The Best Sweet Baby Ray’s BBQ Sauce Copycat Recipe
The Best Sweet Baby Ray’s BBQ Sauce Copycat Recipe
This Sweet Baby Ray’s BBQ sauce copycat tastes just like the original—rich, sweet, tangy, and easy to make with pantry staples.
Table of Contents
- Why Make It at Home?
- Ingredients
- Recommended Supplies
- How to Make It
- BBQ Sauce Tips
- FAQ
- More Great Sauce Recipes
Why Make It at Home?
Making your own BBQ sauce means fewer preservatives, full ingredient control, and savings. This recipe avoids high fructose corn syrup, artificial dyes, and unnecessary additives. Perfect for allergy-friendly cooking or anyone wanting a cleaner sauce.
Sweet Baby Ray’s BBQ Sauce Copycat Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cups ketchup
- 1 cup dark brown sugar
- 1/4 cup molasses
- 1/4 cup pineapple juice
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 tbsp hickory liquid smoke
- 2 1/2 tsp ground mustard
- 2 tsp paprika
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- Pinch cayenne pepper
- 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1 tbsp cornstarch dissolved in 1/8 cup cold water (optional)
Recommended Kitchen Supplies
How to Make Our Sweet Baby Ray’s BBQ Sauce Copycat Recipe
- Combine all ingredients (except cornstarch slurry) in a medium saucepan over medium heat.
- Stir well and bring the mixture to a boil.
- Reduce heat to low and simmer for 20–25 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- If you’d like a thicker sauce, stir in the cornstarch slurry during the last 5–10 minutes of simmering.
- Let the sauce cool slightly before using. Store extras in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
BBQ Sauce Tips
Adjust the sweetness or heat to your liking by modifying sugar or cayenne. This recipe freezes well in portioned containers—great for meal prep!
FAQ: Sweet Baby Ray’s Copycat
Can I freeze homemade BBQ sauce?
Yes, store it in airtight containers or freezer bags. It’ll last 3 months frozen. Thaw in the fridge before use.
What can I use instead of molasses?
Honey or maple syrup will work in a pinch, though the flavor will slightly differ.
How long will this BBQ sauce last in the fridge?
Up to 3 weeks in a sealed jar or container. Stir before using.
More Great Sauce Recipes
- Olive Garden Alfredo Sauce Copycat
- Instant Pot Cranberry Sauce
- Pepsi BBQ Sauce
- The Best Homemade Spaghetti Sauce
See all our favorite sauces here!
Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ Sauce Copycat Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ cups ketchup 340 grams
- 1 cup dark brown sugar
- ¼ cup molasses 60 grams
- ¼ cup pineapple juice
- ¼ cup water
- 1 tablespoon hickory liquid smoke
- 2 ½ teaspoons ground mustard
- 2 teaspoons paprika
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- pinch cayenne pepper
- 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon corn starch dissolved in 2 tablespoons cold water optional
Instructions
- Whisk together all ingredients (except the corn starch in water) in a medium pot over medium heat. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes, until sugar has dissolved.
- For a thicker sauce, add the cornstarch and water mixture. Then simmer for up to 15 minutes, until desired thickness is reached. Keep in mind that it may thicken slightly more as it cools.
- Serve immediately or cover and store in the refrigerator.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
Recipe Adapted From: Half Baked Harvest
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Awesome Melanie, I am so happy to have this one!
It is a keeper!
Check your ketchup first; be sure to buy one that doesn’t have high fructose corn syrup in it. Also, I would recommend leaving out the corn starch unless it’s certified organic/GMO free. It’s sad what’s in our food. Thanks ladies!
Great advice. Thank you!
Whole Foods (san antonio) carries Rumford corn starch “made from non-genetically modified corn”. I’m sure it’s available from other stores and online.
Even better…make your own ketchup then use it in this recipe.
Ketchup is really easy to make from garden fresh tomatoes.
Yes! Great idea, Mitch!
Help! I put too much cayenne pepper in, how can I tone it down?
You could try adding a bit more sugar and/or ketchup. Hope it still turns out ok for you!
baking soda disolved in water add and taste little at a time
Thank you for this recipe! This is just what I’ve been looking for! I made a few alterations based on what I had on hand- 1/2 cup of honey instead of the 1 cup of brown sugar, apple juice in place of the pineapple juice, arrowroot powder in place of the corn starch (where I am it’s cheaper than organic corn starch), no black pepper or liquid smoke… It’s so sweet.
