I love homemade barbecue sauces, and my Alabama White Sauce is a delicious alternative to ketchup-based BBQ sauce. This tangy, creamy white BBQ sauce recipe will kick up the flavor on all your favorite grilled meats and fish. It also makes a delicious dipping sauce for chicken wings, chicken tenders, and french fries.
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This easy white barbecue sauce is made with simple ingredients and only takes five minutes to make. The rich flavor of this mayonnaise-based BBQ sauce makes it the perfect table sauce for so many of the foods you love to eat.
This white sauce recipe may be a BBQ staple, but I like to use this southern favorite as a salad dressing. You can even use it to make a tangy, spicy potato salad.
Ingredients to make Alabama White Sauce
Let’s start by gathering the ingredients we need to make Alabama White Sauce, aka White Barbecue Sauce. In Chef Speak, this is called the “Mise en Place,” which translates to “Everything in its Place.”
Not only does setting up your ingredients ahead of time speed up the cooking process, it also helps ensure you have everything you need to make the dish.
Can I adjust the ingredients in Alabama White Sauce?
Absolutely! The key to enjoying the food you make is using the seasonings and ingredients you enjoy eating.
For a spicier sauce, you can increase the amounts of the horseradish and cayenne pepper. You can also add a little of your favorite hot sauce.
For a milder sauce, decrease the amount of cayenne pepper or horseradish.
For a tangy sauce, add a little extra apple cider vinegar; just be careful not to add too much.
For a touch of sweetness, add brown sugar, honey, agave, and even corn syrup. The sweetness will offset the heat. Adding sugar or honey is a personal preference. We didn’t add it to our sauce originally, but when I made another batch, I added sugar and liked the way it balanced the heat.
If you’re not a fan of mayonnaise, you can use half sour cream or plain Greek yogurt. The yogurt will increase the tanginess of the sauce and won’t affect the overall flavor.
You can also add some of your favorite seasoning blends to make your own unique blend of white barbecue sauce.
Who invented Alabama White Sauce?
It’s believed that the original recipe for Alabama White BBQ Sauce was created by Robert Gibson at his Northern Alabama BBQ restaurant, Big Bob Gibson’s Bar-B-Q.
Bob Gibson makes an incredible BBQ chicken using his classic white sauce. Try it with my smoked chicken wings for a twist on his classic dish. It’s a delicious change from a traditional BBQ sauce.
How to make Alabama White Sauce
- Add the mayonnaise, apple cider vinegar, lemon juice, spicy brown mustard, horseradish, and Worcestershire sauce to a medium bowl.
- Whisk to combine the wet ingredients.
- Add the kosher salt, white pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and cayenne pepper to the bowl.
- Whisk the dry ingredients into the sauce and combine thoroughly.
For a change of pace, use Dijon mustard, stone ground mustard, or dry mustard instead of the spicy brown mustard.
Store the white barbecue sauce in an airtight container and refrigerate for 2 – 4 hours before using. If possible, let the sauce sit overnight before using; it will give the seasonings time to bloom, and the sauce will be more flavorful.
My Alabama white sauce is the perfect finishing sauce for my smoked beef brisket recipe, smoked pork butt, or as a dipping sauce for onion rings or french fries. Not a fan of Alabama white sauce? Then try my semi-homemade barbecue sauce.
Recipe FAQ’s
White BBQ sauce tastes like a zesty coleslaw dressing. Adding horseradish and cayenne gives a little zing to the sauce, and depending on how much you like heat, it can be quite spicy, so be careful how much cayenne you add.
Absolutely! While it’s primarily a barbecue sauce, you can also use it as a marinade for chicken or other meats before grilling.
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Alabama White Sauce {White BBQ Sauce}
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cup mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon prepared horseradish
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 2 teaspoon worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon spicy brown mustard
- 1 teaspoon white pepper
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper more or less to taste
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar optional
Instructions
- Add the mayonnaise, apple cider vinegar, lemon juice, spicy brown mustard, horseradish, and worcestershire sauce to a small bowl and whisk to combine.
