Easy Apple Jalapeño Barbecue Sauce

Easy Apple Jalapeño Barbecue Sauce 

Easy Apple Jalapeño Barbecue Sauce is my new favorite condiment. This one is the perfect blend of sweet and spicy, with just enough kick to wake you up, but not so hot that it burns your face off. 

I just finished making a Jalapeño Cheddar Cheese Bread, and had some extra jalapeños that needed to be used up, and this was such a fun way to use them. It is really simple to make, and is the perfect addition to any meal. Use it for grilling, dipping, whatever you want! You can’t go wrong when it comes to making your own amazing barbecue sauce. 

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Have you tried making this Easy Apple Jalapeño Barbecue Sauce? Come on in and let me tell you about it! 

Easy Apple Jalapeño Barbecue Sauce Ingredients 

Jalapeño, 2, finely diced with the seeds removed from one

Shallot, 1, finely diced 

Garlic cloves, 3-4, depending on the size, smashed 

Ketchup, 1 ½ cups 

Apple Juice, 1 cup 

Apple Cider Vinegar, ⅓ cup 

Brown Sugar, ¼ cup make your own with this recipe 

Molasses, 2 tablespoons 

Salt and Pepper, to taste 

Garlic Powder, 1 tablespoon 

Onion Powder, 1 tablespoon 

Celery Seed, 1 teaspoon 

Coriander, 1 teaspoon 

Ancho Chili Powder, ½ teaspoon 

Olive Oil, 1 tablespoon 

Easy Apple Jalapeño Barbecue Sauce Directions 

Start with dicing up the jalapeño, shallot, and smashing the garlic. For this, I removed the seeds of 1 jalapeño and kept the other one. This provided a slightly spicy, but still very mild sauce. You can certainly customize this to fit your taste by removing all the seeds or leaving them all in. It is totally up to you. 

For the garlic, be careful if you choose to mince or dice it. Because the smaller the pieces are, the more likely it is to burn in the pan. I like to take my knife, turn it sideways, and smash the garlic that way, tapping the knife gently with the palm of my hand. That leaves it whole, so it won’t burn, but still allows the natural oils and flavor to come out into the sauce. 

In a mixing bowl, measure out all of the liquid ingredients. The liquid ingredients would be ketchup, apple juice, apple cider vinegar, and molasses. 

In a second mixing bowl, measure out the dry spices. I like to have all the prep work done and ready before starting the sauce because I can’t forget any ingredients that way. 

Add the olive oil into the frying pan and turn the heat to medium-high. Once the oil is heated up, add in the jalapeño, shallots, and garlic. Saute them until they start to char a bit on the edges and look brown. 

You will want to open a window as you’re cooking the jalapeños because the smell can be overpowering and hurt your nose and throat. Remember these are spicy peppers, so try not to breathe too much in at this point. 

Now it is time to add in the liquids. They should start bubbling pretty quickly. You’ll want to turn the heat down to medium-low at this point and stir everything together. 

Next add in the dried spices and stir until they are well-combined. 

Let the sauce simmer over a medium-low heat for 25-30 minutes until it has reduced to the consistency you like, stirring occasionally. 

Once it has reduced and you’re happy with it, remove it from the heat and let it cool down for a few minutes. Normally I’m prepping dinner as I’m making my sauces, so I don’t time it. I just sort of set it off to the side and forget about it until I have a free minute to finish it. 

At this point you’ll need a mixing bowl, a strainer, and a spatula. 

Place the strainer over the mixing bowl and pour the sauce into the strainer. Use the spatula to push the sauce through the strainer, with the sauce going into the mixing bowl and leaving just the solids in the strainer. 

Be patient with this part, as you’ll need to keep pushing and mixing the solids to get all of the liquids out and into the mixing bowl. I give mine anywhere from 5-10 minutes when I make any type of sauce. Making sauce is always an exercise in patience when you reach this step, but that is what gives you the perfect saucy texture and consistency. Nobody wants a lumpy sauce! 

Once you are done, transfer the sauce into an airtight container to store in the refrigerator. These are my favorites. This Easy Apple Jalapeño Barbecue Sauce can be stored for up to 2 weeks in the refrigerator. 

I like to let mine chill in the refrigerator overnight before using it, but you can certainly use it immediately. It is completely up to you. 

Recipe Notes 

One of my favorite things about this Easy Apple Jalapeño Barbecue Sauce or any sauce recipe I make is that it can easily be customized to fit your taste preferences. Want extra spicy? Add in another jalapeño. Want it mild? Leave out all the ribs and seeds. 

You can also add in some more ancho chili powder, or cayenne pepper to give it some extra spice. 

You can also customize the apple juice that you use. I haven’t tried this,  but I’ve seen plenty of apple juice blends with another fruit in it, and you can certainly use one of those for an added depth of flavor or to simply change it up a little bit when you make this sauce.

The possibilities for customization can be really fun! 

Why I Love This Recipe 

This is such an incredibly simple recipe to make yourself. I am a huge fan of making my own sauces and spice blends, because I know exactly what is going into it, and I can control the flavor and salt levels. Plus it is often cheaper than buying a commercially made sauce. Which makes the homemaker in me very happy. 

This recipe may seem daunting, but just focus on prepping everything first by dicing the veggies and measuring everything out and you’ll do just fine. That’s all it takes. 

It Is Vegan! 

This recipe is naturally vegan, so you don’t have to make any substitutions or changes to serve it to your vegan friends, or to fit into your own vegan diet. Our best friend is vegan, and I must admit that I’m always excited about recipes that I can share with him that fit into his lifestyle. His favorite so far has been my blueberry barbecue sauce that he made for his last birthday party. 

My husband, Nathan, always notices when a recipe is vegan, or will ask about substitutions for our friend and how to change it if necessary. We both pay so much more attention to that because of our bestie.

Discussion 

Have you tried making this delicious Easy Apple Jalapeño Barbecue Sauce yourself yet? Are you a fan? Did you make any substitutions? Let me know your thoughts in the comments! 

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