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 until it reduces or thicken with a cornstarch slurry (use about 1 tablespoon of cornstarch mixed with 1 tablespoon of cold water). Stir and mix into the BBQ sauce until things thicken.
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, approximately. 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.
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 🙂