• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
Go Cook Yummy
  • Air Fryer
  • Browse Recipes
    • Easy Dinners
    • Traybakes
    • Slow Cooker
    • Baking
    • Sauces
    • Collections
  • Cooking Tips

4 Ingredient Homemade BBQ Sauce

By Victoria · On: Mar 08, 23 · Last Modified: Mar 17, 23

1 shares

Are you looking for a 4-ingredient homemade BBQ sauce that you can make in just a few minutes? Then you should give a try to this recipe. It is very easy to make, with minimum effort, and you will get a delicious BBQ sauce that is perfect for everything from burgers and hot dogs to ribs and chicken.

Jump to Recipe • Print Recipe
Transparent jar with homemade BBQ sauce near tomatoes and parsley.

The beauty of this recipe lies in its simplicity – with just a handful of ingredients, you can create a homemade BBQ sauce that’s bursting with flavor.

This homemade barbecue sauce is also a healthier option compared to store-bought sauces. By making it from scratch, you can control the quality of the ingredients you will use for it and make it exactly to your liking.

It contains only 4 simple ingredients, but each of them has its own role.

The ketchup provides a sweet and tangy base, while the mustard adds a bit of sharpness and depth.

The smoked paprika gives the sauce a smoky, savory flavor that’s perfect for BBQ, and the sweet sour sauce brings a touch of sweetness to balance everything out.

And the best part?

Best Recipes to Try in The Air Fryer:

  • BBQ Chicken Breast
  • Fried Eggs in Air Fryer
  • Air Fryer Yogurt Cake
  • Stuffed Mushrooms

This BBQ sauce comes together in just a matter of minutes.

Simply combine all of the ingredients in a small saucepan and simmer over low heat until the sauce has thickened and the flavors have melded together.

It’s that easy!

Once you’ve made this homemade BBQ sauce, the possibilities are endless. Use it as a marinade for your favorite meats, brush it onto grilled vegetables, or serve it as a dipping sauce for chicken tenders or onion rings.

No matter how you use it, this 4 Ingredient Homemade BBQ Sauce is sure to be a hit at your next BBQ or cookout.

So why settle for store-bought sauces when you can make your own in just minutes?

Do You Love Your Air Fryer?

Level up your experience even more with these air fryer accessories!

Give this recipe a try and taste the difference for yourself!

In This Post: show
1 🥰 Why You Will Love This Recipe?
2 🥘 Ingredients and Substitutes
3 👩‍🍳 Step-by-step Directions
4 🏆 Expert Tips. What to Pay Attention To?
5 Answering Your Questions:
6 📋 Recipe Card:

🥰 Why You Will Love This Recipe?

  • Simple. This recipe is incredibly simple and requires only four ingredients, which makes it an ideal choice for busy cooks who want to make their own homemade BBQ sauce.
  • Easily-customizable. With just a few tweaks to the recipe, you can easily adjust the flavor to suit your preferences. Add more mustard for a tangier sauce, or increase the amount of sweet sour sauce for a sweeter taste. Also, you can add a lot more ingredients you prefer.
  • Cost-effective. Making your own BBQ sauce is much more affordable than buying pre-made sauces from the store. Plus, you can make as much or as little as you need, which means less waste and more savings.
  • Healthier. By making your own BBQ sauce, you can control the quality and quantity of the ingredients, which means you can avoid the high fructose corn syrup and other unhealthy additives often found in store-bought sauces.
  • Delicious. This 4 Ingredient Homemade BBQ Sauce is simply delicious! The combination of ketchup, mustard, smoked paprika, and sweet sour sauce creates a complex flavor that’s perfect for a wide variety of BBQ dishes.

🥘 Ingredients and Substitutes

Ketchup, sweet-sour sauce, mustard, smoked paprika on a marble table.
  • Ketchup. Ketchup is the basic ingredient in this sauce, so we advise you to pick a high-quality one. If you prefer spicy sauces, you could opt for spicy ketchup. Or, if you have the opportunity, you can make and use homemade ketchup.
  • Mustard. I used yellow mustard, but you can use any type of mustard you prefer. If you want a more special texture of the sauce, you could even use whole-grain mustard.
  • Smoked Paprika.
  • Sweet-Sour Sauce. I used a homemade sweet-sour sauce I made myself, but if you are limited in time or want to simplify the cooking process, you could use a commercial sauce you prefer. Or you can easily substitute it with 3 tablespoons of honey and 1 tablespoon of vinegar.

👩‍🍳 Step-by-step Directions

First, we have to pour all the ingredients into a small saucepan.

Quick Note: There is no need to start the heat yet.

Start with the ketchup, as it is the base of the sauce. Pour it into the saucepan.

Pouring ketchup in a small sauce pan on the stove.

After that, drop the yellow mustard.

Pouring mustard in a sauce pan with ketchup.

Now add smoked paprika into the saucepan.

Woman hand holding a plate with smoked paprika over a sauce pan.

And in the end, pour the sweet-sour sauce.

Mix all the ingredients well until you get a uniform consistency.

