Barbecue sauce: a condiment measured in sodium

A meta-analysis of 43 randomized trials found that blood pressure rises step by step with salt intake and falls further the more salt is cut, and its abstract gives no pooled size. That trial evidence is about salt in general. We found no trial of barbecue sauce itself, so this page is mostly about what the sauce contains. US reference data put it at about 1027 mg of sodium and 40.8 g of carbohydrate per 3.5 oz (100 g), and six brand and generic records ranged from 613 to 1517 mg of sodium. A tablespoon of 17 g carries about 175 mg of sodium and a 28 g dipping cup about 288 mg. UK data give bottled sauce 29.9 g of sugars and 630 mg of sodium per 3.5 oz (100 g), against 21.5 g and 392 mg for one homemade recipe, which had more calories, 300 calories against 140.

The numbers, per 3.5 oz (100 g)

As people eat it, per 3.5 oz (100 g)

How much is actually in it

• US reference data give barbecue sauce about 1027 mg sodium and 40.8 g carbohydrate per 3.5 oz (100 g), with sodium ranging from 613 to 1517 mg across six brand and generic records. — USDA SR Legacy record 174523, Sauce, barbecue, plus 5 brand records (n = 6 records) Evidence E source
  Sodium 1027 mg per 3.5 oz (100 g) (45% DV), range 613-1517; carbohydrate 40.77 g, range 29.45-46.08
• UK composition data give bottled barbecue sauce 29.9 g sugars and 630 mg sodium per 3.5 oz (100 g), while a homemade recipe has 21.5 g sugars and 392 mg sodium. — CoFID 2021 records 17-705 Barbecue sauce and 17-769 Barbecue sauce, homemade (n = 2 records) Evidence E source
  Bottled: 140 calories, sugars 29.9 g, sodium 630 mg; homemade: 300 calories, sugars 21.5 g, sodium 392 mg per 3.5 oz (100 g)

What a real portion looks like

• One tablespoon of barbecue sauce (17 g) carries about 175 mg sodium in US survey data, and a 28 g dipping cup about 288 mg. — FNDDS survey food Barbecue sauce (code 74406010, FDC 2709750) Evidence E source
  1 tablespoon 17 g = 174.6 mg sodium; 1 packet 9 g = 92.4 mg; 1 dipping-size container 28 g = 287.6 mg

What cooking and storage change

• Laboratory data suggest that marinating beef in a commercial honey barbecue sauce raised the grilling carcinogen PhIP 1.9 to 2.9 fold and MeIQx 2.9 to 4 fold, while teriyaki marinade lowered them. — beef steaks marinated overnight and barbecued, laboratory analysis Evidence D source
  PhIP 2.9-fold (10 min) and 1.9-fold (15 min); MeIQx 4-fold and 2.9-fold vs unmarinated (p<=0.005)

What it does to your health

• A meta-analysis of 43 RCTs found a graded link between salt intake and blood pressure, relevant because barbecue sauce is a concentrated sodium source. — 43 randomized controlled trials, 1983-2024 (n = 43 RCTs) Evidence A source
  Higher salt intake associated with higher BP, lower intake with larger BP reductions; pooled sizes not in abstract
• In a cluster RCT in China that included weighing salt and salty condiments at home for 12 months, urinary sodium fell by 337 mg/day and systolic pressure by 2.0 mm Hg versus control. — 1576 adults from 60 communities in six Chinese provinces (n = 1576) Evidence B source
  24 h urinary sodium -336.8 mg (95% CI 127.9 to 545.7); SBP -2.0 (0.4 to 3.5), DBP -1.1 (0.1 to 2.0) mm Hg

The bottom line

Cutting salty condiments has been tested as part of a wider program. A cluster randomized trial in 1,576 adults from 60 Chinese communities ran 12 months of salt education, a supportive environment and home weighing of salt and salty condiments. Against control, it lowered urinary sodium by 337 mg a day (95% CI 128 to 546) and systolic pressure by 2.0 mm Hg (95% CI 0.4 to 3.5). The condiments were Chinese ones, and the result belongs to the whole program. On the grill, one laboratory study from 1999 marinated beef steaks overnight in a commercial honey barbecue sauce. Compared with unmarinated steak, it raised the grilling carcinogen PhIP 2.9-fold at 10 minutes and 1.9-fold at 15, and MeIQx 4-fold and 2.9-fold. A teriyaki marinade lowered both. Only one sauce was tested, and nobody measured cancer in people. We found no study on allergy, pregnancy, children or drug interactions for barbecue sauce, so this page has no safety section. That is a gap in the evidence, not a finding that the sauce is free of allergens, and recipes differ between brands, as the sodium range shows. We found no health claim for the sauce in US or EU rules.

Sources

1. bbqs-daily-r5-01 · USDA FoodData Central, dataset
   Sauce, barbecue (FDC 174523, SR Legacy, Soups, Sauces, and Gravies): sodium 1027 mg per 100 g = 45% DV; carbohydrate 40.77 g = 15% DV; range over 6 records: sodium 613-1517, carbohydrate 29.45-46.08; Foundation samples 0
   USDA FoodData Central, SR Legacy, FDC 174523 · checked 2026-09-29
2. bbqs-daily-r5-02 · CoFID 2021 dataset
   Barbecue sauce (CoFID 2021, code 17-705): Energy 140 kcal; Total sugars 29.9 g; Sodium 630 mg per 100 g. Barbecue sauce, homemade (CoFID 2021, code 17-769): Energy 300 kcal; Total sugars 21.5 g; Sodium 392 mg per 100 g
   CoFID 2021, Public Health England / OGL v3.0, codes 17-705 and 17-769 · checked 2026-09-29
3. bbqs-daily-r5-03 · USDA FNDDS, dataset
   Barbecue sauce (fdc_id 2709750): Sodium 1027 mg per 100 g; 1 tablespoon 17 g = 174.6 mg; 1 packet 9 g = 92.4 mg; 1 dipping-size container 28 g = 287.6 mg
   USDA FNDDS, FoodData Central survey food 2709750 · checked 2026-09-29
4. bbqs-daily-r5-04 · laboratory cooking experiment
   In contrast, marinating with barbecue sauce caused a 2.9- and 1.9-fold increase in PhIP (p < or = 0.005) and a 4- and 2.9-fold increase in MeIQx (p < or = 0.001) at 10 and 15 minutes, respectively.
   Nutr Cancer, 1999 · checked 2026-09-29
5. bbqs-daily-r5-05 · meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials
   Across 43 randomized controlled trials (1983-2024), higher amounts of salt intake were associated with higher BP, whereas lower intake was associated with larger BP reductions, demonstrating a graded association across intake categories.
   Nutr Rev, 2026 · checked 2026-09-29
6. bbqs-daily-r5-06 · cluster randomized controlled trial
   Participants in the intervention group received 12 month interventions, including supportive environment building for salt reduction, six education sessions on salt reduction, and salt intake monitoring by seven day weighed record of salt and salty condiments. ... Compared with the control group, adjusted mixed linear model analysis showed that the 24 hour urinary sodium excretion in the intervention group was reduced by 336.8 (95% confidence interval 127.9 to 545.7) mg per 24 hours (P=0.002); the systolic and diastolic blood pressures were reduced by 2.0 (0.4 to 3.5) (P=0.01) and 1.1 (0.1 to 2.0) mm Hg (P=0.03), respectively
   BMJ, 2023 · checked 2026-09-29