Homemade Low FODMAP BBQ Sauce

This low FODMAP BBQ sauce recipe is so rich, smoky and delicious that you'd never guess it was free from garlic and onion. My goal was to create a simple but superb BBQ sauce recipe that you'd be happy serving to family and friends, without a hint that it's low FODMAP.

Now you can replace classic garlic and onion-laden sauces in your favourite BBQ recipes. This low FODMAP BBQ sauce is the perfect sticky marinade for my tempeh and corn ribs. It would also be a great alternative glaze for schmearing thickly on top of this low FODMAP lentil loaf. Use a generous dollop in your homemade baked beans for pimped-up BBQ beans on toast.

Use it cold as a condiment or finishing sauce or hot as a marinade, glaze or foundation for a cooking sauce.

Why you'll love this recipe

• Low FODMAP - We've eliminated high FODMAP ingredients such as garlic, onion, and molasses whilst keeping all of the flavour.
• It cooks in 25 minutes - Saving time, money and energy.
• Uses only 9 essential ingredients - Easy to find in most supermarkets.
• Worcestershire sauce free! - Unlike many homemade BBQ sauce recipes, this one doesn't use Worcestershire sauce. Worcestershire sauce is not vegan as it usually contains anchovies. Not only is Worcestershire sauce hard for my non-British friends to pronounce (wuss-ter-shurr), but it can also be expensive and hard to find.

Ingredients

To make this BBQ sauce you will need:

• Your favourite tomato sauce - My homemade tomato ketchup is the perfect base for this recipe. Alternatively, you can substitute it with a premade, low FODMAP ketchup or a tomato passata without garlic or onion.
• Smoked paprika - Gives a bright, smoky flavour without the extra expense of liquid smoke.
• Ground cumin - Warm and earthy flavour that you can't always immediately identify but you'll miss it if it's not there.
• Chilli powder - A kick of heat and mild acidity. Can be substituted with cayenne pepper if preferred but cayenne contains fructose whereas chilli powder has no FODMAPs listed in the Monash app.
• Smoked salt - Optional but recommended. I often find it in the condiment section in Aldi. Substitute with coarse sea salt if preferred.
• Black pepper - Always freshly ground to retain maximum heat, aroma and flavour.
• Dijon mustard - Milder, more tangy and complex than English or American yellow mustard. Ensure gluten free if required.
• Maple syrup - Adds a sweet, burnt toffee flavour, perfect in BBQ sauce. Can be substituted with brown sugar to reduce the cost but you'll lose some of the depth of flavour. If you're using a premade ketchup they are generally much sweeter than my homemade version. Omit the maple syrup according to taste.
• Vegemite or yeast extract - This replaces the Worcestershire sauce and gives a rich, dark colour and savoury umami flavour. Unlike Worcestershire sauce which contains both GOS and mannitol, no FODMAPs are listed for vegemite in the Monash app. Use gluten-free Vegemite if required.
• Bourbon or whisky - This is optional but imparts a deep, smoky, oaky flavour to the finished sauce. See vegan notes below.

See the recipe card below for quantities and the detailed FODMAP ingredient notes for low FODMAP portions and considerations.

Instructions

1. Place the tomato sauce in a heavy-bottomed saucepan that has a tight-fitting lid. You'll need this to hand later once the sauce starts to bubble.

2. Add the smoked paprika, cumin, chilli powder, smoked salt and black pepper to the tomato sauce.

3. Add the Dijon mustard, vegemite and maple syrup. Stir thoroughly until incorporated into the sauce.

4. Add 125 ml of water and the bourbon/whiskey if using and stir into the sauce.

5. Bring the sauce to a boil over medium heat. Reduce the sauce to low and simmer for 20 minutes with the lid on, stirring occasionally. Be careful as you remove the lid to avoid the trapped steam and sauce splatters.

6. Allow the sauce to cool to room temperature before bottling it in a sterilised glass bottle or jar. This sauce will last 2 weeks if stored in the coldest part of the fridge. Alternatively, it can be frozen for up to 6 months.

Recipe Video

Substitutions

• Garlic & Onion - If you don't need this sauce to be low FODMAP, add half a teaspoon of onion powder and half a teaspoon of garlic powder with the rest of the spices.
• Sugar - Switch the maple syrup to brown, white or palm sugar if preferred. I do not recommend swapping it for molasses, agave or barley syrup due to the excess FODMAPs that these syrups contain.
• Alcohol-free - Leave out the bourbon for an alcohol-free version. A splash of black tea can help mimic some of the bitter smoky aroma of the bourbon.

Recipe FAQ's

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Storage & food safety

This is not a canning recipe for BBQ sauce. It is unsuitable for long-term preservation or room-temperature shelf storage.

It will last 7 days when stored in a sterilised, sealed glass bottle. Keep it in the coldest part of the fridge, towards the back and not in the door. This sauce also freezes well for up to 3 months without much noticeable change in taste and texture.

Cooks notes

Whilst you can eat this sauce straight away I recommend making it the day before to allow the flavours to mature and intensify.

Vegan notes

Due to various filtering and refining processes, some types of alcohol including beer, wine and spirits are not considered vegan.

In 2022 Jack Daniels announced that their products are not vegan-friendly. This is due to a part of the filtering process where sheep wool is used. Whilst some of their product range does not contain animal ingredients using animal by-products during filtration is considered non-vegan.

Unfortunately, I was unaware of this when I created and photographed this recipe. Since turning vegan in 2015 it was my understanding that Jack Daniels contained no animal products. Previously, it has been listed on trusted sources such as Barnivore, as vegan.

I apologise if including the Jack Daniels brand in these images causes any offence. I always strive to be open and transparent about my recipes and as such have decided not to label or refer to this recipe as vegan in the description. Thank you for understanding.

FODMAP Notes

This BBQ sauce is low FODMAP at a 50 ml serving or roughly ⅙ of this total recipe. Each 50 ml portion contains:

Fructose - Present in the tomato sauce base. This is based on using my homemade low FODMAP ketchup recipe. If you choose to use another tomato sauce be aware that the FODMAP content and recommended portion sizes may change.

Ingredient notes

Bourbon/Scotch/Whiskey

Low FODMAP serving of 1 measure or 29 grams. No excess FODMAPs listed in the Monash app.

Alcohol is a well-known gut irritant and can be a trigger for those with IBS.

Chilli powder

Low FODMAP serving of 2g or 1 tsp. No excess FODMAPs listed in the Monash app.

All of my recipes use chilli powder made from pure ground chillies. Some supermarket brands are blended with other spices and may contain onion or garlic. Brands I have found to be pure chilli include Rajah, East End and Natco.

Some people may have non-FODMAP reactions to the capsaicin content of chilli which can trigger flushing, heartburn and stomach pain. Reduce or omit depending on your tolerance.

Always refer to the Monash app for current low FODMAP serves and FODMAP categorisations.