Alabama White BBQ Sauce is a tangy, spicy mayo-based sauce. A creamy white sauce with vinegar and horseradish is perfect for grilling, ready in 5 minutes!
If you are looking for a change from sweet, tomato-based Homemade BBQ Sauce, this tangy and peppery Sauce Recipe is just what you need!
ALABAMA WHITE SAUCE
This amazing and delicious barbecue sauce is our take on the Alabama-style sauce invented by Bob Gibson of Big Bob Gibson Bar-B-Que. No need to travel all the way to Decatur, Alabama or wait for a bottle to arrive to try out (and fall in love with) this different style of BBQ sauce.
Just a glance at Alabama White Sauce and you know it’s like nothing you’ve had before. If you’ve never tried Alabama White BBQ Sauce, the big question is what does white barbecue sauce taste like? This White BBQ Sauce recipe is tangy, peppery, with bite from the horseradish. It is not a sweet sauce, like other barbecue sauces, but the mayo makes it so creamy and delicious.
What sets Alabama White BBQ Sauce apart is there are no tomatoes and you don’t have to cook it down. This no cook barbecue sauce is simple ingredients like mayonnaise, horseradish, and cider vinegar all whisked together. It’s made in minutes and then you allow it to chill for a few hours, similar to Coleslaw, for an amazing tangy, creamy sauce.
Alabama White BBQ Sauce should be creamy and thin, perfect for drizzling or basting meat. Whisk the ingredients together until there are no clumps and it is smooth. If your sauce is too thick, add more lemon juice or cider vinegar in small amounts until the consistency is right.
You can serve Alabama White BBQ Sauce as a condiment or a marinade, after it has chilled, with all your favorites summer recipes! Brush it on Grilled Chicken, drizzle over Pulled Pork, or serve as a dipping sauce for Beef Brisket. Use this barbecue sauce to toss BBQ Chicken Wings in before you broil them at the end.
Grilling with Alabama BBQ White Sauce
Alabama White Sauce is a thin, creamy barbecue sauce perfect for basting grilled and smoked chicken. Like sweet barbecue sauces, you want to baste the meat once it has been cooking a while so it doesn’t burn or separate on the grill.
Reserve half of the sauce before you begin marinating the chicken (or other meat) to avoid contamination. Wait until your meat has been cooking over half way before brushing on the white sauce. Sear with one final coat of sauce on each side before you take the meat off the grill.
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VARIATIONS ON ALABAMA WHITE SAUCE
- Horseradish: If you want less bite, you can make Alabama White Sauce without horseradish. Either leave it out or replace it with dijon mustard.
- Mustard: You can use any kind of mustard in this Alabama White BBQ Sauce recipe. Try spicy brown mustard for more kick or a honey mustard for sweetness.
- Sugar: If you want to make this White BBQ Sauce sweet, add 2 tablespoons white sugar or brown sugar.
- Mayonnaise: To make Healthy White BBQ Sauce, replace the mayo with canola oil or reduced fat mayonnaise. If you use vegan mayo, reduce the vinegar because it has a lot of apple cider vinegar already.
- Seasonings: Adjust the seasonings to get the taste you like and what you have on hand. Add a splash of Worcestershire sauce or swap in white vinegar. Make it spicy by adding your favorite hot sauce.
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HOW TO STORE ALABAMA WHITE SAUCE
- Serve: Since it is mayo-based, Alabama White Sauce needs to be chilled and can only be at room temperature for up to 2 hours.
- Store: Keep Alabama White BBQ Sauce in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to 1 week.
- Freeze: You should not freeze Alabama White Sauce. The natural moisture will cause the mayonnaise to separate when thawed and the sauce won’t come back together.


Ingredients
- 2 cups mayonnaise
- 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1/4 cup prepared horseradish
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
- 2 teaspoons prepared yellow mustard
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
Instructions
- Whisk all the ingredients together in a large bowl and refrigerate for at least 2 hours before using.
- To use while cooking meat, baste in the last 5-7 minutes of cooking.
Can you freeze this marinade?
This sauce looks so yummy and I want to try it this summer but I would need to substitute something else for the mayo because of an egg allergy. Could you possibly suggest something else I could use instead? I hate the idea of changing the recipe and I figure you would be the best person to ask.
Thank you.
– Lauren Rush
Hi Lauren,
Some people have found blending avocado and sour cream adds creaminess with fat, but you’d of course have an avocado flavor to it?
I realize this comment is very old, so I am so sorry for the delay in replying.
Yummy! I love white sauces. This is super easy to make and tastes amazing!
So glad you enjoyed it, Matt.
OMG this is so good, a neighbor made it for us last week, I’d never heard of it. Can’t wait to put it on my menu!
I’m glad you were up for trying something new. Thanks for the 5 star rating.
This is so good! We love this stuff for all our summer BBQing
Glad it’s such a hit, Rachael.