If you're looking for a unique and flavorful BBQ sauce to elevate your next cookout or weeknight dinner, look no further than this homemade Sweet Peach BBQ Sauce recipe. Made with fresh peaches and a blend of sweet and smoky spices, this sauce will impress your taste buds. It’s the perfect plant-based sauce to make for the summer!
Making homemade sauces is one of the ways to elevate your kitchen skills and knock the socks off your dinner guests. It's completely customizable, healthier, and simply tastes better than store-bought. This barbecue sauce can be used as a marinade, glaze, or dipping sauce.
This sauce pairs perfectly with tofu. I recommend using it as a glaze on our Tofu Satay Skewers, a recipe I taught my husband to make since he was asking for them all the time. It also is a good dipping sauce for the famous Tofu Nuggets (Baked + Crispy).
In this post, I share the following:
- The crucial sauce step: How to properly bloom spices to enhance the flavor of this sauce.
- Optional substitutions that make this sauce personal & creative.
- Plant-based recipes to use this sweet BBQ sauce with!
Looking to improve your cooking skills? Check out my post that shares 14 Expert Tips to Enhance your Cooking Skills.
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Ingredients
To make a good BBQ sauce, there are three main components: a flavorful base, the right balance of sweet and tangy, and the addition of smoky and savory elements. A good base for a BBQ sauce typically includes ketchup, which provides a sweet and tangy flavor. To balance the sweetness, acid in apple cider vinegar and lemon juice is added. Smoky and savory flavors come from spices like smoked paprika, cumin, and chili powder. The key is to find the right balance of these components, adjust to your taste, and experiment with additional ingredients to make it your own!
- Base: Ketchup - provides a tomato-based, sweet, and tangy flavor that serves as the base for the sauce.
- Acid: Apple Cider Vinegar & Lemon Juice - adds a tangy flavor to the sauce and helps balance the sweetness.
- Sweeteners: Maple Syrup & Peaches - adds a sweet and slightly tart flavor that complements the smoky and savory notes in the BBQ sauce while balancing the acidity.
- Umami: Coconut Aminos & Dijon Mustard - adds a tangy and slightly bitter flavor that complements the sweetness of the other ingredients.
- Spices & Seasoning: Chili Powder, Smoked Paprika, Onion Powder, Ground Cinnamon, Garlic Powder, & Cumin - when combined, this spice blend adds a spicy kick with sweetness and depth of flavorings to the sauce.
See the recipe card for full quantities and detailed instructions.
Substitutions
Scrolling for the substitutions? Stop here! This recipe is gluten-free, vegan, and dairy-free, and so are all the swaps. This recipe is a great model for learning to cook homemade sauces.
🔥It is completely customizable with your own blend of spices and seasonings, as well as swapping out the peaches for pineapple, apple, mango, or cherry.
🔥Coconut aminos can be swapped for soy sauce or tamari. If you need to keep this recipe gluten-free, be certain to check the soy sauce label.
🔥Brown sugar is a great swap for maple syrup.
Instructions
Simple instruction manual steps: Sauté, stir, simmer, blend.
To start, dry heat the spices in a saucepan for 1-2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat, then add 2 tablespoons of filtered water and lemon juice. This step 'blooms' the spices making the sauce more flavorful. After a minute or two and once fragrant, add the peaches (fresh or frozen).
Next, add the ketchup, stir the peaches into the sauce mixture, and let them cook down for about 5 minutes or until they soften. Once the peaches have cooked down, it's time to add the remaining ingredients. Add some tanginess to the sauce with apple cider vinegar (ACV). Then, add coconut aminos and Dijon mustard to add some flavor depth to the sauce.
To balance out the sweetness of the peaches, add maple syrup. This will give the sauce a deliciously sweet and smoky flavor. Let the sauce simmer over medium heat for 10-15 minutes or until it thickens to your desired consistency. Once the sauce is cooked, let it cool down for a few minutes, then blend with an immersion or standing blender until the peaches are incorporated and smooth.
Equipment
For this recipe, you will need a medium-sized saucepan and either an immersion blender or a regular blender.
Storage
This homemade BBQ sauce lasts in the refrigerator for up to two weeks if stored in an airtight container. It is important to make sure the sauce has cooled down to room temperature before storing it in the fridge.
Freeze in an airtight, freezer-friendly zip-top bag for up to 3 months. Place the sealed bag in a bowl of hot water to thaw, reheat on the stove, then, if necessary, reblend before serving.
Top tip: Blooming spices for better flavor
Blooming spices is a crucial step in making a sauce as it helps to unlock its flavors and aromas. To properly bloom spices for a sauce, start by toasting them in a dry pan over medium heat until they become fragrant, usually for a minute or two. Be sure to stir them constantly to prevent burning.
Another technique to enhance the flavor of bloomed spices is to add a small amount of acid, such as lemon juice or vinegar, to the pan once the spices are toasted. This can help to brighten the flavors and create a more complex taste.
Following this recipe, step-by-step will teach you exactly how to bloom spices so that you can elevate your dishes' flavor!
FAQ
I personally have not canned this bbq sauce, BUT I see no problem with it! I'd recommend using the water bath method. Another option is freezing the sauce for up to 3 months, which I found to be easier than canning.
It was made for my Tofu Satay Skewers, a recipe I make weekly since it's high in plant protein and simple to meal prep with rice and a veggie!
more delicious recipes to check out
These are my favorite dishes to use with this sauce!
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Peach BBQ Sauce
Equipment
- immersion blender or regular standing blender
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ ground cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon tablespoons cumin
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 cup fresh or frozen sliced peaches
- 2 tablespoons filtered water
- 1 cup ketchup
- 1 ½ tablespoons ACV
- ½ tablespoon coconut aminos
- ½ teaspoon Dijon mustard
- ⅓ cup maple syrup
- ½ teaspoon salt and black pepper
Instructions
- Toast all the spices (excluding salt and pepper) in a dry pan over medium heat until they become fragrant, usually for a minute or two. Be sure to stir them constantly to prevent burning.
- Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat, then add 2 tablespoons of filtered water and lemon juice. This step 'blooms' the spices making the sauce more flavorful. After a minute or two and once fragrant, add the peaches (either fresh or frozen).
- Next, add the ketchup, stir the peaches into the sauce mixture, and let them cook down for about 5 minutes or until they soften. Once the peaches have cooked down, it's time to add the remaining ingredients. Add some tanginess to the sauce with apple cider vinegar (ACV). Then, add coconut aminos and Dijon mustard to add flavor depth to the sauce.
- Add in the maple syrup, taste the flavor, and then add salt and pepper. Taste again.
- Let the sauce simmer over medium heat for 10-15 minutes or until it thickens to your desired consistency. Once the sauce is cooked, let it cool down for a few minutes, then blend with an immersion or standing blender until the peaches are incorporated and smooth.
- Once cooled, transfer to an airtight container or jar. Keep in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
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