You’re welcome, Dana. Glad you are able to make it work for you with what you have!
Hi there
How long does it last?
How much does it make?
Sounds like you’ve nailed the recipe. Can’t wait to try.
I’m hoping to bottle and give to friends and family for Christmas along with other home made goods.
Hi, Annabel. That sounds like a great gift idea! This recipe makes about 2 1/2 cups. I usually end up freezing the leftover sauce if I don’t use it within a week, but I’m guessing it could be refrigerated for a few weeks and maybe up to a month.
I made this recipe today for my baby back ribs. My husband loved it and said I never need to buy bottled bbq sauce again. The only thing I didn’t have was molasses, but I used a dark honey instead. I skipped thickening with cornstarch and just let the sauce simmer (on low, low heat) for almost an hour and it was perfect. I will definitely be keeping this recipe!
Awesome! Thanks for sharing your success, Chandra!
This recipe is delicious. I didn’t have liquid smoke so I used smoked paprika to give it that smoky taste. I also added a few dashes of Worcestershire sauce.
Sounds like a great adaptation! Thanks, Shawna!
Love this recipe!! We’ve made it several times & it’s excellent. We now triple the recipe so we’re sure not to run out.
Yay! Thanks for your comment, Jo-Ann. I’m so glad you like it! I’d love to hear about your favorite ways to use it too. 🙂
How long does this keep in the refrigerator and how does one store it?
Thanks!
PS:
Please add an edit option. One usually sees their mistakes only after publishing their comments. Thanks!
I store it in the fridge in an airtight container, like a jar or glass food storage container. The sauce will probably keep for a week or two in the fridge.
If I am going to freeze it, I portion it into plastic resealable bags, then put them all into a larger freezer bag.
Hope this helps! Thanks!
Thank you SO VERY MUCH for this recipe as I’ve seen a lot of recipes using SBR, but we can’t purchase it here in Australia, so now I have no excuse. Can’t wait to get to the store to buy a roast and get this going as I happen to have ALL the ingredients for the sauce in my pantry now because I always keep that WELL STOCKED. My hubby always says “you can feed an army, but there’s only two of us here”.
I agree with keeping a well-stocked pantry – then you have more options! I think this recipe is awesome, so I hope you like it too. Let us know how it works out for you over there in the Down Under. 🙂
Hi Melanie I make BBQ chicken and Chicken Taco Meat at the same time in the slow cooker in separate cooking bags on either end of the same slow cooker, switching the bags around half way through the cooking time. The BBQ Chicken calls for an 18 ounce bottle of Sweet Baby Rays BBQ Sauce. Your recipe worked great we could not tell the difference. It was delicious. Thank you so much for the recipe. Now I need a copycat recipe for Sweet Baby Rays Honey Mustard for the same recipe. Any ideas? Bonny
Very smart with the double cooking method there! I’m so glad you like the BBQ sauce recipe. I’m not familiar with the Honey Mustard so I’m not much help with that though. Sorry! I recommend doing an online search to see if anyone else has come up with a copycat recipe for it yet. Thank you for your review and comment, Bonny!
I’ve no idea how close this is to Sweet Baby Rays…but it is good stuff! And be brave and play with it… I like to add more cayenne…but I have to keep that separate! I also do not use corn starch! I also reduce the sugar and molasses by about a 1/4 total… I also make a dry mix for pre-seasoning…
I like the idea of reducing the sugar and the dry mix. Wow, you have some great ideas, Bill! You are brave to play around with the bbq sauce recipe and I love it. I bet you’ve come up with some amazing creations. 🙂 Thank you for your comment and review!
Melanie – thanks for a great (and simple!) copycat SBR sauce recipe! It is delicious and undoubtedly much better for you than the store bought kind. On a more personal note, it’s so refreshing to see a food blog hostess embrace comments where readers suggest changes/edits to your recipe without being snippy about it. You encourage others’ ideas and welcome their input – that makes you top-notch in my book! After all, isn’t that what cooking is about? Sharing ideas, teaching others and personalizing to your own tastes. Kudos for being a great cooking blogger, Melanie. <3
Wow! Thank you, RJ. I’m glad you like the recipe and I really appreciate your compliments about food blogging. That really is what recipes and cooking are about for me – adapting, finding something you enjoy, and sharing it! I especially love the sharing part, well, and eating the food part too. I feel like no recipe is ever just mine, it always starts with inspiration or foundation in another recipe, so I like to link back to the source. When I find something worth sharing, I love to share it! Thank you for making my day with your kind words, RJ!