- Add the kosher salt, white pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and cayenne pepper to the wet ingredients and whisk to combine.
- Pour the white barbecue sauce into an airtight container and refrigerate for 2 – 4 hours before using. If possible let the sauce sit overnight before using, it will give the seasonings time to bloom and the sauce will be more flavorful.
Sheri says
Absolutely the best! I put it on Brisket Sandwiches tonight. Can’t wait to try it on chicken next!
Chef Dennis Littley says
I’m happy to hear you enjoyed our white sauce recipe. And thanks for taking teh time to leave a comment and the great review!
angela says
can you bake chicken breast in the sauce, or put sauce on top of baked chicken and serve warm ?
Chef Dennis Littley says
I wouldn’t bake it in the sauce but you could add it to the top of the chicken for the last 7-10 minutes so it bakes into the chicken. And make sure you use Hellmans or Dukes to make the sauce, so it holds up to the heat.
Michael says
I live in Canada and it’s the Best white sauce I’ve had and big hit with my family. Always make it exactly the way you listed it with brown sugar.
Chef Dennis Littley says
Thanks for letting me know that our Alabama white sauce was a hit! It’s definitely one of my favorites.
KP says
Best Alabama white sauce I’ve made and the only one I’ll ever make again. Delicious! Had it on smoked chicken tonight and I can’t wait to try it on something else.
Chef Dennis Littley says
That’s what I like to hear!!
Marie says
Do you heat this before serving on meat or serve it cold?
Chef Dennis Littley says
You can use it either way. It all depends on your personal preference. Most of the time I use it cold.
James says
I love white sauce, my family loves white sauce they just don’t like the heat, I’ve been trying to develop a good white sauce for 2 years that taste good without the heat, I found this recipe and made it without the heat and it was delicious as that and then amazingly my wife my kids and grandkids all said it needs a little heat, this is just an absolutely delicious recipe
Chef Dennis Littley says
I’m happy to hear that you enjoyed our Alabama white sauce! I like a bit of heat, but a lot of recipes get carried away.
Charltte Valitzski says
Yum, from GA, next door to Alabama but never heard about this, glad you posted the recipe.
Chef Dennis Littley says
You’re very welcome,its one of my favorite BBQ sauces.
Chef Ed says
Live in New Zealand ; tried the BBQ sauce first time ever tonite on chicken on me Webber ; bloody amazing sauce
Won’t have me chicken any other way in the future
Cheers
Chef Dennis Littley says
Thanks for letting me know you enjoyed our Alabama white sauce. It really is a delicious sauce and goes well with chicken and beef.
Jeffrey Robertson says
Made it exactly per the recipe (including the brown sugar) and it turned out tangy, creamy, with just a bit of spicy. It was excellent.
Chef Dennis Littley says
I’m very happy to hear you enjoyed the Alabama white sauce, its a favorite in our house.,
Roderick Pan says
i never leave reviews, but this warranted one. absolutely amazing. i messed up on the measurements, (1 cup lite mayo, 1 ts garlic, and using reg mustard instead) and this recipe ended up being extremely forgiving and delicious. its miles ahead of any store bought white sauce i have ever had, i will never buy premade alabama white again.
Chef Dennis Littley says
Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a comment! I’m very happy to hear you enjoyed our Alabama white sauce and you are correct it is a very forgiving sauce.
Brenda Hill says
Chicken breasts were not a favorite of mine until I soaked them in this sauce! My husband grilled them and I have never tasted anything so delicious. This is an A+ recipe!!!
Chef Dennis Littley says
Alabama white sauce is a delicious way to flavor chicken, beef and pork. I’m happy to hear you enjoyed the sauce.
Rachel Messineo says
How long did you marinate the chicken breasts?
Chef Dennis Littley says
absolute minimum time is 20 minutes, but longer up to 4 hours will impart more flavor. Depending on the type of marinade you use you can also let them marinate for up to 24 hours.