Kansas City BBQ Sauce

We love making homemade sauces so we can control the ingredients. This is our go-to BBQ Sauce for all our summertime BBQ’s when we grill out chicken and to use as a condiment on Meatloaf Burgers.

This tomato base BBQ Sauce is packed with flavors and you will love to serve it with your favorite grilled meats.

Why We Love This BBQ Sauce

This BBQ Sauce is completely customizable depending on if you want it sweet, smoky, or spicy. We keep this BBQ Sauce stocked in our fridge because my entire family loves how delicious it is.

We have stopped buying store bought BBQ sauce because we can make this sauce anytime because of how simple the ingredients are.

Ingredients

• Butter – We used unsalted butter
• Yellow Onion – We finely chopped a medium onion. You can also use a white onion 
• Minced Garlic – Learn How to Mince Garlic
• Smoked Paprika – You can substitute with regular paprika
• Chili Powder – If you are out, see Chili Powder Substitutes
• Cayenne Pepper – This gives the sauce a hint of spice

Scroll to the bottom for the full recipe in the recipe card.

Variations Ideas

Feel free to add in different spices to change the flavor of this Homemade Kansas City Style BBQ Sauce. We usually start with ½ teaspoon and add more to taste. These are some delicious variations.

• Yellow Mustard
• Red Wine Vinegar
• Cinnamon
• Liquid Smoke
• Onion Powder
• Garlic Powder
• Tomato Sauce

How to Make Kansas City BBQ Sauce

Step 1 – Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium high heat.  Add in the diced onions and cook for 5-7 minutes until softened.  

Step 2 – Add in the minced garlic and cook for 1 minute until aromatic. 

Step 3 – Stir in all the remaining ingredients. 

Step 4 – Heat over medium heat and bring to a low boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer until thickened (approximately 15-20 minutes), stirring often. 

Step 5 – Blend with an immersion blender or carefully transfer to an upright blender and blend until smooth.  

Step 6 – Remove from heat, allow to cool and then the sauce is ready to serve and enjoy! 

Recipe Tips

• Combining Ingredients – Combine the ingredients in a saucepan until blended together.
• Simmering the Sauce – Make sure to simmer the sauce and stir occasionally so the sauce does not burn. This allows the sauce to thicken as it simmers.
• Cool Sauce – Make sure to allow the sauce to cool before storing in the fridge.
• Cover Sauce Pan – You can add a lid on this saucepan to prevent the sauce from splashing while it simmers.

Serving Suggestions

We love to use this Homemade Barbecue Sauce when we make Smoked Pork Ribs, Grilled Chicken Wings, Smash Beef Burger Sliders and Grilled BBQ Pork Chops.

It is also delicious basted on these Grilled Chicken Breast Recipes after the chicken has come off the grill. We even like to use this condiment as a dipping sauce with Grilled Bacon Wrapped Chicken Tenders.

Frequently Asked Questions