Chipotle BBQ Sauce (Quick, Easy Recipe)
Developed and tested by Robyn Conley Downs
on Jul 14, 2022 (last updated Jun 5, 2026) 
Sweet, tangy, smokey, and just a little bit spicy, this easy chipotle bbq sauce recipe is perfect to serve up with chicken, slathered on ribs, poured over pulled pork, and as a marinade for just about anything. The best part is that it only takes a 5-minutes on the stovetop to thicken up!
5 star review
“I have tried many homemade BBQ sauces over the years, but have never found a good enough recipe to replace store bought… until now! This was hands down the best homemade BBQ sauce recipe I have ever tried. I love how simple and easy it was to make, and how delicious it turned out! I think I may have to make this regularly just to keep some around the house for burger nights 🙂”
– Emilia
Homemade Chipotle BBQ Sauce That’s Better Than Store-Bought!
Made with easy to find ingredients like ketchup, spices and pantry staples, this chipotle BBQ sauce is too good to keep to myself! It has a little bit of spice and smokiness from the chipotles in adobo sauce, balanced beautifully with the bright acidity of the cider vinegar and that signature sweetness from the brown sugar & honey.
I personally think it’s worth making your homemade bbq sauce because you can adjust the flavors to your palette, and can control the quality of ingredients including the added sugar. Plus I think it’s a fun way to recreate your favorite restaurant-style sauces, especially when it’s a special chipotle-flavored sauce like this one that you don’t commonly find available in the grocery store.
The beauty of this chipotle BBQ sauce is that it comes together easily in one pan on the stovetop! Since we’re using ketchup as the base we can skip the need for a blender or food processor, making this recipe easier, faster, and involving much less clean up than many other barbecue sauce recipes out there. And the canned chipotles in adobo sauce are such a great shortcut for adding tons of flavor without having to smoke your own chilis.
This sauce is perfect served with chicken, slathered on ribs, poured over pulled pork, or as a marinade for just about anything. Use it to make chipotle BBQ sauce wings, dress up pulled chicken, or just as a finishing sauce to dress up any already-cooked chicken (like plain chicken breasts, chicken thighs or even leftover rotisserie chicken). My favorite way to use it is as a sauce to make my slow cooker bbq chicken thighs, and then use all that delicious tender chicken to make bbq chicken bowls and bbq chicken nachos!
Robyn’s Testing Tips for Homemade Chipotle BBQ Sauce
- Ketchup: The ketchup provides the thick, rich tomato-base for this BBQ sauce and adds a little bit of sweetness, and I don’t recommend subbing it for anything else.
- Cider vinegar: The natural acidity of the apple cider vinegar provides the perfect counterbalance to the sweetness of the ketchup, brown sugar and honey.
- Brown sugar: To me, a good BBQ sauce is all about the balance between the tangy and sweet ingredients, so the brown sugar (together with the honey) really helps to balance out the natural acidity of the cider vinegar and tomato ketchup. Molasses will also work in place of some or all of the sugar.
- Honey: The honey not only adds some natural sweetness but also helps to thicken the sauce. Maple syrup works as a vegan option, though the sauce will be thinner than if using honey.
- Chipotle in adobo: Look for canned chipotles in adobo sauce near the salsa, hot sauce and tortillas at the grocery store (or you can find them easily online). This sauce is moderately spicy. If you want more spice, add more chipotle, if you want it less spicy, add less chipotle.
- Smoked paprika: The smoked paprika adds (you guessed it!) some nice smokey flavor to the sauce without the need to actually smoke any peppers or include ingredients like liquid smoke.
Chipotle BBQ Sauce (Quick, Easy Recipe)
Ingredients
- ⅔ cup ketchup
- ⅓ cup cider vinegar
- ¼ cup packed brown sugar
- ¼ cup honey
- 2 tablespoons finely minced chipotle in adobo
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
Equipment
Instructions
Sauce Instructions
- Add all the ingredients to a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook on low for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Remove from heat and taste, adjust seasoning as desired.
- Allow to cool at room temperature, then use immediately or refrigerate, covered, for up to 5 days.
Chicken Marinade Instructions
- Allow the sauce to cool completely.
- To a zip-top bag or shallow baking dish add 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs or breasts along with ¾ cups sauce and toss to coat.
- Cover and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes, or up to 8 hours.
- Uncover and discard the marinade. Shake any excess marinade off the chicken.
- Then grill over medium heat, flipping halfway through. Cook until the chicken thighs register 185F to 190F degrees or chicken breasts register 165F.
- Remove from the grill and allow to rest for 5-10 minutes, tented with foil. When ready to serve, slice against the grain and serve with remaining sauce.
Notes
- This recipe yields about 1 cup of BBQ sauce (or about 6 servings).
- You can adjust the heat based on how much chipotle in adobo you add. Start with 1 tablespoon, taste, and keep adding until you hit your desired spice level.
SO easy and delicious! Loved that it wasn’t too sweet or spicy.
I have tried many homemade BBQ sauces over the years, but have never found a good enough recipe to replace store bought… until now! This was hands down the best homemade BBQ sauce recipe I have ever tried. I love how simple and easy it was to make, and how delicious it turned out! I think I may have to make this regularly just to keep some around the house for burger nights 🙂
Emilia, ohhhh, using this BBQ sauce for burgers is such a good idea, I’ll have to try it that way next time I make it! So happy you’re enjoying it, and thanks so much for taking the time to share your thoughts!