Homemade BBQ sauce recipe made with blueberries? Yep! This blueberry BBQ sauce is so much tastier than any store-bought bottled sauce. There’s just a touch of spice and a little sweetness, all perfectly balanced. With very little prep and some cook time, you’ll be left with the tastiest homemade BBQ sauce that can be used on so many things.
Hi everyone! How’s it going? How was your weekend? Do you guys watch Chef’s Table? I really enjoy that one.
For those of you who are unfamiliar, it’s basically a series showcasing various chefs and their restaurants, their stories and some amazing food. I swear, every time I watch that show I get so inspired and it puts me right in the mood to cook.
Ok, well I’m usually always in the mood to cook, always in the mood to eat but even more so after watching this.
Do you have any show recommendations? I’m always up for checking out something new, especially when it involves food! Without further adieu, onto this fruit BBQ sauce!
What Goes in Blueberry BBQ Sauce?
Speaking of food, how about more food, LOL? It’s so awesome to use ingredients in unexpected or non-traditional ways. Like, making homemade BBQ sauce with blueberries! I love experimenting in the kitchen and it’s definitely my happy place.
So, what goes in BBQ sauce? The base of many homemade BBQ sauce recipes is ketchup. Besides ketchup, in this blueberry barbecue sauce recipe you’ll find:
- Plenty of blueberries (4 whole cups … after all this is a “blueberry” sauce recipe)
- Tomato paste (to thicken)
- Aromatics like garlic and shallot
- Some mustard and vinegar to brighten
- Some seasoning
- Touch of maple syrup to reinforce the sweet side of things
- Chili peppers and cayenne pepper for some heat
- Cilantro stems for a little freshness
Sounds yummy, right?
How To Make BBQ Sauce
Full details are in the recipe card below, but here are the basics:
- In a heavy-bottomed pot cook garlic, shallot and chili in some olive oil for a few minutes.
- Add remaining ingredients to pot, including:
- tomato paste
- blueberries
- balsamic vinegar
- maple syrup
- whole grain Dijon mustard
- ketchup
- Worcestershire sauce
- salt
- pepper
- cayenne pepper
- cilantro stems
- Stir to combine.
- Cover and cook for 45 minutes to 1 hour (or until you’ve reached your desired consistency), stirring every 15 minutes or so, ensuring that it isn’t sticking.
- Then blend with an immersion blender or mash with a potato masher or simply leave as is!
- Pour into a jar.
Tips for Making Blueberry BBQ Sauce
- Use a heavy-bottomed pot. Whenever I’m making sauces or jams I find that a heavy-bottomed pot works best and stuff don’t tend to stick like it would with a thinner pot.
- Fresh cilantro stems were added to this blueberry BBQ sauce to add a little freshness and something different. If you’re not a cilantro fan, feel free to substitute with parsley or omit altogether.
- Don’t leave the sauce and do whatever. Be mindful to check on occasionally and stir so there’s no sticking/burning.
- Not into spice? Omit the chili peppers if you like (though this isn’t a spicy BBQ sauce). If you like things spicier, though, add a little more.
- As mentioned above, I used an immersion blender to lightly blend the sauce. If you don’t have that, use a potato masher. Alternatively, just break up with a spoon or leave as is. Make as smooth or as chunky as you wish.
How To Thin Barbecue Sauce
Is this blueberry BBQ sauce too thick? No worries! Just thin it out with a touch of ketchup or water, starting with about 1 tablespoon. Be careful not to add too much so that the flavours are diluted. Remember, you can always add more but can’t take away.
How To Thicken Barbecue Sauce
Is your blueberry barbecue sauce too thin? Continue cooking, stirring regularly, until it reduces or thickens to your desired consistency.
