Ditch the unhealthy store-bought BBQ sauces and make your own low sodium BBQ sauce recipe right at home. It's bursting with bold, tangy, and sweet flavors and perfect for your summer grilling and weeknight dinners!
A healthier good BBQ sauce is hard to find. Most sauces are loaded with preservatives, have too much sodium and contain a lot of sugar, including high fructose corn syrup.
Well now you can skip the store-bought bottled sauce and make this easy and healthy low sodium BBQ sauce recipe at home! It has the same bold, tangy and sweet flavors that you love from traditional BBQ sauces, just made healthier and with only 50 mg of sodium.
BBQ is the sauce of the summer. Whether you're planning to make barbecue burgers or simply looking to add great flavor to your weeknight dinners, with just a few ingredients, one pot and 10 minutes, you can make a delicious healthier BBQ sauce. So, say no to the bottled sauces and make your own healthy BBQ sauce with less sodium right at home.
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Great for someone on a low sodium diet
- Can use with a variety of recipes
- No artificial sweeteners or preservatives
- Simple and made in one pot
- Ready in less than 10 minutes.
Equipment You'll Need
- Whisk - to whisk all the ingredients together
- Small saucepan - just large enough to whisk the ingredients.
- Measuring Spoons - for measuring the ingredients
- Mason Jar - for storing the BBQ sauce.
Ingredients you'll Need
This low sodium barbecue sauce recipe only requires a few ingredients. Here's what you'll need:
- Apple cider vinegar - adds tang and acidity for flavor.
- Tomato paste - helps to give the BBQ sauce a thick, rich texture. I added a small can of no salt added tomato paste.
- Vegetable Broth - look for a low sodium vegetable broth to use
- Coconut sugar - for sweetener. You could use brown sugar as you prefer.
- Stone ground mustard - has lower sodium than other mustards and adds texture
- Molasses - to help make the sauce rich and thick with added sweetness. You can also use maple syrup if you prefer.
- Spices - this recipe uses many of the same seasonings that traditional BBQ sauce like chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika and black pepper. You can even add a little cayenne pepper to add a little heat. The only seasoning missing is sea salt! Yes, there is no salt added to this BBQ sauce to keep it low sodium.
How to Make Low Salt BBQ Sauce
- Add all the ingredients to a medium sauce pot and whisk together to combine.
- Warm over medium heat until it starts to bubble. Then reduce the heat to low and let it simmer for 8-10 minutes, whisking occasionally. Cover with a lid.
- Taste and adjust the seasonings as needed. The longer the ingredients sit, the flavors will become richer as it cools.
- Remove the saucepan from the heat and let the BBQ sauce cool completely before transferring to an airtight container.
How to Store
Once the barbeque sauce cools, it can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 1 week. This sauce freezes well and can be stored for up to 1 month. When you're ready to use it, let it defrost in the fridge. Serve it at room temperature for best flavor.
Ways to Use the Healthy Sauce
You can use this low-sodium BBQ sauce for a variety of meals. Here's a few ideas:
- Slather it on any kind of grilled summer veggies
- Use this sauce in recipes that call for BBQ sauce, like these baked beans
- As a dipping sauce
- Add it as a topping to your veggie burgers.
- Use it as a cooking sauce for your vegan pulled pork.
Is It a Thyroid-Friendly Recipe? This recipe uses stone ground mustard. It's known that a mustard seed is rich in beta-carotene, which is known to be cancer fighting and has a lower sodium content unlike yellow mustard or dijon mustard. Most traditional barbecue sauces use brown sugar as a sweetener, however to make this recipe a little healthier, I used coconut sugar that contains natural vitamins, minerals, fiber and antioxidants.
Recipe FAQ
Many popular brands of BBQ sauce you can find at your local grocery store will have about 200 to 350 milligrams of sodium. This recipe has only 50 mg of sodium.
Personally, I love Primal Kitchen dressings and marinades when I need something quick. The ingredients are clean, simple with no preservatives and most are even Whole 30 approved.
Absolutely! When you make it from scratch, you eliminate the preservatives, sweeteners, and artificial flavors that are in store-bought BBQ sauces.
Homemade BBQ sauce can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 1 week or in the freezer for up to 1 month.
More Recipes You May Like
Pulled Pork Jackfruit Sandwhich
Low Sodium BBQ Sauce Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1/4 cup no salt added tomato paste
- 1/4 cup low sodium vegetable broth
- ¼ cup coconut sugar
- 1 tablespoon stone ground mustard
- 1 tablespoon unsulphured molasses
- 1/4 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Add all the ingredients to a medium saucepan and whisk together to combine.
- Warm over medium heat until it starts to bubble. Then reduce the heat to low and let it simmer for 8-10 minutes, whisking occasionally. Cover with a lid.
- Taste and adjust the seasonings as needed. The longer the ingredients sit, the flavors will become richer as it cools.
- Remove the saucepan from the heat and let the BBQ sauce cool completely before transferring to an airtight container.
Nutrition
Disclaimer
Although HalfPastHungry.com attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, note that these are only estimates. Nutritional information may be affected based on which products you use, the brand that was purchased, or in other unforeseeable ways. HalfPastHungry.com will not be held liable for any reliance on given nutritional information. If you need to follow a specific caloric regimen, please consult your physician first.
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