Most barbecue sauce that fits a no-added-sugar list starts from a bottle and stops there. This no-added-sugar smoky bbq sauce starts from tomato sauce and tomato paste and reduces for 15 to 18 minutes until it turns dark reddish-brown, glossy, and thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Prep is 5 minutes, the simmer does the rest of the work, and you get 12 servings out of it.
All of the sweetness comes from a quarter cup of granulated allulose. The smokiness comes from a teaspoon of smoked paprika, a quarter teaspoon of liquid smoke, and a quarter teaspoon of alcohol-free molasses flavor. There is no molasses in the pan and no brown sugar anywhere, which is how a 2 tablespoon serving lands at about 15 calories and 1.5g net carbs.
One thing to know before you start: allulose browns quickly. Keep the heat gentle, keep the simmer uncovered, and stir often.
If you need something to put it on, our no-added-sugar apple chutney chicken finishes with a glossy spiced sauce built on the same vinegar-and-allulose logic.
Why Youāll Love This Recipe
- One pot, one whisk. Everything goes into a single 1-quart saucepan and simmers down together. There is no separate spice step, and nothing to strain at the end.
- Smoke without a smoker. Smoked paprika, liquid smoke, and alcohol-free molasses flavor build the depth that usually asks for hours over coals.
- No molasses and no brown sugar. The molasses note comes from a quarter teaspoon of alcohol-free extract, so the sauce still works on a no-added-sugar list.
- Twelve servings per batch. One pot makes twelve 2 tablespoon servings, which is a cookoutās worth of sauce.
- About 50 minutes, start to jar. 5 minutes of prep, 15 to 18 minutes of simmer, and a 30-minute cool that you mostly walk away from.
Ingredient Notes
Check the labels on the tomato sauce, tomato paste, and Dijon mustard first, and use the ones with no added sugar. 1 cup (240g) of tomato sauce is the base, and 3 tablespoons (48g) of tomato paste is what gives the finished sauce its body once the water cooks off. The 1/4 cup (60ml) of apple cider vinegar is not optional; it is what keeps a sweet sauce from tasting flat.
1/4 cup (40g) of granulated allulose supplies both the sweetness and the glaze, and it is also the reason to keep the heat low. It darkens faster than sugar does, which is why the simmer stays gentle rather than rolling. 1 tablespoon (15g) of Dijon mustard rounds out the sharpness coming from the vinegar.
The smokiness comes from 1 teaspoon of smoked paprika, 1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder, 1/4 teaspoon of onion powder, 1/4 teaspoon of liquid smoke, and 1/4 teaspoon of alcohol-free molasses flavor, rounded out with 1/4 teaspoon of fine salt and 1/8 teaspoon of black pepper. Allulose is a rare sugar, not a sugar alcohol, and the FDA allows it to be excluded from the total and added sugars declarations on the Nutrition Facts label.
How to Make This No-Added-Sugar Smoky BBQ Sauce
1. Whisk everything together
Add all the ingredients to the saucepan and whisk until completely smooth, with no lumps of tomato paste left sitting against the sides.
2. Bring it to a gentle simmer
Bring the sauce to a gentle simmer over medium-low heat.
3. Reduce it slowly
Drop the heat to low and simmer uncovered for 15 to 18 minutes, stirring frequently.
4. Watch for the color and the thickness
It is ready when the sauce is dark reddish-brown and glossy, and thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.
5. Loosen it if you went too far
Take the pan off the heat. If the sauce is thicker than you want it, whisk in water 1 tablespoon at a time.
6. Let it cool before you judge it
Cool it for 30 minutes. The sauce thickens further as it cools, so this is the moment to decide whether the texture is right.
7. Jar it
Transfer the sauce to a covered jar and refrigerate it.
Success Tips
- Use tomato products and Dijon with no added sugar. This is the one place a shortcut quietly undoes the whole recipe, because ordinary ketchup-adjacent jars and regular Dijon both carry sugar.
- Molasses flavor adds classic BBQ depth without real molasses. A quarter teaspoon is enough, and more than that starts to taste of the extract rather than the barbecue.
- Keep the heat gentle because allulose browns quickly. Once the sauce reaches a full boil, the color runs ahead of the flavor.
- Simmer uncovered for a thick, clingy texture. A lid traps the steam and the sauce never reduces past the point where it coats a spoon.
- Judge final thickness only after cooling. The 30-minute cool changes the texture more than the simmer does.
Storage
Keep the sauce in a covered jar in the refrigerator. One batch of this no-added-sugar smoky bbq sauce makes 12 servings, so a single jar usually covers a meal or two depending on what you are serving it with. Because it thickens as it sits, loosen it with a splash of water when you take it out and warm it gently rather than letting it boil hard. Tomato and vinegar both slow spoilage, which makes this an easy sauce to keep on hand and to bring along in a cooler for a day outdoors.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does the sauce look thin in the pan?
Because it thickens as it cools. Judge the final thickness of your no-added-sugar smoky bbq sauce only after the 30-minute cool rather than while it is still simmering.
What if it is too thick?
Take it off the heat and whisk in water 1 tablespoon at a time until it loosens to where you want it. Adding it a tablespoon at a time is what keeps you from overshooting in the other direction.
Can I put a lid on while it simmers?
No. Simmer uncovered. The open simmer is what reduces the sauce down to a thick, clingy texture.
Why molasses flavor instead of real molasses?
Real molasses is mostly sugar, and this sauce is built with no added sugar at all. A quarter teaspoon of alcohol-free molasses flavor gives the classic BBQ depth without it.
How thick should the finished sauce be?
Thick enough to coat the back of a spoon and hold a ridge, and dark reddish-brown with a glossy surface. Watery is too thin, and jam-like is too far.
Nutrition Information
Approximate nutrition per serving, based on 12 servings of 2 tablespoons: 15 calories, 1.5g net carbs, 0.5g protein, 0g fat, 0.5g fiber, and 2g total carbohydrates.
For a full nutrient breakdown by ingredient, USDA FoodData Central lists the reference values behind these estimates.
Serving Suggestions
This no-added-sugar smoky bbq sauce is built for brushing and for dipping, so pair it with something that benefits from a final coating. The no-added-sugar chicken pot pie is an oven project with a chilled low-carb crust, and the crustless spinach and mushroom quiche comes out of a skillet with the same kind of savory profile.
The no-added-sugar Amish onion fritters cook in a single cast-iron skillet and are built around cooked onions, so they take a glaze of this sauce well. More savory recipes are collected in No Added Sugar Meals and Savory Recipes.
The sauce gets better as it sits, which makes a jar of it an easy thing to have ready before anyone fires up a grill. Watch the heat, leave the lid off, and let it cool before you judge the texture. From the whisk to the jar, this no-added-sugar smoky bbq sauce takes about 50 minutes, most of which you spend not touching it.
No-Added-Sugar Smoky BBQ Sauce
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Add all ingredients to saucepan and whisk completely smooth.
- Bring to a gentle simmer over medium-low heat.
- Reduce heat to low and simmer uncovered 15ā18 min, stirring frequently.
- Cook until dark reddish-brown, glossy, and thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.
- Remove from heat. If too thick, whisk in water 1 tbsp at a time.
- Cool 30 min; sauce will thicken further as it cools.
- Transfer to a covered jar and refrigerate.