This Easy Cherry Sauce is bursting with bright, fresh flavour. It contains just three ingredients and is very easy to make. Fresh cherries are cooked with sugar and lemon juice before being pureed for a simple, delicious sauce. With this sauce you can turn lovely desserts into something extra special. It doesn't come much easier than this!
Why You'll Love This Recipe:
- As cherries are seasonal and available for a limited time each year, this is a delicious way to enjoy them. Another way we like to use them is with our Vanilla Overnight Oats with Cherries or Cherry Jam.
- The sauce is a great way to enhance many desserts or sweet dishes by adding colour and flavour.
- You can make an easy dessert that the whole family will love by spooning some sauce over my No-Churn Vanilla Ice Cream.
- One of the great advantages of making your own Cherry Sauce is that you know exactly what it contains and can control the quality of the ingredients. There are no unnecessary preservatives or additives, just pure, fresh ingredients.
Recipe Inspiration: based on our other fruit sauce recipes. They are a great way to use fresh fruit, especially at the height of the season.
Ingredients and Substitutions:
Please see the recipe card further along in the post for exact quantities of ingredients and the full method.
- Cherries - this very special stone fruit is the star of this easy recipe. We have used fresh cherries at the height of the season when they are full of vibrant flavour.
- Sugar - we use regular granulated sugar.
- Lemon juice - freshly squeezed lemon juice brightens and balances the natural sweetness of the cherries.
Variations:
Sugar - you can use caster/superfine sugar if you prefer.
Spice - some pure vanilla extract or ground cinnamon perfectly complements the cherries.
How To Make Cherry Sauce:
Please see the recipe card further along in the post for exact quantities of ingredients and the full method.
1 - Add the ingredients to a saucepan:
Prepare the cherries and add them to a medium size non-reactive saucepan.
Add the sugar and fresh lemon juice. Place the pan over a low-medium heat and bring the mixture to a boil, stirring occasionally. The cherries will naturally release their juice.
2 - Cook the sauce:
Over medium-high heat simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3 - Puree the sauce:
Remove from heat and set aside for about 10 minutes to cool.
Use an immersion blender to puree the sauce until smooth.
4 - Serve and enjoy:
Serve the sauce with your dessert of choice or refrigerate for up to three days.
Hint: for an ultra smooth sauce, turn into a fine-mesh strainer set over a bowl. Using a spatula, push and flatten the cherry sauce against the strainer.
Tips for Success, Storage and FAQs:
You can make it up to 3 days ahead. Store it in an airtight container in the fridge.
Yes, you can. This way you can enjoy the sauce in the weeks ahead when cherry season has finished. Store in individual freezer safe containers for up to 3 months.
Yes, but they will likely take a little longer to cook as the cherries may contain more moisture.
Top Tip:
For the best result, start with good quality cherries. When selecting cherries, choose those that are firm, and a rich, shiny colour. They should be free from blemishes and have fresh looking stems.
Serving Suggestions:
You will find many ways to enjoy this Easy Cherry Sauce. Some suggestions are:
- Enjoying the sauce hot or cold; it is a great addition to many dishes.
- For delicious flavour, serve over our Oat Flour Pancakes or Waffles.
- Swirl some through Greek yoghurt. It makes a great breakfast or dessert.
- As a topping for my Baked Cheesecake.
- Add some to our Mini Meringues; it is delicious with some whipped cream.
- Chocolate and cherry is a match made in heaven; the sauce is a perfect accompaniment to our Sour Cream Chocolate Cake.
This extremely versatile sauce will enhance almost any dessert and is certain to become a family favourite.
Alex xx
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Easy Cherry Sauce
Please note:
For accuracy, when weights are provided, we recommend weighing your ingredients. This will produce the best results. All oven temperatures listed are for fan forced.
Ingredients
- 500 gm (1.1 lb) fresh cherries - prepared weight See Note 1
- 60 g (¼ cup) white granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice - freshly squeezed See Note 2
Instructions
- Remove the stems and pit the cherries. Cut the cherries in half.
- Add the cherries to a medium sized non-reactive saucepan along with the sugar and lemon juice. (See Note 3.)Turn the heat to medium and stir to dissolve the sugar.
- Increase the heat to medium-high and bring to a boil.Reduce the heat to medium and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. By this time, the cherries will be soft and be able to be pureed.
- Remove from the heat and set the sauce aside to cool slightly before either using an immersion hand blender or blender to puree until smooth.You can use it immediately or refrigerate.
Notes
- Cherries: this is the prepared weight, after any stems and pits have been removed.
- Tablespoon: we use a standard Australian tablespoon which is 20 ml (4 teaspoons).
- Non-reactive saucepans: are those which are ceramic, stainless steel, glass or enamelled cookware. Copper, iron and aluminium pans are reactive. Acidic foods, such as lemons, may take on a metallic taste and discolour if cooked in such pans.
- Storage: you can make this Cherry Sauce up to 3 days in advance; cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
- Freezing: add to a freezer safe ziplock bag, seal, and store flat in the freezer for up to 3 months. Alternatively, freeze in an ice cube tray so you have individual serves.
- Nutrition: is calculated on the full quantity of Cherry Sauce.
Nutrition Estimate:
Nutritional Disclaimer:
The nutritional information is an estimate only, and is derived from online calculators. For accurate results, we recommend calculating the nutritional information based on the ingredients and brands you use.
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