Healthy BBQ Sauce (No Added Sugar!)

Healthy BBQ Sauce (No Added Sugar!)

Course: sauce

Cuisine: American

Keyword: barbecue sauce, healthy BBQ sauce

Prep Time: 5

Cook Time: 0

Total Time: 5

Servings:

Calories: 46kcal

Author: Megan Gilmore

It may sound hard to believe, but you can make homemade BBQ sauce without ketchup or added sugar. This fruit-sweetened sauce comes together quickly in the blender, so it's ready to use in just minutes. No cooking required!

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Ingredients

½ cup pitted Medjool dates (see notes)
15 oz. can diced tomatoes , with juices
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon blackstrap molasses
1 tablespoon spicy brown mustard
1 teaspoons fine sea salt , plus more to taste
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon ground cumin
¼ teaspoon ground ginger

Instructions

Add the pitted dates, canned tomatoes, vinegar, molasses, mustard, salt, pepper, paprika, black pepper, garlic, cumin, and ginger to a high-speed blender. Secure the lid and blend until the dates are pulverized. This may take up to 2 minutes, stopping to scrape down the sides of the machine as needed.
When the mixture appears smooth, taste the sauce and make any necessary adjustments. (My mixture is usually warm in the blender from the friction.) You can add another date for added sweetness, or a squeeze of mustard for a tangier flavor. If you keep tamari on hand, add a tablespoon for extra salty, umami flavor. Transfer the sauce to a 16-oz jar with a lid and store it in the fridge until you're ready to use it. This should keep well in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.

Notes

Nutrition information is for a 1/4 cup of BBQ sauce, assuming you get 2 cups total from this batch. This information is automatically calculated using an online database; therefore, it is an estimate and not a guarantee.

Medjool Date Note: This recipe works best with soft, squishy dates. You'll know you have good ones when you can easily split them apart with your fingers to remove the pits. I prefer to measure dates with a food scale: 1/2 cup = 4 ounces or roughly 111 grams.

Nutrition