After testing oodles of sauces for my cookbooks, I nailed several killer Low Sugar BBQ Sauces and these were two of my favorites! These sauces come together with pantry staples and just 15 minutes on the stovetop… yes it’s that easy!
I’m talking tomato sauce, vinegar, garlic, and your sweetener of choice (honey, coconut sugar, or date paste for Whole30). Whether you’re brewing pulled pork or grilling chicken, they elevate your protein without covering everything in corn syrup.
One is a tangy honey-lime-ginger twist that’s simple and bright, and the other a bold raspberry-chipotle sauce that’s smoky, fruity, and unapologetically delicious. They can be adapted to be paleo, Whole30, or low carb depending on the sweetener.
Why You'll Love these Low Sugar Barbecue Sauce Recipes
First, I made a Honey Lime Ginger BBQ Sauce. I really liked this one. It isn't too tangy or sweet, but it has a distinct lime flavor and the ginger turns it in a slight Asian direction.
I also wanted to do a Raspberry Chipotle BBQ Sauce, similar to the Blackberry Chipotle BBQ Sauce in one of my books, but make it keto-friendly.
Both have a tomato sauce & vinegar base and come together really quickly. (Like all of the BBQ sauces I've made from scratch.) You literally just dump everything in a saucepan and let it simmer for about 15 minutes. That's it.
The raspberry chipotle sauce has a little liquid smoke to give it a smokier bite. And if you can find pre-diced chipotle peppers, it'll change your life. (Don't ask me where I bought these because I don't remember.)
What you need for 2 Awesome Low Calorie Barbecue Sauces:
Honey Lime Ginger Whole30 BBQ Sauce:
- Tomato sauce
- Rice vinegar
- Honey
- Garlic
- Ginger
- Lime
- Dijon mustard
- Sea salt
Raspberry Chipotle Whole30 BBQ Sauce:
- Tomato sauce
- Frozen raspberries
- Red wine vinegar
- Low-carb granulated sweetener
- Chipotle peppers, from a can of chipotles in adobo sauce
- Garlic
- Sea salt
- Liquid smoke
How to Make Low Sugar BBQ Sauce
- Put all of the ingredients into a medium skillet and let it simmer for about 15 minutes or until the flavors have combined and it has thickened slightly.
- Taste, and add additional sweetener, lime juice, or salt as you see fit.
- You could also blend it if you'd like it smoother sauce.
Low Sugar BBQ Sauce Recipe Variations
I REALLY love Lakanto monk fruit sweetener. I buy it at Costco or through Thrive Market. It's also popping up more and more in nicer or healthy-focused grocery stores. It measures 1:1 with cane sugar and has zero net carbs.
I used this "Golden" version which has a bit of a brown sugar taste. It's super good -- especially for BBQ sauce.4
KETO: You can totally use the Lakanto sweetener I mentioned above in both of these recipes. (Although it takes the "honey" out of the first one.) You could also use regular erythritol or Swerve (which is erythritol-based, but has a better flavor than straight erythritol.
PALEO: if you're not into this whole low-carb business, just use honey in both. Or coconut sugar which is really good in BBQ sauce because it has a total brown sugar vibe.
WHOLE30: Swap out the sweeteners for some Date Paste. Date Paste is just blended up dates that have been soaked for a bit. EASY. Don't use Date Paste to make treats or anything. That's a Whole30 no-no. You can use it to sweeten things like BBQ sauce, take the edge off of a too-acidic vinaigrette, or any other sauce that needs a hint of sweet.
I love both of these sauces. I don't like BBQ sauce that's super sweet, so if you're a sweet BBQ kind of person, you may want to bump up the sweetener.
Ways to use this Easy Homemade BBQ Sauce
Later this week I'll have a great Instant Pot BBQ Pulled Pork recipe for you! You can also use these sauces on pulled chicken or beef, on grilled chicken or steak, meatloaf, or anywhere else you'd use BBQ sauce.
It's also the secret ingredient that I put in my favorite fast & easy chili recipe -- Hearty Winter Chili. (Not to undermine the BEST Slow Cooker Steak Chili Ever. It's just good for those nights where I don't plan ahead, and I want chili in under an hours. You get me, right?)
How to Store Low Sugar Barbecue Sauce
And did you know that BBQ sauce lasts a LONG time in the fridge? (We're talking weeks. Maybe months.)
If you try these, let me know what you think!
Honey Lime Whole30 BBQ Sauce
This BBQ Sauce has a kick of citrusy lime and a bite of ginger -- like it's about to venture into Asian territory. It's quick to make and versatile. We loved it on BBQ Pulled Pork, but it would be great brushed over grilled chicken as well.
Ingredients
- 1 15-ounce can of tomato sauce
- ½ cup rice vinegar
- ½ cup honey
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 2 teaspoons finely grated ginger (using a Microplane grater, if you have one)
- Zest and juice from 1 juicy lime
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- ¾ teaspoon sea salt
Instructions
- Put all of the ingredients into a medium skillet and let it simmer for about 15 minutes or until the flavors have combined and it has thickened slightly.
- Taste, and add additional sweetener, lime juice, or salt as you see fit.
Notes
1. To make this recipe low-carb, swap out the honey for a low-carb granulated sweetener. Net carbs become 3 carbs per ¼ cup of sauce.
2. Make it Whole30 compliant by using Date Paste instead of honey.
Raspberry Chipotle BBQ Sauce
I love the fruity flavor of raspberries mixed with spicy chipotles. It's a steller combination -- especially when you put the sauce on pulled pork or beef! Or grilled chicken. It's great on everything, really.
Ingredients
- 1 15 ounce can of tomato sauce
- 10-ounce bag of frozen raspberries
- ½ cup red wine vinegar
- ½ cup low-carb granulated sweetener
- 2 teaspoons diced chipotle peppers, from a can of chipotles in adobo sauce
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon liquid smoke
Instructions
- Put all of the ingredients into a medium saucepan and let it simmer for 15-20 minutes until raspberries have cooked down and the flavors have incorporated together.
- You may use the sauce immediately. You could also blend it if you'd like it smoother or strain the seeds out if they bother you. The sauce won't be as thick if you strain the seeds, though.
Notes
1. There are 3.3 net carbs in ¼ cup of this sauce.
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