Creamy & Tangy Alabama White Barbecue Sauce
Alabama White Barbecue Sauce is a regional specialty that has received national acclaim for good reason! Uniquely sweet yet tangy, this sauce takes just 5 minutes to make and tastes great on everything from juicy grilled chicken and pulled pork to crispy French fries. Let me show you how to make it for yourself at home. One bite and you’ll be serving it with every meal!
A Quick Look At The Recipe
- Recipe Name: Alabama White Barbecue Sauce
- Ready In: 5 minutes
- Serves: 4
- Main Ingredients: mayonnaise, salt, black pepper, white vinegar, lemon juice, white sugar
- Why You'll Love It: Uniquely sweet yet tangy, serve this homemade recipe for nationally-acclaimed Alabama white barbecue sauce with main meat dishes and sides.
The Sweet & Tangy Sauce You’ll Put on Everything
Today, I’m bringing you a real rarity. In fact, it is pretty much unheard of outside of North Alabama. Even my husband (who is from a town in Georgia only four hours away) had never heard of it. A lot of folks in South Alabama have never heard of it.
I’m talking about Alabama white BBQ sauce. This is truly a regional thing, but also… a regional requirement. You’ll find white BBQ sauce on every menu, table, and piece of meat at every BBQ joint in North Alabama. Locals eat it with everything, from French fries and juicy smash burgers to chicken and tender BBQ ribs. My husband loves to smother his chicken with this stuff, and personally, I like to use so much that my food is always swimming in it!
This homemade white BBQ sauce has a uniquely sweet yet tangy flavor, thanks to the combination of mayonnaise, lemon juice, white vinegar, and sugar. Let me tell you, it truly is the perfect compliment to just about everything.
Reader Rating
“I’m an Alabama girl through and through, and I’ve got news for you. THIS IS FANTASTIC. No need for additional ingredients. It’s as good as any white BBQ sauce I’ve ever had. THANK YOU!!!” – Jenna
Recipe Ingredients
- Mayonnaise
- Black pepper
- Salt
- Lemon juice
- White vinegar (apple cider vinegar can be used as a substitute, or a mix!)
- Sugar (you can also use brown sugar, or a mix of both)
Mix It Up: Your Sauce, Your Rules!
- Horseradish: For a classic twist, add a couple of teaspoons of prepared horseradish.
- Mustard: Add 2 teaspoons of yellow, dijon, spicy brown, or Creole mustard for a tangy kick.
- Seasoning: For an extra pop of flavor, add 1/2 teaspoon of Cajun or Old Bay seasoning.
- Lighter Version: Replace half the mayo with sour cream or Greek yogurt to make a lighter sauce without changing the taste.
- Make it Spicy: For some heat, use hot horseradish, 1/2 teaspoon of hot sauce, and 1/4 teaspoon of cayenne pepper.
How to Make Alabama White Barbecue Sauce
To start, add your mayonnaise to a mason jar or small bowl. Then add the salt and pepper.
Next, add the sugar, vinegar, and lemon juice.
Mix all ingredients together with a whisk. Or if you’re using a mason jar with a lid, you can just give it a really good shake!
That’s all there is to it – you have just made Alabama white barbecue sauce!
Before you go wow your friends, get a French fry or a piece of chicken and give it a good dunking so you can be the first to taste it. YUM!
I could just live on this y’all, honest!
Storage
Pop the sauce in a mason jar or an airtight container and store it in the fridge for up to 4 days. But we all know it’s not gonna last that long! Luckily, it only takes 5 minutes to whip up another batch (or you can always simply double the recipe).
Alabama White Barbecue Sauce FAQs
Alabama white BBQ sauce is creamy and tangy with a good peppery kick. I make mine with a mayonnaise-and-vinegar base, so it starts off rich and cool. Then you get this sharp, zesty punch from the lemon juice and black pepper that just keeps you coming back for more. It’s truly one-of-a-kind!
