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Homemade barbecue sauce doesn’t have to be complicated. You’ll find this Cherry BBQ Sauce is the perfect sweet & savory addition to beef, pork, and chicken.
Summer is right around the corner and that means that we will get out of the kitchen and cook on the grill more often. I prefer it because it means we aren’t heating up the kitchen and we get outside as a family.
It also gives me the opportunity to whip up a delicious homemade barbecue sauce recipe.
I know that making your own condiments and sauces can seem intimidating, but they really are easy to make. They’re so much better than store-bought sauces too. Sauces, that you’ll find are crammed with extra sugar and “natural flavors” (what are natural flavors anyway?).
That’s why I wanted to share my recipe for Cherry BBQ sauce with you today. It’s simple to make, so flavorful, and once you have the basic recipe down you can play with your own flavor profiles!
Shopping List
- Onion
- Salted butter
- Garlic
- Fresh or frozen dark, sweet cherries
- Ketchup
- Brown Sugar
- Apple cider vinegar
- Worcestershire sauce
- Ground mustard
- Pepper
How do you make BBQ sauce from scratch?
For the full printable recipe with ingredient amounts, step-by-step instructions and tips, please scroll down to the Recipe Card below. Jump to Recipe
- Melt the butter in a large saucepan and then saute the onion in it until tender.
- Add the minced garlic and cook 1 minute more.
- Add in the remaining ingredients and stir to combine.
- Cook, uncovered, over medium-low heat for 20 minutes or until cherries are tender and sauce is thickened, stirring occasionally.
Cherry Barbecue Sauce FAQ
Here are some frequently asked questions – and answers – about making cherry BBQ sauce at home:
Can I use white sugar instead of brown sugar for BBQ sauce?
You can use white sugar, but then you’ll miss out on the molasses flavor that the brown sugar adds.
How do you use barbecue sauce?
This sauce is delicious on beef, chicken and pork. Remember the sugar in the sauce will caramelize on the meat but take care not to burn it.
What can I use instead of ketchup in BBQ sauce?
Substitute with 1 cup of tomato sauce, 1/3 cup of white or brown sugar, and 2 tablespoons of white or apple cider vinegar.
More of our Favorite Recipes
If you love making your Homemade Condiments and Sauces, you have to check out these other tasty recipes:
Cherry BBQ Sauce Recipe
Not ready to make it yet? Don’t forget to pin this recipe for later.
When you do make it, please be sure to tag me on Instagram @jugglingactmama or #jugglingactmama – I’d love to see your pictures!
And finally, if you get a chance, please comment and leave me a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating below!
Cherry BBQ Sauce
As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Ingredients
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 2 tablespoons salted butter
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 2 cups fresh or frozen dark sweet cherries pitted and coarsely chopped
- 1 cup ketchup
- 2/3 cup packed brown sugar
- 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 2 teaspoons ground mustard
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
Instructions
- Melt the butter in a large saucepan and then saute the onion in it until tender.
- Add the minced garlic and cook 1 minute more.
- Add in the remaining ingredients and stir to combine.
- Cook, uncovered, over medium-low heat for 20 minutes or until cherries are tender and sauce is thickened, stirring occasionally.
- Optional: for a super smooth sauce, use an immersion blender to puree the cherry barbecue sauce.
Oooh, I can’t tell you how excited I am to try this recipe! I absolutely LOVE American Spoon Foods’ cherry BBQ sauce, but since we moved to the UK, I haven’t been able to get it. I think you’ve saved summer grilling season!
YAY I’m so glad! I hope you just love it!
Could I use canned dark sweet cherries?
I have not tried it with canned cherries, but if you do, please let me know how it comes out 🙂