Sweet & Spicy Root Beer BBQ Sauce

Easy homemade Sweet & Spicy Root Beer BBQ Sauce, great on pulled pork, ribs, chicken, wings, and even sandwiches! You can whip up this from scratch barbeque sauce in no time and keep in the fridge.

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This Sweet & Spicy Root Beer BBQ Sauce is an oldie but goodie! I started making this simple BBQ sauce years ago. Still enjoy it in slow-cooked pulled pork sandwiches like these Root Beer Pulled Pork Sandwiches. But since this BBQ sauce is so great on other things like ribs, chicken wings, beef, and just about anything else you can think of, I thought I’d create a post just for it.

If you’ve never made homemade BBQ sauce, give it a try! It’s so tasty and really easy to make at home. It’s a favorite for pulled pork sandwiches. Serve the sandwiches with this Quick & Easy Pasta Salad, Strawberry Mint Lemonade, and Easy S’mores Bars and you have yourself a full meal. The best!

You do need a variety of ingredients for this from scratch BBQ sauce. The best part is that they should all be easy to find ingredients AND you can easily adapt the recipe to your family’s personal taste.

What is Root Beer

Yes, I know, some of you are laughing because you are familiar with root beer. However, for some of our international friends, thought I’d give a little info on root beer.

Root Beer is a type of sweet carbonated beverage found mostly in North America. Traditionally, it was made using the root bark of the sassafras tree but generally now flavored with artificial sassafras flavoring. 

You can use any brand of root beer you’d like in this recipe. There are MANY brands out there but A&W, Barq’s, Hires, and Mug tend to be the easiest to find at local grocery stores.

If you don’t like root beer, you could substitute your favorite cola or dark soda like Dr. Pepper. 

(Full printable recipe card is at bottom of post.)

Root Beer BBQ Sauce Ingredients

• Can of diced tomatoes (no salt, and not drained)
• Tomato paste (no salt)
• Onion
• Apple cider vinegar
• Root beer (your favorite brand)
• Brown sugar
• Molasses
• Liquid smoke (gives a little smokey flavor, but can leave out if you’d like)
• Salt
• Garlic powder
• Black pepper
• Ground chipotle pepper (for that slightly spicy flavor)

How to Make BBQ Sauce

1. Place tomatoes, tomato paste, and onion in blender (or food processor) and process until smooth. Pour into large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add vinegar, root beer, brown sugar, molasses, liquid smoke, salt, garlic powder, black pepper, and chipotle to pan and whisk to combine.
2. Bring sauce to a boil, reduce heat to simmer, and cook about 1 hour or until thickened and reduced, stirring occasionally. Refrigerate sauce for a few hours or until ready to serve.

Uses for Root Beer BBQ Sauce

• Mix a little into salad dressings for a fun BBQ salad.
• Slather on ribs, chicken wings (like these Grilled Chicken Wings), pork, beef, or pulled pork or chicken.
• Add a little to any sandwich.
• Mix in with slow crockpot pulled chicken or pork and make tacos or lettuce wraps.
• Add on to burgers or hot dogs!

Quick Tips for Best Results

• If you’ve never made BBQ sauce before, I’d suggest following the recipe as-is to start, then adjust the seasoning and spices after. Too many ingredient substitutions and adjustments can change the sauce completely.
• Use your favorite brand of root beer. Although the root beer isn’t a STRONG flavor in this BBQ sauce, if you don’t like the root beer, you may not like the sauce. If you’d like a stronger root beer flavor, you can also add a little root beer extract.
• Add more or less chipotle for a more or less spicy sauce. The BBQ sauce will get a little spicier as it reduces and over time.
• This recipe makes about 4 cups of sauce. However, it may vary a little depending on how long you let it reduce. You can cut the recipe in half or double it for more or less sauce. 

Root Beer BBQ Sauce FAQ

How should I store the BBQ sauce?
Store this BBQ sauce covered in the fridge. I am not a “canner” so I can’t say for sure if it’s safe to “can” and put on the shelf. 

Can I freeze the BBQ sauce?
YES! This Root Beer BBQ Sauce freezes great in freezer-safe containers.

