If you like your barbecue on the sweeter side, yet still with plenty of smoky flavor and spiciness, honey chipotle BBQ sauce is right up your alley. Chipotle peppers have a very manageable medium heat to go along with their natural smokiness. We pair these chilies with a touch of smoked paprika to add a little more smoke without a significant increase in heat. These two ingredients can be adjusted to match your heat tolerance while still keeping the smokiness that’s so delicious paired with honey.
🌶️ Quick recipe snapshot
| Flavor profile | Sweet honey and smoky chipotle over a tomato base, with a sharp tang from lemon juice and cider vinegar. |
| Primary heat source | Chipotles in adobo, two of them, with an extra teaspoon of their sauce. |
| Heat level | Mild to medium, with two chipotles at 2,500 to 8,000 SHU apiece going into roughly 2 cups of sauce, so the heat stays friendly. |
| Texture | Smooth and thick once it’s blended, and you can simmer it longer if you like it thicker. |
| Best uses | Brushed on grilled chicken and pork, as a dipping sauce, or on the table for burgers and pulled pork. |
| Customization ideas | One chipotle and extra sweet smoked paprika for less heat, more adobo for more, or maple syrup in place of the honey. |
| Before you start | Set aside about 35 minutes. Most of that is simmering time, and a hand blender or food processor comes in at the end. Yield is about 2 cups. |
Flavor notes
A chipotle is simply a jalapeño, smoked and dried, which is where all that smoke comes from, and its heat stays close to a fresh jalapeño’s. Our chipotle vs. jalapeño comparison goes into how different the two taste. The canned ones arrive soft and packed in adobo, a tangy red sauce, and the extra teaspoon spooned in with them adds a bit more smoke and heat.
Smoked paprika is your dial. Pick a sweet one (labeled dulce on Spanish tins), which has no heat, and you’ll be able to pull out a chipotle for a milder sauce without losing the smoky flavor. Just check the label first, because smoked paprika also comes hot. Our smoked paprika vs. paprika breakdown explains the different types.
How sweet is it? Less than you might guess from the name. There’s a quarter cup of honey and two tablespoons of brown sugar. But there’s also a half cup of lemon juice and cider vinegar, so the tang comes through as much as the sweetness. Worcestershire sauce and tomato paste give it a savory backbone underneath.
Give the onion its 5 minutes until it’s translucent, then add the garlic for just a minute so it doesn’t scorch. Since everything gets blended smooth at the end, a rough chop on both is fine. And check the thickness after it has cooled a little, because it keeps thickening off the heat.
Adaptation ideas
Want to tune it to your taste? A few easy changes:
- Milder: Go with a single chipotle and add another teaspoon of sweet smoked paprika so the smoke stays.
- Hotter: Chop in a third chipotle, spoon in more of the adobo, or shake in a little ground cayenne.
- Maple instead of honey: Swap in the same amount of maple syrup for a deeper, more caramel-like sweetness.
- Less tangy: Cut the lemon juice back by a tablespoon or two, taste after simmering, and adjust from there.
- Thicker: Once it’s blended, pour it back into the saucepan for a few more minutes over low heat, stirring so the bottom doesn’t scorch.
Serving ideas
Try this sweet BBQ sauce as a marinade for pork or chicken, or simply have it on the side for a post-grilling flavor boost or dipping sauce.
- On the grill: Brush it on chicken thighs or pork chops once they’re nearly cooked through, since honey and sugar scorch over high heat. Keep a separate bowl for the table.
- As a marinade: Set aside the sauce you want for serving before any of it touches raw meat.
- Ribs and pulled pork: Glaze ribs with it in the final stretch of cooking, or fold it into pulled pork just before it goes on the buns.
- For dipping: Serve it with chicken tenders, fries or sweet potato wedges.
- Burgers and sandwiches: Add a spoonful to a grilled burger or a pulled chicken sandwich with crunchy slaw.
Storage notes
Once it’s cool, spoon it into a clean jar with a tight lid and refrigerate it for up to about a week, stirring it before each use. Want some on hand for later? Freeze it in an ice cube tray or small containers, and you’ll only have to thaw a few spoonfuls at a time.
Grilling with it? Split off a bowl for basting before you start. Whatever’s left in that bowl after the brush has gone back and forth to raw meat gets tossed, not saved.
Like this recipe? You’ll love these too:
- Maple Chipotle Sauce: Maple syrup in place of honey, warmed with butter into a glossy dipping sauce.
- Raspberry Chipotle BBQ Sauce: Chipotle and smoked paprika again, with raspberries for a sweet-tart BBQ sauce.
- Chipotle Honey Mustard Dressing: Honey and chipotle in a creamy Dijon dressing that doubles as a sandwich spread.
50 quick, bold sauces and salsas: classic salsas and fun twists, BBQ sauces with a kick, and dippers with bang. Simple to make, big on flavor.
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Honey Chipotle BBQ Sauce
Ingredients
- 2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce chopped, plus 1 teaspoon extra adobo sauce
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
- 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 white onion diced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 can tomato paste 6-ounce can
- 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika sweet (dulce)
- 1 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- In a saucepan over medium heat, warm the olive oil, then sauté the onion until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute more.
- Add the chipotle peppers (and extra adobo sauce), water, honey, lemon juice, apple cider vinegar, tomato paste, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, smoked paprika, and salt. Bring to a simmer and cook over medium heat for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Remove the sauce from the stove, then using a hand blender or food processor, process the sauce until smooth.
- If the BBQ sauce is too thin, place the sauce back in the saucepan and continue to simmer until it reaches your desired thickness.
A great sauce. Much better than the ones using catsup as a base. For a kick replace the water with rum. Adds a unique flavor and body to the sauce.