Zesty No-Cook BBQ Sauce

This Zesty No-Cook BBQ Sauce is a breeze to make. And it’s perfect if you’re at home and run out of your normal bottled BBQ sauce and don’t want to go to the store.

Plus I have a (sorry it’s closed now) giveaway for you

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Please let me know if you have any questions about this recipe. I read all the comments myself and I try to help as soon as I can. I have readers from all levels of comfort and experience in the kitchen on my site, and I’ve tried to answer some of your questions already in the post. But if I’ve missed anything, please feel free to leave a comment and ask.

Pantry ingredients

You can make your own with stuff you probably already have in your panty right now. And, you might just love this no-cook sauce so much that you forget all about your bottled version.

And, my version is ketchup-free! It just uses a can of tomato paste, a bunch of spices, plus a little sweetener.

Recipe development

This no-cook BBQ sauce recipe was based off of my no-cook pizza sauce and I took a look at the spices in my Hickory Smoke BBQ Sauce Recipe. Both recipes are winners in this house!

That pizza sauce is a house favorite! We make it all the time.

And, since we are stuck at home, and I didn’t want to make a grocery-store run, I decided I’d try making a fun BBQ sauce version of our favorite pizza sauce.

How to make this sauce

I like to mix this sauce up in a 2-cup glass measuring cup.

Measure in the water, then drop in the tomato paste.

Next come the dry ingredients. That way the measuring spoons stay pretty clean so that I can use them for the wet ingredients afterwards.

Mix it all up, and pop it in the fridge for a little while so the flavors can get to know each other.

I like to store these homemade sauces in mason jars. I always write on the lid what’s inside as well.

Elevate your grilling

So simple and so easy to make. You’ve got a perfect little trick up your sleeve, whether you’ve run out of your normal bottled BBQ sauce or you just want to elevate your grilled goodies with a nice easy homemade sauce.

This tangy No-Cook BBQ Sauce has got you covered.

We use this sauce for slathering on grilled foods like veggies, pork, and beef.

We also use it for BBQ bowls. A little rice, some grilled corn cut off the cob, maybe a burger patty (veggie for me please), and a dollop or two of this sauce is just the perfect way to make a fun BBQ bowl!

It’s great in a sandwich as the spread instead of mayo.

It’s also great with a little drizzled on a pizza for a BBQ southwestern style pizza.

Customize it

The other thing I like so much about this homemade BBQ sauce (besides the fact that it’s so easy to make), is that you can totally customize it to your liking.

Want it spicier? Add in a teaspoon or so of your favorite hot sauce like Tabasco or Sriracha.

Want it sweeter? Add in another tablespoon or so of maple syrup.

Want to swap the sweetener for another kind? Maybe you’re keto and you have a special sweetener you want to use instead of maple syrup. That’s totally fine. I do recommend staying with a liquid sweetener rather than a granulated sugar because this is a no-cook, and the sugar granules will add a crunchy texture if they aren’t dissolved.

Want this is to be vegetarian? The Worcestershire sauce does have fish in it, so make sure if you’re serving this to guests that they are ok with fish. If not, I’d suggest using soy sauce as a vegetarian option instead of Worcestershire.

Kitchen items you may need for this recipe

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2 cup glass measuring cup
Measuring spoons
Spatula
Mason jars
Brush for slathering on

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