Easy Homemade Plum BBQ Sauce

BBQ sauce from scratch sounds complicated? Nope! This fruity plum BBQ sauce needs just a handful of ingredients, takes less than 20 minutes, and delivers the perfect balance of sweetness, spice, and smokiness.

Store-bought BBQ sauces always felt… underwhelming to me. Too sweet, too salty, and honestly, kind of boring. Yet somehow, one always made it into my shopping basket.

Then one summer, my neighbor handed me a giant basket of plums from her garden. I couldn’t possibly eat them all (even plum streusel cake has its limits), so I started experimenting. The result? This homemade BBQ sauce with plums — fruity, tangy, smoky, and worlds better than anything you’ll find in a bottle.

Every year when plum season rolls around, I get excited to whip up another batch. It’s perfect for summer cookouts, marinating tofu, or even as a dip for fries.

Jump to:

• Ingredient Notes
• Step-By-Step Instructions
• How to Use Plum BBQ Sauce
• FAQ
• More Sauces & Dips
• Recipe
• Comments

Ingredient Notes

You’ll only need 8 simple ingredients:

• Plums – provide natural sweetness and a thick texture
• Ginger – adds freshness and a gentle heat
• Red chili – for spice (skip for mild)
• Apple cider vinegar – balances with acidity
• Molasses & raw cane sugar – depth, sweetness & a light caramel note (or swap with coconut sugar or maple syrup)
• Liquid smoke – gives that signature BBQ flavor (or use ½ teaspoon smoked paprika)
• Sea salt & water – the basics

See recipe card for quantities.

Tip: Use ripe, juicy plums. They not only sweeten the sauce naturally but also create a richer, more rounded flavor. Under-ripe plums will leave it more tart and less balanced.

Step-By-Step Instructions

1. Prep: Pit and chop the plums. Finely chop ginger and chili.
2. Cook: Add everything to a saucepan, cover, and simmer for 10–12 minutes.
3. Blend: Use a blender to puree until smooth.
4. Store: Transfer to a clean jar and refrigerate. Keeps for about 1 week.

How to Use Plum BBQ Sauce

This homemade BBQ sauce with plums is endlessly versatile — not just for BBQ nights:

• As a marinade for tofu or tempeh
• A dip for fries, potato wedges, or roasted veggies
• Slathered on vegan burgers or wraps
• As a glaze for a chickpea loaf or veggie meatballs

FAQ

More Sauces & Dips

Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:

I hope you’ll give this BBQ sauce recipe with plums a try. If you love this recipe, be sure to leave a comment, rate the recipe and tag me on instagram (#veggiejam) with your recreation.

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