This sweet-and-tangy raspberry chipotle BBQ sauce is a fun fruity twist on that classic BBQ sauce. Slather it on juicy ribs, chicken, tacos, or put it on top of cream cheese for an appetizer. It’s the perfect condiment!
Why You’ll Love This Raspberry Chipotle BBQ Sauce Recipe
This fruity raspberry chipotle BBQ sauce with hints of garlic is an easy way to take your cookout meals to the next level.
- Sweet and savory. Brown sugar and tomato sauce tame the tang of apple cider vinegar and raspberries, creating a perfectly balanced sauce.
- Simple. You just need to sautée the onions and then simmer the mixture for a couple minutes.
- Better than store-bought. There’s no excess sugar or salt in the recipe. You can even make it spicy or reduce the sweetness if you prefer.
- Freezer-friendly. Pop some out of the freezer during your next cookout and start grilling right away.
What You’ll Need
Liquid smoke, hints of molasses from the brown sugar, and sweet chipotles help build the smokiness in the sauce. Scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of the post for exact amounts.
- Red onion – White or yellow onion works too.
- Garlic – Fresh garlic and garlic paste are best.
- Olive oil – You can also use vegetable, corn, or canola oil.
- Liquid smoke – Swap it for Worcestershire sauce if you prefer.
- Brown sugar – It can be light or dark brown sugar.
- Apple cider vinegar – Avoid white vinegar because it’s too tangy and sharp.
- Chipotles – These are also called “chipotles in adobo sauce”. You can find them in Mexican supermarkets.
- Raspberries – You can use fresh or frozen (thawed).
- Tomato sauce – Make sure it’s plain, so no Italian seasoning or parmesan cheese in it whatsoever.
How To Make Raspberry Chipotle BBQ Sauce
You won’t go back to store-bought BBQ sauce after you see how simple this homemade version is. Scroll to the bottom of the post for the full recipe card.
- Sautée the onions. Add the oil to a large pan over medium-high heat. Stir in the onion and sautée it until softened and translucent. Add the garlic and chipotle. Stir and cook for another 30 seconds.
- Bring it together. Mix in the tomato sauce, brown sugar, vinegar, and liquid smoke. Stir until the sugar dissolves.
- Simmer it. Fold in the raspberries and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat and let it simmer for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove it from the heat. Set it aside to cool and use it for your favorite BBQ recipes. Enjoy!
Tips & Variations
Spicy jalapeños and chunks of tart raspberries can help elevate the flavors in this smokey raspberry chipotle BBQ sauce.
- Use non-stick. While stainless steel pots are great, it’s easier for things to stick and burn. Since the sauce has sugar, I recommend sticking to non-stick pots and pans to prevent messes and wasting ingredients.
- Keep it low. Don’t increase the heat to medium or high when simmering the sauce. The sugar will burn from one second to another and give the sauce a bitter flavor. It can also seize in the mixture and make it slightly chunky.
- Make it spicy. Stir 1/4-1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes or cayenne pepper into the sauce for a kick of heat. Sautéeing 1/4 fresh jalapeño along with the onions works too.
- Add texture. Chop up 1/2 cup fresh raspberries and gently fold them into the sauce right before brushing the mixture over your favorite protein.
- Reduce the sweetness. If you’re not a fan of BBQ sauces that are on the sweeter side, don’t add all the sugar in at once. Add 1/2 tablespoon at a time until sweetened to taste. You’ll need to simmer the sauce for 3-5 extra minutes so that it thickens properly.
Ways To Use It
Regardless of your protein of choice, you can add some raspberry chipotle BBQ sauce for sweet, caramelized goodness.
- Chicken. Add it to my Air Fryer Chicken Breast or Grilled Chicken Sandwich.
- Beef. Brush it on my Herb Crusted Beef Tenderloin or Bacon Wrapped Tenderloin Bites before cooking.
- Pork. Of course you have to brush my Instant Pot Baby Back Ribs and BBQ Baby Back Ribs with the sauce before cooking.
- Turkey. Spread some on the buns for my Turkey Burger before grilling, or brush it over my Maple Smoked Turkey before roasting.
- Fish. Add it to my Cedar Plank Salmon or Honey Blackened Salmon before grilling.
Proper Storage
Make sure it’s fully cooled before storing to prevent the raspberries from fermenting the mixture.
- Fridge: Place it in an airtight container or mason jar for up to 4 days.
- Freezer: Pour it into freezer bags in serving-size portions. Freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw it overnight in the fridge.
- To reheat it: Microwave it in 15-second increments until warm. Brush it onto your favorite recipes as usual.
More Condiment Recipes To Try
- My Go-to Homemade Red Enchilada Sauce
- Boom Boom Sauce
- Epic Sweet & Smoky Homemade BBQ Sauce Recipe
- Homemade Maple Cranberry Sauce
- 5 Minute Romesco Sauce
Raspberry Chipotle BBQ Sauce
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 4–5 cups 1x
- Category: Condiment
- Method: Stove
- Cuisine: American
Description
This smokey raspberry chipotle BBQ sauce recipe with garlic, liquid smoke, and sweet onion is a fun twist that classic BBQ sauce.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1/2 cup of red onion, chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 tablespoons of olive oil
- 1 teaspoon of liquid smoke
- 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons of brown sugar
- 1/4 cup of apple cider vinegar
- 1 1/2 large chipotle peppers, minced {from can of chipotle peppers in adobe sauce}
- 2 pints of raspberries
- 15 oz. tomato sauce
Instructions
- Heat a large saute pan to medium high heat, add olive oil and red onion.
