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Home / Blog / Recipes

Carolina Gold BBQ Sauce

Jump to Recipe

By:

Madeline

Updated: April 29, 2024

This site may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.

This Carolina Gold BBQ Sauce is a sweet and tangy mustard barbecue sauce. This delicious and healthy Carolina gold sauce can be made at home in just 30 minutes and enjoyed for many meals.

30 minutes

Minimal prep

You’ll Learn: A simple technique for controlling sauce thickness

Worth It: Simple method, great results without fussy steps

Bonus: Easy to tailor to common diets

Side view of a spoonful of Carolina gold sauce dripping into a jar

Mustard barbecue sauces are my favorite!!

Confession time: before I went to college I had no idea there were different styles of barbecue sauce. Since then, I have lived in both Nashville and Atlanta and had my fill of barbecue and the accompanying sauces.

I never really liked the super sweet and sticky bbq sauce that I grew up with but fell in LOVE with Carolina Gold BBQ Sauce. It has a mustard base so it is super tangy, but still sweet enough. I wanted to make a delicious Whole30 barbecue sauce so I sweetened this one naturally with 100% pineapple juice.

three quarter view of carolina gold bbq sauce

What type of mustard is best for Carolina gold sauce?

For this mustard barbecue sauce I prefer to use yellow mustard. I keep it simple with a classic French’s yellow mustard.

Side view of a jar of Carolina gold mustard bbq sauce

What kitchen tools will I need to make this Carolina Gold BBQ Sauce?

  • Measuring spoons and measuring cups
  • Liquid measuring cup
  • Mixing bowls
  • Sauce pan
  • Whisk
  • Wooden mixing spoon
Above view of ingredients for carolina gold sauce

What ingredients will I need to make this golden BBQ sauce?

You will be amazed at how easy it is to make this Whole30 friendly mustard barbecue sauce at home with just a few simple ingredients.

  • Yellow mustard
  • Tomato paste
  • Apple cider vinegar
  • Garlic powder
  • Onion powder
  • Black pepper
  • Smoked paprika
  • Cayenne pepper
  • Water
  • Pineapple juice
  • Arrowroot starch
above view of step by step instructions for assembling carolina gold bbq sauce

How to make Carolina gold BBQ sauce

Step 1: Mix the ingredients

First, combine tomato paste, yellow mustard, apple cider vinegar, onion powder, garlic powder, black pepper, smoked paprika, and cayenne pepper in a small mixing bowl. Then, add 1/2 cup water to the mixture and mix again.

Step 2: Reduce pineapple juice to a syrup

Next, pour pineapple juice into a sauce pan. Bring the juice to a boil and then immediately reduce to a simmer. Simmer for 16 minutes stirring frequently until a syrup-like mixture remains.

Step 3: Simmer and thicken the sauce

Then, pour the sauce into the pan with the pineapple syrup. Simmer for an additional 5 minutes then while mixing pour in the arrowroot starch slurry. Allow the sauce to cook for an additional minute and thicken.

Step 4: Enjoy!

Finally, remove the sauce from the heat. Allow to cool and then pour into an airtight container like a wide mouth mason jar and store in the refrigerator.

Side view of carolina mustard bbq sauce in a jar

How long will this healthy homemade BBQ sauce keep in the fridge?

Once prepared, you should store this sauce in the refrigerator in an airtight container. It will keep for up to 2 weeks in the refrigerator.

Check out these other healthy homemade sauces

  • Healthy Copycat Chick-fil-A Sauce
  • Creamy Zhoug Sauce
  • Creamy Honey Mustard Sauce

You can find the full recipe below. If you make this recipe, please rate and review it in the comments, or share it with me on Instagram!

Pinterest image for carolina gold bbq sauce

You can find the full recipe below. If you make this recipe, please rate and review it in the comments, or share it with me on Instagram!

