Homemade Steak Sauce – Barefeet in the Kitchen

Homemade Steak Sauce is tangy, barely sweetened, and just a little bit smoky. Perfect for steak dipping and burger topping, this sauce is all the best parts of A-1 and Heinz 57 sauce flavors, made at home.

You only need a couple of minutes to stir everything together, then it will simmer on its own. I served this sauce with these Steak Bites the first time I made it and there was hardly a bite leftover.

Homemade Steak Sauce

I know some steak lovers are purists and eschew sauce. Personally, I love the flavor a good sauce adds to meat.

What I don’t love are overly sweet sauces. However, I also don’t want my sauce to be so sour I can hardly eat it. I’m a little bit high maintenance that way, I guess.

Give me a sauce that’s tangy, smoky, and vinegary with just a little sweetness to finish things off. This homemade steak sauce definitely fits the bill. It’s the only one you’ll ever need!

How to Make Steak Sauce

Have you been buying steak sauce in a bottle your whole life? You’ll love how easy it is to make it at home. You may never reach for the store-bought stuff again.

Don’t let the long ingredients list fool you. All of the ingredients are things you’re likely to have on hand in your pantry already and it couldn’t be any easier to mix them all together.

The body of the sauce comes from a blend of ketchup, brown sugar, soy sauce, and vinegar. Both plain old white vinegar and white wine vinegar are delicious in the recipe. Use whichever you have on hand.

A little dijon mustard, garlic, and lemon juice add flavor and zest while the red pepper flakes give the sauce a touch of spice. Be sure to use dijon mustard, not the bright colored yellow stuff, for the right taste and texture.

After mixing the ingredients in a saucepan, you bring it to a boil and heat for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Cool the sauce to room temperature then store in the fridge until ready to use.

This will keep nicely for a couple of weeks in the fridge and can also be stored in the freezer! Thaw frozen sauce to room temperature before serving. It’s delicious served warm or room temperature anywhere you would use A1 or Heinz Sauce.

Steak Sauce Recipe

1. Combine ketchup, garlic, water, vinegar, lemon juice, soy sauce, brown sugar, mustard, and red pepper in a small saucepan and bring to a boil.
2. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. The sauce will thicken and reduce slightly.
3. Let cool and then transfer to an airtight container. Refrigerate until needed.

This recipe is lightly adapted from and with thanks to Jenn’s Food Journey.

Steak bites are one of our most popular weeknight meals in my house and this sauce is perfect with them. Try it with Asian Steak Bites, Buttered Steak Bites with Mushrooms, and Indian Spiced Steak Bites.

The sauce would also be just perfect served with this Grilled Skirt Steak from The Noshery or as an alternative to barbecue sauce on Filthy Burgers.

I’d be just as likely to dunk potato wedges or Crisp Garlic Oven Fries into this sauce too!

For more homemade sauce recipes to try, be sure to check out Sweet and Spicy Homemade Barbecue Sauce, Tangy Memphis BBQ Sauce, The Best Homemade Ketchup and Honey Mustard Dipping Sauce and Salad Dressing.

Making your own dipping sauces is so simple, plus the freshness and taste can’t be beaten!

{originally published 9/23/14 – recipes notes and photos updated 5/24/22}