I tried supermarket BBQ sauces – the winner is half the price of posh brands

BARBECUE season is firmly upon us and no sizzler is complete without the right sauce to slather over burgers, sausages and chicken.

You can’t go wrong with a simple squeezy bottle of BBQ sauce.

It’s versatile and can be used as a condiment as well as a marinade pre-cooking.

So many fancy-looking options line supermarket shelves. But are their bargain own-brand options just as good?

We decided to give them all a go to determine whether the cheaper sauces sacrificed on quality. Here’s what we found.

M&S Barbecue Sauce (500g)

• £1.40
• Per 100g: 144 calories, 0.1g fat, 29.5g sugar, 0.93g salt

9

The posh M&S sauce says on the front that it’s “great with chicken'”, and to be fair I definitely preferred it on poultry over burgers or sausages.

This one is quite thick and sweet, with a deep colour and a lovely smoky flavour.

I thought it tasted like one of the higher end products but was a fraction of the price. Great product from M&S overall, I’d buy it again.

• Taste: 10/10
• Value: 9/10
• Overall score: 19/20

Stokes BBQ Sauce (315g)

• £2.80
• Per 100g: 192 calories, 3.1g fat, 26g sugar, 1.6g salt

9

This Stokes sauce is made with black treacle and honey, which give it a very sweet and rich, smoky flavour.

It’s very thick and actually quite difficult to get out of the jar, but once you get it out, it’s delicious and more-ish.

Lovely as a condiment but also as a marinade during BBQ season, although pricier than supermarket rivals at £2.80 for the jar.

• Taste: 9/10
• Value: 7/10
• Overall score: 16/20

Tesco Fire Pit Kansas Style BBQ Sauce (300g)

• £1.50
• Per 100g: 128 calories, 0.1g fat, 26.7g sugar, 1.11g salt

9

The Tesco sauce was a bit different in that it has a more tomato-ey flavour, so I wasn’t surprised to see it’s made with 62 per cent tomato puree.

I the sweet smell, but when I squeezed it out it was quite runny and tasted just as sweet – in my opinion, too sweet.

The flavour of the demerara sugar was quite potent too. This was not my favourite overall.

• Taste: 6/10
• Value: 5/10
• Overall score: 11/20

Bull’s-Eye Original BBQ Sauce (355g)

• £2
• Per 100ml: 160 calories, 0.2g fat, 33g sugar, 2.5g salt 

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The original is undeniably delicious – I had to stop the kids from putting this on everything.

It’s very addictive and more-ish – but sadly, it’s not a cheap buy.

It was full-bodied and rich, made with tomato puree and smoky flavouring. Loved it.

The only downside to the actual sauce is that it’s very high in sugar, so you need to bare that in mind as you lather it over everything.

• Taste: 10/10
• Value: 7/10
• Overall score: 17/20

Lidl Batts Classic Barbecue Sauce (500ml)

• 89p
• Per 100g: 149 calories, 0.2g fat, 28.1g sugar, 1g salt

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Lidl‘s knock-off BBQ sauce is cheap as chips, but it’s surprisingly very tasty too.

This only contains 15% tomato paste but I loved the spices and the chilli powder and allspice gave it a lovely kick.

It has a rich, caramel taste and is infused with a smoke flavouring, so it’s a good option for gas barbecues too if you want to recreate that cooked-over-coals flavour.

Overall this was my winner when balancing the taste, texture and price.

• Taste: 10/10
• Value: 10/10
• Overall score: 20/20

Morrisons BBQ Sauce (450g)

• £1.25
• Per 100g: 138 calories, 0.2g fat, 23.4g sugar, 1.11g salt

9

This Morrisons sauce is a good price, but it’s neither sweet or smokey enough and the tomato flavour was slightly off.

I did like the kick of chilli and the clove and garlic flavour was nice, but I wouldn’t rush back for this one. The recipe needs a rethink.

Taste: 3/10

Value:  4/10

Overall score: 4/10

Sainsbury’s BBQ Sauce (500g)

• Per 100g: 163 calories, less than  0.5g fat, 32.1g sugar. 0.14g salt

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Sainsbury’s version is quite light in colour, a bit watery and bland compared to others.

It’s mild with not enough tang and the added chilli powder doesn’t come through at all.

Overall this one is nothing to write home about it, it’s not for me.

• Taste: 5/10
• Value: 6/10
• Overall score: 11/20

Aldi Bramwells BBQ Sauce (480g)

• 89p
• Per 100g: 124 calories, 0.1g fat, 23g sugar, 1.26g salt

9

Like rival Lidl, Aldi’s sauce is a great price at just 89p.

This sauce has plenty of spice and a bold fruity, sweetness that I loved.

You will want to pour this over your food again and again. A great product from Aldi overall, but slightly pipped by Lidl.

• Taste: 8/10
• Value: 9/10
• Overall score: 17/20

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