No summer cookout is complete without a good vegan BBQ sauce.
Whether you’re brushing it over grilled vegetables, layering it on a plant-based burger, or serving it as a dip, barbecue sauce is a seasonal staple. Larisha Bernard, known for the YouTube channel she runs with her husband, Make it Dairy Free, has shared a video where she explains how to make three vegan BBQ sauces that are perfect for summer.
Bernard, a popular recipe developer and content creator, has built an audience with her vibrant plant-based cooking and family-friendly approach. In the video, she says, “I don’t know about you, but I am a hundred percent a sauce girl… If sauce is involved, I want it, and I want a lot of it.”
Read more: Throwing A Vegan BBQ? Here Are 10 Recipes To Make
Each sauce starts with a familiar base and then takes on a different personality as ingredients are added: classic, fruity with blueberries, and sweet-and-spicy with peaches and habanero.
Classic vegan BBQ sauce
Bernard begins with the foundation: a traditional barbecue sauce that’s rich, tangy, and smoky. She sautés garlic in olive oil before adding ketchup, brown sugar, apple cider vinegar, vegan Worcestershire sauce, maple syrup, lemon juice, Liquid Smoke, and spices. The mixture is stirred until smooth, then left to simmer so the flavors can “marry together in a little bath,” she says.
For those who prefer a faster or oil-free version, Bernard offers a shortcut. She explains that you can skip the stovetop entirely by swapping fresh garlic for garlic powder and whisking everything in a bowl or jar. “It still tastes really, really amazing,” she says.
Blueberry BBQ sauce
The next recipe takes a creative turn by incorporating fruit. Bernard stirs blueberries into the same base ingredients, creating a sauce that is both sweet and savory. “The sweetness from the blueberries mixed with the savoriness of the barbecue sauce just does something absolutely amazing,” she says.
She cooks garlic, adds the remaining ingredients, and folds in fresh or frozen blueberries before simmering the mixture. After about 20 minutes, she blends it all into a smooth consistency. If any blueberry skins remain, she suggests straining the sauce through a sieve for a velvety finish.
Peach habanero BBQ sauce
Bernard’s final recipe leans into summer produce with juicy peaches. She combines ketchup, vinegar, maple syrup, vegan Worcestershire, lemon juice, and spices like smoked paprika and dry mustard. Ripe, fresh peaches add natural sweetness, though frozen can work in a pinch.
The twist comes with heat: a whole habanero pepper is dropped into the sauce as it simmers. “This makes sure that it is a little bit of a kick but not so much that, like, my kids won’t eat this recipe,” Bernard says. The pepper is removed before blending, but for more spice, she advises slicing some into the sauce or blending it fully. The end result balances sweet fruit with smoky heat.
Bernard recommends storing the sauces in airtight jars in the fridge, where they keep for about two weeks. She also notes that they’re allergen-friendly, with substitutions available for Worcestershire sauce and oil-free options.
“These are three delicious vegan barbecue sauces that will keep you going all summer long,” she says.
For more creative vegan recipes, check out the Make it Dairy Free YouTube Channel.
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