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Balsamic Homemade BBQ Sauce

This homemade BBQ sauce has a balsamic vinegar base. It's rich, flavorful and sweetened with honey!

This homemade BBQ sauce is my all-time favorite BBQ sauce. Honestly.

It has a balsamic vinegar base and it’s super tangy with just the right amount of sweetness from honey. It’s dark and rich and it makes me so happy.

I’ve been making this sauce for years. It was originally part of my Easy Grilled BBQ Chicken post, but I decided that it need its own post.

There are only a few ingredients in this homemade BBQ sauce. Most of these you already have. Like balsamic vinegar, tomato sauce, worcestershire, honey, and dijon mustard.

This BBQ sauce recipe was adapted from a recipe by Giada de Laurentiis.

Yep. I found my favorite BBQ sauce from a famous Italian chef.

I tweaked her recipe to suit my taste and make it more paleo-friendly.

Can you make this BBQ sauce low-carb or Keto?

Yep. I included adaptations for low carb AND Whole30 in the recipe instructions.

One thing to note is that balsamic vinegar naturally has more carbs than other kinds of vinegar. So if you’re watching your carbs, use a light hand with this BBQ sauce.

Just combine the ingredients in a saucepan and simmer until it has reduced some. It'll be slightly thicker and coat the back of the spoon.

How to make BBQ sauce

I always thought making homemade BBQ sauce would be fussy and time-consuming.

Turns out it’s not. At all.

You just toss all the ingredients into the saucepan and let it simmer for a little while. That’s it!

Most BBQ sauce recipes are formatted this way. If the recipe is a little fancier it may involve roasting garlic or adding chiles or some other ingredient.

However, most BBQ sauce recipes have a tomato sauce-vinegar base and simply require simmering.

Balsamic BBQ Sauce is the best BBQ sauce for grilled BBQ chicken!

Like I said earlier, this BBQ sauce is my most FAVORITE for grilled chicken. Doesn’t that sauce look AMAAAAAAZING?

Here are a few ways to use this Balsamic BBQ Sauce:

Recipes to use Balsamic BBQ Sauce

Grilled BBQ Chicken. Of course.

Instant Pot BBQ Pulled Pork is delicious with this sauce, too!

If you’re into ribs, try The Best Instant Pot Ribs. They’re the easiest thing ever and SO tender in a fraction of the time!

I put a little BBQ sauce in my Smoky BBQ Beef Chili and this sauce is my favorite one to use.

Store your balsamic BBQ sauce in a lidded jar for several weeks.

How long does homemade BBQ sauce last in the fridge?

Honestly?

Probably 3-4 weeks, but use it up in 2-3 weeks to be on the safe side.

More Homemade BBQ Sauce Recipes on Perry’s Plate

I also have more homemade BBQ sauce recipes in both of my cookbooks — The Big Book of Paleo Slow Cooking and The Big Book of Paleo Pressure Cooking.


If you make one of my recipes, be sure to post it on social media and tag me at @perrysplate or #perrysplate so I can send you some love!

Balsamic BBQ Sauce

Balsamic BBQ Sauce

Yield: Makes 2 cups

Ingredients

  • 1 cup balsamic vinegar
  • 8 ounce can of tomato sauce
  • 3 Tablespoons honey
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 2 Tablespoons coconut aminos or Worcestershire
  • 1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard
  • 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

  1. Put all of the ingredients into a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, then cook on a low boil at medium heat until the mixture has reduced to about 2 cups. It should be slightly thicker and coat the back of a spoon.
  2. Use immediately or rransfer to a lidded jar or other conter for storage. Store chilled for up to two weeks.

Notes

WHOLE30 adaptation: Use Date Paste in place of the honey and yellow mustard in place of the Dijon.

Low-Carb/Keto adaptation: Use a low-carb sweetener like monkfruit in place of the honey. The balsamic vinegar still has a more carbs than regular vinegar, so don't use a lot at once.

Nutrition Information
Yield 8 Serving Size 1/4 cup
Amount Per Serving Calories 66Total Fat 0gSaturated Fat 0gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 0gCholesterol 0mgSodium 424mgCarbohydrates 15gFiber 1gSugar 13gProtein 1g

The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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