Blueberry BBQ Sauce
On July 07, 2021 (Updated April 15, 2022)
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Blueberry BBQ Sauce is a classic BBQ sauce that combines a ketchup sauce base with blueberry jam for a sauce that adds a punch of flavor to your favorite foods. Baste it on smoked pork tenderloins, grilled spatchcock chickens, and smoked ribs.
Homemade Blueberry BBQ Sauce
Blueberry BBQ sauce is one sauce that must be tried before you judge it by the name alone. Blueberry BBQ sauce? Really? Oh, my friends, YES! This sauce is totally delicious and one you must add to your recipe box.
My recipe for homemade blueberry BBQ sauce is sweet and tangy with an awesome fruity twist. It’s good on all sorts of BBQ, including Pork Tenderloin, Grilled Chicken, and Smoked Pork Ribs. Baste some on at the end of smoking or grilling for a sweet finishing sauce, or leave some on the side for dipping. This sauce does it all!
How to Make Blueberry BBQ Sauce
I love making my own BBQ sauce. I know every ingredient going in, I can adjust things to my liking, and the sauce tastes fresh and amazing. Don’t feel intimidated by making your own sauce at home. It’s a quick and easy process!
- Boil. Combine all ingredients (scroll below for the printable recipe with full ingredient amounts) in a saucepan and bring to a boil.
- Simmer. Reduce the heat and simmer the sauce for 20 minutes. Stir occasionally to prevent the sauce from sticking to the bottom or becoming too thick near the heat.
- Refrigerate. Remove the sauce from the heat and allow to cool. Transfer to a mason jar or quart-sized jar that seals tightly. Refrigerate the sauce overnight or up to 24 hours before using.
- Enjoy. Serve this sauce on all your favorite BBQ meats and treats!
Make sure to check out a few of my best tips prior to making this sauce in the following section!
Tips for Making Blueberry BBQ Sauce
Before you check out the recipe below, take note of a few tips for making this blueberry sauce.
- Slow simmer. The 20 minutes that the sauce simmers really helps to loosen the sugars in the jam and create the perfect BBQ sauce consistency.
- Don’t skip the fridge! While you can technically use the sauce straight out of the pan, the overnight chill in the refrigerator will do wonders in bringing all of the yummy flavors together.
- Swap the jam. The base of this BBQ sauce is really a classic and can handle the added flavors from all kinds of jams! Try raspberry, peach, blackberry, or even grape (if you’re feeling brave!). I would recommend straining your sauce if you use a jam with a lot of seeds.
Other Fruity BBQ Sauce Recipes
Feeling adventurous with some added fruitiness to your BBQ sauces? Here at Hey Grill Hey, we like BIG flavors in our sauce. Check out these popular fruity BBQ sauces from the site.
Blueberry BBQ Sauce Recipe
Feeling up for making your own sauce now? You’ve got this, and I guarantee the final result will be an awesome sauce that you can come back to again and again.
If you’d like to learn more about making your own BBQ sauces and rubs from scratch, you’ve gotta check out my Rubs and Sauces Master Class only available to members of The Grill Squad!
Blueberry BBQ Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 cup blueberry jam
- 1 14-ounce can crushed tomatoes
- 1 cup ketchup
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ½ cup apple cider vinegar
- ½ cup molasses
- 1 Tablespoon smoked paprika
- 1 Tablespoon salt
- 2 teaspoons ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
Instructions
- Bring all ingredients to a boil. Combine all ingredients in a medium saucepan over medium high heat. Bring just to a boil, while stirring, and then reduce the heat to simmer.
- Simmer the sauce. Simmer the sauce for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent the sauce from getting too thick on the bottom.
- Refrigerate before serving. Turn off the heat and allow the sauce to cool slightly in the pan before transferring to a glass quart sized jar. Screw the lid on the jar and refrigerate overnight before using to baste pork tenderloins, chicken, ribs, and more.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I’ll be doing this with a wild berrie mix and using on Venus steaks.
When putting the sauce into the jars, do you have to go through the canning process or just put the lid on?
I just put the lid on and it stays good in the fridge up to 2 weeks. You could probably go through the canning process to keep it for longer, but you might want to consult a canning site for that.
I can’t wait to make this to use on smoked pork loins! If I can’t get blueberry jam, could I use frozen blueberries or a homemade blueberry pie filling?
Can you process this in a canner?
I canned them in 8oz jars it’s amazing