Simple and quick homemade cherry sauce made with either sweet or sour cherries, fresh, canned, or frozen cherries.
Ingredients: 5 | Prep Time: 5 minutes | Cook Time: 10 minutes | Servings: 4 | Difficulty: Easy
I’ve made this cherry sauce so many times, I could do it in my sleep. My favorite way to serve it is on German waffles with a dollop of whipped cream.
I am still trying to get through the last of my sweet cherries... So many of them this year, and I picked as many as I could reach.
I make countless jars of Preserved Cherries, cakes like this Fresh Cherry Loaf Cake, Swiss Cherry Tart, or Cherry Brownies.
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Recipe ingredients
What cherries to use for making sauce?
As mentioned above, this cherry sauce can be made with fresh, frozen, or canned cherries.
Fresh or frozen cherries
- The procedure is pretty much the same; the only difference would be that when using fresh or frozen cherries, I would simmer the cherries for 2 or 3 minutes to soften them lightly or to allow them to defrost and get warm if frozen.
Canned cherries
- If you use canned cherries, this step is not necessary; canned cherries have already softened during the process of preservation. All you have to do in this case is to give them to the thickened liquid in the saucepan.
Sweet or sour cherries
- Usually, I use the sweet cherries from our cherry tree to make the sauce. When cherries are not in season, I use the cherries I preserve in summer.
- If I don't have any preserved cherries anymore, I either buy frozen cherries (mostly sour cherries) or canned cherries, which are always sour cherries.
How to make cherry sauce?
With fresh or frozen cherries
Step #1: Pit fresh cherries. Using a pitter works best (the Amazon affiliate link opens in a new tab).
Step #2: Pour about ¾ cup/ 180 ml of water into the pot. Add 2–3 tablespoons of sugar for sweet cherries, and about 1 tablespoon more for sour ones. Adjust to taste - more for sweeter, less for tangier.
Step #3: Whisk a little water with the cornstarch. You should have a smooth, thick, yet still pourable paste. Bring the liquid to a boil. Remove from the heat and whisk in the cornstarch mixture.
Step #4: Add the cherries to the sauce and stir well. Return the pot to the heat, turn the heat down, and simmer for 2 or 3 minutes or until slightly softer.
With canned cherries
Step #1: Strain the cherries and reserve 4-5 tablespoons of the juice to mix with the cornstarch.
Step #2: Pour about ¾ cup/ 180 ml of the juice into the pot. Add 1-2 tablespoons of sugar.
Step #3: Bring the juice to a boil and thicken it with the cornstarch slurry.
Step #4: Add the cherries and let the mixture bubble once or twice.
Flavor the sauce
You can leave the cherry sauce plain, and it will still be delicious.
However, to make it even better, add some fresh lemon or lime juice.
Alternatively, you could flavor it with ½ teaspoon vanilla extract or almond extract or, in winter, with a pinch of cinnamon.
Tip
If you're using canned fruit and include the juice, go easy on the sugar - many brands pack their fruit in heavy syrup, which can make the sauce very sweet.
Recipe FAQs
You can add more sugar if you like (or other sweeteners). As we serve it on top of a sweet dessert most of the time, we prefer it a bit tarter to balance the sweetness of the dessert. However, especially if making the sauce with sour cherries, you can add sugar to taste.
It keeps well in the fridge. Place it in an airtight container; it will keep for about a week.
Sure. Add 1 or 2 tablespoons of water and reheat on low heat while stirring often.
How to serve the sauce?
You can serve the cherry sauce either warm or at room temperature.
A typical German way of serving the cherry sauce is on German waffles. Waffles with cherry sauce and whipped cream are a classic of German cuisine.
Otherwise, you can have the cherry sauce on creme fraiche crepes or potato pancakes. You can have it with vanilla ice cream or with strained yogurt. You can top milk rice pudding or semolina pudding with it.
Serve it on top of Yogurt Bomb. And, by the way, this Yogurt Bomb is really the best dessert ever; you should definitely try it!!!
