Easy Chipotle Cherry BBQ Sauce
Cherry chipotle bbq sauce is slightly smoky, sweet and the perfect homemade bbq sauce recipe. This chipotle cherry sauce is easy to make and perfect for grilling or pouring over your favorite shredded chicken, salmon, tofu or for dipping your fries in!
Why you will love this recipe
- This chipotle cherry bbq sauce is unlike any store bought bbq sauce on the market. The unique flavor from the cherries and chipotle is so delicious, you are never going to want to buy store bought sauce again!
Whether you are grilling out or just need bbq sauce to dip your chicken tenders or fries in, this will soon become your go-to recipe! - No added sugar – this chipotle bbq sauce is sweetened naturally with dark sweet cherries! That makes this recipe Whole30 and paleo friendly!
- Making your own bbq sauce at home is so easy! I love this recipe because there is no cooking required. It’s only slightly more difficult than buying a bottle from the store. All you have to do is defrost the cherries and blend everything together! So simple!
- Make this chipotle cherry sauce your own! If you love spicy bbq sauce, add 1-2 more chipotle peppers! If you prefer a slightly sweeter sauce, add honey, maple syrup or a few pitted dates for sweetness! This is really a great base recipe that you can play around with!
Ingredients
- Fire roasted tomatoes – This recipe doesn’t start with ketchup, instead I use canned fire roasted tomatoes, this adds a depth of flavor. You could also use just diced tomatoes.
- Tomato Paste – this helps add a rich flavor base to build on and also adds depth to the sauce.
- Apple Cider Vinegar – vinegar helps to cut through the canned tomato taste and also helps to mellow out the heat from the peppers.
- Frozen dark sweet cherries, defrosted – you could use fresh or frozen sweet cherries (dark sweet cherries or bing cherries are best for this). I prefer frozen because they are less expensive, already pitted and the stems have been removed.
- Chipotle in adobo – Chipotle peppers are dried, smoked jalapeno peppers that are then canned in a vinegary adobo sauce. You could also use ground chipotle powder in place of the chipotle in adobo.
- Spices: Salt, Garlic Powder, Cumin – These spices help to balance the flavors, add umami and a little bit of a smoky undertone to the sauce.
How to make cherry bbq sauce
Start by defrosting the cherries. You can do this in the microwave or by leaving the cherries out on the counter for a bit. You could blend up frozen cherries but you likely would need to warm your bbq sauce up if you are using it immediately.
Add all the ingredients (except the water) to a blender and blend until everything is broken down and smooth (30 seconds or so).
If you plan on using the sauce immediately, you won’t need to add any water. However, if you are storing it for later, add 2 tbsp. – ¼ cup of water and mix well before storing.
Pour the chipotle cherry bbq sauce into a airtight container (I love to use a mason jar for this) and store in the fridge for up to a week.
Top tips
- When using this bbq sauce, you may want to warm up it up first by heating it on the stove for a few minutes over low heat.
- This chipotle cherry bbq sauce is naturally sweetened with cherries. Depending on your preferences, you may want to add more sweetener. You can use honey, maple syrup or medjool dates to sweeten to your liking.
- I love a good kick from chipotle but Dave doesn’t love super spicy food. He agreed this was a good balance. You may prefer more or less spice. If you do not love spicy food, you may want to start with one chipotle (and take the time to remove the seeds before adding to the sauce).
- If you touch the chipotle peppers with your fingers, be sure to wash them off well. Touching your eyes or your face after touching peppers can cause some serious pain.
Easy Chipotle Cherry Barbecue Sauce
Ingredients
- 14.5 oz. can fire roasted tomatoes
- 3 tbsp. tomato paste
- 2 tbsp. apple cider vinegar
- ½ cup frozen dark sweet cherries
- 2-3 medium chipotle peppers
- 1 tsp. sea salt
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp. ground cumin
- 2-4 tbsp. water (optional)
Instructions
- Defrost the cherries in the microwave or on the counter until no longer frozen.½ cup frozen dark sweet cherries
- Add all the ingredients (except the water) to the blender and blend on high until everything is well combined and smooth.14.5 oz. can fire roasted tomatoes, 3 tbsp. tomato paste, 2 tbsp. apple cider vinegar, ½ cup frozen dark sweet cherries, 2-3 medium chipotle peppers, 1 tsp. sea salt, ½ tsp garlic powder, 1 tsp. ground cumin, 2-4 tbsp. water (optional)
- Store in mason jar with tight fitting lid for up to a week.