Woman hand pouring sweet-sour sauce in a saucepan.

Set the heat to low and stir continuously until the sauce starts boiling.

After you see that it is boiling, leave it to boil for about 30 seconds and remove the sauce from the heat.

Close look of a saucepan with homemade BBQ sauce on the stove.

The sauce is ready to be served or to be used in a marinade near a piece of meat you want to cook.

Transparent jar with homemade BBQ sauce near tomatoes and parsley.

In the end, you should get a similar consistency:

Woman hand holding a spoon with homemade BBQ sauce over a transparent jar.

🏆 Expert Tips. What to Pay Attention To?

  • Because this recipe has only four ingredients, it’s important to use high-quality ketchup, mustard, smoked paprika, and sweet sour sauce. Using cheap or low-quality ingredients can affect the flavor and texture of the finished sauce.
  • To allow the flavors to meld together properly, it’s important to simmer the sauce slowly over low heat. This will help thicken the sauce and intensify the flavor.
  • Adjust the sauce to make it exactly to your liking. Add a pinch of cayenne pepper or some hot sauce if you like a spicier sauce. If you prefer a sweeter sauce, increase the amount of sweet sour sauce.
  • Once the sauce is ready, allow it to cool completely before storing it in an airtight container in the fridge. This will help preserve the freshness and flavor of the sauce.
  • Use the sauce as a marinade or basting sauce: This sauce is perfect as a marinade or basting sauce for meats and vegetables.

Answering Your Questions:

What Are the Basic Components of BBQ Sauce?

As a base, usually, it is used a tomato-based sauce like tomato paste or ketchup. Besides that, we need a smoke taste which we can obtain using liquid smoke, or smoked paprika. We need a few spices like mustard, chili flakes, and black pepper to make it more special. And in the end, to complete the taste of the BBQ sauce, we need a sweetener such as sugar, honey, or as in our case, a sweet-sour sauce.

Is It Easy to Make Barbecue Sauce at Home With Basic Ingredients

Yes, as you can see from this recipe, you can obtain a delicious homemade barbecue sauce by using only 4 simple ingredients.

Does Barbecue Sauce Need to Be Cooked?

Yes, you need to mix all the ingredients and let them simmer on low heat to ensure that all the flavors will combine better together.

📋 Recipe Card:

Transparent jar with homemade BBQ sauce on a marble table.

4 Ingredient Homemade BBQ Sauce

Victoria
4-ingredient homemade BBQ sauce that you can make in just a few minutes. It is so easy to make that you will stop buying BBQ sauces after you try making this delicious BBQ sauce.
5 from 1 vote
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 3 mins
Cook Time 7 mins
Total Time 10 mins
Course Sauces
Cuisine American
Servings 6 people
Calories 33 kcal

Equipment

Sauce Pan

Ingredients
  

  • ¾ cup Ketchup
  • 1 tablespoon Mustard
  • ½ tablespoon Smoked Paprika
  • ¼ cup Sweet-Sour Sauce

Instructions

  • Take a saucepan and put it on the stove.
  • Pour in it ketchup, mustard, smoked paprika, and sweet-sour sauce.
    ¾ cup Ketchup, 1 tablespoon Mustard, ½ tablespoon Smoked Paprika, ¼ cup Sweet-Sour Sauce
  • Mix everything well, and leave the sauce to boil on low heat. Mix ocassionally.
  • When it starts to boil, remove it from the heat.

Quick Note

I highly recommend reading the entire recipe to find more tips and notes about this recipe. Read Full Recipe ⇑

Notes

  • Boil the sauce on the low heat to let it simmer slowly.

Nutrition Estimates

Sodium: 300mgCalcium: 7mgVitamin C: 1mgVitamin A: 443IUSugar: 6gFiber: 1gPotassium: 101mgCalories: 33kcalSaturated Fat: 1gFat: 1gProtein: 1gCarbohydrates: 9gIron: 1mg
Keyword american, easy recipe, sauces
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
We are 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.
1 shares
Previous Post: « Pasta With Prawns and Spinach (5 Ingredients)
Next Post: Lazy Casserole Corn Hash »

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Primary Sidebar

Happy to Have you there!

Hey, I'm Victoria, the blogger behind the Go Cook Yummy. I'm running this blog with my husband, Alex, where we share our family recipes that actually work. Read more about us...

Recipes to Try:

Fried Eggs With Bacon and red peppers in Air Fryer.

Fried Eggs With Bacon and Tomatoes in Air Fryer

Close look of 3 cinnamon rolls sparkled with orange zest and decorated with mint leaves.

Air Fryer Puff Pastry Cinnamon Rolls

Close up 4 rolls of homemade pizza on a white plate with tomato sauce.

10-minute Puff Pastry Pizza Rolls in Air Fryer

Pieces of juicy air fried orange chicken breast on a blue table.

Juicy and Easy Air Fryer Orange Chicken

Footer

Follow Us:

  • Facebook
  • Pinterest
  • TikTok

Copyright © 2023 GoCooYummy • Stories • Contact Us • Privacy Policy