Smoky Homemade BBQ Sauce (with Watermelon)

This smoky homemade BBQ sauce is the perfect thing to whip up and keep in your fridge for when you are looking for a delicious sauce to add to burgers, as a marinate, or for dipping. What’s unique about this homemade sauce is that I’ve used a secret ingredient – watermelon! I know it sounds wild, but just trust me on this one.

Why you’ll love homemade BBQ sauce:

• Healthier: When you buy sauce at a store you don’t really pay close attention to what the ingredients are, and some are ones you can’t pronounce. Make it yourself so you know exactly what’s going in!
• Zero Waste: Have watermelon that is going to go bad or a bit overripe? No problem! This recipe will use it up for you.

Ingredient Notes:

Watermelon: In this homemade BBQ sauce I’ve used watermelon and brown sugar to really give that fresh and sweet flavor to it, that is naturally balanced by the vinegar, tamari, and mustard for the salty, savory tang.

Tamari: Tamari is a Japanese sauce made from fermented soybeans. It’s thicker than soy sauce, and it’s vegan and gluten-free.

How to make homemade BBQ sauce:

1. Preheat the Traeger or BBQ to 350F.
2. Add the thick-sliced rings of watermelon directly onto the grill.
3. Allow to cook for 30 minutes. Flip halfway through.
4. Bring the temperature up to 400F and cook for another 30 minutes.
5. Remove from the heat and cut the rinds off of the watermelon.
6. Add all of the ingredients to a blender.
7. Blend on high speed until smooth.
8. Adjust seasoning to taste.
9. Transfer the BBQ sauce to a pan or pot over medium-high heat and bring to a light boil. This will allow the flavours to combine and excess water to cook off.
10. Enjoy this Smokey BBQ sauce with anything you wish! It is absolutely delicious.

Expert Tips & FAQ:

I don’t have a BBQ: If you don’t have a Traeger or BBQ, just roast the watermelon in the oven at the same temperature. You can add 2 tsp of liquid smoke to it while roasting to get the same type of flavors! 

Customize This Recipe: Adjust ANY of the spices you wish. You can customize it even more by roasting other fruits to add to it- like mango! 

Storage: Store the Smokey BBQ sauce in the fridge in a sealed jar or airtight container for up to 2 weeks. 

Other recipes to make:

• One Pot Meals: Spinach Feta Rice Bowl
• Greek Meatballs with Whipped Feta
• Vegan Pastitsio Recipe
• Vegan Lemon Rice Soup

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Smoky Homemade BBQ Sauce (with Watermelon)

5 from 1 vote

This smoky homemade BBQ sauce uses a secret ingredient for the sweetness – watermelon! You'll love this recipe to keep on hand and use on anything.

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 1 hour hr

Total Time 1 hour hr 10 minutes mins

Course Sauce, barbeque

Cuisine Vegan, Vegetarian, Summer-Inspired

Calories 134 kcal

Ingredients

  

• 1 small watermelon sliced
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• ¼ cup tomato paste
• 3 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
• 2 tbsp. avocado oil
• 2 tbsp. Dijon mustard
• 2 tbsp. tamari
• 2 garlic cloves minced
• 1 ½ tsp. onion powder
• 1 ½ tsp. garlic powder
• ½ tsp. salt
• ½ tsp. cracked black pepper
• ½ tsp. red chili flakes

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Instructions

 

Instructions

• Preheat the Traeger or BBQ to 350F.
• Add the thick-sliced rings of watermelon directly onto the grill.
• Allow to cook for 30 minutes. Flip halfway through.
• Bring the temperature up to 400F and cook for another 30 minutes.
• Remove from the heat and cut the rinds off of the watermelon.
• Add all of the ingredients to a blender.
• Blend on high speed until smooth.
• Adjust seasoning to taste.
• Transfer the BBQ sauce to a pan or pot over medium-high heat and bring to a light boil. This will allow the flavours to combine and excess water to cook off.
• Enjoy this Smokey BBQ sauce with anything you wish! It is absolutely delicious.

Video

Notes

Notes 

If you don’t have a Traeger or BBQ, just roast the watermelon in the oven at the same temperature. You can add 2 tsp of liquid smoke to it while roasting to get the same type of flavors! 
Adjust ANY of the spices you wish. You can customize it even more by roasting other fruits to add to it- like mango! 
Store the Smokey BBQ sauce in the fridge in a sealed jar or airtight container for up to 2 weeks. 

Nutrition

Serving: 4tablespoons | Calories: 134kcal | Carbohydrates: 21g | Protein: 1.8g | Fat: 4.9g | Saturated Fat: 0.6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.7g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3.3g | Sodium: 672.2mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 17.7g

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