This keto BBQ sauce is sweet, smoky, and spicy and is the perfect complement to all your grilling recipes!
Jump to:
❤️ Why you'll love it
Making your own keto BBQ sauce from scratch is a lot easier than you think. It involves just a few simple ingredients combined to create a smoky, pleasant flavor that will amaze you!
Traditional BBQ sauce is chockful of sugar and has a high carb count, but this keto version is sugar-free and does not compromise on taste.
🥘 Equipment Used
The following are affiliate links. We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.
You'll also receive emails with new recipes delivered straight to you.
You'll need a soup pan and an airtight container like a mason jar to make and store this keto barbecue sauce recipe.
🧾 Ingredients used
- Sugar-free ketchup: I use sugar-free ketchup instead of tomato sauce. It contains vinegar and sweetener, which gives a sweet, tangy flavor to this sauce. My favorite sugar-free ketchup brand is the G-Hughes Sugar-Free Ketchup. You can get it online from Amazon, Walmart, or your local grocery store.
- Liquid smoke: This is just what it sounds like: smoke in liquid form. It contains no calories or carbs and is a great way to add smoky flavor to any recipe.
- Worcestershire sauce: This fermented sauce is similar to soy sauce but without soy or gluten. It can be found at your local grocery store or online.
- Garlic powder & Smoked Paprika: It is better to use smoked paprika rather than regular paprika because of its rich, smoky undertones.
- Ghost pepper: Ghost pepper packs an enormous amount of heat, so a little goes a long way. This is completely optional.
- A little water: You might need just a bit of water to thin out the barbecue sauce.
🔪 How To Make Keto BBQ Sauce
- You can just mix all the ingredients together in a bowl and call it a day, but I prefer to make my homemade bbq sauce on the stove to make sure all the ingredients are dissolved and mixed thoroughly together.
- Add the sugar-free ketchup to a pan on medium heat. Add the other spices and add the ghost pepper last, if you want it spicy.
- Add a little water to thin out the sauce just a bit if you like, but no more than one tablespoon.
- When the spicy BBQ sauce is done simmering, turn off the stove and let it cool down. Your low carb BBQ sauce is ready!
🥫 Storing and Reheating
I like to store this sauce in wide-mouth mason jars because it is easier to scoop out when I need to use it. The jars are also air-tight, which helps preserve the freshness of the BBQ sauce. It keeps well in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
💭 Tips and Variations
- If you don't like spicy foods, feel free to skip the ghost pepper in this recipe.
- For a sweeter barbecue sauce without added sugar, add a little swerve brown sugar substitute to taste.
- When adding the ghost pepper, always use a teaspoon and don't pour it directly, just in case it flows out fast from the container. If you pour it directly and put too much, it will be WAY too spicy and inedible. Also, put just a drop or two first, and only add more if you want more heat.
- If you prefer tangy keto BBQ sauce, add a little apple cider vinegar.
🍽️ What can I eat this recipe with?
You can eat this barbecue sauce with anything you like. Use it on your favorite meat, like grilled chicken thighs, fish, lamb, and pork chops. It's the best BBQ sauce for grilling recipes like this BBQ grilled shrimp skewers. You can also use this as a dipping sauce or a salad dressing.
👩🍳 Frequently asked questions
Although regular barbecue sauce is a no-go on the keto diet due to its high sugar content, this low carb BBQ sauce recipe has only 3g net carbs per serving. It's a great way to get that amazing flavor without a lot of sugar. I like to keto this easy keto BBQ sauce in my fridge at all times for barbecue emergencies!
Even keto BBQ sauces will have some carbs since they usually have tomatoes as one of the main ingredients and tomatoes are high in carbohydrates. This homemade sugar-free barbecue sauce makes 6 tablespoons. Each one-tablespoon serving has 3 g carbs.
Fortunately, there are so many amazing low carb sauces to add flavor to your keto diet! This homemade barbecue sauce is one of my favorites. You can also enjoy this African pepper sauce, keto buffalo sauce, Pili Pili sauce, and more. It's really important to add lots of flavor to make it easy to stick to a low carb diet.
📖 Recipe
Keto BBQ Sauce (Spicy BBQ Sauce)
Ingredients
- 1 cup sugar-free ketchup
- 1 teaspoon liquid smoke
- 2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- ⅛ teaspoon ghost pepper optional
- 1 tablespoon water optional
Instructions
- Pour sugar-free ketchup into a pot.
- Add the other ingredients, except the ghost pepper, and stir.
- If you want it spicy, add the ghost pepper, one drop at a time.
- Let it simmer for about 5 minutes.
- Add a little water to thin the sauce, if you wish.
- Store in an air-tight container and refrigerate.
Notes
- If you don't like spicy foods, feel free to skip the ghost pepper in this recipe.
- For a sweeter barbecue sauce without added sugar, add a little swerve brown sugar substitute to taste.
- When adding the ghost pepper, always use a teaspoon and don't pour it directly, just in case it flows out fast from the container. If you pour it directly and put too much, it will be WAY too spicy and inedible. Also, put just a drop or two first, and only add more if you want more heat.
- If you prefer tangy keto BBQ sauce, add a little apple cider vinegar.
Nutrition
Need more low carb condiments? Check these out!
Leave a Reply