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Recipe

Carolina Gold BBQ Sauce

5 from 3 votes
A tangy Whole30 friendly mustard bbq sauce that is sweetened naturally with pineapple juice
Recipe By: Madeline
Prep: 5 minutes minutes
Cook: 25 minutes minutes
Total: 30 minutes minutes
Print Review Pin It SaveSaved!
Servings: 16 servings

Ingredients

  • 3/4 cup yellow mustard
  • 1/3 cup tomato paste
  • 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp onion powder
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper
  • 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
  • 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1 cup pineapple juice
  • Arrowroot starch slurry – 1 tbsp arrowroot powder and 1/4 cup water
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Instructions

  • Combine tomato paste, mustard, apple cider vinegar, garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, smoked paprika, and cayenne pepper in a small bowl with a whisk or fork
  • Add 1/2 cup of water to the bowl and mix again until a smooth sauce remains
  • Add 1 cup of pineapple juice to a sauce pan and bring to a boil
  • Reduce the mixture to medium low amd simmer for 16 minutes stirring frequently until a syrup like texture remains
  • Pour the sauce mixture into the pot with the pineapple syrup
  • Mix thoroughly and simmer for 5 minutes
  • In a small bowl, combine arrowroot strach and water
  • Optional thickening step: while stirring with a wooden mixing spoon pour in the arrowroot starch and water mixture
  • Allow the sauce to simmer and thicken for another minute and then remove from heat
  • Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator

Nutrition Information

Serving: 16g, Calories: 23kcal (1%), Carbohydrates: 4g (1%), Protein: 1g (2%), Fat: 0.5g (1%), Saturated Fat: 0.04g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 0.3g, Trans Fat: 0.001g, Sodium: 173mg (8%), Potassium: 99mg (3%), Fiber: 1g (4%), Sugar: 2g (2%), Vitamin A: 130IU (3%), Vitamin C: 3mg (4%), Calcium: 13mg (1%), Iron: 0.4mg (2%)

This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.

Did you make my Carolina Gold BBQ Sauce?

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Madeline

Hi, I’m Madeline! I am so excited to share my healthy and approachable recipes with you. Here you will find simple, comforting recipes that the whole family will enjoy. Turn on your favorite playlist or podcast and let’s get cooking!
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Recipe Rating




16 responses

  1. Sarah
    March 17, 2020

    Hi!

    I want to make this for the slow cooker meatballs, but I’m missing pineapple juice. I have orange juice, would that be the same?

    Reply
    1. Madeline
      March 17, 2020

      Hi Sarah! I think that will work! It just might not be as sweet. If you arent worried about it being natural sugars you could always omit the fruit juice and use some brown sugar to sweeten!

      Reply
  2. Renee
    April 11, 2020

    5 stars
    I was pleasantly surprised by the taste of this barbecue sauce. Honestly, I was worried that the “Tangy” would translate into “sharp,” but that was not the case at all. The sauce is very well balanced with the pineapple juice syrup. I also found it much more tolerable than some of the acidic tomato-based sauces. Will definitely be making again.

    Reply
    1. Madeline
      April 13, 2020

      Wonderful!! Thank you for the detailed review!

      Reply
  3. Robin
    July 29, 2020

    5 stars
    Needed to add salt and a touch of honey. I did not even thicken it. Wow and fist bump was what I got.

    Reply
    1. Madeline
      July 31, 2020

      Yay!! So glad!! and I like that you went ahead and added your own touches 🙂 Thank you for sharing!

      Reply
  4. Ken
    March 6, 2022

    5 stars
    What is the intention behind evaporating the water out of the pineapple juice to create a syrup but then also adding additional plain water? Why not just use the unaltered pineapple juice and skip the water?

    Reply
    1. Madeline
      March 7, 2022

      the liquid ratio would be off. This is a way to control for proper thickness. feel free to change it up as you see fit!

      Reply
  5. Kimberly Sanford
    October 31, 2022

    Could this recipe be made without pineapple juice? I’m looking for a bbq sauce that’s unsweetened.

    Reply
    1. Madeline
      November 1, 2022

      Sure, but it wouldnt taste very good in my opinion.

      Reply
  6. Wendy
    November 29, 2022

    I thought the same thing and used juice to create the syrup + water liquid component. All else the same. It is excellent.

    Reply
  7. Heather R Tippel
    July 29, 2023

    Could you can this???

    Reply
    1. Madeline
      July 30, 2023

      Hi Heather, I am not very familiar with the canning process so I would not be sure what to advise for this one. I am sorry!

      Reply
  8. Tobie L Storey
    August 24, 2023

    Hi I am wondering if you can freeze this Carolina Gold sauce

    Reply
    1. Madeline
      August 24, 2023

      Hi there! I would not recommend it for this sauce.

      Reply

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