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    Home » Recipes » Fruit Recipes

    Published: May 16, 2023 by Paula Montenegro · Income from ads and affiliates

    Cherry Topping (or sauce)

    Jump to Recipe
    Burgundy text overlay on image showing cherry sauce close up.

    This easy cherry sauce recipe takes minutes on the stove and keeps for days in the refrigerator and frozen for at least a month. Use fresh cherries when in season, but frozen ones also work. It's great as a topping for waffles and cheesecake, and as a sauce over ice cream.

    White bowl with whole cherry sauce.

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    It's that time of year people, when pounds of cherries appear in the market!

    So when cherry season hits, I'm all over our cherry recipes archives looking for my next bake.

    Cherries rank in the top three best Summer fruits, along with peaches and melons.

    At this house, we eat fresh cherries a lot; those left get baked into our favorite cherry tart, a simple recipe that includes a custard pie filling that is fantastic.

    Homemade sauces are a great way to take advantage of fresh fruit, and a cherry dessert sauce should be on everyone's repertoire.

    Table of Contents Open
    About this recipe
    Simple ingredients
    How to pit cherries
    How to make cherry sauce
    Kitchen notes
    Cherry glaze
    Related recipes you might like:
    Easy Cherry Sauce

    About this recipe

    • Quick & easy: and that is an understatement. This fantastic recipe comes together in 15 minutes, including the pitting part.
    • Make ahead: it keeps well in the refrigerator for a week and in the freezer for a month. So there's really no excuse to make a large batch and freeze it for dreary winter days.
    • Uses: my favorite way is as a topping for cheesecake and waffles, but it can double as a sauce for ice cream, or even french toast or croissant if that's your type of breakfast.
    Spoon with cherry sauce over white bowl of more sauce.

    Simple ingredients

    • Cherries: you can use sweet cherries (my favorites are black cherries and bing cherries), sour cherries (such as morello cherries), or a mix of both. I use black cherries mostly. But I do love tart cherries when making jam.
    • Sugar: both white granulated sugar and brown sugar (light or dark) can be used. I love the caramel richness that brown sugar adds and use it often.
    • Lemon juice: it's the acid ingredient necessary to balance out the sugar. Use fresh lemon juice and not the bottled stuff unless there's no other choice.
    • Cornstarch: it's used as a thickener to achieve that wonderful thick syrup.
    Wooden table with bowls containing ingredients for cherry sauce including lemon juice, sugar, cornstarch.

    How to pit cherries

    If you bake often with fresh cherries you do need a cherry pitter. It's a little gadget that will make your life easier.

    It's the only part of this recipe that takes a little patience and an apron. Make sure your clothes are covered as pitting cherries means drops of cherry juice will be flying around.

    Hand pitting cherries over white bowl.

    How to make cherry sauce

    This quick and easy recipe takes only minutes on the stove.

    • Cherries: after pitting them, you can cut each in half or use them whole. Or a mix of both.
    • Cornstarch: make sure it's completely dissolved in the water before adding it to the saucepan. If you don't, some parts will dissolve well and others won't, leaving small bits of hardened cornstarch in the sauce.
    • Cooking time: it takes 5 minutes on the stove to be ready. Before adding the thickener you can use medium heat. But after, cook it for a full minute (or two) at a low temperature so the cornstarch loses its floury flavor.
    Adding lemon juice to white saucepan with cherries and brown sugar.
    Top view of cherry sauce boiling in white saucepan.
    Cherry sauce cooking in white saucepan with wooden spoon inside.

    Kitchen notes

    • Organization: read the recipe first and make sure you have ingredients at the right temperatures, equipment needed, and enough workspace. This will make the process so much easier!
    • Cherries: fresh seasonal cherries are always the best option, but you can make it with frozen cherries. They have more water content so they soften quicker. Cook them over low heat to avoid breaking them much.
    • Make ahead: this sweet cherry sauce can be kept in the refrigerator for a week and in the freezer for a month, always in an airtight container. I like mason jars for the fridge and plastic containers for the freezer.
    • Flavorings: I love lemon for this recipe, but orange juice goes very well too. You can also add a pinch of cinnamon or pure almond extract, two flavors that pair well with cherries.
    • Sweetness: you can add up to ¼ cup more of sugar if you want a sweeter sauce.
    • Syrup: if you like to go heavy on the amount of syrup, double the amount of water and add 1 tablespoon cornstarch total. If you have a lot of leftover syrup it's great for pancakes, muesli or oatmeal, waffles, and drinks.
    • Thicker topping: if you want a firmer cherry topping, use a little less water or none at all and only use juice. I've done it several times, especially when using it for cheesecakes.
    • Serving it: it's a delicious cherry topping for cheesecakes, waffles, buttermilk pancakes, chocolate and vanilla ice cream, and french toast. I also love a thick slice of pound cake with cherry sauce on the side and some whipped cream. If you're into sweet and savory dishes, this is an excellent idea with pork chops (you can add some balsamic vinegar to the cherry mixture for more punch).
    Syrup drizzling down from spoon onto cherry sauce in white plate.

