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Get It NowMy sugar free BBQ sauce is here to take your grilled meals from bland to outstanding! I developed this recipe after years of being frustrated with the options at the store. Getting high quality, healthy, or keto BBQ sauce (that actually tastes good) on the shelf is near impossible… and when you do, “sugar free barbecue sauce” is usually code for flavorless and full of artificial ingredients. Not anymore. Make my healthy version with me and taste the difference!
Why You Need My Sugar Free BBQ Sauce Recipe
- Classic BBQ taste – It’s rich, tangy, and smoky. It’s thick and smooth. It’s just the right amount of sweetness. Everything a great BBQ sauce should be!
- Quick and easy – Just mix all the ingredients together and let them cook away. And you can make a big batch to have ready in your fridge.
- Low carb, gluten free, and no added sugar – Before this recipe, I thought store-bought sauces with sucralose and processed additives were the only way to enjoy that sweet and smoky flavor — but there’s a better way! Now you can whip up your own homemade sugar free barbecue sauce, without the fake stuff. And it’s just 3.5g net carbs per serving.
- Award winning – Some of my readers have won contests with this sauce! Maybe you’re next?
Ingredients & Substitutions
Here I explain the best ingredients for my healthy BBQ sauce, what each one does, and substitution options. For measurements, see the recipe card.
- Tomato Paste – A.k.a. the base that gives my sugar free BBQ sauce a thick, rich texture, natural sweetness, and deep tomato flavor. If you don’t have any, you can use triple the amount of tomato sauce instead, but you’ll need to simmer for much longer to thicken.
- Apple Cider Vinegar – Adds tang. You can also use white vinegar or lemon juice.
- Besti Powdered Monk Fruit Allulose Blend – I recommend only this sweetener, because it dissolves completely, unlike other sugar substitutes that can leave your keto BBQ sauce gritty or crystallize when you store it. (I use it to make sugar free ketchup, too!) I’ve got some alternatives in the tips below to change up the flavor of your sauce. If you still want to use something else, make sure it’s powdered and use my sweetener conversion chart to get the correct quantity.
- Worcestershire Sauce – Adds umami flavor. I like this one, which is gluten-free. Technically it contains a trivial amount of sugar, but each serving of my sauce has only 1/20 tablespoon of it (like a drop). You could omit it or use a dash of blackstrap molasses with a little water instead.
- Liquid Hickory Smoke – My secret ingredient for that smoky flavor! My local grocery store has it near other seasonings or condiments, but I prefer this clean-ingredient brand.
- Spices – Smoked paprika, sea salt, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne pepper (more or less depending how spicy you like it), and chili powder.
How To Make Sugar Free BBQ Sauce
I have step-by-step photos here to help you visualize the recipe. For full instructions with amounts and temperatures, see the recipe card.
- Combine the ingredients. Whisk all ingredients together in a medium saucepan, adding water last. (See my notes on this below.)
- Cook to reduce. Bring to a gentle boil over medium-high heat, then reduce to medium-low. Simmer, stirring frequently, until thickened to your liking.
- Adjust sweetness and heat. Taste and add more Besti if you want your sauce sweeter, or more cayenne pepper if you want it spicier.
My Recipe Tips & Variations
- The amount of water you need can vary. Start with a cup, then whisk in a bit more at a time, until it reaches a consistency slightly thinner than you’re going for. (It will reduce as it cooks.) I ended up using about 1 1/2 cups of water, but it depends on how thick your tomato paste is.
- Make sure your saucepan is large enough, and keep an eye on it. The sauce can splatter depending on how intensely it simmers, but if you cover it will take longer to reduce.
- This sugar free BBQ sauce gets thicker as it cools. So, keep that in mind when deciding how much to cook it down. If it gets too thick, I just add a splash of water to thin it out again.
- Want it extra smooth? Puree in a high-power blender or food processor at the end. I use my twister jar when I do this, but usually skip it because it’s not worth the extra cleanup to me.
- Want brown sugar flavor? Replace half of the Besti powdered sweetener with Besti Brown! It dissolves just as easily and tastes like brown sugar, with zero net carbs.
- Want a honey BBQ sauce? Replace the sweetener with my natural sugar-free honey.
Storage Instructions
- Store: Keep the sauce in a mason jar, airtight container, or condiment bottle in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
- Freeze: Stash in the freezer for up to 3-6 months. You can freeze the whole batch and thaw in the fridge overnight, but I like to portion this low carb BBQ sauce into a silicone ice cube tray. Then I can pop out individual portions and microwave to thaw.
