Homemade Bourbon Barbecue Sauce (Without Refined Sugar!)

This Homemade Bourbon Barbecue Sauce is sweetened with honey instead of refined sugar and is bursting with flavor. 

If there’s one thing I want to teach others about healthy eating, it’s that it doesn’t have to feel like you’re depriving yourself. Healthy foods don’t have to be bland or boring. The right spices or sauce can elevate whatever you’re cooking into something that tastes spectacular and nobody would guess is “healthy.”

That’s where something like Homemade Bourbon Barbecue Sauce comes in. You can use this sauce, with its deep, smoky flavor, to elevate a number of healthy, nutritious dishes. Don’t worry. Today I’m sharing the recipe for the sauce, but more ideas on how to use it will be coming soon. I can’t stop using this for everything!

So why should you bother making your own barbecue sauce? I have a few reasons why it’s worth the effort.

First, if you typically buy the most popular (*cough* Sweet Baby Ray’s *cough*) barbecue sauce from the store, the number one ingredient is high fructose corn syrup. Our bodies don’t process that stuff very well and it’s one of the largest contributors to the obesity epidemic (read more about that here).

To be fair, there are actually a lot of healthier options on the market today that are sweetened with real cane sugar. I would definitely suggest one of them instead of any brand that has high fructose corn syrup if you’re going the store-bought route.

But making it at home you get to control how you sweeten it! I sweeten this Bourbon Barbecue Sauce with honey. Now, is honey really any better than regular sugar? I’ll be the first to admit that honey is sugar and our bodies treat it as such. So yes, moderation is the key with anything sweetened with sugar or honey.

I still think that honey is a better way to sweeten foods because it does have some redeeming nutritional qualities. For example, honey contains the following minerals: calcium, copper, iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, potassium, sodium and zinc. 

So while cutting out sugars completely is probably best for your health, it’s not necessarily realistic, right? Well, at least not for me and my family. Instead, we practice moderation and use natural sweeteners that have some nutritional value like honey and maple syrup instead of refined sugar.

I’ve got one more reason why I think it’s worth making your own barbecue sauce at home.

FLAVOR!

You guys, this Homemade Bourbon Barbecue Sauce has some fabulous flavors going on. I’m not a bourbon girl when it comes to cocktails, but decided to try to make a barbecue sauce with it since my husband is and we always have a bottle (or ten) of bourbon on hand. 

Wow! I was super impressed with the flavor the bourbon brought to the barbecue sauce. I didn’t expect to love it, but I did.

There’s also a nice smokiness thanks to smoked paprika. GET SOME. You need it in your life.

I can’t get enough of this Homemade Bourbon Barbecue Sauce and think you’ll love it, too. Stay tuned for some fun recipes that call for this fabulous sauce, but if you need a starting place, try using it in my 20 Minute Barbecue Chicken Quinoa Bowl.

Homemade Bourbon Barbecue Sauce (Without Refined Sugar!)

This Homemade Bourbon Barbecue Sauce has a deep smoky flavor that will blow you away!

• Author: Happy Healthy Mama
• Prep Time: 5 minutes
• Cook Time: 25-30 minutes
• Total Time: 45 minute
• Yield: 2 cups 1x

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 1 (15 ounce) can tomato sauce
• 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar*
• 1/2 cup bourbon
• 1/2 cup honey
• 2 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika*
• 1 teaspoon sweet paprika
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Instructions

1. Place all ingredients in a sauce pan and whisk together well.
2. Heat over medium low heat and bring the sauce to a simmer.
3. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is about reduced in half. (about 20 minutes)

Notes

*Links to products are affiliate links. Thanks for supporting Happy Healthy Mama!

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 2 tablespoons
• Calories: 44
• Sugar: 10 grams
• Fat: 0 grams
• Carbohydrates: 11 grams
• Protein: 0 grams

If you make this Homemade Bourbon Barbecue recipe, or any Happy Healthy Mama recipe, I would LOVE to see it! Please take a pic and share it on Instagram or the Happy Healthy Mama Facebook page and tag me @happyhealthymama ?

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