This keto bbq sauce recipe is low carb, sugar free, and healthy. Its taste is sweet, tangy, and slightly spicy — you would never guess that it’s homemade. Ever so versatile, you can use this bbq sauce for pulled pork, ribs, brisket, or even my 5-ingredient barbecue meatloaf — see below for instructions.
So yes, barbecue sauce can actually be part of a healthy diet. Read on for the recipe!
How do you make low carb bbq sauce that’s keto friendly?
Low carb bbq sauce is made using tomato puree, apple cider vinegar, worcestershire sauce, garlic powder, paprika, cayenne, and erythritol sweetener instead of sugar. These ingredients are combined in a small saucepan, simmered for about 15 minutes until the sauce thickens, and then chilled in the refrigerator until ready to use.
To develop this recipe, I experimented with various flavors and ingredients. Paprika is great for its smoky flavor and coloring, and the cayenne helps bring the heat.
This homemade version tastes just like the storebought kind. You can adjust the cayenne to taste to match your preference. I recommend using 1/4 teaspoon cayenne for a mild to moderately hot bbq sauce. If you’re concerned that it’ll be too spicy, start with only 1/8 teaspoon and add more to taste after the sauce has simmered and reached its desired thickness.
Check out the recipe card below for printing options and nutrition facts per serving.
What is erythritol powder?
Erythritol is key to making this bbq sauce keto friendly, low carb, and sugar free. It’s a sweetener that cannot be digested by the body and has no effect on blood sugar or insulin levels. It works fabulously in this recipe, as it becomes wholly incorporated into the sauce. You won’t taste a “cooling” effect or experience erythritol crystallization.
I use powdered erythritol, and not the granulated kind. If you buy erythritol granules, you can pulverize them in a blender such as the Nutribullet until it becomes very fine powder. The volume will significantly increase as well. The powder is more easily incorporated into the sauce and I recommend using that form in this recipe.
Note that erythritol is only about 70% as sweet as table sugar. If you replace with another type of sweetener, you’ll have to adjust the amount used. You can either do the math or add your preferred sweetener to taste.
What can I do with keto bbq sauce?
There are so many ways you can use this keto bbq sauce:
- bbq meatloaf (scroll below for my 5 ingredient recipe)
- bbq ribs
- bbq burgers
- bbq shredded chicken
- bbq pulled pork sandwiches
- bbq brisket
- bbq salad dressings
- bbq meatballs
- bbq pizza or flatbread
And the list goes on. Give this recipe a try, and in the comments section below, let me know what you used the sauce for!
Keto BBQ Sauce Recipe (Low Carb & Sugar Free)
This keto bbq sauce recipe is low carb, sugar free, and healthy. Sweet, tangy, and slightly spicy -- you would never guess that it's homemade.
Ingredients
- 1 cup canned tomato sauce or puree (8-9 ounces)
- 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 cup powdered erythritol sweetener
- 2 tablespoons worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne
Instructions
-
Add all ingredients to a sauce pot over medium-high heat and stir together as you bring to a simmer.
-
Simmer until the sauce reaches your desired thickness, about 15 minutes, stirring frequently. Gradually reduce the heat as needed to maintain a simmer.
-
Taste the sauce. Add erythritol and cayenne as needed to adjust sweetness and spiciness.
-
Let cool. Cover and refrigerate.
Nutrition Notes
This recipe yields 2.5 g net carbs per serving (2 tablespoons of sauce). Nutrition information does not include erythritol because it cannot be digested by the body.
| Nutrition Facts Per Serving |
| Calories 20 | |
| Total Fat 0g | 0% |
| Saturated Fat 0g | 0% |
| Trans Fat 0g | |
| Cholesterol 0mg | 0% |
| Sodium 270mg | 11% |
| Potassium 20mg | 1% |
| Total Carb 3g | 1% |
| Dietary Fiber 0.5g | 3% |
| Sugars 1g | |
| Protein 1g |
How about some keto bbq meatloaf?
