A simple, 5-ingredient, homemade easy cherry sauce you can use for cheesecake, ice cream, cake, and more! This recipe is made from frozen cherries, so you can make it year round when fresh cherries are not available. This sweet, delicious dessert sauce is naturally vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, and egg-free.
1pound (454g / 3 ½ cups) unsweetened frozen sweet cherries
Instructions
Add water, sugar, cornstarch, and lemon juice to a small pot. Whisk until no cornstarch lumps remain.
Place pot over medium heat and whisk mixture continuously until it starts to thicken, about 2-3 minutes.
Add frozen cherries and stir. When mixture starts to bubble, turn the heat down to low and simmer for 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally so the mixture does not stick to the bottom of the pot. Continue simmering until the sauce has thickened and looks glossy.
After the time has passed, remove the pot from the stove and allow the sauce to cool completely in the pot.
Once cooled, place the cherry sauce in a jar, cover, and refrigerate.
Notes
Please read the helpful info above and below before making this recipe to ensure success.
This recipe makes 2 cups of cherry sauce.
The sauce will thicken more as it cools and will thicken even more after being refrigerated.
I use unsweetened dark sweet pitted frozen cherries for this recipe.
Arrowroot starch can be used instead of cornstarch.
To Make with Fresh Cherries: Remove all pits, and use only ⅓ cup of water and start with less sugar. The amount you add will depend on the sweetness of your cherries. Reduce simmer time by a minute or two.
Store leftover sauce in an airtight jar or container, in the refrigerator for 5-7 days.
Nutrition info is based on 1 serving (2 tablespoons) and on the recipe made as written using 5 tablespoons of sugar. Nutrition info is only to be used as a rough guide. Click to learn how nutrition info is calculated on this website.