This keto barbecue sauce is perfect for those cutting out their sugar consumption. This sauce works well on pork and beef ribs, low-carb meatloaf, and chicken!
We’ve all been there. You want to enjoy some delicious grilled ribs, but you’re watching your sugar intake. So, you make a trip to the grocery store and pick up one of those keto barbecue sauces on the shelf. You take it home, open it up, taste it, and instantly regret your purchase. Why? Because it was too sweet or didn’t have that quintessential BBQ flavor you’re looking for; a little sweetness mixed with tartness, the piquant flavor of chilis, and the overall smokiness of low and slow BBQ.
Our keto barbecue sauce doesn’t suffer from that problem because we build the flavors and add the sweetener incrementally. Most keto-friendly sauces include sugar-free sweeteners like sucralose that are too sweet. Some contain erythritol, which can cause digestive upset in some people. We’ve sidestepped those options and used monk fruit sweetener in our recipe. The results were amazing! This recipe makes 3 cups of keto barbecue sauce, with 12 portions or 1/4 cup serving per person. Each serving contains 3 grams of carbs.
What is Monkfruit Sweetener?
Monk fruit or lo han guo is a small round-shaped fruit from China. These fruits have become globally popular with the emergence of sugar-free, paleo, and keto diets that require calorie-free, low sugar sweeteners. The mogroside, the sweetest part of the monk fruit, makes up the sweetener. The fruit is crushed, and the mogroside is lifted from the juice, processed, and turned into monk fruit sweetener. It is quite sweet, with 1/3 cup of monk fruit sweetener equalling 1 cup of sugar. When making items like keto barbecue sauce, it is best to start small and increase the amount incrementally.
Ingredients:
- Sugar-free ketchup: We’ve used Primal Kitchen Organic Unsweetened Ketchup with amazing results
- Monkfruit sweetener: You can find this in most grocery stores baking aisles or through an online retailer.
- Sugar-free tomato paste
- Apple cider vinegar
- Worcestershire sauce
- Olive oil
- Sweet onion
- Garlic
- Dry mustard
- Cayenne (optional)
- salt and black pepper to taste
- Liquid smoke (optional, but recommended for this sauce)
- Butter
How to Make Keto Barbecue Sauce
- Heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add olive oil.
- Next, add onions and cook for 2-3 minutes. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute.
- Add all remaining ingredients to the saucepan, except liquid smoke and butter. Stir through and simmer on low for 10-12 minutes.
- Taste the sauce, and add more monk fruit sweetener if needed. Use 1 tablespoon at a time. Keep in mind that monk fruit is a powerful sweetener!
- Remove sauce from the heat and stir in liquid smoke and butter.
- Let the sauce cool for 10 minutes.
- Next, use a blender or food processor to blend the keto barbecue sauce and return it back to the pot. You might need to do this in two batches.
- Use right away on grilled or smoked meats, or store the sauce in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. Freeze sauce for up to 6 weeks.
- Rewarm the sauce on the stovetop before applying it to grilled and smoked meats.
- To use: apply to smoked, grilled, or baked meats during the last 30 minutes of cooking time. Apply a thin coat of sauce every 10 minutes. You can also use this keto barbecue sauce as a table sauce or mixed with mayonnaise (1 cup sauce, with 1/3 cup real mayonnaise) and serve as a dipping sauce.
Keto Barbecue Sauce
Ingredients
- 2 cups sugar free ketchup
- 2 tablespoons monkfruit sweetener (start with 2 tablespoons and work up from there)
- 2 tablespoons sugar free tomato paste
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 small sweet onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon dry mustard
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne (optional)
- salt and black pepper to taste
- 1 teaspoon liquid smoke
Instructions
- Heat oil to a medium saucepan over a medium heat. Add olive oil. Next, add onions and cook for 2-3 minutes. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute.Add all remaining ingredients to the saucepan, except liquid smoke and butter. Stir through and simmer on low for 10-12 minutes. Taste the sauce, and add more monk fruit sweetener if needed. Use 1 tablespoon at a time. Keep in mind that this is a powerful sweetner! Remove sauce from the heat and stir in liquid smoke and butter.
- Let the sauce cool for 10 minutes.Next, blend the sauce in two batches and return it back to the pot. Keep warm.Use right away on grilled or smoked meats, or cool sauce completely and store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. Freeze for up to 6 weeks.Rewarm the sauce before applying to grilled and smoked meats.