Ways To Use Blueberry Sauce
This homemade BBQ sauce recipe is legit good, you guys, and always gets rave reviews from those that make it (dare I say the best BBQ sauce recipe?). It’s delicious on SO many things, but some of my faves are:
- Ribs
- Chicken wings
- Hamburgers
- Pork chops or roast
- Pulled pork sandwiches
- Stir into homemade beans
Enjoy this Homemade BBQ Sauce Recipe? You May Enjoy These Too
What ingredients have you used in unexpected ways? I’d love to hear! It’s always nice trying new things.
This upcoming grilling season is the perfect time to try this BBQ sauce from scratch. It’s an easy and delicious recipe!
If you make this easy blueberry BBQ sauce, be sure to leave a comment below!
This recipe was originally published in May 2016 but has been updated.
Best Blueberry BBQ Sauce Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 shallot, peeled and minced (or small yellow onion)
- 2 red Thai chili peppers, minced (or to taste)
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 4 cups blueberries, frozen or fresh (I used frozen)
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon whole grain Dijon mustard
- ¾ cup ketchup, regular or low sodium
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon ground cayenne pepper, optional
- 1 tablespoon, cilantro steams, minced (few stalks, no need to use leaves)
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a medium heavy-bottomed pot over medium-low heat.
- Add garlic, shallot and chili peppers. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add tomato paste, blueberries, balsamic vinegar, maple syrup, mustard, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper (if using) and cilantro stems. Stir to combine. Reduce heat to low. Cover and cook for 45 minutes to 1 hour or until you've reached your desired consistency/thickness, stirring every 15 minutes or so.
- Carefully using an immersion blender, blend sauce (or use a potato masher or spoon or simply leave as is). I didn't puree a lot because I wanted some texture.
- Allow to cool (jam will further thicken as it cools), portion into a storage jar, cover, store in the refrigerator and enjoy within a few days up to a week. Yields about 2 cups. Serve with your favourite BBQ foods!
Notes
- Use a heavy-bottomed pot. Whenever I’m making sauces or jams I find that a heavy-bottomed pot works best and stuff don’t tend to stick like it would with a thinner pot.
- Fresh cilantro stems were added to this blueberry BBQ sauce to add a little freshness and something different. If you’re not a cilantro fan, feel free to substitute with parsley or omit altogether.
- Don’t leave the sauce and do whatever. Be mindful to check on occasionally and stir so there’s no sticking/burning.
- Not into spice? Omit the chili peppers if you like (though this isn’t a spicy BBQ sauce). If you like things spicier, though, add a little more.
- I used an immersion blender to lightly blend the sauce. If you don’t have that, use a potato masher. Alternatively, just break up with a spoon or leave as is. Make as smooth or as chunky as you wish.
A note on times provided: appliances vary, any prep and/or cook times provided are estimates only.
© Girl Heart Food Inc. Photographs and content are copyright protected.
Tried this recipe?
If you do make this recipe, thank you!! It would mean so much if you could leave a comment below. Love to know how you enjoyed it, and it helps other readers too!
Leanne | Crumb Top Baking
I’ve never made homemade BBQ sauce, but this one is totally inspiring me to do it this summer! And love that it’s loaded with blueberries! Such a great recipe Dawn!
Dawn - Girl Heart Food
So yummy! Thank you Leanne 🙂
Kelsie | the itsy-bitsy kitchen
Is it weird that I think I could eat this with a spoon? I really enjoy sweet-spicy-savory condiments. And I love that I can fiddle with how spicy it is because bottled BBQ sauces are never spicy enough for me, haha! I’m definitely trying this one!
Dawn - Girl Heart Food
Lol…not at all 😉 Hope you love it! Thanks Kelsie!
Jennifer T Tammy
OMG this sounds amazing – I can think of so many ways that we could use it. I wish I had it ready for tonight’s BBQ
Dawn - Girl Heart Food
Thank you Jennifer! It is quite versatile (and tasty) 😉
Philip - Chef Sous Chef
I love blueberry bbq sauce and appreciate that you used a lot of blueberries so you can actually taste them!
