It’s tough to find a good low carb BBQ sauce in the stores. But, it’s so simple to make your own low carb barbecue sauce from common ingredients you likely have in your kitchen.
I can’t believe it’s already July. June seems to have just come and gone so quickly. Before you know it, summer will be over and the kids will be heading back to school
It’s a long weekend for me as the 4th of July falls on a Tuesday and I took the Monday off. Friday was my scheduled day off so I’ve got five days off work to enjoy the weather.
I’ve been cooking easy summer meals and thought I’d try making homemade low carb BBQ sauce. I based my recipe on one I found at Food.com. Turns out it was super easy to make with ingredients I already had in the kitchen.
I’m not sure why I’ve never made my own barbecue sauce before. I make my own low carb chicken marinade for grilling. And, I love making just the right amount so there’s no bottle to store in the refrigerator.
I suppose you could make a larger batch if you’d like to store some for later. However, I like the idea of making the low carb barbecue sauce recipe for when I need it. Things tend to get lost in my refrigerator.
The recipe made enough to brush onto ten chicken drumsticks as they were grilling. I added a lot to each piece so you should be able to use it for more servings. I just didn’t want to waste any.
My husband is the pickiest eater I know and he ate up the chicken without any complaints. So, it’s got to taste pretty good to get past him.
If you don’t have any liquid smoke, you can leave it out, but it gives the sauce a nice smokey flavor. I had two teaspoons left in my bottle so that’s the amount I used.
Liquid smoke is also an ingredient you’ll want to have on hand for making your own beef jerky. I also use it to to make venison jerky if we have a lot of meat from hunting season.
You’ll definitely want to keep a bottle of liquid smoke in your kitchen for making your own low carb BBQ sauce. And, you may decide you want to make your own jerky too.
Another ingredient you’ll need is Worcestershire sauce. I just use Lea & Perrins as it’s readily available in local store and the small amount of sugar isn’t much. But, added sugar bothers you, feel free to make this paleo friendly version.
I included a photo of how the sauce looked on my chicken drumsticks below. But, this low carb BBQ sauce can be used for a lot more than grilling chicken!
The original recipe state that you can cook chicken or pork in the sauce and shred it after it’s cooked. So, it’s a homemade sauce that you can use for BBQ pulled pork or chicken.
Another idea is to cook the ingredients in a crock pot slow cooker with raw meat so you can skip making the sauce on the stove first. You can even use if for seasoning a whole chicken for slow cooking.
Both my brothers have been experimenting with cooking meat in a smoker. I may have to give that a try soon too. That’s one way to get the smokey flavor into meat without it coming from the sauce.
Low Carb BBQ Sauce Recipe
Low Carb BBQ Sauce
Ingredients
- 8 ounces canned tomato sauce
- 1 Tablespoon onion powder
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 Tablespoon chili powder
- 2 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce with no added sugar
- 2 Tablespoons mustard
- 1/8 teaspoon stevia concentrated powder or 1/4 teaspoon liquid (see note)
- 1/4 teaspoon monk fruit concentrated powder or 1/2 teaspoon liquid (see note)
- 2 teaspoons liquid smoke optional for smokey flavor
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 2 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar
Instructions
- Mix all ingredients together in small sauce pan.
- Bring to a boil, reduce to low and simmer uncovered for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. If desired, cook boneless skinless meat in the sauce and shred for BBQ pulled pork or chicken.
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Notes
Nutrition
Note on Nutritional Information
Nutritional information for the recipe is provided as a courtesy and is approximate only. We cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information given for any recipe on this site. Erythritol carbs are not included in carb counts as it has been shown not to impact blood sugar. Net carbs are the total carbs minus fiber.
About Lisa
Lisa has been creating low carb recipes for herself and sharing them with others since 2010. She loves to experiment in the kitchen and find new ways to create low sugar foods that taste like high carb favorites! Her recipes have been featured on popular magazine sites including Fitness, Shape, Country Living, Women's Health, and Men's Health. Lisa lives in Southeastern Connecticut. Connect with her and Low Carb Yum at:
Tamara says
This recipe is fantastic!! Finally a low-carb barbecue sauce that tastes just like store-bought, if not better. Thank you for sharing!
Lisa MarcAurele says
You’re very welcome.
Sandi says
This recipe looks really good. Can I use Splenda is this? Would the amount still be 1/3 cup?
Lisa MarcAurele says
As stated in the recipe notes, you’ll need about 1/3 cup Splenda.