- Canning: I haven’t done it, but don’t see any reason that you couldn’t can this sauce in a water bath. Let me know how it goes if you try it!
Ways To Use It
There are so many ways I use this sugar free BBQ sauce! Try these to add a kick of flavor to your dishes:
- Chicken – You’ve got lots of options! Make my saucy BBQ chicken legs in the summer or Crock Pot chicken legs in the winter. Dunk keto chicken nuggets or keto chicken tenders. Brush it on grilled chicken or bacon wrapped chicken.
- Pizza – Try this keto BBQ sauce instead of marinara on keto pizza or cauliflower pizza. It works particularly well with chicken, red onions, cheddar cheese, and a drizzle of ranch as toppings, which is why I particularly love it on chicken crust pizza.
- Shredded Meats – Mix it into my shredded Instant Pot chicken, or use it for pulled pork sandwiches. Try them on my low carb hamburger buns.
- Ground Beef – This sugar free BBQ sauce is amazing on burgers! Just add cheddar cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, and maybe even caramelized onions and bacon if you want to get fancy. Sometimes I also use it as a glaze for keto meatloaf, too.
- Salad – It’s my fave for making BBQ chicken salad.
More Sugar Free Sauce Recipes
If you like this sugar free barbecue sauce, you’ll love my other sweet sauces with no sugar added:
Sugar Free BBQ Sauce (Keto)
You'll love my award-winning sugar free BBQ sauce, made with simple real food ingredients. It's sweet, smoky, tangy, and so easy to make!
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Instructions
Tap on the times in the instructions to start a kitchen timer.
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Whisk all the ingredients together in a medium saucepan, adding the water last. Start with a cup of water, then whisk in a bit more at a time, until it reaches a consistency *slightly thinner* than barbecue sauce. I ended up using about 1 1/2 cups of water, but it will vary depending on how thick your tomato paste is.
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Bring to a gentle boil over medium-high heat, then reduce to medium-low. Simmer, stirring frequently, for 20 minutes, or until slightly thickened.
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Taste and adjust sweetener or cayenne pepper if you prefer the sauce to be sweeter or spicier. If it's thicker than you like, you can stir in additional water, a tablespoon at a time, until it reaches the consistency you want.
Did You Like It?
Leave a rating to help other readers (this also helps me continue to provide free recipes on my site), or get the recipe sent to your inbox.
Maya’s Recipe Notes
Serving size: 2 tablespoons
The entire recipe makes 2 1/2 cups.
📖 Want more recipes like this? Find this one and many more in my Keto Cheat Sheet System!
I provide nutrition facts as a courtesy. Have questions about calculations or why you got a different result? Please see my nutrition policy.
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© Copyright Maya Krampf for Wholesome Yum. Please DO NOT SCREENSHOT OR COPY/PASTE recipes to social media or websites. We’d LOVE for you to share a link with photo instead.
Sugar Free BBQ Sauce
Gratitude Moment
With 4th of July just around the corner, it’s the perfect time to whip up a batch my sugar free BBQ sauce!
My family often takes a trip over the holiday, with a mix of grilling and going out. This picture is my favorite memory from last year, blurry and all.
We had dinner with our friends and their kids at this cute restaurant in Wisconsin Dells. The girls played in the sandbox right on the patio next to our table, and we watched the fireworks from there while happy music played in the background. It was magical compared to the usual crowded fireworks experience.
What’s your favorite 4th of July memory?
308 Comments
Rosanne Dworaczyk
2Great recipe! I used Besti Brown Monk Fruit Allulose Blend instead of the powdered blend and it was so good! I brushed it on boneless, skinless chicken thighs towards the end of their grilling time, then served extra on the side. I paired the chicken with your Cauliflower Potato Salad (https://www.wholesomeyum.com/recipes/cauliflower-potato-salad-low-carb-paleo-potato-salad/) and OMG! it was a delicious meal. Thank you so much for creating such wonderful recipes!
Alice
1Fantastic sauce! I made this and it lasted in the fridge for 2 weeks… used on pulled pork, pulled chicken, pizza base, hunters chicken… absolutely superb.. I let it simmer for about 30/40 minutes until it was thickened to my liking. Thank you for all your amazing recipes Maya! ?
Sam
1Such a great, simple and TASTY recipe that is so much healthier than anything storebought. LOVE this recipe for our family! So of us are keto and some are not, but this doesn’t taste keto at all. Thank you!!!
