• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Trending Now: Simple One Pan Meals!
  • About
  • Lifestyle
  • Favorite Products
  • Contact

Mad About Food

Easy Healthy Whole Food Recipes

  • Recipe Index
  • Course
    • Appetizers
    • Breakfast
    • Lunch
    • Dinner
    • Sides
    • Dessert
    • Snack
    • Cocktails
    • Sauces, Dips, and Dressings
  • Protein
    • Chicken
    • Beef
    • Pork
    • Seafood
    • Turkey
    • Meatless
  • Method
    • Instant Pot
    • Air Fryer
    • Grilling
    • 30 Minute Meals
    • One Pan Meal
  • Dietary
    • Gluten Free
    • Dairy Free
    • Vegan
    • Vegetarian
    • Egg Free
    • Nut Free

Trending:

30 Minute Meals

Instant Pot

Air Fryer

One Pan

Meal Prep

Breakfast

Sauces, Dips and Dressings

Home Blog Recipes

Carolina Gold BBQ Sauce

print comments
Share
Share on:
4212 shares
Jump to Recipe
By: MadelinePosted: 02/19/2020Updated: 04/01/2021

This post 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.

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
Recipe

Carolina Gold BBQ Sauce

★★★★★ 5 from 3 reviews

A tangy Whole30 friendly mustard bbq sauce that is sweetened naturally with pineapple juice

Recipe By: Madeline
Prep: 5 minutesCook: 25 minutesTotal: 30 minutes
Print Pin it Rate recipe Save recipe
Servings: 16 servings 1x

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

Instructions

  1. 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
  2. Add 1/2 cup of water to the bowl and mix again until a smooth sauce remains
  3. Add 1 cup of pineapple juice to a sauce pan and bring to a boil
  4. Reduce the mixture to medium low amd simmer for 16 minutes stirring frequently until a syrup like texture remains
  5. Pour the sauce mixture into the pot with the pineapple syrup
  6. Mix thoroughly and simmer for 5 minutes
  7. In a small bowl, combine arrowroot strach and water
  8. Optional thickening step: while stirring with a wooden mixing spoon pour in the arrowroot starch and water mixture
  9. Allow the sauce to simmer and thicken for another minute and then remove from heat
  10. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator
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?

Rate recipe Share on Insta Save recipe

I appreciate your reviews SO much! Mention @mad_about_food and hashtag your photo with #madaboutfood

4212 shares
  • Facebook
  • Email

Related Recipes

  • Carolina Gold BBQ Chicken Wings
  • Veggie Packed Meat Sauce
  • Side view of a jar of zhoug sauce
    Creamy Zhoug Sauce
  • Side view of creamy honey mustard sauce pouring into a jar for storage
    Creamy Honey Mustard Sauce
Previous Post
Flourless Cake Batter Blondies
Next Post
Slow Cooker BBQ Chicken Meatballs

About 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!

Learn More

Reader Interactions

Leave a Comment Cancel reply

Have a question? Submit your question or comment below. Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe rating ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆

  1. Sarah says

    Posted on 3/17 at 3:34 pm

    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
    • Madeline says

      Posted on 3/17 at 3:55 pm

      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 says

    Posted on 4/11 at 1:35 pm

    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
    • Madeline says

      Posted on 4/13 at 11:33 am

      Wonderful!! Thank you for the detailed review!

      Reply
  3. Robin says

    Posted on 7/29 at 7:01 pm

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

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Madeline says

      Posted on 7/31 at 9:12 am

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

      Reply
  4. Ken says

    Posted on 3/6 at 5:17 pm

    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
    • Madeline says

      Posted on 3/7 at 9:39 am

      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 says

    Posted on 10/31 at 1:23 pm

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

    Reply
    • Madeline says

      Posted on 11/1 at 9:18 am

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

      Reply
  6. Wendy says

    Posted on 11/29 at 12:17 pm

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

    Reply

Primary Sidebar

Welcome

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!

Read More

Popular Posts

Whole30 BLT Chicken Salad

Blueberry Coconut Chia Seed Pudding

Ground Beef Baked Tacos

No Bread Turkey Club

Grab my

Top 5 Tips for Simplifying Meal Time!

Sign me up!

Opens in a new window Opens an external site Opens an external site in a new window

Join me and 145k friends on instagram

"This is my third time making this recipe and it’s a fave for meal prepping! So delicious, quick and easy ☺️" - Jessica

Get Recipe

"This was so simple and delicious!! Worked late and still quickly put together a great meal." - Dana

Get Recipe

"So good! Not only was this incredibly easy to make, the flavor was perfect. I will definitely make this again and again!" - Mandy

Get Recipe
@mad_about_food
Back to Top

Courses

Dinners

Breakfasts

Desserts

Dips & Sauces

Popular

Instant Pot

Air Fryer

Meal Prep

Chicken Recipes

Back to Top
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy
© 2023 Mad About Food
Site Credits Designed by Melissa Rose Design Developed by Once Coupled
4212 shares