How long will the BBQ sauce last?
I would guess it would last about a week or two in the fridge if not longer. And a few months in the freezer if not longer as well. 

Substitutions?
You can make substitutions as you’d like, but just know it can really change the sauce. Instead of root beer you could use a sweet dark soda like a cola or Dr. Pepper. Instead of apple cider vinegar, you could use white vinegar. Instead of ground chipotle you could use your favorite pepper or spicy seasoning. 

Can I use low-fat ingredients?
There really aren’t any high-fat ingredients in the recipe.

What else can I add to this recipe?
You can add your favorite spices and seasonings.

Didn’t turn out, what went wrong?
Make sure you blend all the ingredients well before adding to the pot. Also, be sure to reduce and cook the sauce for a while for a richer flavor.

What if I don’t have a blender?
I highly recommend a blender (I use mine almost daily…) BUT if you don’t have one, you could use a food processor or an immersion blender.

Can I make this vegan/vegetarian/low carb/gluten-free?
Here are some suggestions, but I can’t guarantee results. Be sure as always to check particular brands and ingredients if you’re following a specific diet or have diet restrictions or allergies.

Vegan – All the ingredients should be vegan, but as always, check particular brands to be sure.

Vegetarian – All ingredients should be vegetarian as well, but again, check brands to be on the safe side.

Low-Carb – You can try a sugar substitute or cut down on the sugar and molasses, as well as a diet (or low sugar) soda if you’d like.

Gluten-Free – All ingredients should be gluten-free, but check specific brands.

Once you start making sauces at home from scratch, you may never go back to store-bought and bottled so be careful! haha!

Other Homemade Sauce Recipes You May Enjoy

• Homemade Alfredo Sauce (Snappy Gourmet) – Ready in 15 minutes, you will never buy bottled again.
• Boom Sauce (Snappy Gourmet) – Easy homemade condiment that is great for burgers, hot dogs, and fries!
• Teriyaki Sauce (Snappy Gourmet) – Delicious on vegetables, rice, and your favorite Asian inspired dishes.
• White BBQ Sauce (Southern Living) – A great mayonnaise based BBQ sauce.
• Jalapeno Hot Sauce (Mexican Please) – Good idea if you have a lot of fresh jalapenos around, yum!

Hope you enjoy this Root Beer BBQ Sauce. Tell me in the comments what you put it on!

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If you like this BBQ inspired recipe you may also like this BBQ Nachos and Korean BBQ Pulled Pork recipes!

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5 from 5 votes

Root Beer BBQ Sauce

Homemade Root Beer BBQ sauce, easy to make and great on a wide range of things like wings, ribs, pulled pork, chicken, and more!

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 10 hours

Total Time 10 hours 30 minutes

Yield 4 cups

Author Lisa Huff

Ingredients

Pork:

• 1 (14.5 oz) cans no salt diced tomatoes (don’t drain)
• 5 Tablespoons no salt tomato paste
• 1/2 cup onion chopped
• 3/4 cup apple cider vinegar
• 12 ounces root beer (1 can)
• 6 Tablespoons packed brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon molasses
• 1 1/2 teaspoons liquid smoke
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon ground chipotle pepper

Instructions

• Place tomatoes, tomato paste, and onion in blender (or food processor) and process until smooth. Pour into large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add vinegar, root beer, brown sugar, molasses, liquid smoke, salt, garlic powder, black pepper, and chipotle to pan and whisk to combine.
• Bring sauce to a boil, reduce heat to simmer, and cook about 1 hour or until thickened and reduced, stirring occasionally. Refrigerate sauce for a few hours or until ready to serve.

Notes

SNAPPY TIPS: The BBQ sauce also freezes well so whatever you don’t use can be frozen in a small container. If you would like the root beer flavor to be more pronounced add a little root beer extract.

SNAPPY SUBSTITUTIONS: You may have to alter the ingredients in the BBQ sauce a little for your family’s personal taste. You can add more/less chipotle to adjust the spiciness and more/less sugar or molasses to change the sweetness. White vinegar can be substituted for the apple cider vinegar. 

Course: Condiment

Cuisine: American

Keywords: homemade condiment, summer bbq

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