You can thicken the cherry sauce with a little more cornstarch and use it as a cake filling or cake topping.
Cherry Sauce – With Fresh, Canned or Frozen Cherries
Ingredients
- 2½ cups cherries 12.5 oz, pitted but left whole, Note 1
- ¾ cup juice from the canned cherries OR water if using fresh or frozen cherries
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar Note 2
- 1 ½ tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon lemon or lime juice freshly squeezed
Other flavors are optional
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract OR ½ teaspoon almond extract OR a pinch of cinnamon
Instructions
- Pit the cherries and set them aside. If using canned cherries, drain them and keep the juice.2½ cups cherries
- Juice: Pour 4-5 tablespoons of the canning juice into a small bowl. Pour the remaining juice, about ¾ cup/ 180 ml juice, into a saucepan. If using fresh or frozen cherries, replace the juice with water.¾ cup juice
- Cook: Add sugar to the pot with the juice. Bring the liquid to a boil.2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- Cornstarch slurry: In the meantime, whisk together the reserved 4-5 tablespoons of juice (or water) with the cornstarch. You should have a thick yet still pourable paste.1 ½ tablespoons cornstarch
- Thicken cherry sauce: Remove the pot from the heat. Slowly whisk in the cornstarch mixture. Whisk well.
- Add the cherries and stir well. Return the saucepan to the hob and simmer the cherries for 2 or 3 minutes if they are fresh or frozen. If using canned cherries, let them bubble once or twice, then remove them from heat.
- Flavors: Stir in the lemon juice and either one of the flavors: vanilla extract, almond extract, or cinnamon.
- Serve warm or at room temperature as suggested above.
Notes
- Cherries: You can use sweet or sour cherries, fresh, frozen, or canned cherries.
- Sugar: Add more sugar if using sour cherries or to taste.
Helen says
I never used canned cherries in anyway before. Tried this recipe to serve on cheese cake. Everyone loved it. Thanks
Adina says
So glad to hear it, I make this sauce so often and I am happy when my readers try it too. Thank you for the feedback.
Sam says
Doesn't mention the sugar and where to add it. Liquid and cornstarch mixing / qtys are not clear
Adina says
Hi. Mix the sugar with the juice in the pan. The rest should be clear: you have to mix the reserved juice (4-5 tablespoons) with the cornstarch to get a slurry to thicken the sauce.
Joy Simon says
I so enjoy these recipes. I wondered if you ever use maraschino cherries for sauce? I forgot to buy cherry topping for cheesecake. Will the substitution work with your beautiful recipe?
Adina says
Hi Joy. I am glad you like the recipe. I'm sorry, I can't say if maraschino cherries would work, I live in Germany, and I've never even seen them here.
Kathy says
I used canned cherries because that is all I had and sadly all the cherries came apart. Plus I didn't like that the sauce is now opaque. I wish I used tapioca starch instead of cornstarch.
Adina says
Hi Kathy. How long did you cook the cherries? They should only bubble once or twice, I've made them this way dozens of times and they never once came apart. Tapioca starch is not an option where I live, so I don't know how that works, the cornstarch we have is fine, the sauce is always shiny.
Laurie says
@Kathy, if you actually bring the sauce with the added cornstarch and juice to a boil, then simmer several minutes only, the opaqueness will be 100% gone and you’ll have a gorgeous cherry sauce.
Kathy @ Beyond the Chicken Coop says
My cherries are just coming on and I have just begun picking them. I love the idea of making cherry sauce - especially since I know I will have more than I know what to do with them all!
mjskitchen says
Wow! You have been very busy! Lots of good recipes that I've missed. So glad I didn't miss this one. I love cherries and would love to be lucky enough to have a tree. Lucky you! I'm envious. Your cherries are beautiful and this sauce looks so good! A gorgeous red!
Arlene Anaraki says
I subscribe to countless food blogs and yours is my favorite. I appreciate your hard work that you do to make your blog interesting and creative.
Adina says
Thank you, Arlene. That is very nice to hear. 🙂