The above recipe yields 1.25 cups of homemade keto bbq sauce. That’s more than enough to make my delicious 5-ingredient meatloaf. This is a keto meatloaf that doesn’t require milk or bread crumbs. Ingredients include:
- 1 pound 80% lean ground beef
- 1/2 cup low carb bbq sauce
- 1/2 cup finely grated parmesan cheese (sandy consistency)
- 1/2 cup finely diced onions
- 1 large egg, beaten
Mix all of these ingredients together except for half of the bbq sauce, and form into a loaf and place on a baking dish. Bake at 325 F until cooked through, about 1 hour. Drain out the meatloaf drippings, brush the meatloaf with remaining bbq sauce, and bake for another 5-10 minutes until the sauce is cooked in. This meatloaf yields 4 servings, each with 210 calories and 4 g net carbs.
I spent some time investigating how to make meatloaf as moist as possible. If your meatloaf is a tad bit on the dry side, I recommend using fattier ground beef (no less than 20% fat) and avoid lean meats such as turkey or chicken. Use a thermometer so that you don’t overcook the meat — take it out of the oven when the center reaches 155 F.
MORE KETO FRIENDLY SAUCES & DIPS:
This post was originally published on November 16, 2017.
The sauce and meatloaf recipes look great! I plan on making this for dinner. Do you have the nutrition information for the meatloaf? I’m keeping track of my macros. Thanks!
Sorry, I don’t have the nutrition info for the meatloaf. Let me know if you have any other questions.
This sauce is amazing! I LOVE it and will make it again!!
Hi, can I use swerve?
Definitely! Erythritol isn’t a 1:1 substitution for sugar like Swerve is, so the amount will be a bit different. If you use confectioners Swerve, I suggest using 1/3 cup. If you use granular Swerve, start with 1/4 cup. If the end result isn’t as sweet as you’d like, you can add more to taste.
How long can this be stored in a fridge? Can this be froze for later use?
I haven’t tried freezing this so I can’t say how it’ll turn out.
WOW — I’m impressed! Best low carb recipe I’ve had! Easy to make, love the flavor.
You’re welcome, Cedric! Hope you get a chance to make this again soon.
I used a Stevia/Erythritol blend and although I doubled the recipe, I only used 1/2 cup of this blend. I used well rounded teaspoon of garlic powder and extra smoked paprika and cayenne powder as well. Nicely spicy
Sounds great, thanks for the feedback!
I added a teaspoon of onion powder, 2 teaspoons of liquid smoke and 2 teaspoons of chipotle powder instead of cayenne. I used half homemade ranch and half BBQ sauce to make BBQ Ranch dressing for my BBQ Chicken Bacon Ranch Salad. I’m really excited to use it on slow smoked ribs next! Good stuff!
Yum!! Love those substitutions 🙂
This sauce is amazing! Absolutely love it. I like to double or even triple the batch and then I store in small containers in the freezer. I also do this with my homemade red sauce. Just a suggestion so you don’t have to cook as often😉
Great idea!! Thanks for reporting back 🙂
Can i use stevia ?
Yes, that should work. I suggest adding it to taste until the sauce reaches your desired sweetness.
I never use any erythritol in any cooking. So I substituted 1 tsp ginger and added 1 Tbs liquid smoke. I only used 1/4 Cup ACV(braggs) and used 1/2 tsp Tabasco sauce in place of ground cayenne. It tastes great.
Great!! Thanks for your feedback. It’s very useful to know what other substitutions would work well.
Thank you for the recipe! I made this tonight, and really liked it…and so did my non-Keto husband. I used half the xylitol and thought that was perfect.
I was looking at the ingredients and that sugar substitute has as many carbs as regular sugar 4g and on yiur list it say 3g so how did u get to that number
Did you count sugar alcohols like erythritol? Erythritol cannot be digested by the body (like fiber), so it should be subtracted. You should be calculating net carbs, which is equal to total carbs minus fiber minus erythritol.
Love, love, love this sauce! Thank you for sharing!!!
i cant get erythritol . how much sucralosa can i use? i use liquid sucralosa
I’ve never used liquid sucralose so I’m not sure how much to use. If the packaging on your sucralose says how much to use for the same effect as sugar, I would use whatever is the equivalent of 1/3 cup granulated table sugar.
Btw I usually buy erythritol on Amazon.
This tasted just like real bbq sauce! Thanks for posting.