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Nothing beats this homemade vegan BBQ sauce! An easy to make recipe which is ready in less than 20 minutes.
This homemade barbecue sauce is delicious, vegan, easy, and quick to make with everyday ingredients. A much-loved sauce recipe which is delicious with veggie burgers, roasted cauliflower, or grilled veggies. You can marinate your corn on the cobs with it before grilling or dip freshly baked bread in it.
The smoky flavor of this thick red sauce goes hand in hand with its sweet taste. No wonder it’s one of the most used sauce during the summer.
Don’t freak out about the ingredients list, it’s a bit long, but you most certainly have all the ingredients in your kitchen cabinet anyways. Also, the recipe is fairly simple and foolproof – no sauce expert needed here.
So, let me show you how to make it at home.
Store Bought vs. Homemade Barbecue Sauce
Storebought ones often contain a lot of sugar, molasse, or high fructose corn syrup. Furthermore, they contain preservatives, unnecessary aromas, and are often not vegan-friendly.
If you make this vegan barbecue sauce recipe, you can adapt the amount of sugar and other ingredients to your taste. Another plus point is that you can use quality ingredients such as organic ketchup and spices.
What I like most about this homemade sauce is that I can make as little as I need and don’t need to buy a whole bottle for one burger.
Is BBQ Sauce Vegan
Some store bought sauces are vegan, some not. Always check the label and ingredients to be sure and stay away from honey barbecue sauce or the ones containing Worcestershire sauce. Later is containing fish and is often used in BBQ sauce recipes.
My recipe is 100% vegan-friendly and only using plant-based ingredients. If you have a vegan Worcestershire sauce at home, you can add a little for that extra flavor.
BBQ Sauce Ingredients
- Ketchup, I used an organic one
- Water
- Brown Sugar
- Maple Syrup, can be substituted with agave nectar or brown sugar
- Apple Cider Vinegar, any other vinegar works too
- Soy Sauce
- Mustard
- Smoked paprika
- Garlic powder
- Optional Ingredients, can be left out if you don’t have or like them: Chili Flakes, Ground Cinnamon, Ground Cumin, Liquid Smoke
I love liquid smoke and use it quite often for vegan recipes. It adds this extra smoky flavor which is often missing in vegan dishes. It’s worth buying if you don’t already have it in your repertoire.
Check out these two recipes using liquid smoke:
Vegan BBQ Sauce Recipe
Add all ingredients into a small saucepan or pot.
Bring it to the boil, reduce the heat, and let it simmer for 10 – 15 minutes over medium heat until it thickened.
Pour the sauce into a jar and let it cool down. The sauce will thicken even more as it cools.
Store it for up to two weeks in your fridge.
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📖 Recipe
Vegan BBQ Sauce
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Ingredients
- ½ cup (120g) ketchup
- ¼ cup (60ml) water
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
- 2 tbsp maple syrup or agave nectar, substitute with brown sugar if you don't have it at home
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 2 tsp mustard
- 1 tsp smoked paprika or ground paprika
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp chili flakes optional
- ¼ tsp ground cinnamon optional
- ¼ tsp ground cumin optional
- ¼ tsp liquid smoke optional
Instructions
- Add all ingredients into a small saucepan.
- Cook for 10-15 minutes over medium heat and stir occasionally.
- Let the BBQ sauce cool and store for up to two weeks in the fridge.
Notes
- The sauce will thicken slightly as it cools.
- Skip the optional spices if you don’t like or have them at home, the BBQ sauce is also delicious without.
- Add more liquid smoke if you like your sauce extra smoky.