Homemade Zesty BBQ Sauce

Last updated on March 5, 2025 by Jessica Healey
Originally published on March 25, 2013

As you may remember, I’ve been working on a new ketchup, but I am still not quite happy with it (I’ll keep you posted). Meanwhile, I’ve also been working on a BBQ sauce.

BTW…did you see my ketchup post? Well, unfortunately almost all sauces you find at the store are just the same as what you’ll find with ketchup (bottles filled with GMOs and sugar). Luckily, I have perfected my Homemade Zesty BBQ Sauce. Enjoy!

Homemade Zesty BBQ Sauce

Ingredients:

1 small onion (or 1 T minced onion)
2 cloves garlic (or 1/2 t garlic powder)
1 t red pepper flakes
1/4 t cayenne pepper
18 oz tomato puree
1/3 C molasses
4 T apple cider vinegar (THIS is my new fav!)
1 t coconut aminos (or other appropriate sub for your dietary desires)
Coconut sugar (to taste…I think less is more)
Sea salt & pepper (to taste)
Coconut oil

Make It:

Sautee onion and garlic in pan with coconut oil until translucent.
Add everything else (except the coconut aminos)
Simmer everything for at least 30 minutes (until you like the consistency, it thickens while it cooks)
Add coconut aminos
Puree in your blender or food processor
Pour into an old glass bottle and label it
Slather your burgers, steaks, chicken…anything you like!

Again, this is zesty (spicy!), so be sure and adjust the heat by adding more or less of the spicy ingredients.

The last time we used this sauce I made a simple, easy, healthy pulled pork BBQ. I had two local, pastured pork chops I’d already cooked and frozen (they were just simmered in a bit of water and sea salt).

I reheated them in a bit of H2O, shredded them in the pot, added the BBQ sauce – that was it. So yummy! Let me know if you try this out. What do you think? Until next time…

xoxo,
Jess, aka Scratch Mommy

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