    Cherry glaze

    This is a bonus recipe you can make with this sauce that you can drizzle over ice cream or use as a pancake and cheesecake topping.

    After you make it, mash the cherries with a potato masher or fork to release as much juice as possible.

    • Strain and let the liquid collect in a small bowl. When it's completely cold, check for consistency. If it's as thick as you want, transfer to an airtight jar and refrigerate until ready to use.
    • If it's too thin, place it in a small saucepan and return to low heat. Cook until it thickens to your liking. You can add an extra teaspoon of cornstarch slurry (½ teaspoon cornstarch dissolved in 1 teaspoon of cold water) to thicken it quickly without losing volume.

    Related recipes you might like:

    • Glass jar with blueberry sauce, a spoon, white background.
      Blueberry Sauce (topping)
    • White background and plate with cherry pie slice, a fork, light pink napkin underneath
      Cherry Crumb Pie
    • Wooden table with glasses of cherry cocktail, limes and mint sprigs
      Cherry Caipiroska (a vodka cocktail)
    • A white napkin with a white bowl of strawberry sauce being spooned. Fresh scattered strawberries.
      Homemade Strawberry Sauce (topping)

    Let me know in the comments below if you made this recipe and loved it and if you had issues so we can troubleshoot together. I love to hear what you think, always. Thanks for being here. It's much appreciated.
    You might also consider subscribing to our FREE email series to Boost your Home Baking Skills! And our regular newsletter.
    And let's connect via Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest.

    Print
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    Bowl with cherry topping with syrup. Close up image.

    Easy Cherry Sauce

    Print Recipe
    Save Recipe Recipe Saved

    This simple homemade cherry sauce takes minutes on the stove and keeps for days in the refrigerator and a month frozen. Use fresh cherries when in season, but frozen ones also work. It's great as a topping for waffles and cheesecake, and as a sauce for ice cream.

    • Total Time: 15 minutes
    • Yield: 8 servings

    Ingredients

    Units
    • 24oz whole cherries
    • 4 tablespoons brown sugar
    • 4 tablespoons lemon juice
    • 4 tablespoons water
    • 2 teaspoons cornstarch

    Instructions

    1. Wash and pit the cherries. You'll have about 3 cups of cherries.
    2. Put them in a medium saucepan and add the sugar and lemon juice. Mix. 
    3. Cook over medium heat until it breaks a boil, stirring once in a while. 
    4. Dissolve the cornstarch in the water until no lumps remain and drizzle over the berries. 
    5. Stir constantly and cook for 1 more minute. 
    6. Remove from the heat, transfer to a bowl and let cool down. 
    7. Store in the refrigerator for up to a week in a glass jar with a tight-fitting lid or another type of airtight container. It can also be frozen for a month. Defrost at room temperature.

    Notes

    • Organization: read the recipe first and make sure you have ingredients at the right temperatures, equipment needed, and enough workspace. This will make the process so much easier!
    • Cherries: fresh seasonal cherries are always the best option, but you can make it with frozen cherries. They have more water content so they soften quicker. Cook them over low heat to avoid breaking them much.
    • Make ahead: this sweet cherry sauce can be kept in the refrigerator for a week and in the freezer for a month, always in an airtight container. I like mason jars for the fridge and plastic containers for the freezer.
    • Flavorings: I love lemon for this recipe, but orange juice goes very well too. You can also add a pinch of cinnamon or pure almond extract, two flavors that pair well with cherries.
    • Sweetness: you can add up to ¼ cup more of sugar if you want a sweeter sauce.
    • Syrup: if you like to go heavy on the amount of syrup, double the amount of water and add 1 tablespoon cornstarch total. If you have a lot of leftover syrup it's great for pancakes, muesli or oatmeal, waffles, and drinks.
    • Thicker topping: if you want a firmer cherry topping, use a little less water or none at all and only use juice. I've done it several times, especially when using it for cheesecakes.
    • Serving it: it's a delicious cherry topping for cheesecakes, waffles, buttermilk pancakes, chocolate and vanilla ice cream, and french toast. I also love a thick slice of pound cake with cherry sauce on the side and some whipped cream. If you're into sweet and savory dishes, this is an excellent idea with pork chops (you can add some balsamic vinegar to the cherry mixture for more punch).
    • Author: Paula Montenegro
    • Prep Time: 10 minutes
    • Cook Time: 5 minutes
    • Category: Sauces
    • Method: Cooking
    • Cuisine: International

    Nutrition

    • Serving Size: 1/
    • Calories: 76
    • Sugar: 15.8 g
    • Sodium: 1.7 mg
    • Fat: 0.2 g
    • Carbohydrates: 19.5 g
    • Fiber: 1.9 g
    • Protein: 1 g
    • Cholesterol: 0 mg

    Keywords: cherry sauce, cherry topping

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    About Paula Montenegro

    I'm Paula, a baker for more than 30 years and your designated recipe developer, sharing the best ones here with simple ingredients + easy-to-follow instructions.

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    Hi, I'm Paula!

    A baker for more than 30 years and your designated recipe finder, sharing the best ones on this blog, with simple ingredients + easy-to-follow instructions.

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