Dawn - Girl Heart Food
Totally! Thanks Philip 🙂
Denise@urbnspice
I loved the show “Cook Like a Chef”, although I see it only on re-runs on Gusto T.V. Do you know it? It is fast-paced but packed with recipes, tips and techniques. Your blueberry bbq sauce looks so wonderful, Dawn – such a pretty colour, too. I can almost taste how delicious it would taste on ribs – a favourite dish of our family which is often asked for when choosing individual birthday menus. I am going to surprise the family with your blueberry bbq sauce for the next birthday gathering. Thanks so much for sharing.
Dawn - Girl Heart Food
I can’t say I can recall that one off hand, but will have to check out! I’m so happy about that, Denise! Hope everyone loves it! Thank you very much 🙂
Jo Vanderwolf
Uh, yeah. This needs to happen immediately. I am in love with the color of your BBQ sauce and super intrigued with the flavors the blueberries would add. Making my shopping list now lol
Dawn - Girl Heart Food
I’m SO happy to hear that, Jo!! Hope you love it as much as we do 🙂
Colleen
Homemade BBQ sauce is the only way to go in my books, and this one looks amazing. I can’t wait for this summer’s blueberries so that I can make this!
Dawn - Girl Heart Food
Agreed!! Thank you Colleen 🙂
Isabelle @ Crumb
I had ribs with blueberry barbecue sauce at an event a few months ago, and have been dreaming of them ever since. Super-excited to try your recipe to see if it measures up to my memories… it looks like a winner!
Dawn - Girl Heart Food
Thanks Isabelle! It definitely goes great with ribs and just about anything 🙂
Katie Crenshaw
Dawn, I love a good barbecue sauce. This one looks AMAZING!!! A little sweet with some heat are my favorite combinations. My husband loves to make things on his Egg in the summer. I am going to surprise him with this. I will try it on some ribs and a pork tenderloin. I think it will be absolutely delish!!!! Thank you dear for the fabulous recipe!!! Have a great weekend!
Girl Heart Food
Wow…thanks so much, Katie!! So happy you like it! I’ve always wanted to try one of those Eggs…they are supposed to be really good. This sauce would be awesome on ribs and pork tenderloin. That’s what we had the sauce on – ribs and it was excellent. And anything I can fit blueberries in is a winner in my books. Thanks for the sweet comments, girl. Have a great weekend too! xo
Karen (Back Road Journal)
Love the beautiful color and looking at your list of ingredients, I know it is delicious.
Girl Heart Food
Thanks so much, Karen!!
Kathleen | Hapa Nom Nom
I have yet to see ‘A Chef’s Table’, if it’s anything like ‘The Mind of a Chef’ I’ll be all over it! I’m actually looking for a new show to binge on, so I’ll certainly check it out! The bbq sauce sounds awesome – I love anything that pairs savory and sweet!
Girl Heart Food
Yes! If you like ‘The Mind of a Chef’ then you’ll also enjoy ‘Chef’s Table’. Both are amazing! I’m with ya – anything sweet/savoury is right up my alley! Thanks so much, Kathleen 🙂 Have a great weekend!
GiGi Eats
Blueberries on meat?!?!?!?! 😮 I will take your word for it lady! LOL!
Girl Heart Food
Yes!! It is seriously good!!
Natasha @ Salt and Lavender
I’m loving the look of this stuff!!! I would totally put it on everything.
Girl Heart Food
Thanks Natasha 🙂
Megan - The Emotional Baker
I haven’t heard of that show, but The Great British Baking Show had the similar effect on me. I was so amazed by their flavor combos, I had to try them, too! & this barbecue sauce is genius!! I love the addition of blueberries – so perfect for summer 🙂
Girl Heart Food
Oh, I love The Great British Baking show, too, Megan! I couldn’t believe how these home cooks could bake like that. Unreal! Thanks so much for the comments, girl 🙂 Appreciate it!