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    Home » All Recipes

    Sweet & Spicy Chipotle BBQ Sauce

    Published: Aug 22, 2023 by Megan

    Go to Recipe

    Sweet & Spicy Chipotle BBQ Sauce is much better than store-bought sauce and easy to make. I'll walk you through the four simple steps to make the sauce while giving you tips and substitutions along the way!

    Chipotle BBQ Sauce on a brisket sandwich

    I love making this homemade chipotle BBQ sauce recipe. The sauce is easy to make, and chances are you have most of the ingredients in your pantry.

    The chipotle peppers give the homemade sauce a smoky flavor and a little kick. In contrast, the brown sugar makes it subtly sweet.

    If you haven't tried making your BBQ sauce, you have to try it! I like to use it in my Slow Cooker BBQ Brisket recipe, and it's amazing!

    Jump to:
    • 🧀 Ingredients & Substitutions
    • 🔪 How to Make Chipotle Barbeque Sauce
    • 👩‍🍳Tips
    • 🥗 How to use Chipotle BBQ sauce
    • 🧊 How to Store
    • ❓ Recipe Questions
    • Sweet & Spicy Chipotle BBQ Sauce
    • Looking for More Tex-Mex Recipes?

    🧀 Ingredients & Substitutions

    Ingredients for Chipotle BBQ Sauce

    Olive Oil: You can use any oil or butter.

    Yellow Onion: A sweet onion or yellow onion works for this recipe.

    Ketchup: Ketchup or tomato paste is the base of all barbecue sauce. I like using ketchup. It gives the sauce the right consistency.

    Brown Sugar: I used two tablespoons of brown sugar. If you want the sauce to be sweeter, you can always mix in another tablespoon to the sauce after blending. You can also use white sugar if you don't have brown.

    Apple Cider Vinegar: A few substitutes for apple cider vinegar are rice wine vinegar, red wine vinegar, and white vinegar.

    Chipotle Peppers In Adobo: You can find canned chipotle peppers in Adobo sauce in the Mexican aisle of your grocery store. Chipotle peppers are jalapeños that have been smoked.

    Full ingredient list with quantities in the recipe card below

    🔪 How to Make Chipotle Barbeque Sauce

    cooking onion in pot

    1. Cook Onion: Heat olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the diced onions and cook until they are soft about 10 minutes.

    Remaining Ingredients in pot

    2. Add Remaining Ingredients: Add garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Then, add the remaining ingredients to the pot.

    simmering sauce

    3. Simmer: Cover the pot and let the sauce simmer for 10 minutes on low heat.

    blending sauce

    4. Blend: Remove the pot from the heat and let the sauce cool for 10 minutes. Then, blend until you get a smooth consistency.

    👩‍🍳Tips

    Don't blend the sauce while it's hot. If you do, it will cause the air in the blender to warm up, expand, and build pressure. That could lead to BBQ sauce flying everywhere.

    Let the sauce cool for 10-20 minutes before blending. If possible, let some air escape from the blender's lid while you are blending.

    🥗 How to use Chipotle BBQ sauce

    This sauce is so good on my Chipotle BBQ brisket tacos.

    It would go great on a brisket sandwich!

    This would also be amazing on chicken wings.

    🧊 How to Store

    Store for up to two weeks in the refrigerator in an airtight container.

    ❓ Recipe Questions

    What is Chipotle BBQ Sauce?

    It's a sweet homemade BBQ sauce with chipotle peppers blended into it, giving the sauce a little kick at the end.

    Is Chipotle BBQ sauce spicy?

    This chipotle BBQ sauce starts sweet and has a little kick at the end. You can add more spice by adding another chipotle pepper or make it sweeter by mixing in 1 more tablespoon of brown sugar.

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    Chipotle BBQ Sauce on a brisket sandwich

    Sweet & Spicy Chipotle BBQ Sauce

    Sweet & Spicy Chipotle BBQ Sauce is so much better than store bougt sauce. It goes great with grilled chicken, pulled pork, slathered on ribs, or on your brisket tacos!
    5 from 1 vote
    Print Pin Rate
    Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 35 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 40 minutes minutes
    Servings: 1 batch
    Calories: 63kcal
    Author: Megan
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    Ingredients
      

    • 2 tablespoon olive oil
    • 1 large yellow onion chopped
    • 6 cloves garlic minced
    • 1 cup ketchup
    • 4 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
    • 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
    • 2 tablespoons brown sugar
    • ½ tablespoon mustard
    • 3 Chipotle pepper in adobo sauce from a can

    Instructions

    • Heat olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat.
    • Once the oil is hot, add the diced onions and cook until they are soft, about 10 minutes. Mix in minced garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Then, add the remaining ingredients into the pot.
    • Bring the mixture to a soft boil, then reduce the temperature to low. Cover the pot and let the sauce simmer for 10 minutes.
    • Remove the pan from the heat and let the sauce cool for 10 minutes*. Then, blend the sauce until you get a smooth consistency.
    • At this point, if the sauce is too spicy for you, or you want it to be sweeter, you can mix in 1 teaspoon of brown sugar at a time until you get the balance of sweet and spicy you want.

    Notes

    Makes 1 ½ cups of sauce
    *Don't blend the sauce while it's hot. If you do, it will cause the air in the blender to warm up, expand, and build pressure. That could lead to BBQ sauce flying everywhere. Let the sauce cool for 10-20 minutes before blending. If possible, let some air escape from the blender's lid while blending.
    *If you want the sauce to be sweeter or less spicy, mix in another tablespoon of sugar to the sauce. 

    Nutrition

    Serving: 2tablespoons | Calories: 63kcal | Carbohydrates: 10g | Protein: 0.4g | Fat: 2.4g | Saturated Fat: 0.3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.25g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1.75g | Fiber: 0.66g | Sugar: 7.4g
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    Looking for More Tex-Mex Recipes?

    • Walking Taco Bake - This is the grown-up version of frito pie/ walking tacos. It only takes 35 minutes to make, and you can add all your favorite toppings!
    • Carnitas Enchiladas - So easy to make! You make the carnitas in a slow cooker in the morning, and assemble the enchiladas when you get home from work.
    • Spicy Potato Soft Tacos- Taco Bell knew what they were doing with their Spicy Potato Soft Tacos. This homemade version is so so good and easy to make!
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