Naturally Sweetened Apricot BBQ Sauce

Since it contains no sugar, this easy BBQ sauce is good for those watching their sugar intake and works for the Whole 30 diet. It’s great on burgers, pulled pork, pork chops, chicken or anywhere you want a little sweet and smoky.

While I confess that I love sugary things just as much as the next person, I’ve discovered the pleasant surprise that I can enjoy my favorite foods without the added sugar, which I know isn’t good for my health, if I’m honest with myself.

Over the last few years, I’ve figured how to sweeten family favorite recipes with fruit, honey, or maple syrup. Milk and Honey Cornbread, Mamabars, and Whole Wheat Banana Pancakes are all big hits at our house. And now, so is this BBQ sauce.

Yes, you can make delicious BBQ sauce that’s not loaded with sugar!

If you’ve ever read the ingredients on a bottle of BBQ sauce, you know that it can be pretty scary. That stuff, though often super cheap with a coupon, is rife with preservatives, high-fructose corn syrup, and a lot of non-food items.

I’ve got several yummy barbecue sauce recipes in my cookbooks; they each have a minimum amount of brown sugar. However, I wanted to make sure I made one that my mom and dad could eat. They’re still holding strong on the Whole 30, over 3 months after they started. They’ve both lost 20 pounds or more!

I tested this recipe first with pineapple juice, but that didn’t give it enough sweetness. I was running errands when the idea came to me: sweeten it with fruit-only jam! Yay!

As luck would have it, there was a fruit-sweetened Apricot jam at the store. Yum! If you don’t care about the sugar issue, feel free to use regular jam.

This sauce is delicious on burgers, pulled pork, pork chops, grilled chicken, anywhere you like to have a little sweet and smoky tomato sauce. The sauce is good in the fridge for about a week, so freeze it if the batch is too big for you to use it in that amount of time.

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Naturally Sweetened Apricot BBQ Sauce

Since it contains no sugar, this easy BBQ sauce is good for those watching their sugar intake and works for the Whole 30 diet. It's great on burgers, pulled pork, pork chops, chicken or anywhere you want a little sweet and smoky.

Prep Time5 mins

Cook Time25 mins

Total Time30 mins

Course: Sauces

Cuisine: American

Keyword: BBQ, BBQ Sauce

Servings: 12

Calories: 26kcal

Author: Jessica Fisher

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 onion (about 1 cup chopped)
• 1 15-ounce can tomato sauce
• 1/2 cup apricot jam or preserves preferably naturally sweetened
• 2 tsp chipotle chile powder or more to taste
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 1/2 tsp dry mustard
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

• In a medium saucepan, heat the oil until shimmering. Add the onion, and cook, stirring until tender, about five minutes.
• Add the tomato sauce, jam, chile powder, ginger, mustard, and cinnamon. Stir well and simmer for 25 minutes.
• For a smoother sauce, blend with an immersion blender until you have the texture you prefer.
• Serve as a condiment or brushing sauce for your favorite meats.
• To freeze, cool the sauce and pour it into small containers with lids. Chill completely and store in the freezer.

Notes

Nutritional values are approximate and are based on 1/4 cup of the recipe. Refrigerate leftovers promptly and use within 4 days.

Nutrition

Calories: 26kcal | Carbohydrates: 3g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 192mg | Potassium: 137mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 252IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 8mg | Iron: 1mg