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This Whole30 BBQ sauce is smoky and sweet, just like a BBQ sauce should be! It’s made with dates, coconut aminos, and smoked paprika, making it paleo and Whole30 compliant. A great condiment to keep in the fridge to pair with chicken, pork, shrimp, or steak for a quick dinner!
Why This Recipe Is So Good
- This homemade BBQ sauce doesn’t require hours of cooking, it’s ready in just 30 minutes.
- It’s paleo, whole30 and vegan and doesn’t contain any refined sugar.
- You can make it ahead of time for an easy and quick way to add flavor to your meals.
How long does it keep in the fridge?
Once the sauce has cooled completely, transfer it to an airtight container. It will keep for up to two weeks in the fridge. The whole30 BBQ sauce also freezes well in a freezer safe container or ziplock bag. Thaw in the fridge or at room temperature.
How do you use this sauce?
This whole30 BBQ sauce is a great way of adding flavor to beef, pork, fish and chicken. Spread the sauce onto your meat and oven bake or grill for a delicious and easy meal. It’s great to mix with shredded pork or chicken for tacos and burgers, or you could simply use it as a dip for your fries.
More Delicious Whole30 recipes
Whole30 BBQ Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon ghee see Notes
- 1 cup diced onion yellow onion or Vidalia onion
- ½ cup chopped dates
- 3-4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon mustard powder
- 1 tablespoon smoked paprika plus more to taste
- 1 6-ounce can compliant tomato paste see Notes
- ½ cup coconut aminos
- 1 cup water or chicken stock
- 4 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan, heat the ghee or coconut oil over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté for 3-5 minutes or until translucent.
- Add the remaining ingredients and stir to combine. Bring the sauce to a gentle boil, reduce the heat to low and simmer for 15-20 minutes.
- Transfer mixture to blender carefully (it will be very hot!). Blend on high speed until smooth. Season with salt.
- Leftovers: Refrigerate in an airtight container up to 2 weeks.
- Tomato Paste: Be sure your tomato paste doesn’t contain any added sugars or other unnecessary, non-compliant ingredients.
- Make it Vegan: Use coconut oil instead of ghee.
Approximate Information for One Serving
Nutrition Disclaimers
Number of total servings shown is approximate. Actual number of servings will depend on your preferred portion sizes.
Nutritional values shown are general guidelines and reflect information for 1 serving using the ingredients listed, not including any optional ingredients. Actual macros may vary slightly depending on specific brands and types of ingredients used.
To determine the weight of one serving, prepare the recipe as instructed. Weigh the finished recipe, then divide the weight of the finished recipe (not including the weight of the container the food is in) by the desired number of servings. Result will be the weight of one serving.
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This is a good sauce. I think it needs a little chili powder or cayenne to give it a little kick. Definitely a keeper though!
So glad you enjoyed it, Kathy! 😊
Just made this recipe and it is so good! I didn’t have an onion on hand so I used dried minced onion – flavor is excellent but after I blended I still got onion chunks. I’ll use a fresh onion next time! I like my BBQ sauce pretty vinegary so I made as is then added extra vinegar to my liking. So delicious! Thanks for the recipe!
So glad you loved it, Megan! Thanks for sharing! 🙂
I find the bottled Primal Kitchen sauces too spicy for my family. How does yours hold up? It looks amazing. I’m excited to try it to see how it tastes!
Hi, Mark! There’s a lot of flavor in our BBQ sauce but it’s not spicy (as in hot), so no worries there. You can also adjust the spices to your liking, too. For a smokier sauce, use a little more smoked paprika, or dial it back for a less-smoky sauce. Let us know how you like it!
Now that I’ve made this, I can confidently say it’s a stellar sauce! No modifications, just made as is but omitted any extra salt. Nice and sweet, but will probably add a touch more smoked paprika next time. Blended it up in a food processor as I like a little thicker consistency. I have a Vitamix and I’m toying with just chucking everything in there for 5 minutes like you would a soup. It’s got a lovely flavor. Might add a dash of a compliant hickory liquid smoke as well next time. Really great. Thank you!
Thank you so much for reporting back, Mark – I am THRILLED to hear you enjoyed it so much! Liquid smoke would be an incredible touch, that’s a great idea.
Can I use date spread instead of chopped dates?
Sure!
This is so delicious!!! Used it in my pulled pork recipe and it was so yummy!! Thank you so much for sharing this.
So glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for sharing. 🙂
This bbq sauce is mind blowing good! Would it work well for a slow cooker bbq chicken or best used as a topping condiment?
It should work both ways!
Amazing! Thank you so much for this!
Glad you enjoyed it, Amber!
Doing the whole 30 now and this sauce was amazing! Totally has that sweet flavor in a BBQ sauce that I love. Thank you for posting!
Yay! Glad it hit the spot!
This is a keeper, Whole30 or not. Thank you so much!
We agree! Glad you’ve enjoyed it. 🙂
Hello, approximately, how many dates equals 1/2 cup? Thanks!
Approximately 4 pitted, chopped dates, but you may have to adjust based on their size.