Michaela says
Hi, Lisa. Thanks for this recipe. I’m looking forward to trying it. I’m in NZ, so sometimes I’m not sure of American vs NZ versions of foods. When you list tomato sauce as an ingredient, in NZ that is our version of your tomato ketchup. I know you can’t mean that. So do you mean tomato puree or tomato paste or just canned tomatoes? Thanks again, Lisa. Keep up the good work.
Lisa MarcAurele says
It’s a tomato puree where the seeds and skin are removed.
Tom says
I just made this and it’s totally delicious. I used 1/3 cup Swerve and found it a bit too sweet. I would probably cut it down to 1/4 cup or less next time. I’m a bbq sauce lover and so grateful to have found this recipe. Thank you!
Lisa MarcAurele says
Sweetness is definitely a personal preference so feel free to adjust as needed. So glad you can enjoy your BBQ again!
Tammie Brown says
I just made the low carb BBQ sauce. I can’t tell any difference in taste from regular BBQ sauce. In fact I think I like it better. I added some celery seed to it. Thank you for being so creative.
Caroline says
There are many low carb websites out there, Lisa, but I keep coming back
to yours. Great food and not complicated to prepare–I must enjoy eating
the same way as you do, many thanks.
Lisa says
I do try to make the recipes as simple as possible as I don’t like to waste too much time prepping meals.
Lisa Lu says
I’m making this recipe at this very moment! I’m about 3 weeks in on LCHF. The only modification I made was eliminating any sweetners whatsoever. I’ve never been a fan of BBQ sauce and maybe the sweetness was the reason. I’m looking for something savory – not sweet! I’ve been tasting and so far – YUM! I’m going to add some hot sauce too! Thanks much for sharing this recipe. Worn out from searching for unsweetened LC bbq sauce!
Lisa says
Eliminating sweets is the best way to go!
Lisa Lu says
This sauce was delicious and especially so on cold chicken – one of my favorites! My intention was to cook a bit up and have handy for a quick tasty snack or meal on a busy day. Worked perfectly! Thanks again 🙂
Lisa says
You’re welcome Lisa Lu!
Rachel says
This is delicious! I used a bit less sugar sub – 1/4 cup – and it is just sweet enough for me. I have had the hardest time finding low-carb bbq sauce, so thank you! This hit the spot! I made a bbq chicken pizza on a cauliflower crust. Was so so good! Thanks!
Lisa says
You’re welcome Rachel. Glad you enjoyed the sauce.
Bec says
What a great recipe! Thank you, it was wonderful with pulled chicken breast.
I used stevia as the sweetner. I was really scared if using 2 tsp liquid smoke but it was fantastic.
Lisa says
Thanks for sharing Bec! I’m glad it worked out with the pulled chicken.
Daniel says
Do you mean 1/3 tsp if sugar equivalent? The recipe calls for 1/8 tsp then 1/4 tsp (3/8 all together), but when you say you can use any sweetener that it needs 1/3 cup equivalent. I just want to clarify!
Lisa says
Yes, what’s stated is correct as the concentrated sweeteners are equivalent to about 1/3 cup bulk sweetener.
Nina Grube says
What kind of mustard are you using?
Lisa says
I use prepared dijon mustard.
Nicole says
How long will this sauce keep
Lisa says
It should keep for at least a few weeks. However, I typically use it up within a couple weeks.
Susan says
Liquid Smoke – I bet that’s the secret ingredient! I’ve been experimenting with BBQ sauce recipes for the last couple of summers (looking for something yummy, slightly sweet with low carbs) and I feel that there’s always some little thing missing. I’m going to try this ASAP!
Quick question – where do you typically find Monk Fruit Concentrated Powder? I’m not familiar with that sweetener.
Thanks!
Lisa says
I use NuNaturals brand and buy off Walmart. It’s sometimes called lo han or lo han guo. However, I’ve seen liquid monk fruit sold in the sweetener section of Walmart. Liquid is typically about half as sweet as the powder.
Carrie says
I think you may have forgotten to add the base of this recipe?? Do you start with tomato sauce and/or paste??
Lisa says
Oops. Yes. I started with a can of tomato sauce.
Nancy says
Hi Lisa, love your recipes! Quick question on BBQ sauce, no tomatoes or paste in this recipe?
Lisa says
So sorry. I used an 8 ounce can of tomato sauce. The recipe was scheduled right before a vacation and I’m just seeing the mistake now.