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This easy homemade apricot BBQ sauce is sweet and tangy, and you can really taste the flavor of the fresh apricots. It’s great on grilled chicken!
It’s no secret that I love BBQ sauce. Up until this point, I’ve never tried making my own. I fancied an apricot BBQ sauce, and I feel like sometimes the more fruity sauces etc. lose some of their flavor when they’re commercially produced. I am pleased that the apricot flavor comes through very nicely in this easy homemade barbecue sauce recipe.
Would you believe I had to go to no fewer than FOUR grocery stores to find apricots?! I nearly gave up, I tell ya. I didn’t think they were ever hard to find in the middle of the summer… but leave it to me to need them when there’s some sort of shortage. 😛
I did some research on how to make barbecue sauce, and as expected, there are maaannny recipes for homemade BBQ sauce out there. They all contain many of the same ingredients. Ketchup or tomato sauce. Brown sugar and/or honey. Worcestershire sauce. Some spices. Garlic. Vinegar. Those are all in this recipe.
What sets it apart is the fresh apricots (I used 6 large ones) and the smoked paprika. I was debating adding liquid smoke as well, and you could if you wanted to, but I decided to go with a more subtle smokiness and really let the fruit shine through.
This BBQ sauce is not spicy. I do not like my BBQ sauces to be too hot, but feel free to throw in some chili powder and/or cayenne pepper if you need some more kick.
This sweet BBQ sauce can be adjusted to suit your taste buds. If you want it even sweeter, add more honey or brown sugar. If it’s too sweet, add more apple cider vinegar. I recommend tasting it after it’s been simmering for about 20 minutes. That’ll give you a good idea of what the final flavor will be.
Since I used fresh, cut-up apricots in this recipe, I did end up having to mash them while cooking them. It’s definitely not a difficult step, but I think it’s a necessary one unless you’re ok with pieces of apricot in your sauce. I just used my potato masher to mash ’em right in the pan. I chopped the apricots fairly small but not so small that they were completely absorbed in the sauce.
I simmered this BBQ sauce for about 40-45 minutes in total. There’s plenty of water in fresh fruit, and I wanted it to reduce a bit, thus the length of cooking time. I kept the pan mostly covered (but left the lid slightly ajar) so it didn’t splatter all over my kitchen. 😉
Will you give this apricot BBQ sauce a try?
Talk to me in the comments!
Apricot BBQ Sauce
Ingredients
- 6 large apricots (or 8-10 smaller ones) chopped small
- 1 (7.2 ounce) can tomato sauce
- 4 dashes Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1/4 cup (packed) brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon onion power
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- Salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
- Add all ingredients to a medium saucepan on medium-high heat. Give it a stir. Bring it to a boil, and then reduce the heat to medium-low. Cover it with the lid slightly ajar. Let it simmer for 20 minutes, giving it a stir every 5-10 minutes or so, just to prevent it from burning on the bottom.
- After about 20 minutes, the apricots should be very soft. Using a potato masher or whatever works for you, mash the apricots down if you do not want whole apricot pieces in your sauce. Give it a taste and adjust seasonings as needed (or add more sugar or vinegar to adjust taste). Cover again, with the lid slightly ajar, and continue simmering the sauce for another 20 minutes or so, again stirring every 5-10 minutes.
- If the sauce looks thick enough for your tastes, remove it from the heat and let it cool for at least 20 minutes prior to transferring it to airtight jars. The sauce should keep for about a week in the fridge.
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If you like apricots, you may also like my crispy apricot chicken or my 3-ingredient apricot energy bites.
I am giving it a whirl! Because I have an apricot tree, I have had plenty of apricots. So I cut them up and stir in a little lemon juice and honey to keep them in the fridge awhile until I have time to can or use them in a recipe. I also didn’t have any tomato sauce or Worchestershire so I used diced tomatoes and soy sauce instead. I also just tried a recipe that had apricots and herbs de Provence and I REALLY liked it, so I added that, too. So , I know my sauce will turn out a little different than yours, but I am hoping that it is still delicious. 🙂 It’s on the stove right now, simmering. 🙂
Ohh I wish I had an apricot tree – jealous!! Let me know how it went! 🙂
Family and I just loved this sauce. I’ll do it again many times!! Thanks!!
That’s wonderful, Ken! Thanks for letting me know.
This combination of flavors is absolutely mouthwatering, Natasha!! I’d be eating it straight out of the jar!
Aw thanks so much, Marissa!!
Fruity BBQ sauces are totally my jam! And homemade ones are always, like, a billion times better than the store bought kind. They just have so much more flavor… right?! Needless to say, I am TOTALLY digging this apricot BBQ sauce, Natasha!!!! I could legitimately eat this with a spoon! Cheers, sweets!
Hehehe I was eating this with a spoon while making it. Thanks, Chey!! 🙂
I”m pretty sure Dave will request this weekly if I make this! Love homemade BBQ sauce, I usually use cherries but now I have to try the apricot!!
Thanks, Sam! Cherry sounds good too!! Let me know if you try it.
Wow! What a stunner of a recipe! I’d really love to give this a go.
Thank you!! I hope you like it. 😘
This sauce sounds amazing!
Thanks, Pamela!!
Now I’m getting paranoid that there’s a shortage of apricots here too! And I’m craving them like nothing else after these pics :). I loooooove the sound of apricot BBQ sauce! But I’d probably eat most of it with a spoon, and have little left over for actual BBQ. . .have a great weekend, Natasha!
Thanks, Kelsie! Hopefully there isn’t a shortage! I made this recipe a few weeks ago before I went on vacation, and I’m really hoping that they’re back by now (I haven’t been to a grocery store myself in like 3 weeks now). I definitely ate some of it with a spoon haha.
This homemade barbecue sauce recipe really is perfect for my grilled chicken, sometimes already so difficult to eat for so long, but with the addition of this sauce I will vary the taste because it is easier to stick to the diet.
I’ve tried peach bbq sauce, but not apricot Natasha. My son Sean is a huge apricot fan. I’ll need to give your recipe a go and bring some the next time I visit him! Thanks for sharing!
Oooh, let me know if you do make it! I just love apricots, and I thought this would be a hit with anyone else who does! 🙂