Clean Eating Barbecue Sauce Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is a healthy substitute for barbecue sauce? ›

Fruit-based sauces are a great option for people looking to cut down the acid content in tomato base sauces like the BBQ. These sauces use fruits like pineapples, mangos, apricots, apples, and even peaches to enhance the taste while doing away with the need to add granulated sugar.

Bottled barbecue sauce is far from healthy, but that doesn't mean you have to banish it from your picnic menu. Look for brands with the lowest amount of added sugars, and resist the temptation to overpour.

With so many variations and styles of barbecue sauce, homemade over store-bought is the way to go if you want full control over how your sauce tastes.

Mustard Sauces: For those who enjoy a bit of spice, mustard sauces offer a bold and tangy alternative. Carolina-style mustard sauce, with its blend of yellow mustard, brown sugar, vinegar, and spices, is a classic option, while Dijon mustard and horseradish can be added for a sharper kick.

Opt For Leaner Meats

Or substitute lower-fat ground turkey for beef. You can also opt for leaner cuts of meat, using a marinade for a couple of hours to boost its flavor. Additionally, consider things like grilling chicken breast and salmon, both staples for a healthy backyard barbecue.

Tomato-based BBQ sauce can be a healthy addition to your diet, as long as it is consumed in moderation. Tomatoes are a great source of vitamins and antioxidants, and they can provide a range of health benefits. However, some BBQ sauces can contain high levels of added sugar, sodium, and other unhealthy ingredients.

Sweet Baby Ray's also uses sodium benzoate as a preservative, which can convert to the carcinogen benzene (via Healthline). Overall, you should consider having Sweet Baby Ray's as an occasional treat, rather than as a dietary fixture.

Vinegars: These can help balance the sweetness of the standard off-the-shelf sauce. Apple cider vinegar is most common in barbecue sauce, but rice vinegar can do the job nicely without being so heavily tart. You can also look to citrus fruit for acidity as well.

My favourite choice for spritzing meat is a mix of apple cider vinegar and water as it helps balance fatty cuts of meat, add moisture, and inject flavour. Avoid spritzing too often as it will increase your cooking time.

What to add to barbecue sauce to make it better? ›

Take a tip from North Carolina and look to vinegar—white vinegar, apple cider vinegar—as the key to great barbecue sauce, cutting its sweetness and lending a little tang. Or take a tip from South Carolina barbecue (we're not picking sides) and achieve the same effect with a generous dose of yellow mustard.

For more pronounced sour balance issues, try honey, sugar, or cream and if all that fails a pinch of bicarbonate of soda will bring some alkaline to the dish to neutralise the acidity. For dishes that are a bit too tart, use sugar, honey or maple syrup to tone down the flavour.

BBQ can make acid reflux worse, since many BBQ foods are high in fats, spices, and other ingredients that can aggravate symptoms. Acid reflux is common and can usually be treated with dietary changes.

Add Some Baking Soda

If your tomato sauce is too acidic and verging on bitter, turn to baking soda, not sugar. Yes, sugar might make the sauce taste better, but good old baking soda is an alkaline that will help balance the excess acid. A little pinch should do the trick.

Tomatoes are a great source of vitamins and antioxidants, and they can provide a range of health benefits. However, some BBQ sauces can contain high levels of added sugar, sodium, and other unhealthy ingredients.