Root Beer BBQ Sauce

Root Beer BBQ Sauce is a great recipe for a finger-lickin good barbecue sauce. It is sweet and tangy and is easy to make from scratch!

Call it cola, pop, or Coke; a can of soda and Homemade BBQ Sauce go hand in hand, especially in Southern BBQ recipes. Add this delicious root beer version to your favorite Sauce Recipes!

Sabrina’s Root Beer BBQ Sauce Recipe

One bite of Root Beer BBQ Chicken and you’ll know why cola bbq sauce is a Southern tradition! This homemade Root Beer Barbecue Sauce still uses a full cup of root beer without any ketchup or bottled BBQ sauce. This kid friendly BBQ sauce is packed with flavor!

A can of your favorite root beer makes this sauce sweet and slightly tangy with hints of the vanilla molasses flavor that makes root beer so delicious! The sweetness of this sauce is balanced out by savory spices, onions, and Worcestershire sauce for a well-rounded mild barbecue sauce.

This BBQ recipe is made on the stove top, simmered with cornstarch until it is thick enough for dipping or glazing. If you like a thinner sauce, leave out the cornstarch and cook for half the time. A thin sauce is great for grilling mops or slow cooking. Speaking of slow cooking, you can make it in the slow cooker with the tips in this post.

Making it in a slow cooker is a great summer activity for kids! They will love making their very own barbecue sauce and you don’t have to worry about any burnt hands or ingredients. Plus, kids tend to gobble up anything they make themselves.

You can use it on all your favorite grilled recipes. This is a sweet BBQ sauce recipe that can easily burn or char, so it’s not recommended as a grilling marinade. Instead, glaze the mostly cooked meat during the last 5-10 minutes of grilling for flavor. 

Variations

• Ketchup: If you prefer a ketchup based BBQ sauce, replace the tomato sauce with ½ cup ketchup and only use ½ cup brown sugar.
• Molasses: For a richer molasses flavor, replace ¼ cup brown sugar with 2 tablespoons dark molasses.
• Espresso: Just like adding it to chocolate recipes, a shot of espresso will bring out the warm flavors in Root Beer Barbecue Sauce without the coffee taste.
• Cola: Swap out any of your favorite dark sodas in this barbecue sauce recipe like Pepsi, Coca-Cola, Cherry Cola, or Diet Pepsi.
• Smoky: For a smoky sauce, add Liquid Smoke, smoked paprika or dried chipotle powder to taste. Keep in mind chipotle is both smoky and spicy!
• Butter: Add a couple tablespoons of unsalted butter (or oil) to the BBQ sauce if you are grilling or making BBQ Chicken Wings. It gives the sauce a nice shine and helps it stick better.
• Hard Root Beer: You can use hard root beer (aka alcoholic) in this recipe too! The alcohol will burn off while it’s cooking, leaving the sauce with all the flavor and none of the kick.

Slow Cooker Version

• Crockpot barbecue sauce is so easy! Use this method to make a double batch of sauce too.
• Add all the ingredients, except the cornstarch, to the slow cooker and stir to combine in a small 3 quart slow cooker.
• Cook barbecue sauce covered on high for 3-4 hours, or until sauce is reduced.
• Mix the cornstarch with equal part water and stir completely into sauce.
• Cook uncovered for 30 minutes or until the barbecue sauce has thickened to your preference.

Storing the Sauce

• Serve: You can serve it hot or chill it first, but do not leave it at room temperature for more than 2 hours.
• Store: Store extra sauce in an airtight container, preferably a glass jar, in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
• Freeze: Cool the sauce completely and place a freezer safe bag or container. Freeze for up to 6 months and thaw in the refrigerator overnight before using.