BBQ Sauce

Michael Eisenwasser

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A tangy-sweet BBQ sauce made with canned tomato, garlic-infused oil, and coconut aminos instead of Worcestershire.

Prep 5 min

Cook 20 min

Serves 8

Gluten-freeDairy-freeVegan

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup (120 g) plain canned tomato sauce or passata — Muir Glen or Cento
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 2 tablespoons garlic-infused olive oil
• 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons molasses (not blackstrap)
• 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 2 tablespoons coconut aminos (or gluten-free tamari)
• 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
• 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
• 1 teaspoon yellow mustard (or 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard powder)
• 1/2 teaspoon fine salt, plus more to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon liquid smoke (optional, single-ingredient brand)
• 1/4 cup water, plus more to thin

Instructions

Simmer

1. Whisk the canned tomato sauce, tomato paste, garlic-infused oil, brown sugar, molasses, vinegar, coconut aminos, maple syrup, smoked paprika, mustard, salt, pepper, liquid smoke (if using), and water together in a small saucepan.
2. Bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat, then reduce to low.
3. Cook uncovered for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring often, until glossy and thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Add a tablespoon of water at a time if it gets too thick.

Finish

1. Taste and adjust: more vinegar for tang, more brown sugar for sweetness, more smoked paprika for depth.
2. For a smoother sauce, blend with an immersion blender. Leave it rustic if you like a little texture.
3. Cool to room temperature before jarring.

Tips & Substitutions

• Skip Lea & Perrins Worcestershire. It contains garlic. Coconut aminos or gluten-free tamari plus a little extra vinegar gives you the same salty, tangy flavor.
• Use molasses, not honey. Honey is high-FODMAP in small amounts. Molasses stays low at 1 teaspoon per person, and 2 tablespoons split across 8 servings comes out to about that amount per serving.
• Pick plain tomato sauce or passata. Many jarred varieties include onion or garlic powder. Muir Glen and Cento plain tomato sauce are common safe picks. Avoid anything labeled "Italian style" or "with herbs."
• Swap maple for more brown sugar if needed. White and brown sugar are low-FODMAP at typical serving sizes. Maple adds a little more flavor; plain sugar works if it's what you have.
• Asafoetida for a sharper aromatic note. A pinch bloomed in the garlic-infused oil before you make the sauce adds a more onion-like bite. Check the label for wheat if you're gluten-free.
• Thicker for ribs, looser for a mop. Cook longer to reduce for glazing, or thin with water for basting and brushing.

Why This Works

Molasses serving size. Monash lists molasses as low-FODMAP at 1 teaspoon (about 5 g) per serve; above that, it gets higher in fructans. Two tablespoons divided across 8 servings keeps each portion under a teaspoon.

Canned tomato and tomato paste serves. Plain canned tomato is low at 1/2 cup / 100 g per serve and tomato paste at 2 tablespoons per serve. Those are the whole-pot amounts here, so per-serving each is well inside Monash headroom.

Worcestershire swap. Lea & Perrins and most supermarket Worcestershire sauces contain garlic. Coconut aminos (or gluten-free tamari) with a splash more vinegar covers the same salty-tangy-umami register without the fructans.

Smoked paprika carries the smoke. No onion, no liquid-smoke overload, no grill required. Smoked paprika plus a tiny optional splash of liquid smoke reads as backyard without any high-FODMAP shortcut.

Storage

Refrigerate in a clean jar for up to 2 weeks. Freeze in 1/2-cup portions for up to 3 months; thaw overnight in the fridge. The flavor rounds out after a day or two, so sauce made ahead tastes better than sauce used right off the stove.

Not sure about an ingredient? FODMAP Tracker includes a database of 1,000+ foods with FODMAP ratings to help you cook with confidence.