Cranberry BBQ Sauce

Sweet-tart and glossy, this cranberry BBQ sauce brings holiday flavor to wings, meatballs, ribs, and leftover turkey sandwiches. With a gentle chile warmth and optional bourbon finish, it packs a lot of flavors into one sauce.

Why You’ll Love This Cranberry BBQ Sauce

A sweet and tangy sauce that tastes great on almost anything- what’s not to love!

• Holiday-ready – Because this sauce is so cranberry forward, it’s great for pairing with holiday appetizers like meatballs or wings!
• Freezer-friendly – This recipe makes quite a large batch of bbq sauce. So I like to save some for later and freeze it for future use.
• Use on anything – This sauce tastes great on everything from wings and meatballs to bison steaks and turkey.

Gather This

While not the usual bbq sauce ingredients, these cranberry bbq sauce ingredients are still easy to find. A full list of ingredients with measurements for this recipe is available in the printable recipe card below.

• Dried cranberries – I like adding dried cranberries to my salads, so I always have a bag in hand. They’re easily found at your local grocery store.

Perfect Pairings

The sauce would be excellent with chicken, shrimp or steaks… basically anything you would dredge in traditional BBQ sauce. Personally I like to pair it with wings, or those delightful cocktail meatballs made in the crock pot.

Because I usually make this during the holidays, I like to slather it on turkey sliders or even just use it as a dipping sauce for leftover turkey.

Mix Things Up

There are plenty of ways to make this cranberry bbq sauce recipe your own! Here are a few suggestions.

• Bourbon finish – Add a splash of bourbon at the end for a slightly boozy and flavorful finish to your sauce.
• Touch of citrus – Orange is a flavor that pairs really well with cranberry- try adding some orange zest and orange juice.
• Warm seasonings – In addition to the cinnamon, try adding a sprinkle of nutmeg for even more flavor.

Cranberry BBQ Sauce Recipe

4.50 from 4 votes

Sweet-tart and glossy, this cranberry BBQ sauce brings holiday flavor to wings, meatballs, ribs, and leftover turkey sandwiches. With a gentle chile warmth and optional bourbon finish, it packs a lit of flavors into one sauce.

Prep Time: 30 minutes mins

Cook Time: 2 minutes mins

Total Time: 32 minutes mins

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Servings: 4 cups

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Equipment

• Garlic press
• Plastic Airtight Containers
• Double Boiler

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups coffee , hot
• 1 dried ancho chile
• 1/2 cup diced red onion
• 3/4 cup blueberries , fresh or frozen thawed
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries
• 4 large garlic cloves , coarsely chopped
• 1 dried chipotle chile , stems and seed removed, coarsely chopped
• 4 cups ketchup
• 1 cup dark brown sugar
• 1/2 cup red wine
• 2 tablespoons coarse Dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Instructions

• Combine the 1 1/2 cups coffee in a small bowl with 1 dried ancho chile to reconstitute. The pepper will start to moisten, almost to the point of disintegrating. Submerge with a fork, making sure all areas of the pepper are soggy. Remove pepper from coffee (reserving liquid) to a cutting board. Cut off the stem and then coarsely dice, removing at least 1/2 of the seeds. Seeds = heat. Want less heat? Remove more seeds or vice versa. Place in a large food processor.
• Heat a small frying pan over medium heat and then coat with cooking spray. Add the chopped 1/2 cup diced red onion, saute until opaque and soft. Remove and combine to chipotle chile in the food processor.
• Add the 3/4 cup blueberries, 1/2 cup dried cranberries, minced 4 large garlic cloves and 1 dried chipotle chile to the food processor with the 1 cup reserved coffee from the reconstitution. Pulse until it forms a fine, grainy puree.
• In the top portion of a double boiler, stir together the 4 cups ketchup, 1 cup dark brown sugar, 1/2 cup red wine, 2 tablespoons coarse Dijon mustard, 1 tablespoon black pepper, and 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon. Slowly pour in fruit puree mixture from the food processor.
• Simmer for 1 1/2 hours over low heat to reduce, stir frequently. The edges will get syrupy, scrap off and re-combine to mixture.
• Use immediately or freeze.
• If you've tried this recipe, come back and let us know how it was in the comments or star ratings.

Notes

Storage

This cranberry bbq sauce will stay in the refrigerator for up to a week in an airtight container.

Freezing

You can also freeze this sauce. It will stay for up to three months in a freezer-safe container.

Nutrition

Calories: 573 kcal, Carbohydrates: 133 g, Protein: 5 g, Fat: 1 g, Sodium: 2291 mg, Potassium: 1148 mg, Fiber: 5 g, Sugar: 113 g, Vitamin A: 3565 IU, Vitamin C: 17.9 mg, Calcium: 104 mg, Iron: 2.4 mg

Author: Chef Jessica Formicola

Calories: 573

Course: Condiment

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Homemade BBQ Sauce

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