Homemade Sweet Chipotle BBQ Sauce – When the store-bought stuff just doesn’t cut it, this simple DIY recipe will guide you to the best-ever BBQ sauce!
There are a few more weeks of barbecuing season for savoring, and it seems like every week this summer Mr. Simple Seasonal and I have been grilling some sort of BBQ creation. Whether it be flavorful summer veggies, tender chicken, or sticky and smoky ribs, we can’t get enough of the stuff.
Our BBQ obsession has been largely fueled by today’s recipe for Homemade Sweet Chipotle BBQ Sauce. I was always under the impression that the bottled BBQ sauce at the grocery store was pretty good. Then one day I decided to make my own BBQ sauce and I realized how wrong I was!
I’ve always found that with the store-bought stuff I’d like the sweetness of one bottle, the smooth stickiness of another, and then the spice in the next bottle. For some reason all my favorite BBQ sauce characteristics weren’t making it into one amazing bottled sauce.
With my homemade BBQ sauce I suddenly had total control over my sauce! And let me tell you, this sauce is SO GOOD! It’s smooth and sticky, it’s sweetened with honey AND molasses, and you can’t beat the amazing heat that chipotle chili adds. Not to mention, this sauce is all natural! The hubby and I agree that (in our estimation), this is the PERFECT BBQ sauce!
- 1 C apple juice
- ¾ C all-natural ketchup
- 3 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 Tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
- 4 Tbsp honey
- 2 tsp molasses
- ⅛-3/4 tsp chipotle chili powder*
- 1 Tbsp chili powder
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp dry mustard
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- Combine all of the ingredients together in an uncoated saucepan. Whisk the ingredients together and bring them to a boil over medium-high heat.
- Reduce the heat to medium and simmer the sauce until it is reduced by half. When you’re finished this recipe makes about 1 C of sauce. Use immediately or cool completely and store in the refrigerator for up to two weeks or freeze and store for up to 4 months.
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I love chipotle anything! The sweet and hot in this sauce sounds fantastic! Thanks for sharing.
Thanks! I’m with you when it comes to chipotle!
Thanks for sharing. Its pretty annoying to constantly be seeing all these paleo recipes calling for SUGAR sources!! How can I make real paleo BBQ sauce??
Hey Stephanie- I’m not sure paleo BBQ sauce is really thing as it wouldn’t be BBQ sauce without the combination of spicy and sweet. If you’re looking for a paleo alternative to BBQ Sauce you could try a dry rub of similar spices like chili powder, garlic powder, ginger pepper and salt. You may also want to add it to some tomato paste for a natural sweet and tangy flavor source that will keep your meat from drying out. All to say, it still want come close to a sauce made with molasses and honey!