Hot, Tangy, Smoky and Sweet. We Tested 17 BBQ Sauces and These Are the Best
Alongside ketchup and mustard, barbecue sauce wears the crown as summer's saucy royalty -- and unlike its more basic cousins, BBQ sauce knows how to party. Whether you're slathering it on grilled ribs, dunking air fryer wings or just 'accidentally' licking it off your fingers, there's really no wrong way to enjoy it.
I hauled in 15 bottles of barbecue sauce to see which ones deserve a slot in your fridge door this season.
David Watsky/CNET
The only hard part? Choosing one. The sauce aisle is a smoky, spicy jungle filled with bold claims, regional pride and enough award-winning bottles to fill a trophy case. The best barbecue sauces hit that magical trifecta of sweet, tangy and smoky -- or sometimes go rogue with bold heat or molasses-laced sweetness. Finding your go-to bottle may take some taste-testing, but hey, what a delicious problem to have.
To find the best BBQ sauces available, I gathered more than 15 bottles of sauce and some hungry friends to help taste. It took a lot of napkins to find the best barbecue sauce in 2025. Here they are.
Read more: Best Meal Kits of 2025
A quick note: Up north, sweeter varieties dominate the sauce market, but my taste testers and I all enjoy vinegar-based sauces too, so we included several Carolina barbecue sauces (among other styles, like a Japanese barbecue sauce for umami, or brown-sugar-based recipes for that iconic sweet flavor) to make this list as inclusive and unbiased as possible.
Best BBQ sauces for 2025
Full Moon
Photo Gallery
1/1
Full Moon
Best overall barbecue sauce
Full Moon Bar-B-Que sauce
Full Moon is a regional chain of barbecue restaurants in Alabama and Mississippi that's been in operation since 1986. You likely won't find Full Moon's incredible sauce on store shelves, but it can be purchased online for $7.49 a bottle. Thank goodness for that, because this classic-style sauce has a near-perfect balance of sweetness, smokiness, tang and spice.
...
Show more
Get it now $25 at Amazon $7 at Full Moon
Tamarind Heads
Photo Gallery
1/1
Tamarind Heads
Best spicy BBQ sauce
Tamarind Heads BBQ sauce
If you like your sauce with warm spice and fiery heat, Tamarind Heads' sauce will scratch both itches -- and then some.
This sweet and spicy sauce is made from a tamarind base with no tomato or vinegar. The recipe doesn't slouch on chili and even the "medium" will have you loosening your collar after a few bites. Despite its higher Scoville score, the tamarind spice and chili heat are balanced nicely with some sweetness from brown sugar and toasted notes from sesame.
...
Show more
Get it now $13 at TikTok Shop $13 at Tamarind Heads
Stubb's
Photo Gallery
1/1
Stubb's
Best grocery store barbecue sauce
Stubb's BBQ sauce
If you prefer to scoop your barbecue sauce up from the store, Stubb's stuff can be found in most supermarkets and it's an excellent alternative to Full Moon. Like the winner above, Stubb's has a good balance with no single flavor taking over. This one is thick but not gloppy and gets its sweetness from brown sugar (no corn syrup) with a good kick from lots of black pepper.
...
Show more
Get it now $4 at Walmart
Bachan
Photo Gallery
1/1
Bachan
Best Japanese-style barbecue sauce
Bachan's Japanese barbecue sauce
I've been on the Bachan's bandwagon for some time now and I don't plan on hopping off. Bachan's is atypical compared with classic barbecue sauces in that it's laced with Japanese flavors, giving it a huge umami punch. You'll notice soy sauce immediately, along with sesame, ginger and a delicate sweetness. This is one of the thinner sauces so it might not adhere as well to ribs and chicken or caramelize as others do, so it's probably best used as a finishing sauce.
Bachan's is also pricey for one bottle, but you can save a few bucks when you order multiple at a time. (Trust me, you'll want more than one bottle.)
...
Show more
Get it now
$6 at Amazon
Carolina Q
Photo Gallery
1/1
Carolina Q
Best smoky barbecue sauce
Carolina Q' Sweet Hickory sauce
This rich, dark and smoky sauce is made by a small producer in North Carolina. It's probably the most flavor-packed sauce we tried, with a big sweetness that's cut with rich, smoky hickory and lots of heat. There's a lot going on here but it harmonizes nicely to create one very tasty sauce.
...
