Name: 5 Minute (No Cook) Honey Barbecue Sauce
Prep time: 5 min
Total time: 5 min
Yield: 2
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 6 oz tomato paste; 3/4 cup white vinegar; 1/2 cup honey; 3 Tbsp molasses; 2 tsp mustard; 1 1/2 tsp garlic powder; 1 1/2 tsp onion powder; 1 tsp salt; 1/2 tsp pepper; cayenne powder, to taste (optional)

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If you want a delicious honey barbecue sauce that you can make in 5 minutes (no cooking required), this recipe is for you.

This sauce is a perfectly balanced combination of tangy and sweet and it’s so easy to make! This sauce is made without ketchup and is a crowd-pleaser. If you’re tired of buying BBQ sauce and want to try your hand at making your own, let’s get started!

Barbecue sauce in jar with wooden spoon.

Now I know there are a few different view points on barbecue sauce. Should it be a tomato based sauce? Should it be a mustard based sauce? Maybe somewhere in between? This sauce is a tomato based sauce that’s perfectly tangy and sweet.

No Ketchup in This BBQ Sauce

Make this barbecue sauce without ketchup. A lot of BBQ sauce recipes use ketchup as a base (like a whole cup of ketchup). But not this one.

This recipe uses tomato paste for the tomato base. Tomato paste is a simpler ingredient (meaning, only one ingredient) and this way you don’t have to waste your ketchup in a sauce that doesn’t need it.

Your fries need ketchup. Your burger needs ketchup. But your BBQ sauce does.not.need.ketchup.

I really like ketchup and I don’t like wasting a whole bottle in a sauce.

Side note…if you’re a big ketchup fan like me, have you ever thought about making your own? Here’s a homemade ketchup recipe to try. But DON’T waste it in a BBQ sauce recipe.

you’ll never believe how good your dinner can taste…

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I WANT THE COOKBOOK!

Tools Needed to make this bbq sauce

Mixing bowl – We have some exactly like these and they work for everything, including this sauce.
Spoon – any spoon will do. Use your regular soup spoons, or a wooden mixing spoon.
Measuring spoons (I recommend some like these so that the labels don’t rub off)
Immersion blender – if you’re looking for a super smooth sauce, you can use an immersion blender to get rid of the clumps and smooth it out.

Ingredients Needed to make this bbq sauce

Tomato paste – any kind will do. Just make sure there’s only one ingredient (like this kind).
White vinegar
Honey – grab the raw and unfiltered honey, like this kind.
Molasses
Mustard – use your favorite kind. Yellow mustard, or dijon work great.
Spices (garlic powder, onion powder, salt, pepper, cayenne (optional))

It’s really simple to make this BBQ sauce. Just mix all the ingredients together and stir until smooth. If the sauce is a little clumpy, you can use an immersion blender to smooth it out.

By the way, an immersion blender is an amazing kitchen tool to have in your cupboard. It’s on my essential kitchen tools list.

Here’s a link to the one we have (it’s WAY more powerful than the first two that smoked the first day I used them).

This sauce has a tiny bit of spice from the black pepper. But if you’re looking to ramp up the spice a little more, just add a little cayenne, to taste.

Easy honey BBQ sauce in mason jar with wooden spoon.

How to Use Your Honey Barbecue Sauce?

So now you have a delicious homemade barbecue sauce. It’s free of preservatives, made with wholesome ingredients, and tastes amazing. But now what? How should you use it? Well, you have some options. All are great options, by the way.

Pulled pork sandwiches
Pulled pork tacos
Ribs
BBQ chicken (on the grill? Yum…)
Pizza sauce for a BBQ chicken pizza

Storage & How Long Will it Keep?

This recipe makes about 2 cups of sauce, which fits perfectly in this wide mouth mason jar. We use mason jars a LOT in our kitchen. But this size is my favorite of all. I use it for mayonnaise, pizza sauce (also made with tomato paste), curry sauce, and so much more.

It will keep in the fridge in an airtight container for up to a week. Alternatively, you can freeze it for much longer (3-6 months).

Looking for more delicious homemade sauce recipes?