- Saute for 2-3 minutes until onions are translucent, add garlic cloves and chipotle peppers. Stir and saute for 30 seconds.
- Next add in tomato sauce, brown sugar, apple cider vinegar, and liquid smoke. Stir until brown sugar is dissolved.
- Add in raspberries, stir and bring to a boil.
- Once boiling reduce heat to simmer and simmer for 10-15 minutes. Stirring on occasion.
- Remove from heat and let cool.
- Store in airtight container in the refrigerator.
33 comments on “Raspberry Chipotle BBQ Sauce”
Can this be canned?
Yes absolutely
Do you use red raspberries or black raspberries for this recipe?
Raspberries 🙂 But you could try blackberries if you’d like.
Just made this recipe and it tastes awesome! I skimmed the other comments to find out how long you can store this in the refrigerator.
Thanks!
Awesome! So glad you liked it Mary. I’d recommend no longer than 2 weeks for this one. You could freeze it as well if you’d like.
I just tried making this tonight. I subbed the onion, garlic, and chipotle peppers for the equivalent ratios of each powder. I wasn’t sure of the 2 pints of raspberries, as they are sold in 6 and 12 oz containers. Hoping I am correct, I used two 12oz containers. I pureed them in the blender and then added all ingredients into a pot, brought to boil, and then simmered for 15 minutes. I let it cool and got 2 bottles worth. They are going to sit in the fridge overnight and I’ll see how it tastes in the morning. Hopefully the results are good.
I hope you enjoyed this Raspberry BBQ Sauce!
Planning on trying this – do you think I could can this for longer storage?
Yes, absolutely you can!
My son made this to use on our smoked chicken thighs. With the smoking, an amazing crust formed on the chicken. We used wild black raspberries that we picked in our yard. This turned out terrific!
Oh my goodness!! YUM! I love being able to use fresh fruit from our garden!
Has anyone tried using frozen raspberries?
I have not. But I’m sure it would still work.
We made this to experiment a smoked spiral ham for Christmas (in the summer) from a video on YouTube.
You use 1 part Raspberry BBQ and 1 Part Apple Butter. Can I just say AMAZING!
Or 17 year old Son reminded me that I promised to make it for Christmas!
THANK YOU … AMAZING!
Way to plan ahead, and so glad the “experiment” worked out! I hope you all enjoyed it again over Christmas!
I’m making this recipe right now. I multiplied it by half because I had 3 pints of raspberries. I just got done making 3.5 pints of raspberry chipotle bbq sauce from another site and I made 6 pints of another recipe…we want to compare all of them to see which one we like best. The first one we didnt care for (i make cherry chipotle bbq sauce every year and just subbed the raspberries for the cherries). The last batch I made had no tomato sauce or ketchup and it had jalapenos in it (the rest is very similar to your recipe). Yours has onions instead of jalapenos. I’ll be sure to let you know which one my husband likes best (I think itll be this one). We plan to have it on smoked wings!
I love a good recipe cookoff! I hope both turned out amazing! You can’t go wrong with homemade BBQ sauce!
This sounds incredible!!! I love the addition of the fresh berries, giving it a natural sweetness! I am working on a BBQ round up for my blog and would love to feature this with a link back and photo!! I think my readers would love the uniqueness of the recipe!
Thanks so much Melissa! You can absolutely feature this recipe!
So, I made this and was able to process it in my canner. It made 5 half pint jars. This will be a staple in my pantry, for sure. I love flavored bbq sauces. This one is a winner. FYI…process for 15 minutes in a water bath or pressure cooker. It is so worth it!
woohoo!! I totally love that you canned it! I NEED to learn how to can!
Thank you this is exactly what I was looking for. I want to can some for gifts!
Everything about this…yes! This sauce reminds me of our favorite appetizer from college. It was a Raspberry Black Bean Dip and it used a raspberry bbq sauce. So this sauce is happening soon!
ohh… raspberry black bean dip!?! That sounds awesome! So glad you liked the sauce girl!
We had rain on the 4th but we were able to grill. The lightening, thunder and rain stopped long enough for us to get some burgers, hot dogs and potatoes grilled!
Hope you had a great 4th, Krista. And this sauce really does look like one of the best BBQ sauces ever! 🙂
Oh… bummer on the rain thing Julie but at least you and Ken got to grill! It doesn’t feel like the 4th unless you grill out. 🙂
Can anybody tell me what hickory smoke sauce is and were to find it, please? This looks delicious 🙂
Hey Ashley, its actually called Liquid smoke and you can get it at any grocery store in the spice section, should be near worcestershire sauce. Hope you like it girl! 🙂
I love making BBQ sauce and I love this flavor combination! Sounds delicious!
I may be addicted to it! 🙂
I love a great homemade BBQ sauce, and this sounds perfect!
me too! So delicious and easy to make. 🙂