- Note: If you will be storing in the fridge, you
Recipe Notes
Nutrition Information
How to use smoky cherry bbq sauce
This chipotle cherry sauce is perfect for dipping, brushing on protein or slathering at the end of cooking! I love using it:
- Over air fryer chicken drumsticks at the last few minutes of cooking
- Pour on salmon before and after cooking for a chipotle cherry salmon dish
- Use it over shredded chicken or grilled chicken
- Add to beans (red kidney beans, lentils, white beans) to make a vegan/vegetarian bbq dish.
- Marinate tofu (and slather it after cooking) with this chipotle cherry bbq sauce
- Use over shredded pork or pork tenderloin (in the oven or on the grill)
- As a dipping sauce for chicken nuggets or fries
FAQs
What if I don’t have cherries?
If you don’t have any cherries on hand, you could also use blackberries or blueberries in place of the cherries. For blackberries, you will want to run them through a fine mesh strainer first to remove any of the seeds. Simply press them through the mesh strainer with the back of a spoon before adding them to the blender.
How to make this sauce spicier
I like a little heat, so I would advise you make the recipe as written first, then add 1-2 peppers at a time to the blender. This way you can control the heat without overpowering the rest of the flavors.
If you find that you add too many peppers for your liking, add more dark sweet cherries to help balance out the heat. You could also add some honey or maple syrup as well.
Can you make this sauce sweeter
I love how the cherries sweeten the sauce and don’t have the need for any additional sweeteners. You could easily add more dark sweet cherries, maple syrup or honey (1-2 tbsp to start with) or a few pitted medjool dates (Whole30). Add a tablespoon or so at a time so you can control how sweet it gets.
How to store
- Fridge: Store leftover cherry chipotle sauce in the fridge in an airtight container for up to a week.
- Freezer: This sauce freezes beautifully. I would store this in ½ cup portions (I love souper cubes for this). Once frozen solid, move to a freezer safe bag or container for up to 2 months. Tip: If you love using bbq sauce for dipping fries or chicken tenders, you can freeze it in 2 tablespoon servings instead so you can just pop out what you need each time from the freezer.
- Canning: I do not recommend canning this recipe.
This barbecue sauce is so good and the cherry was a great touch to the flavor. Thanks for sharing and hope to try it again for my friends.
Thanks for the recipe and ideas. It’s tough to find sauce that isn’t loaded with sugar.
Aside from barbecue, I like barbecue sauce on pizza. Not all pizza, but the ones with chicken and barbecue sauce.
I like the “c” in BBQ. :)
And, I like whole foods every once in a while and you can’t beat their butcher counter service. But it does get pricey!
I cannot wait to make this sauce, Sam! Thanks for the fab recipe. I always try to make our own BBQ sauces, but am always in search of a new one. This one’s perfect! Thanks!!
I have to try this recipe, I am always on the look for healthy ones with no added sugars, preservatives or additives. Thanks for sharing it with us at #2usestuesday, I chose it as my feature for next Tuesday, don’t forget to stop by and grab your button.
Hugs,
Pili
This sauce looks yummy! I never thought of making BBQ sauce at home before.
I cannot wait to try this, thank you! My family loves barbecue and I try very hard to make my own products instead of store-bought chemical filled bottles so I am sure that this will be a hit.
Okay, well now you’ve got ME stressing out about “barbecue” … I had to type it into google myself and “barbeque” also came up? Lol but there is a red line under it.
Okay, so I really like BBQ sauce,, I just don’t typically buy it because of all the junk in it. Definitely pinning this for later! It sounds awesome.
Looks so good! <3 I need this on my chicken tonight!
Damn English language! Just like Mediterranean..barbecue…no one knows!
But you know I love my BBQ sauce! Cherry sounds so good!
This looks delicious and so creative!!!
Oh, girl, I could write a book on bbq. I’ve already written several posts, so I probably should just write a book! I love all kinds, but I’m very discerning. And I have no problem with that. I will have to try yours!