Show more
Get it now $6 at Carolina BBQ Sauce
Bull's Eye
Photo Gallery
1/1
Bull's Eye
Best budget barbecue sauce
Bull's-Eye Original
At under $3 a bottle, this was the favorite of the "cheap" barbecue sauces, and it's one you'll find easily in most grocery stores or on Amazon. Bull's-Eye has a formidable sweetness but gets great balance from mustard, garlic and natural hickory smoke. If you go through sauce like water, this is a great sauce to stock up on for ribs, chicken and burgers.
...
Show more
Get it now $3 at Walmart
Texas Pete
Photo Gallery
1/1
Texas Pete
Best barbecue sauce for hot sauce lovers
Texas Pete E. Carolina BBQ sauce
If you're a hot sauce junkie looking for a barbecue sauce, Texas Pete's Eastern Carolina sauce is the one to get. Texas Pete is a hot sauce maker, first and foremost, so this take on vinegar-heavy Carolina-style sauce tastes quite a bit like hot sauce but with a subtle sweetness and tomato tang. It's made with just five ingredients and no corn syrup. At 15 calories per serving, it's probably the "healthiest" barbecue sauce on this list.
...
Show more
Get it now $10 at Texas Pete
Sweet Baby Ray's
Photo Gallery
1/1
Sweet Baby Ray's
Best sweet barbecue sauce
Sweet Baby Ray's
I'll be honest, this wasn't one of my personal favorites, but some of the other tasters with a penchant for sweeter foods were really into it. Sweet Baby Ray's (hey, it's right there in the name) is made with corn syrup and pineapple juice and is so sweet that it can be overwhelming. It's also rather thick, almost like a barbecue jam or jelly. If you're a barbecue lover with a sweet tooth, this is the sauce you should stock.
...
Show more
Get it now
$3 at Walmart
What makes a good barbecue sauce?
Start by deciding if you want a sweet tomato-based sauce, creamy white sauce or a tangier vinegar-based bottle to pour over your meat.
CNET
Most pitmasters agree that achieving balance is essential for a great barbecue sauce. Typically, these sauces are made with a tomato base, vinegar, and a sweetener like honey or molasses, along with a component for heat. From this foundation, sauces can be enhanced with a variety of spices and flavors, including mustard, garlic, fruit and smoke. If a sauce becomes too dominant in one flavor profile, it usually doesn't work well. On the other hand, overly simple sauces lacking spice or complexity often fall flat.
We tasted many traditional Kansas City-style sauces for this list, a host of vinegar-heavy Carolina-style sauces, some keto-friendly sauces, Bachan's cult-favorite Japanese-style sauce and a few Alabama white sauces to see which ones really tickled our taste buds. We tried each one with plain unseasoned chicken breast since it's a rather blank slate as far as classic grilled foods go. When tasting, we noted things like overall balance, heat, sweetness, overwhelming flavors or anything else that jumped out, both bad and good.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
24 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Here's What Lifted Olo (OLO) in Q2
Conestoga Capital Advisors, an asset management company, released its second-quarter 2025 investor letter. A copy of the letter can be downloaded here. The second quarter began with a historically poor start but gained momentum later as tariff fears subsided and market volatility dropped precipitously. Conestoga Micro Cap Composite appreciated 15.65% net-of-fees in the second quarter but underperformed the Russell Microcap Growth Index's 20.92% return. In a highly volatile market led by high-beta and lower-quality stocks, the firm does not expect the fund to align with index performance. Please review the fund's top 5 holdings to gain insight into their key selections for 2025. In its second quarter 2025 investor letter, Conestoga Capital Advisors highlighted stocks such as Olo Inc. (NYSE:OLO). Headquartered in New York, New York, Olo Inc. (NYSE:OLO) offers a SaaS platform for restaurants. The one-month return of Olo Inc. (NYSE:OLO) was 13.93%, and its shares gained 117.60% of their value over the last 52 weeks. On July 25, 2025, Olo Inc. (NYSE:OLO) stock closed at $10.14 per share, with a market capitalization of $1.714 billion. Conestoga Capital Advisors stated the following regarding Olo Inc. (NYSE:OLO) in its second quarter 2025 investor letter: "Olo Inc. (NYSE:OLO) is a SaaS technology platform that enables it's greater than 700 restaurant brand customers to reach their customers across over 85,000 locations. OLO has been a leader in two of the past three quarters. In its 1Q earnings report, OLO announced a major win with the Chipotle restaurant chain. Also, during the quarter, OLO announced that Red Lobster had come back to their platform after attempting to build their own solution but realizing OLO was a better option. There was also speculation during the quarter that OLO could be considering strategic alternatives, which contributed to the stock gains." A business executive showcasing a mobile ordering app to a busy restaurant staff. Olo Inc. (NYSE:OLO) is not on our list of 30 Most Popular Stocks Among Hedge Funds. According to our database, 27 hedge fund portfolios held Olo Inc. (NYSE:OLO) at the end of the first quarter compared to 30 in the previous quarter. In the