Strawberry BBQ Sauce

Name: Strawberry BBQ Sauce Recipe
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 40 min
Ingredients: 1 tablespoon butter (salted or unsalted); 1 tablespoon light olive oil; 1 teaspoon minced garlic; 2 pounds strawberries (1 kg, fresh or frozen, hulled and halved); 1 cup diced ripe tomatoes; ¼ cup balsamic vinegar; 1 cup ketchup; 2 tablespoons honey; 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce; ½ teaspoon salt; ½ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper; ½ teaspoon garlic powder

By Neha Mathur

5 from 1 vote

on Feb 23, 2022, Updated Aug 12, 2023

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Make this sweet and tangy Strawberry BBQ Sauce at home in under 40 minutes using fresh or frozen strawberries. Use this versatile sauce to grill meat, slather on meatloaf, or use it as a dip or salad dressing.

Here are some more homemade sauces that you may like: Cilantro Chimichurri Sauce, Sun Dried Tomato Pesto, Lemon Drop Hot Sauce, Thai Sweet Chilli Sauce, and Thai Peanut Sauce.

Strawberry BBQ sauce kept in a glass bottle.

In India, the strawberry season is at its fag end, and soon these beauties will disappear from the market. Some fancy stores stock them around the year these days, but the prices are exorbitant. Every year, I preserve seasonal fruits in various forms. I make jams, sauces, purees etc. This way, I can enjoy them whenever I want.

Today, I made a batch of my strawberry-flavored BBQ sauce. It is a very versatile sauce, and I love having a few jars in the freezer; it gives my cooking a WOW factor without any extra effort.

About Strawberry Barbeque Sauce

Strawberry BBQ Sauce is a sweet and tangy blend of strawberries, tomatoes, balsamic vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, and other simple ingredients.

This versatile sauce comes together in under 40 minutes and can be made using fresh or frozen strawberries. It is a great variation of the classic BBQ sauce and can be used in multiple ways.

This strawberry barbecue sauce freezes very well. You can double or triple the recipe and freeze the extra sauce in small glass jars. Just pull out one jar, thaw it, and your barbecue sauce is ready.

This recipe will give you approximately 2 cups of sauce.

I like to make this strawberry BBQ sauce recipe when strawberries are in season and sold cheaply. I then freeze the sauce until the grilling season starts in the summer.

Ingredients

Strawberries – You can use fresh or frozen strawberries to make the sauce. If using frozen strawberries, thaw them before using them.

Check out my post on How To Freeze Strawberries when they are in season.

This BBQ sauce recipe can be made with other fruits, such as mangoes, blackberries, or figs, instead of strawberries.

Tomatoes – This recipe requires fresh tomatoes. Choose ripe red tomatoes for the best flavor.

Balsamic Vinegar – Use a good quality one.

Butter + Olive Oil – The sauce is rich and buttery due to the combination of butter and light olive oil. To make it vegan, replace the butter with light olive oil.

Worcestershire Sauce adds a sour, spicy, and sweet taste to the sauce.

Others – You will also need garlic, ketchup, honey (or maple syrup), salt, pepper, and garlic powder.

Sometimes, the strawberries and tomatoes are too tart; in that case, add some brown sugar to balance the sauce’s taste.

You can add soy sauce to this sauce for an Asian flare.

Add some lemon juice to make the sauce tangier.

How To Make Strawberry BBQ Sauce

Melt 1 tablespoon of butter and 1 tablespoon of light olive oil over medium-high heat in a large, deep pot or Dutch oven.

Once the oil is hot, add 1 teaspoon minced garlic and cook until it turns golden brown (30-40 seconds), stirring continuously.

Add 2 pounds (1 kg) of halved strawberries and 1 cup of diced ripe tomatoes to the pan and cook, stirring occasionally, until the strawberries are soft and starting to break down (8-10 minutes).

Strawberries and tomatoes added to the pan.

Transfer the berries and tomatoes into a blender or a food processor and blend until super smooth. You can also use an immersion blender to blend the sauce.

Berries and tomatoes added to a blender.

Return the berries and tomatoes to the pot and stir in the following ingredients.

¼ cup balsamic vinegar
1 cup ketchup
2 tablespoon honey
2 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
½ teaspoon garlic powder.

Bring the ingredients to a boil.

Now reduce the heat to low and allow the sauce to simmer until its volume is reduced by about a third and the flavor profile is sweet, tangy, and not vinegary (15-20 minutes). Stir at regular intervals while cooking.

Check for salt and pepper and add more if needed. You can add some brown sugar if the sauce is too tart.

Remove the pot from the heat and let the sauce cool completely.

Transfer the cooled sauce to an airtight container and refrigerate for 7 days or freeze for 6 months.

Frequently Asked Questions

How to make roasted strawberry barbeque sauce?

To enhance the flavors, you can substitute roasted strawberries for fresh strawberries in the recipe. Rinse and hull the strawberries and cut them in half. Arrange them on a baking sheet and roast them in a preheated oven at 400 degrees F for 20 minutes.

Can I use other fruits to make fruity barbecue sauces?

You can replace strawberries with peaches, pineapple, blackberries, mangoes, or figs.

Can I make this homemade BBQ sauce in a slow cooker?

Yes, you can. Add all the ingredients to a slow cooker and cook on low for 6 hours. Blend the sauce in a blender or a food processor, and it’s ready to use.

How to make spicy strawberry sauce?

Chipotle peppers add a smoky flavor and a spicy kick to adobo sauce, and habanero peppers can also be used. The sweetness of strawberries also pairs well with the kick of Jalapeno peppers.

Can I make this sauce using strawberry jam?

Yes, microwave the jam until it is flowy. Then, use it in place of fresh or frozen strawberries. The sauce made using strawberry jam will be sweeter than the one made using strawberries.