A beautiful, versatile Blueberry Barbecue Sauce sauce that makes everything it touches so much better – so much tastier. If you want to swap in blackberries for the blueberries, go for it! Strawberries and cherries are also fantastic here. If you like heat, a chipotle pepper is a great addition to the sauce as well. Read on for a few sauce tips or just jump ahead to the recipe itself.

In This Post

Why we love this Blueberry BBQ Sauce Recipe

The saying, “you eat with your eyes first,” definitely applies with this recipe. The smooth, deeply purple hue of this blueberry barbecue sauce is just beautiful. It’s unique and probably something many people have never tried before – which is cool. But also, it’s really easy to make and comes together quickly, all in one pot. You can use a hand-held immersion blender to smooth it out, if you have one. Or, you can use a standard high-speed blender, if you prefer.

What you’ll need to make this Blueberry Barbecue Sauce

Most of the ingredients that I call for in this blueberry BBQ sauce recipe are pantry staples – you probably already have them lying around. Smoked paprika (this is a clutch ingredient, as it lends tremendous smokiness to the sauce, without making it spicy, as a chipotle pepper would). If you have a small onion, feel free to use that in place of the shallots. If you love garlic (like me), go ahead and use two cloves. If you don’t have any balsamic vinegar, you van use any vinegar you love. Apple cider vinegar is great in this.

Blueberry BBQ Sauce Recipe Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil (or another high temp cooking oil)
2 cups blueberries (fresh or frozen)
2 shallots, minced
1 large garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon ground cumin
Salt and pepper, as needed
½ cup ketchup
1 tablespoon brown sugar
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar (plus more to taste, if you like)

How to make this Blueberry Barbecue Sauce recipe

We’ll begin by sautéing the aromatic (shallot) with the berries, cooking them gently until they burst and release their sweet juices. Then, in goes the garlic. That only needs a minute to cook before adding in the paprika and cumin. Season with as much salt and pepper as you think it needs, and then add the ketchup, brown sugar, and vinegar. Transfer to a blender and blend on high until smooth.

Pour back into the saucepan to cook gently over low heat, so the sauce can reduce a bit. If you want to thin it out a bit, you can add a small splash of water.

Blueberry BBQ sauce directions

Add the oil to a sauce pan over medium heat. When it’s hot, add the blueberries and shallot and cook, stirring occasionally, until the berried have softened and burst, releasing their juices; takes about 6 to 8 minutes.
Add the garlic to the mix, along with the smoked paprika, cumin, and salt and pepper to taste. Cook for one minute more.
Add the ketchup, brown sugar, and balsamic vinegar and stir to combine. Transfer the sauce to a blender (or you can use a hand-held immersion blender) and blend until smooth. Pour the smooth sauce back into the pan and allow it to simmer over low heat for a few minutes, to reduce slightly and concentrate the flavors.

Variations to this Blueberry Barbecue Sauce

You are more than welcome – encouraged even – to play around with the bones of the recipe as you see fit. Any manner of berry would work well here – it doesn’t have to be blueberries. You can use blackberries, cherries, strawberries, and even raspberries if you like. Or, maybe a combo of several? You can also use peaches in the same way, creating a peach barbecue sauce that is to-die-for delicious

What to serve with this Blueberry BBQ Sauce recipe

This blueberry bbq sauce recipe is super versatile – it complements so many things. It’s clearly a great choice for any manner of barbecued meats such as chicken, pork, or beef. But I also love the way it coats a piece of salmon, acting as a glaze of sorts during the cooking process.

You could use it instead of the Blackberry Balsamic Sauce in this pork loin recipe. Or, you could swap it in for the raspberry balsamic glaze in this pork chop recipe (pork and fruit are best friends, you know). I also think it would be fantastic with meatballs.