Gemma
1Yes! Another really great tasting simple recipe to serve myself and my family. BBQ sauce was very delicious and the pork ribs were in credibly good. Wholesome Yum is a fantastic resource every time. I must have used 45 recipes by now and they all are scrumptious. Thank you!!
Michelle
1I’ve made this before and it’s a winner. Today I was too lazy to open a third can of tomato sauce and only have mesquite liquid smoke. I’m going to use it on chicken so I think mesquite will be nice. It turned out just fine, I sure love the wholesome yum recipes, always my first choice when looking for keto!
Toni
1No doubt that this sauce is really award-winning! It is seriously amazing and really good!
Deb Coffin
1Scrumptious. I doubled the liquid smoke and Worcestire. Wonderful on grilled chicken breast.
Guillermo
1Love this so much. I was making some pulled meat for the bread recipe you have on here. It was great. My only edit, that I’ll use next time, is to leave out the liquid smoke. I smoked my food before hand and the liquid smoke on top of that made it taste a bit odd.
Nancy
1This recipe is perfect! It made a lot, more than what I needed so I will cut it in half next time, but it kept in the fridge beautifully. My family didn’t even know that it was sugar free and that is saying something when they love their barbecue sauce. Thank you so much for a great recipe!
Shelly
0I wish I could be more positive, but we didn’t like this at all. Followed the recipe exactly, but it is just too heavy on the acid/tomato paste taste. I assume it’s due to the brand of paste that we used…
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Sorry to hear that, Shelly! Yes, it could be the tomato paste. If the BBQ sauce tastes too acidic, I recommend adding more powdered Besti to balance it out.
Larry
0This BBQ sauce hits the head squarely on that nail! Good stuff! Smoky, sweet enough, piquant, and as easily adjustable as it is to cook it up. The sweetener conversion chart is a GREAT help – thank you very much! (That must have taken just a little time to develop!). My brother is full blown keto, and when we get together at his lake cabin, I cook per his needs. As I write this, I have beef ribs in the sous vide and I will be using this sauce on them. He turned me on to your site a few years back, and I have cooked a good many things from it. Even at home (I am the cook). Delicious, all of them! Good work, Maynard!! Well . . . Maya!
Wholesome Yum D
0This made me smile so big, Larry, thank you! I’m so glad the sauce hit the mark, and it’s awesome that you cook keto for your brother. Hope those sous vide ribs turn out amazing! And yes… the sweetener chart took a while, so I really appreciate you noticing.
Linda A
0love your website!! I’m about to try the bbq sauce. but the Worcestershire sauce has sugar. do you know of a brand that doesn’t?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Thank you, Linda! I don’t, but the amount per serving ends up being literally a drop — it’s there for flavor, not sweetness. If you still want to skip it, I covered this in the substitutions section above.
Pj
0What do you use that you are calling garlic powder? The stuff in your link says garlic powder but it’s actually granulated garlic. Too many recipes actually use granulated garlic but call it garlic powder. 2 different ingredients and used in different quantities. I personally love garlic powder more because it actually incorporates into the sauce whereas the granulated garlic is dehydrated and less flavorful and sometimes stays gritty if the sauce is a short cook or thick and not watery
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi PJ, I use garlic powder, not granulated garlic, and that’s what I linked to. Where are you seeing granulated garlic? I do recommend using garlic powder for this recipe.
Marie Alm
0I made this tonight (7 servings [lots of math to figure out the measurements for this odd amount][I had 1 small can tomato paste minus 2 tbsp so …]) for my baby back ribs. Really was delicious. I find many keto recipes that claim to be delicious – aren’t to my taste. Maya’s recipes, though, are inevitably great. I’ve been Cooking Maya for a few years now and am a big fan. Keep at it, Maya!!! Love you.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Awww, thank you so much, Marie! That means a lot to hear you say that about my recipes. I’m glad you enjoyed this BBQ sauce and were able to scale it to the amount you needed. Enjoy your ribs!
Polly
0I love this! I think next time I’ll add a little more smoke and cook it for longer to cook out a little more of the tomato flavor to have it be more distinctive from the ketchup. My family loves this too and uses it regularly. We’ll def keep making this!
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Thank you, Polly! Yes, the amount of liquid smoke is a matter of preference, plus the intensity depends on the brand. I’m glad you and your family love it otherwise!
Miguel Garcia
0Wonderful, thanks
BJ
0Thank you so much for this recipe, it’s delicious!
