This White BBQ Sauce (aka Alabama White Sauce) is a rich and tangy twist on traditional barbecue sauce. Made with mayo, horseradish, and seasonings, the bold flavors pair perfectly with grilled meats and so much more!
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Grilled meats and vegetables can always benefit from an extra something to infuse layers of flavor. That’s why I love to experiment with marinades, glazes, and sauces when grilling season rolls around. You can transform an ordinary chicken thigh into a work of art with a simple mango marinade or a barbecue sauce glaze.
If you love grilled or smoked meats with added tang and creaminess, you’re going to love my White BBQ Sauce recipe! Made with a handful of simple ingredients and seasonings, the bold flavors in this creamy southern sauce are perfect to layer on pork chops and grilled chicken or to serve as a dipping sauce with french fries, green bean fries, or zucchini fries.
The signature kick in this unique Alabama white sauce comes from the horseradish. Mixed with spicy brown mustard, vinegar, and paprika, the flavor profile is bright, tangy, rich, and just a little bit spicy. It’s a great easy sauce to mix things up at your family barbecues or when you want to impart unique flavors on your favorite meals.
The original recipe was invented by Robert Gibson at Big Bob Gibson’s Bar-B-Q in Alabama. They lathered the sauce all over smoked chicken and other meats, giving them unique flavors you couldn’t find anywhere else. These days, you can find bottled white BBQ sauce in most local grocery stores in the south. If you can’t find it, it’s simple to make at home!
Ingredient notes
- Mayonnaise – the main ingredient in this creamy sauce. If you’re not a mayo fan, I’ve got some substitutions below.
- White wine vinegar (or apple cider vinegar or lemon juice)
- Spicy brown mustard (or dijon mustard or mustard powder)
- Creamy horseradish
- Garlic
- Black pepper
- Salt
How to make it
Add all of the sauce ingredients to a bowl or jar and stir them together. That’s it!Â
How to store it
Store Alabama sauce in an airtight container in your fridge for up to 1 week.
Variations
- Increase the spice: Make the sauce tangier or a little spicy by stirring in some horseradish, cayenne pepper, hot sauce or buffalo sauce.
- Without horseradish: Horseradish provides the signature kick in this bbq sauce but if you can’t find it, you can leave it out entirely or use extra brown mustard instead.
- Seasonings: Add Old Bay, a Cajun blend, garlic powder, onion powder, brown sugar, or Worcestershire sauce.
- Without mayonnaise: Try swapping the mayo base with sour cream or plain Greek yogurt. These will help the sauce taste light without losing the tang.
Erin’s favorite uses for Alabama White Sauce
This Alabama BBQ Sauce is a super versatile condiment. Try it in one of these ways:
- Dressing: Try it as a salad dressing or drizzled on pizza.
- On meats: On meats like pork chops, pork tenderloin, beef brisket and bbq chicken thighs, air fryer drumsticks, baked chicken legs, chicken sandwiches and burgers.
- As a dip: For chicken tenders, chicken wings, french fries, zucchini fries, sweet potato fries, or buffalo tofu bites.
- On vegetables: Like brussels sprouts and roasted broccoli.
More homemade sauces
-
new!
Wasabi Mayo
-
new!
BBQ Aioli
-
new!
Mango Habanero Salsa
-
new!
Guajillo Sauce
Did you make this White BBQ Sauce?
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Full Recipe
Alabama White BBQ Sauce
Equipment
- Whisk
Ingredients
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 1/4 cup white wine vinegar
- 1 Tablespoon brown mustard
- 1 Tablespoon creamy horseradish
- 2 cloves garlic (grated or minced)
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
Instructions
- In a small bowl, stir together the white BBQ sauce ingredients.
- Store covered in the refrigerator until ready to use. Will keep for up to 1 week.
Notes
- Store Alabama sauce in an airtight container in your fridge for up to 1 week.
-
Increase the spice: Make the sauce tangier or a little spicy by stirring in some horseradish, cayenne pepper, hot sauce or buffalo sauce.
-
Without horseradish: Horseradish provides the signature kick in this bbq sauce but if you can’t find it, you can leave it out entirely or use extra brown mustard instead.
-
Seasonings:Â Add Old Bay, a Cajun blend, garlic powder, onion powder, brown sugar, or Worcestershire sauce.
-
Without mayonnaise: Try swapping the mayo base with sour cream or plain Greek yogurt. These will help the sauce taste light without losing the tang.
-
On meats: On meats like pork chops, pork tenderloin, beef brisket and bbq chicken thighs, air fryer drumsticks, baked chicken legs, chicken sandwiches and burgers.
-
As a dip: For chicken tenders, chicken wings, french fries, zucchini fries, sweet potato fries, or buffalo tofu bites.
-
On vegetables: Like brussels sprouts and roasted broccoli.
Nutrition
This post was originally published in 2021. It was updated in 2022 to add new information. The recipe remains the same. Enjoy!
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