Balsamic Strawberry BBQ Sauce Recipe

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This balsamic strawberry BBQ sauce is the best tangy, sweet, mildly spicy sauce to slather your favorite grilled meat with--like ribs, chicken, or pork! Homemade barbecue sauce is super easy to make and you probably have most the ingredients on hand!

A white bowl of strawberry bbq sauce with fresh strawberries and a grilled pork loin.

You'll Love This Recipe for Barbecue Sauce with Fresh Strawberries

If you're a BBQ sauce lover - be sure to give one of these delicious fruity barbecue sauces a try: Peach BBQ Sauce and Blueberry BBQ Sauce. You will love them!

Fresh Strawberries. Using fresh strawberries in this homemade barbecue sauce recipe gives it great sweetness and consistency. It's great for early summer when they are in season! You can also substitute blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, or a combination of them all.

Sweet Tangy Mildly Spicy. This strawberry BBQ sauce is sweet from the fresh berries, tangy from the balsamic vinegar, and mildly spicy from the cayenne pepper. It is the perfect balance of flavors for a surprising and delicious sauce!

Make it Healthy. To reduce the carbohydrates, substitute the sugar and maple syrup in this recipe with your preferred sugar substitute, and use no-sugar-added ketchup. This recipe is already gluten-free, so it is great for serving at parties.

Strawberry Barbecue Sauce Recipe Ingredients

Ingredients needed for making strawberry BBQ sauce.

Here are the ingredients you will need to make balsamic strawberry BBQ sauce:

Canola Oil: substitute with your favorite oil if preferred, such as olive oil, avocado oil, or walnut oil.
Onion: white, yellow, or sweet onion. Any variety will work great!
Fresh Strawberries: strawberries are best in this recipe - especially in season ones.
Ketchup: use regular, reduced sodium, or sugar-free if desired.
Balsamic Vinegar: the vinegar in this recipe is a great tangy addition to the bbq sauce.
Granulated Sugar: use brown sugar or a sugar substitute to reduce sugar.
Lemon Juice: use fresh lemon juice for the best taste.
Maple Syrup: use honey or hot honey if you desire to substitute.
Worcestershire Sauce
Cayenne Pepper: this adds a nice heat to the sauce; add more or omit if desired.
Garlic: mince fresh at home or use store-bought pre-minced garlic to save on prep time.
Kosher Salt and Ground Black Pepper to taste

For exact ingredient quantities, please see the recipe card below!

Be sure to pin this pin to Pinterest to save for later! 🙂

Pinterest pin with a white bowl of strawberry bbq sauce.

Substitutions and Variations

Here are a few ways you can vary or make substitutions to this homemade bbq sauce recipe:

Make it spicy strawberry BBQ sauce - add fresh diced jalapenos to your sauce when sauteing your onion to release great spice and flavor to your bbq sauce!
Strawberry Bourbon Habanero BBQ Sauce - add 1 chopped habanero with the onions and 1 to 2 tablespoons bourbon after thickening the sauce.
Use blueberries, blackberries, or raspberries instead of strawberries. Especially when these are in season, it makes for a really delicious fresh bbq sauce. Use a combination of any or all berries for a mixed berry balsamic bbq sauce.
Use honey or hot honey instead of maple syrup in the recipe if desired.
Use frozen berries in the off-season if desired. You may need to adjust your sweetener to balance the flavors.

How To Make Strawberry BBQ Sauce

Here are the step-by-step instructions for making this homemade strawberry BBQ sauce:

1. Heat olive oil over medium-low heat. Add onion and saute until tender, 7 to 10 minutes.

2. Add garlic and saute for 1 minute, then add strawberries and saute for 5 minutes.

3. Add ketchup, balsamic vinegar, sugar, lemon juice, maple syrup, Worcestershire sauce, and cayenne pepper. Stir together.

4. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer. Continue to simmer, stirring frequently until sauce is thickened, about 10 to 14 minutes. Allow to cool slightly before serving.

For detailed instructions, please see the recipe card below.

How To Serve It

Here are a few ways to serve this delicious tangy strawberry bbq sauce:

Serve this sauce over grilled chicken legs, chicken thighs, pork chops, baby back ribs, pork steaks, or pork tenderloin.
Garnish with fresh sliced green onion to add a little crunch and bright flavor.
Garnish with fresh chopped herbs such as parsley, dill, or basil.
Toss roasted vegetables with this sauce for a great vegetarian option.

Top Tips

Use fresh strawberries for the best flavor and consistency.
Stir your sauce frequently when simmering to prevent burning to the bottom of your pan.
Be careful when adding spice. You can always add more to taste if desired, so start with a little and add until it's perfect for you.

FAQs

Can you mix vinegar with bbq sauce?

Absolutely! Vinegar in bbq sauce gives it a great tangy flavor that compliments the sweetness and balances the sauce. You can use white vinegar or apple cider vinegar, which I prefer to use as it isn't so harsh.

What are the 4 types of bbq sauce?

There are 4 main groups or types of bbq sauce. Tomato-based is the most common, vinegar-based, mustard-based, and then mayonnaise based. All of them start with this base and then are built to be tame, spicy, or sweet. Different regions are known for these groups as well, such as mustard and vinegar based in the Carolinas and mayonnaise-based in Alabama.

How To Store Strawberry Barbecue Sauce

Cool your sauce and then transfer to an airtight container and store in the fridge for up to 5 days.

How To Freeze

Freeze leftover strawberry barbecue sauce in an airtight container and freeze up to 4 months.