Cherie
0Very easy, tastes great!
Pam
0Hi, can this be pressured canned? It taste wonderful
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi Pam, I have never tried canning this recipe. Please let me know the results if you try this.
Big Matty
0I made this recipe for the first time this evening. I am impressed! They want so much money at the store or off of Amazon for low carb zero sugar BBQ sauce, and this tastes so very good and is inexpensive to make. I had everything on hand. I used a liquid monk-fruit sweetener instead of powdered or granulated, and it turned out great. Thanks for this recipe. It is a keeper! 🙂
AMY
0SUGAR FREE BBQ SAUCE IF FAB!
Bridgette
0Hi! I love this recipe, it’s quick, delicious and easy! I used a few drops of liquid stevia and about a tablespoon of coconut sugar to sweeten it. It was pretty thick already after using one cup of water so I let it simmer. Perfect! I really appreciate being able to find clean and easy recipes, so thanks for this recipe.Using it for pulled chicken. today It’s definitely a keeper!
Mike
0Will this work well basted and cooked on a meat? Will it caramelize? Thank you.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Mike, Yes, my sugar free BBQ sauce is great for basting and brushing on meats, and it does caramelize if you use the sweetener listed above. Hope you love it!
Sharina
0Used this to our pork BBQ last night and it was a huge hit! It made my pork BBQ more delicious and flavorful!
Katie
0I love that it’s possible to make delicious bbq sauce from home! I’m going to have to try this on ribs.
Ted
0After all of the great reviews, it’s odd that mine ended up tasting like spaghetti sauce. I followed the recipe minus the monk fruit (don’t like sweetness in my sauce) and liquid smoke (never liked the taste of it). I did add some smoked ancho chili powder. Any suggestions? Thanks!
Wholesome Yum D
1Hi Ted, My suggestion would be to add the liquid smoke and the sweetener because without it you are missing key components that make BBQ sauce.
Ted
0Thank you very much for the reply. I’ll try your suggestion.
Cindy Creek
0Hello! What a the soybeans in it not a good thing. Have you found any other brands without that ingredient?
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi Cindy, Which ingredient are you referring to?
Jennifer
0This is going in my recipe book. Third time making it. We had a family BBQ and my 10 year old grandaughter was like “I don’t like keto or sugar free stuff.” As she is dipping her food in the sauce. 😉
My favorite way to use this recipe is on my burgers and my lil smokies. Yum yum!!!!
Patti
0I made this and added extra cayenne, I like the heat ?. I didn’t have liquid smoke I’ll try get some and try that next time. This is so good. I like the vinegar taste. Thank you.
Country Roads
0This was a delicious recipe. I ended up using a 28-ounce can of tomato puree in place of paste to make a double batch. It worked out fine, since I decreased the water amount and then simmered to the desired thickness. Hubby and son loved it on their pulled pork! I imagine the sauce will be even better after having a chance to sit in the fridge for 24 hours. (If the menfolk don’t use it all up, first.) Thank you for sharing!
Jenny
0I made this tonight to have with pulled lamb in tacos. It was delicious. I was wondering how long the rest of it will last in the fridge? Do you think it could be made in bulk and canned? I’d like to have it on hand all the time as a healthier option for my sauce loving family. Thanks so much for the recipe.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Jenny, It keeps well for about 2 weeks in the fridge. I haven’t tried canning it, but please let me know how that goes for you if you try it!
Kim
0Delicious. I just made bbq salad. 100 times better than store bought sugar free. Of course I used the Besti sweetener! Thank you so much!
Nancy M.
0Thank you so much for the BBQ sauce recipe. It’s a delicious replacement for commercial sauces. My non-low carb husband said he would never need store bought sauces again. I halved the recipe because there are only two of us. I don’t have the brand name products that you use, so it may taste and act slightly different, but the sauce is delicious, nonetheless. I highly recommend it.
Karen
0Why are sodium nutritional values not shown?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Karen, Sodium can vary widely depending on the brands of ingredients used, so that’s one of the reasons I don’t calculate it. You can do that with the specific ingredients you use. You can see my nutrition policy here.
Thecla
0Hello,
the Lazy Kettle Brand All Natural Liquid hickory Smoke cannot be bought in the Netherlands, with what I can sub this? I cannot order it on amazon.com and amazon.nl does not sell it.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Thecla, You can use another brand of liquid smoke. I’m not familiar with stores in the Netherlands, but here in the U.S. grocery stores have it as well.