Oops, missed giving you 5 stars the first time around! I actually came back to print this out (I wanted it handy for next time I make it!) and realized I hadn’t given credit where due. Keep sharing the love, recipes and sense of family I feel here!!
Thank you!!!
I made this and did some changes. I can’t have molasses so I use black honey. I also added a teaspoon of chili powder. Amazing. I am going to make a big batch and can it. I left out the corn starch and water. The consistency was perfect. I also make my brown sugar with black honey. Thank you
Awesome! Thank you for sharing your adaptations, Laura! Sounds like that may be a better way to sweeten it to avoid some of the more processed sweeteners. 🙂
Thanks for the recipe, Melanie. I ran out of SBR’s and am too lazy to run to the store today! Was planning to make a version of my grandmother’s BBQ sauce, but really wanted SBR’s. Happily, I have all the ingredients in the house. Had to open a can of crushed pineapple for the juice, so we will have cottage cheese w/pineapple along with our ribs tonight. I don’t need a lot of BBQ sauce, so I halved everything…all except I used 1/4 of the light brown sugar (instead of dark), because I’m trying to limit our sugar intake a bit. Our family needs a little more than a pinch of cayenne. Opting not to use the cornstarch. The only addition I made was a tsp of white vinegar (which is in my grandmother’s recipe)….gives a little sweet/sour kick. I’m sure I’ll make a bigger batch later sometime, and I will perusing your blog to check out other recipes. Thanks again!
I forgot to say that it tastes great!
Awesome, Chris! Thank you for your comment and review! I’m glad you like the recipe and were able to adapt it to your preference. 🙂
Sweet Baby Ray’s Hickory & Brown Sugar sauce is my all-time favorite, but I had to give it up because I recently discovered that I am allergic to pineapple. Any sub suggestions for the pineapple juice?
Maybe orange juice or grapefruit juice would work? Or apple juice with some lemon or lime juice mixed in? I’m not sure how it will turn out with a substitution, but it might be worth a try!
On the top of your bottles of your sauce, it says,
“The Sauce is the Boss!”
You need to re-do the wording to say,
“THIS SAUCE IS THE BOSS!”
Yes! This BBQ sauce recipe is the boss! 🙂 Thank you!
Fantastic!
This is definitely a keeper
Glad you enjoyed it! I just made another big batch last night and I store extras in quart sized bags in the freezer. 🙂
My takeaway from trying this is that the secret to mimicking SWEET Baby Ray’s is to just load up a standard BBQ sauce recipe with lots and lots of sugar. I didn’t care for the amount of molasses and felt that vinegar better served the recipe instead of pineapple juice so I went ahead and doubled it and made it more like the BBQ sauce that I normally make (but with way more sugar). Still, I love pineapple juice so I now have a bottle of it in my fridge. I’ll call it a win.
If you’re like me and you already have a good recipe for BBQ sauce but you have that one weird uncle who puts Sweet Baby Ray’s and hot sauce on literally everything, just set some of your BBQ sauce aside and load it up with brown sugar. If he starts to complain that it’s not authentic SBR just give him more alcohol and act like you agree with him on the government’s plan to control our minds through fluoridation and ultrasonic rays (that always worked with my uncle anyway).
Almost every recipe I have made of yours I absolutely love. The only thing I don’t like on your website is that the products you recommend are all made in China. Other than that it’s awesome!!
Is this recipe safe to preserve by canning?
HI Valerie,
We are not familiar with canning, so we can’t really help with the answer. Sorry!
Made this exactly as the recipe states. Sorry, but this is now where close to Sweet Baby Ray’s BBQ sauce. It does make a decent tasting sauce, but I use Sweet Baby Ray’s all the time and this is not it.
Made this many times we love it
Thank you for the positive review, Carl. So glad to hear it!
I only changed a couple of things and now this is my husband’s favorite BBQ sauce (which says a lot)! My modifications: decrease brown sugar to 1/2-3/4 c.; Add 1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar and 1 Tbsp Worsectershire sauce; completely omit any water and cornstarch. Thank you for the recipe!
Can this recipe be canned?