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Barbecue sauce is not just for pork or chicken! I make baked beans and sloppy joes with it, and even use it as a sauce for grilled portobello mushrooms.

Ingredients

  • 1 medium onion, minced
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1 cup tomato sauce
  • ¼ cup apple cider vinegar, plus more as needed
  • 3 tablespoons vegan Worcestershire sauce, or 2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
  • 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
  • 2 tablespoons unsulphured molasses
  • 3 tablespoons prepared yellow mustard
  • freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

  1. Sauté the onions in a large saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for 7 to 8 minutes, until they start to turn brown and translucent. Add water 1 to 2 tablespoons at a time as needed, to keep the onions from sticking to the pan. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute more.
  2. Stir in the tomato sauce, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, maple syrup, molasses, mustard, pepper to taste, and 1 cup of water, and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, stirring often to prevent scorching, for about 45 minutes, until thickened. Taste and adjust the seasoning. If desired, transfer the sauce to a blender and puree until smooth (or use an immersion blender).
  3. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 7 days.

Comments (19)

(4.6 from 5 votes)
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Juanita2 months ago
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It wouldn’t thicken for me. But it was tasty!

Marcia Keeth4 months ago
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This recipe is a favorite in our house. It’s also easy to vary, based on your tastes and availability of ingredients. I love onions, so I alway use much more than the recipe calls for, and I sauté them to a golden brown before adding the rest of the ingredients. I use whatever mustard I have on hand yellow or brown. I’ve often used a large (16 ounce) jar of crushed tomatoes instead of tomato sauce and water. Once the sauce is cooked down a bit, I add the beans and slow cook the whole thing on the stove top rather than heat up the oven. It’s delicious. We like to serve this with kale and baked sweet potatoes — a perfect meal.

Belinda4 months ago
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Can I use blackstrap molasses?

Forks Over Knives4 months ago
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Hi Belinda,
Yes, blackstrap molasses will work just fine in this recipe. Let us know how it goes!

Kathy1 year ago
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If you are at Del’s sauce just because you want to make Easy Vegan Baked Beans, I have a hack for you.

I don’t really like cooking, but I like to eat, so I cook. I can follow a recipe just fine. I was planning on making this sauce and the beans this week, but my son asked for Impossible burgers last night and I decided to make the beans to go with. However, waiting 45 minutes for the sauce to thicken was not in my timelines.

Here’s my hack. Take all the ingredients for the Del BBQ Sauce minus the cup of water and put them in the instant pot. Then add two cans of pintos or whatever your preferred beans are. I set the instant pot for 20 minutes and let the steam release on its own.

Tada, beans! In half the time of making the sauce and then the beans. I admit, I had low expectations, but the beans came out pretty darn good. I will be using this recipe in the future. This is a great alternative to the higher sugar canned baked beans.

Tam1 year ago
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Kathy,
I love to cook! but am always looking to save time. Thank you so much for sharing your time saving hack.

Kathy1 year ago
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Adding that I did not saute anything first and I eyeballed all the ingredients. I also used frozen diced onions. Don’t be afraid to substitute for your likes and/or to make things easier.

Lu2 years ago
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How much is a medium onion? 1 cup? more? less? Maybe give this by weight instead?

VeggieTater2 years ago
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I don’t think it’s critical and depends more on your taste/tolerance for them. Except for some forms of baking, most recipes have a lot of wiggle room as long as you maintain the liquid to solid ratio. After my first attempt I rarely make a recipe as written and sub in things I prefer.

Lily2 years ago
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Whatif we don’t have unsulphured molasses? What can be used as a substitute?

Lee2 years ago
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Adding 1 cup of water is mentioned in the recipe but not in the ingredients. It would be helpful if FOK could amend this. It would be easy to overlook the water requirement!! I did make this recipe today to make BBQ backed beans. The sauce is delicious and easy to make.

Joyce Taron2 years ago
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I have made this BBQ sauce many times. It is reliably yummy. Thank you, Del.

Kristeen1 year ago
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Lorraine it’s yellow hotdog mustard

Lorraine2 years ago
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Could someone please tell me which mustard to use. If its English, wholegrain or dijon?

Tracy M2 years ago
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How can this yield 2 3/4 cups from 1 cup of tomato sauce and 1 cup water?

Loulou2 years ago
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Consider ALL the ingredients

Jeanne2 years ago
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It is yellow mustard like French’s. Also called hot dog mustard.

Liz2 years ago
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Besides the tomato sauce and water which total 2 cups, the rest of the liquids in the recipe total 7 oz so a yield of 2 3/4 should be correct depending on how much you reduce the sauce in cooking.

Joyce Taron2 years ago
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It must be all the onion?

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Del's Basic Barbecue Sauce

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about the author

Del Sroufe

Chef Del Sroufe is co-owner and executive chef of Wellness Forum Foods, a whole-food, plant-based meal delivery and catering service in Columbus, Ohio. He is the author of Forks Over Knives – The Cookbook and Better Than Vegan. Del teaches cooking classes and helps people transition to a healthy plant-based diet.

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