Fast and easy to make, this Low Carb BBQ Sauce is crazy flavourful with the perfect amount of spice!
This post was originally published on August 9, 2018 and has been updated with fresh content and photos, though the recipe remains perfectly the same.
Hello Beautiful, I am so glad you were created. What would I do without your perfect, tangy sauciness?
It’s a good thing I don’t need to find out what life would be like without this tasty sugar free BBQ sauce! What would I do when all those burgers came home off the Traeger? Or fresh baked chicken breasts from the oven? Or RIBS? What would I do if I have to eat sauceless ribs?!
I’ve loved this Keto BBQ Sauce since the moment it first hit my taste buds, and hope you love it too!
Why it works
- Packed with flavour and just the right amount of spice, this Low Carb BBQ Sauce is crazy delicious; perfect for all your BBQ saucy needs!
- Fast and easy – throw some stuff in a saucepan and simmer for 25 minutes. That’s it!
- Skip the store bought stuff! Use easy ingredients to make this extra tasty Keto BBQ Sauce and, other than the liquid smoke, you probably keep all of these ingredients on hand!
Ingredients
Scroll down to the recipe card for ingredient measurements.
- unsalted butter
- onion
- garlic
- chili powder
- sea salt
- ground black pepper
- ketchup with no added sugar
- apple cider vinegar
- lemon
- golden monk fruit sweetener
- worcestershire
- dijon mustard
- liquid hickory smoke
Ketchup – Ketchup is known to be packed with sugar. Packed. This is why you should always look for ketchups that have ‘no added sugar’ on the label.
Sweetener – My favourite sweetener for this Low Carb BBQ Sauce is either Lakanto’s Golden Monk Fruit / Erythritol blend or Sukrin Gold. If you don’t have either, you can just use your sugar free sweetener of choice.
How to make Low Carb BBQ Sauce
Heat a small saucepan on medium high with some butter. Dice up the onion and add it to the saucepan once the butter has melted. Fry the onion until translucent and then stir in minced garlic, chilli powder, sea salt and ground black pepper. Cook for 1 minute.
Add ketchup, apple cider vinegar, freshly squeezed lemon juice, sweetener, Worcestershire, dijon mustard, and liquid hickory smoke. Whisk until fully combined.
Heat the sauce until it comes to a boil, reduce to a low simmer and cook for 20 minutes. Strain into a heat safe bowl and discard the strained bits. Use hot or store in an air tight container in the refrigerator and use within 2 weeks.
Tasty recipes for your Low Carb BBQ Sauce
- Instant Pot Low Carb Ribs
- Mini Low Carb Meatballs in BBQ Sauce
- Slow Cooker Pulled Chicken
- Instant Pot BBQ Pulled Pork
- Low Carb Turkey Burgers
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Low Carb BBQ Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp butter
- 1/4 cup diced onion
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tbsp chilli powder
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
- 1 cup no sugar added ketchup
- 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 lemon freshly squeezed about 2 tbsp
- 3 tbsp golden monk fruit sweetener
- 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tbsp dijon mustard
- 1.5 tsp liquid hickory smoke
Instructions
Equipment
- Cutting Board and Knife
- Small Saucepan
- Whisk
- Heat safe storage container
Directions
- Heat a small saucepan on medium high with some butter. Dice up the onion and add it to the saucepan once the butter has melted. Fry the onion until translucent and then stir in the minced garlic, chilli powder, sea salt and ground black pepper. Cook for 1 minute.
- Add ketchup, apple cider vinegar, freshly squeezed lemon juice, sweetener, Worcestershire, dijon mustard, and liquid hickory smoke. Whisk until fully combined.
- Heat the sauce until it comes to a boil, reduce to a low simmer and cook for 20 minutes. Strain into a heat safe bowl and discard the strained bits. Use hot or store in an air tight container in the refrigerator and use within 2 weeks.
I cannot wait for BBQ season. This will be perfect and delicious. Homemade sauces are so much better than anything you can get in the store.
I totally agree! Thanks Gloria 🙂
Love when I can find a recipe that allows me to throw out the jarred store bought stuff. This sounds much better than anything you can find in a store.
Thanks Des!
Bring on the BBQ season!!! This sauce will be definitely making it to my menu! Love that you’re using the sweetener instead of sugar, the whole list of ingredients looks so much healthier in comparison with a shop-bought sauces!
Right? I love creating a healthy option that beats store bought processed foods!
This BBQ sauce looks unbelievable… I prefer eating stuff that I make from home so that I know exactly what is inside. Can’t wait to try this!
Thanks Dominique!
This recipe will definitely come in handy this summer! Can’t wait to slather some ribs in it!
Right?? So good on ribs!
What a great post. Not only do you give great ideas with the BBQ sauce but how we can use it. I certainly can’t wait for grilling season to get here. We love to BBQ and this low carb sauce will be ideal. I really don’t care for store-bought sauces. They’re either too sweet or too tangy. This low carb sauce sounds perfect.
Wow thanks for the comment Marisa! I can honestly never go back to store bought sauce!
My husband and I are bbq sauce addicts, but we rarely make our own even though homemade is so so good. Can’t wait to try this!
This makes me think about grilling season which is right around the corner! I need to add this to my list of recipes to try!!
I hope you love it!
So smart to use sugar-free ketchup! Looks perfect!
Thanks Kelly 🙂
I’ve been trying to get my husband and I to eat healthier but he just loves covering everything in delicious, calorie-filled sauces. I’m definitely going to have to make this for him!
My husband is also a sauce fanatic! He loves this bbq sauce so it works out great 🙂
Low carb bbq sauce sounds so easy to make yet delicious. Can’t wait for bbq season. Need to check out liquid hickory smoke.
Thanks Jagurti, I love liquid smoke, I use it for so many recipes!
BBQ season..I can’t wait for it. And with homemade BBQ sauce it’s only going to be a amazing season of BBQs and grilling. I love this simple BBQ sauce recipe
Thanks Jo, I also cannot wait for bbq season!
Wow this is wonderful! I LOVE LOVE LOVE BBQ and BBQ sauce. I grill out year round, in the snow rain, anything goes. And I can’t imagine having BBQ without the BBQ sauce. This stuff ROCKS!!! It is so easy to throw together and so flavorful. So now I’m going to head out to the BBQ grill and brush off the snow so I can grill something up to go with my BBQ sauce – or just eat the BBQ saue by itself! It’s that good = )
Yay! I love this BBQ sauce that much as well, slather it on anything and everything! Enjoy!
All of your recipes are so good, I’m never disappointed. This BBQ is a staple. Thanks!
Awe thanks so much Stacy!
Just made this sauce and it’s better than store bought! Putting it baby back ribs that are on the smoker right now. Can’t wait for the finished product! Thank you for this recipe!
This Keto BBQ Sauce is FABULOUS!!!! The only suggestion I have is that if you have the computer double the recipe, DO NOT DOUBLE THE VINEGAR!! Only use 1/4 cup.
With that said, I had bought a low carb bbq sauce that was way too sweet. This recipe has just the right amount of heat and sweet. I had my Keto following neighbor come over to help me fix the vinegar situation and she asked for a copy of the recipe stating that she has never had luck with bbq sauce but this was the best ever! Enjoy, we did. 🙂
I am so glad to hear it Judy! That is the whole reason I first made this recipe – could not find one to buy that actually tasted good! Enjoy 🙂
A keeper!! I absolutely love the tanginess of this sauce!
Awesome, so glad you like it Terri 🙂