first quarter of 2025, Olo Inc. (NYSE:OLO) generated total revenue of $80.7 million, reflecting an increase of 21% year-over-year. While we acknowledge the potential of Olo Inc. (NYSE:OLO) as an investment, we believe certain AI stocks offer greater upside potential and carry less downside risk. If you're looking for an extremely undervalued AI stock that also stands to benefit significantly from Trump-era tariffs and the onshoring trend, see our free report on the best short-term AI stock. In another article, we covered Olo Inc. (NYSE:OLO) and shared the list of best overlooked stocks that pay dividends. In addition, please check out our hedge fund investor letters Q2 2025 page for more investor letters from hedge funds and other leading investors. READ NEXT: The Best and Worst Dow Stocks for the Next 12 Months and 10 Unstoppable Stocks That Could Double Your Money. Disclosure: None. This article is originally published at Insider Monkey. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
24 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Carlyle picks insiders for newly minted role of co-presidents after reshuffle
(Reuters) -Alternative asset manager Carlyle said on Monday it has rejigged its senior leadership ranks and named three of its veterans for its newly created role of co-presidents. Chief Financial Officer John Redett, credit head Mark Jenkins and client business head Jeff Nedelman will become the company's co-presidents, effective January 1, 2026. "These individuals, all Carlyle veterans, are proven leaders whose deep expertise and extensive experience will drive our next phase of growth," CEO Harvey Schwartz said in a statement. Since Schwartz took the helm in 2023, Carlyle has undergone a multi-year transformation to boost growth by rejigging leadership and realigning its compensation model, while expanding beyond its private equity roots. The company said the leadership appointments would bolster its ability to operate at scale in a competitive environment. In the newly created roles, the trio will closely work with Schwartz to further Carlyle's growth ambitions, the firm said. In addition to their new roles, Jenkins will lead the credit and insurance business, while Nedelman will continue to head the client business. Redett will lead Carlyle's private equity business as well as oversee the corporate private equity and real assets businesses. Justin Plouffe, who is the current deputy chief investment officer for Carlyle's credit business, will succeed Redett as the finance boss of Carlyle next year, the company said. Michael Wand, who oversees the firm's private equity business in Europe, will become the head of EMEA investments and work in tandem with the company's co-presidents. Admiral James Stavridis, the former Supreme Allied Commander at NATO and Carlyle's vice chair of global affairs, will become the company's vice chairman. With $453 billion of assets under management, Carlyle deploys private capital across private equity, credit and its AlpInvest business. Carlyle is set to report its quarterly results next week. Its stock has jumped nearly 26% this year. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
24 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Nvidia Gains as Trump AI Push Fuels Investor Optimism
Nvidia (NVDA, Financials) rose about 1.7% on Thursday after the Trump administration unveiled a broad artificial intelligence strategy aimed at expanding U.S. dominance in the sector with a heavy focus on deregulation and infrastructure growth. Warning! GuruFocus has detected 5 Warning Signs with NVDA. The 25-page America's AI Action Plan includes 90 policy proposals to streamline data center construction, boost AI tool access for U.S. allies, and eliminate federal rules that hinder AI development; specific regulations targeted for repeal were not disclosed. David Sacks, the White House's AI czar, said the U.S. is in an AI race; the plan includes measures to counter China's influence in international governance bodies and proposes reviewing Chinese AI models for alignment with state censorship. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the strategy sets the technological gold standard globally. The initiative promotes building more U.S. data centers; it also introduces fast-track permitting and opens access to federal land. Environmental oversight will be relaxed; the Environmental Protection Agency is reportedly preparing to reverse a key emissions finding a move that could limit future climate regulations. The AI rollout comes amid growing power demands and rising emissions. Google's 2024 sustainability report cited a 48% increase in greenhouse gas emissions since 2019; the surge was largely attributed to energy-intensive AI infrastructure. Despite promising that AI will complement human labor, the plan arrives as companies increasingly turn to automation. Job cuts from Recruit Holdings (owner of Indeed and Glassdoor), Salesforce, and others have been linked directly to AI deployment. Some analysts see the rollout as investor-friendly. Wedbush analyst Dan Ives called it a watershed moment and a big step forward in the AI arms race. This article first appeared on GuruFocus. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
