, but is essential for smoky bourbon bbq sauce!
Use your favorite bourbon…if you like it in your cocktails, you’ll like it the sauce. I always have Maker’s Mark on hand, so I use that.
If you don’t have bourbon on hand, add sherry or brandy or omit it altogether.
The bourbon is added for depth of flavor. The alcohol in the bourbon cooks off as the sauce simmers.
This bourbon bbq sauce will keep in the fridge in an air tight container for up to two weeks, or you can freeze it for up to 3 months.
Serving suggestions
This sweet and smoky bourbon bbq sauce is the way to make your next meal next level.
- Baste Grilled BBQ chicken with plenty of bbq sauce to make it finger licking good.
- This BBQ pulled chicken is a great way to use this sauce. Simply dump in the slow cooker with chicken breasts and cook for a few hours, shred the chicken and stir with the sauce!
- Toss my tender Instant pot pulled pork with bbq sauce and serve as a sandwich, over baked sweet potatoes or even a salad.
- Pour over turkey meatloaf for a meal that the entire family will love!
Recipe notes
- Pro tip: Make the maple bourbon bbq sauce up to a few days in advance to have on hand for busy weeknights. The recipe is easily doubled as well!
- No bourbon? Replace with your favorite alcohol or fruit juice, or a tablespoon or two of jam or fruit purée.
- Use gluten-free Worcestershire sauce or tamari to make this bbq sauce gluten-free.
- Store bourbon bbq sauce sauce in an air tight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks or freeze for up to 3 months.
More homemade sauces you’ll love:
- Basil pesto sauce
- Carolina mustard BBQ Sauce by Chili Pepper Madness
- Carrot top pesto sauce
- Chimichurri sauce
- Greek tzatziki
- Green enchilada sauce
- Homemade marinara sauce
- Homemade meat sauce
- How to make pesto sauce
- Red enchilada sauce
- Spinach pesto
Did you try this recipe? If so, be sure to leave a review below and tag me @flavorthemoments on Facebook and Instagram
Homemade Bourbon BBQ Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 cup natural ketchup preferably organic and low in sugar
- 1/3 cup bourbon see notes for substitutions
- 1/4 cup pure maple syrup sub with honey
- 1/4 cup fresh orange juice sub with your favorite fruit juice or more maple syrup
- 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar sub with white vinegar or balsamic in a pinch
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce substitute with soy sauce, tamari or coconut aminos.
- 2 teaspoons dijon mustard sub with yellow mustard
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 1/2 teaspoons liquid smoke optional but adds smoky flavor
Instructions
- Place all ingredients in a medium sauce pan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat to medium low and simmer for about 10 minute until the sauce has thickened.1 cup natural ketchup, 1/3 cup bourbon, 1/4 cup pure maple syrup, 1/4 cup fresh orange juice, 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar, 2 tablespoons tomato paste, 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce, 2 teaspoons dijon mustard, 1 teaspoon onion powder, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon smoked paprika, 1 1/2 teaspoons liquid smoke
- Remove from heat and cool completely. The sauce will thicken as it cools.
Notes
- Pro tip: Make the sauce up to a few days in advance to have on hand for busy weeknights!  This recipe is easily doubled as well.
- No bourbon? Replace with your favorite alcohol or fruit juice, or a tablespoon or two of jam or fruit purée.
- Use gluten-free Worcestershire sauce or tamari to make this bbq sauce gluten-free.
- Store bourbon bbq sauce sauce in an air tight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks or freeze for up to 3 months.
Nutrition
Nutrition is estimated using a food database and is only intended to be used as a guideline for informational purposes.
**This recipe was originally posted in July 2019. The photos have been updated to include step by step instructions, and the text has been modified to include more recipe information.
10 Comments on “Homemade Bourbon BBQ Sauce”
River rafting sounds so fun! I haven’t done that since I was a kid, and would love to go with my husband.
On the topic of BBQ sauce – I’m usually not a fan, but all of a sudden during pregnancy, I’m into BBQ chips & this sauce sounds so good to me right now!
It was very fun — I can’t wait to do it again! And aren’t the pregnancy cravings interesting? I craved Kripy Kreme donuts with my second son and I normally hate them! 🙂
This bbq sauce looks so good marcie.. ahhhh weather is calling bbq kinda reicpes these days here in india.
Thank you Priya! Our weather is calling for bbq recipes too!
Marcie, this bbq sauce looks so flavorful! I love a sweet and smoky barbeque! Class 4 white water rafting sounds so fun but so scary!
Thanks Kelly! The bourbon adds so much flavor to this. 🙂 Believe it or not, rafting wasn’t too scary at all. Our guide was awesome!
River rafting looks so cool but I’m such a chicken! haha Glad you had a blast!! And this homemade BBQ sauce looks AWESOME. You’re right – the homemade stuff blows the store-bought kind out of the water!
Seriously — the guide made this easy! We just did what we were told. 🙂 Thanks Ashley!
My hubby eats a lot of BBQ sauce so I should definitely start making some homemade versions for him. He would definitely enjoy this one with the bourbon flavour!
Homemade is better for my digestion — the store bought varieties have so many ingredients that don’t agree with me! Thanks Leanne!