Alabama white BBQ sauce originated in Decatur, Alabama. We have Robert “Big Bob” Gibson, founder of Big Bob Gibson’s Bar-B-Q, to thank for creating this unique sauce way back in 1925!
Alabama white sauce tastes fantastic with any grilled or barbecued meat, like this North Alabama-style pulled chicken, pan-seared pork chops, roasted beef brisket, crockpot beef ribs, and air fryer chicken wings. You can baste it on the meat two or three times towards the end of cooking, or simply pour it over the top when serving.
It also tastes great as a dipping sauce with fries and veggies, like my baked zucchini fries, parmesan oven fries, and roasted sweet potato wedges. Another option is to use it as a salad dressing. It tastes absolutely amazing with potato salad, coleslaw, and roasted vegetables!
From my kitchen to yours, I hope you enjoyed this recipe. Let me know by leaving a comment and a star rating!
Ingredients
- 2 cups mayonnaise
- 1 ½ tablespoons salt
- 2 tablespoons black pepper
- 6 tablespoons white vinegar
- 6 tablespoons lemon juice
- 4 tablespoons white sugar
Instructions
- Mix all ingredients together and stir well.2 cups mayonnaise, 1 ½ tablespoons salt, 2 tablespoons black pepper, 6 tablespoons white vinegar, 6 tablespoons lemon juice, 4 tablespoons white sugar
Notes
- If you don’t have white vinegar, apple cider vinegar can be used as a substitute, or a mix of them together.
- You can also swap white sugar for brown sugar, or use a combination of the two!
Nutrition
I love White Barbecue Sauce. Now I would like to share one with you.
As you go to the ocean beaches around MD all of the churches and orgnizations sell BBQ chicken along side the road to raise money. This is what they use. This is very good also.
Eastern Shore Barbecue Sauce
============================
1/4 pint cooking oil
1/2 pint cider vinegar
2-1/2 tablespoons salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1-1/2 teaspoons poultry seasoning
1 egg
.
Mix dry ingredients first, then add vinegar. Add well beaten egg. Mix
thoroughly. At last, add oil and mix well again. keep refrigerated.
Can’t wait to try this sauce. I’d sure love to find a chalkboard PIG like that! I ♥LOVE♥ him!!!!
Nothing better than good ol’ Alabama BBQ white sauce on BBQ chicken. I’ve tried to duplicate it here in NC–and we do have the best BBQ pork–but none of the recipes I’ve found quite measure up—or maybe it’s me. 🙁 Anyway, anxious to give this a try. Thanks, Christy
Christy, I’m on a low-carb diet, so substituting everything I can with Splenda or some other sugar substitute or sometimes not adding the sugar at all. Have you made this with Splenda, will it turn out the same? Is it a sticky sauce or more of a runny sauce?
I’m definitely going to try this! My husband is from Mobile and I’m sure he has never heard of this, or I would have had some at the many family dinners we’ve been to. Even with the sugar, it seems like a more healthy sauce than traditional bbq sauce. Oh, which reminds me I’m going to try apple cider vinegar (I’ll let you know how it turns out).
Been reading your blog for quite a while, but I’ve never posted before, you are great and I’ve been able to rediscover some of my Nini’s old recipes from when I was a kid! Thanks for keeping those old crazy southern recipes alive and well!
This is what originally brought me to your website. I made this & used what was left over to make coleslaw, I added some Tony Chachere cajun seasoning to it. My son’s teacher came for lunch & I fed her the chicken & the cole slaw, oh by the way I baked the chicken instead of grilling it, I also let the chicken marinate overnight, it was so delish!!!!
I have made this before and for a lil added kick I add about 1 – 1 1/2 teaspoons of prepared horseradish…and I leave out the sugar..
You know, I don’t think I’ve ever had horseradish in my life! Gotta try this your way sometime!
Fresh ground pepper makes this so tasty….I have also substituted splenda…which worked well.
Never thought about Splenda, Sandy! I’ll have to grind my pepper now, too!!
Gratefully,
Christy