Fiery homemade sriracha BBQ sauce with 5 ingredients and no added oil takes minutes to make and is a delicious vegan smokey-sweet spicy sriracha sauce.
Versatile sriracha is the star of vegan sriracha mayo, spicy tahini dressing, and spicy dipping sauce, but this barbecue sauce is a game-changer for vegan burgers, BBQ crispy tofu, and more!
This post contains helpful tips and tricks to ensure success on your first attempt. Below, you'll find a handy table of contents with links. But if you're in a rush, please use the link at the top to jump to the recipe card at the end!
⭐ Why You'll Love This Recipe
Quick and easy. It takes less than 5 minutes to whip up this easy sauce using pantry staples.
DIY. Homemade barbecue sauce is fresher, less expensive, and with full control of the ingredients (and amounts) for the perfect blend of spice and sweetness.
Healthy and low fat. There’s no added oil, so this tasty sauce is virtually fat-free.
📋 Ingredients, Notes, and Substitutions
Sriracha. Check the label to ensure your sriracha is vegan. I used extra hot sriracha, but you can use any variety you like.
Tomato paste. Tomato paste (tomato puree) thickens the sauce with a sweet tomato flavor.
Soy sauce. Soy sauce adds a salty, umami flavor. Substitute with Tamari for a dark, gluten-free soy sauce.
Maple syrup. A liquid sweetener like maple syrup is easier to blend than granulated brown sugar. You can also use brown rice syrup or make your own date paste for a healthy sweetener. For more substitutes, consult our post on healthy agave syrup substitutes.
Liquid smoke. You can’t capture smoke in a bottle, but liquid smoke most certainly captures the flavor of wood smoke. A little goes a long way too, so if you invest in a bottle, you’ll have it around for a long time.
Please see the recipe card at the bottom of this post for the complete list of ingredients, measurements, and instructions.
📖 Recipe Variations
You can experiment with this basic recipe by adding different ingredients depending on the intended use. Here are a few ideas:
- Add an acid like apple cider vinegar, rice vinegar, or lemon or lime juice for the right tangy kick.
- Vegan Worcestershire sauce has a more complex flavor than soy sauce. Try replacing one tablespoon of soy sauce with it and create a new flavor.
- For a sauce with Asian foods, add a teaspoon or two of hoisin sauce or ½ a teaspoon of Chinese 5 spice blend.
🔪 Step-by-Step Instructions
Add the ingredients to a small bowl and whisk them together. Yep, gathering and measuring the ingredients takes longer than making the sauce.
🥣 Pro Tips
- Adjust the flavors a little at a time. You can always add more, but if you overdo the maple syrup or sriracha, it can be difficult to get the balance back to where you want it.
- If you aren’t familiar with sriracha or the chili sauce you are using, taste it first to gauge the level of spiciness.
- The sauce will get a little thicker as it sits. Add a touch of water to thin it if needed. Bear in mind if you warm it in a saucepan with other ingredients or brush it over tofu, the sauce will thin and cover as it warms.
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🥘 Serving Suggestions
Our favorite way to use sriracha BBQ sauce is with crispy oven-baked tofu or air fryer tofu. Follow our suggestions for crispy tofu. Toss it with barbecue sauce, then cook it in a single layer, adding more sauce as it bakes or air fry.
The smoky flavor is also great as a substitute for Buffalo sauce. I've tried it with air fryer Buffalo tofu and crispy air fryer cauliflower. Fantastic!
But let’s not stop there. This is a great sauce to mix with chickpeas for vegan wraps or as a final touch for roasted veggies. Mixed with cashew sour cream, it’s also a great dressing for mayo-free spicy potato salad!
💭 Frequently Asked Questions
Store the sauce in an airtight container or jar in the refrigerator for 2 weeks. Freeze it for 6 months. Let it warm to room temperature and stir it before using it.
Many brands of sriracha chili sauce (rooster sauce) brands are vegan, but it’s always best to check the ingredient label. The original sriracha made in the United States contains mixtures of chili, sugar salt, garlic, and vinegar, but some ingredients, like sugar, may not be vegan.
Yes, liquid smoke is vegan and contains no animal products. Liquid smoke is a natural product of condensed smoke collected from burning wood. Hickory or Mesquite are popular flavors and indicate the kind of wood used to collect the smoky flavor.
Liquid smoke can be found in most larger supermarkets. If you need a substitute, smoked paprika or chipotle powder will give foods a smokey flavor. Consider the extra spice and flavor of paprika or chipotle chilis if you use them. They will add a different flavor than liquid smoke.
🥄 More Vegan Sauce Recipes
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👩🏻🍳 Recipe
Fiery Homemade Sriracha BBQ Sauce
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Ingredients
- ½ cup tomato paste
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 3 tablespoons maple syrup
- 2 teaspoons liquid smoke
- 2-3 teaspoons sriracha chili sauce
Instructions
- Combine and blend. Add all the ingredients to a small bowl. Use a whisk or spoon to mix the ingredients until they are smooth and well combined.
- Taste and adjust. Taste the sauce and adjust the spiciness, sweetness, or saltiness. If the sauce is too thick, add a few drops of water.
Notes
- Liquid smoke is widely available; however, you could substitute smoked paprika or chipotle powder. This can change the taste and add more spiciness, so you may want to experiment if you go in this direction.
- Be sure to shake the liquid smoke before using it. It tends to separate after sitting.
- Sriracha brands come in a variety of flavors and levels of spice. We made this recipe with an extra spicy sriracha sauce.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is an estimation only.
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