Joni
0This was delicious BBQ sauce on chicken. The next day, we mixed it in to a pot of seasoned ground beef and at it as “Sloppy Joe’s”. That was the best we’d ever had! Kids ate it on a bun and hubby and I ate it in a zuchinni boat baked in the oven.
Allen Burt
0As with almost all your Keto (life saving) recipies, the BBQ sauce has rave reviews from freinds and family. Tonight we are haveing it on pulled Pork slow cooked Yum! 🙂
Heather G.
0This is one of the best BBQ sauces I have ever made- but #1 for me, being sugar free! Easy, fast to make and tastes great! I did not have liquid smoke(and Sunday night) so subbed smoked paprika that I had on hand instead. Will definitely make again. Thank you!
Crissie
0This BBQ sauce is divine! Not only delicious but easy to make! I made enough to jar for the future too. Ended up using a full cup of water added to get the consistency I like (slightly on the thicker side). Family loves it too. Winner!
Kate
0Love this recipe! I added 2 Tbsp of brown sweetener in the end because we like it a little bit sweeter but other than that it’s very good!! I’m putting ribs in the crockpot in the morning with it! Can’t wait! Definitely missing BBQ sauce on Keto!
Jimmi
0Fantastic BBQ sauce recipe! Perfect as is, but I decided to add and grind up about 1/2 teaspoon of black pepper and an extra slight shake of cayenne. I discovered the recipe and your site on Google but realize I watched one of your video recipes the other day as well. A great resource you’ve put together, and looking forward to more great dishes and recipes!
Janet watkins
0I appreciate your recipes I’m trying to eat low carb to lose weight. Thank you.
Melissa
0Can it be frozen?
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi Melissa, Yes, you can freeze the BBQ sauce. I have some options in the post above.
Jeff
0My wife says it tastes to much tomato or ketchup taste. What can I do? It was easy to make and I love it.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Jeff, You could add a splash of lemon juice or more of the spices. The strength of the flavor can vary depending on how fresh and potent your spices are, and of course personal preference.
Denise
0After reading the comments about spices/flavour perhaps reading the ingredients on your favourite BBQ sauce and noting the order they are in would help to season the sauce to your taste. Ingredients are supposed to be listed in the order of quantity.
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi Denise, My ingredients are listed in the order that they are used, which is standard recipe convention. When multiple ingredients are combined at the same time, as is the case with this recipe, they are listed in order by quantity from largest to smallest.
Denise
0Would this recipe be ok to can in a hit water bath? We stew down our own tomatoes and can them so it would be a matter of adding spices to the appropriate amount of sauce omitting the water and adding the other ingredients. I haven’t canned anything using substitute sweeteners.
BKime
0Speaking purely on my own experience and rules in my kitchen- we only can foods and recipes that have been tested as safe to do so. You’d be surprised what people think is safe to can. Check the Ball recipe site, or this site ( https://nchfp.uga.edu/#gsc.tab=0) for tested recipes that are safe to be canned for shelf storage. Otherwise just freeze it like the post says- better to be safe than sorry.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Denise, I have not tried canning this recipe, but I think you can. Let me know how it turns out if you give it a go!
Natalia
0This makes 20 servings as per your info and one serving has 3.5g of carbs, meaning the 2.5 cups of this sauce has SEVENTY (!!!) grams of carbs?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Natalia, A serving size is 2 tablespoons, which is standard for bbq sauce. I hope you’re not drinking it by the cup. 😉
Sabrina
0Can it be regular monk fruit with alulose sweetener or does it need to be powdered?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Sabrina, If you’re using Besti, yes, regular should work fine since it dissolves so easily. Other sweeteners will have trouble dissolving if they are not powdered.
April
0Worcestershire sauce used for the entire recipe, each serving would contain only 1/20 tablespoon of it (like a drop). As someone who suffers from Celiac, that “drop” does and will matter. Please change the sauce to reflect that or take off the gluten free. You really could be making someone really sick.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi April, Like I said in the post, the Worcestershire sauce I use and link to is gluten-free. The information about the 1/20 tablespoon (like a drop) is in reference to the sugar that is found in Worcestershire sauce, not for allergy reasons. My recipe ratings are for those who actually made the recipe. Thanks!
Krista
0Would have probably been great had I not misread tomato paste for tomato sauce haha. With tomato sauce, I didn’t need the extra water but the vinegar was sooooo overpowering! I tried to do my best to salvage it and was able to get it to a more edible state haha – but totally my own fault. Thanks for sharing!!