Recently, we whipped up this tasty, easy-to-make barbeque sauce for our Fourth of July veggie burgers! The sauce is surprisingly easy to prepare and tastes great on just about everything. You can try it on tempeh shish-kebabs, jackfruit, tofu strips, even ears of corn! Preparation took less than five minutes, and we already had the ingredients we needed in our cupboard and refrigerator.

There’s no reason to spend money on expensive store-bought barbeque sauce when you can make your own with ease, and yours will be so much fresher and more delicious! We’re still in the heart of barbeque season, so you have plenty of time to try this delicious sauce before Labor Day weekend arrives.

INGREDIENTS

2 cups organic ketchup (check label, make sure no soy sauce is added. It contains wheat!)
2 tablespoons blackstrap molasses
1/4 cup pure maple syrup (not pancake syrup, please!) or organic brown sugar
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons tamari
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce (check label to make sure it’s vegan and gluten-free, as many brands have anchovy in them)
2 teaspoons sriracha or other hot sauce
splash of liquid smoke (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS

Add all ingredients to a large bowl and whisk them together until they’re thoroughly combined. That’s literally all there is to it. Your sauce should have a thick, creamy consistency and will smell slightly sweet.

Swirl the sauce on top of whatever you’re grilling and let it marinate for at least half an hour. Then flip your food over and pour more sauce over the top. Swirl the sauce around and marinate for at least another half hour before grilling. If necessary, add even more sauce during the grilling process. You should have plenty to go around.

This recipe makes about 2 1/2 cups of barbeque sauce, about the size of a store-bought bottle. Cover the remainder securely and store it in your refrigerator for later. You should have enough left for at least a couple more barbeques, depending upon how many guests you’re entertaining. Feel free to experiment with grilling different kinds of food.

We were more than pleased with how our veggie burgers turned out, and have included a picture of one of them, here on the site. With the addition of lettuce, tomato, grilled onions, a dab of hot mustard, and of course a gluten-free bun, these burgers became an ideal Fourth-of-July treat! But you can enjoy the sauce any time — including rainy days when you’ll need to use your oven instead of a grill. Enjoy your summer revelry, but please stay safe!