This post is also available in: Deutsch
This blog post also is available in German.
BBQ sauce shouldn`t be missing at any BBQ party during summer. The only problem; ready-to-serve sauces often contain preservatives and other additives. This often includes sugar or glucose syrup. Do you think too that’s somehow unnecessary? In addition, there is the packaging material, which cannot always be recycled (except glass bottles). What if I told you that you can make a refined sugar free BBQ sauce that is just as delicious if not even better and doesn`t need any artificial additives?
Making your own tasty BBQ Sauce is no magic
I don’t know about you, but I’ve always been a little intimidated by BBQ sauce. Getting the smoked aroma myself sounded complicated at first. And somehow I couldn’t really imagine what was supposed to be in the sauce. A look at the list of ingredients of bought BBQ sauces doesn’t make the situation any better. There are relatively many ingredients listed. Does that somehow sound familiar to you?
Well, an online research later I had taken a new courage. And indeed, making your own BBQ sauce is really not difficult! And in reality you only need half of the ingredients contained in the bought sauces. Ok, what you really need though is a certain amount of spices. But that’s the whole magic.
The preparation itself is neither difficult nor takes hours. In 30 minutes you can easily make your own refined sugar free BBQ sauce. The best moment to simmer the sauce is when you`re doing your meal prep anyways. You can easily keep it in the fridge for a few days. Works without meal prep too, of course. 🙂
Why even make BBQ sauce yourself?
There are different reasons for this. However, one thing is clear: making your own sauce is healthier and more sustainable! These reasons are enough for me personally. Nevertheless, here is a small list of other reasons.
- it`s cheaper
- it`s healthier & more natural, as you decide on the ingredients yourself
- free of any additives, preservatives & e-numbers
- plastic-free packaging, or sustainable packaging, respectively
- more time-saving, as you don’t have go to the store to get the sauce (provided you have the ingredients at home)
- the sauce tastes to your personal liking and can be adjusted individually
- in terms of quality, the homemade BBQ sauce is always the winner.
- it`s fun to do something yourself
Refined sugar free BBQ sauce – doesn’t sugar always belong in it?
People argue a lot about how a BBQ sauce should taste. From smoky-piquant, fiery hot, fruity-sweet to sun-ripened tomato-like, there`s something for everyone. And the aroma can be varied using different ingredients. Certain ingredients, such as ketchup and sugar – be it in the form of industrial sugar, honey, glucose syrup or molasses – can be found in practically all BBQ sauces. Industrially produced ketchup often also contains sugar.
I do not condemn sugar per se, because when consumed in bulk, I see no problem with it. However, the amounts in industrially produced BBQ sauces are sometimes excessively high and the buyer is confused with veiled information – such as glucose syrup. Many people are not aware that this is also sugar. That’s why I prefer to make BBQ sauce myself. Then you can either do without sugar completely or choose healthier alternatives. Today’s version contains date syrup and maple syrup instead of refined sugar. Both are natural sweeteners. Of course not sugar-free, but from my personal point of view a better alternative than industrial sugar.
If you are interested in sugar and sugar alternatives and would like to know why I prefer rice syrup, birch sugar or date syrup, have a look at my article on refined sugar and its alternatives. Anina of aniahimsa has also written a super exciting article on this subject.
Now I wish you a lot of fun trying out and creating your own individual mixture. My BBQ sauce version does not only completely without the addition of refined sugar, but also without ketchup. Its aroma is smoky and tomato like, because for me smoked aroma simply belongs in a BBQ sauce. You can keep the finished sauce in the fridge for a week without any problems.
See you soon
Sarah
Refined sugar free BBQ sauce
Equipment
- blender or hand hold blender
Ingredients
- 1 onion organic
- 3 cloves of garlic organic
- 2 tbsp olive oil organic
- 200 g sugar-free tomato paste organic
- 1 tbsp mustard organic
- 1 teaspoon salt organic
- ½ TL black pepper organic
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup organic
- 50 g date syrup organic
- 1 tbsp lime juice organic
- 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar organic
- 1 tsp paprika powder organic
- 1 tsp smoked paprika powder organic
- ½ TL chili powder organic
- ¼ TL cayenne pepper organic
Instructions
- Peel onion and garlic cloves and chop finely.
- Heat olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Sauté the onion for 2-3 minutes until they are slightly golden-brown (not burnt!). Add the garlic and fry for another minute.
- Add all other ingredients and simmer over medium heat until thick.
- Puree the BBQ sauce with a hand blender or pour into a blender and chop.
- Fill into a clean sterilized glass while still warm and close well. To sterilize imply heat the glass in the oven for 10-15 minutes at 220-250° Celsius.
- Refrigerate in the refrigerator for a maximum of 7 days. I usually use the sauce immediately.