Cherry Sauce for dessert is so easy to make! Cherries, a little lemon juice and sugar is all you need. Boost the flavor with bottled cherry juice, if you'd like, it's optional.
Cherry Sauce made with ruby red cherries or dark sweet cherries is the perfect topping for any Dessert Recipe . Pour over cheesecakes, ice cream or stuff it between the layers of mile high chocolate cake. Don't forget pancakes, crepes and blintzes!
This Sweet Chocolate Cherry Sauce Recipe is the base for many of those desserts. I made double and even triple batches of the sauce this time of year with Valentine's Day and birthdays and Father's Day right around the corner.
This beautiful ruby red Cherry Sauce is the "little black dress" of my dessert recipe box. Dress it up in fancy desserts like Chocolate Cherry Souffle Cakes and Classic Cherry Cheesecake or keep it casual by spooning it over ice cream, this sauce can do everything.
Wrap this Sweet Cherry Sauce in flakey pie crust to make Cherry Hand Pies for a yummy snack or breakfast on the go.
How to Make Cherry Sauce:
- It takes me 20 minutes (or 10 minutes a pound) to pit 2 pounds of fresh cherries with a pairing knife. I suppose I should break down and buy a cherry pitter. If you have one, great! Otherwise, it is not necessary to keep the first 2 pounds beautiful, just pit them anyway you can that is fast, remember that they will be smashed into a puree anyway.
- The last pound of cherries should be beautiful because they are only warmed in the sauce and will keep a nice shape and texture. I like to cut the cherries in half like an avocado and remove one half. The other half is easier to remove from the seed by cutting into half again to remove the seed. This way, the cherries stay beautiful and look like little jewels in the sauce.
- Be careful to regulate the heat of the simmering cherries and sugar. Do not burn the sugar in the sauce.
- If you add in vanilla or another flavor, add it after you remove the sauce from the heat. Otherwise, it will turn bitter.
- Make extra. this recipe only makes about 2 cups of sauce. Trust me you will want more so why not double the batch while the mess is already out?
Links to tools I used to make this Cherry Sauce Recipe a little bit easier
(Amazon affiliate links)
A Cherry Pitter makes things go so much faster and keeps your cherries beautiful!
This set of Strainers nests together and is easy to store. I use them for everything, even sifting flour.
A Saucier Pan with curved sides is perfect for any sauce and keeps your sauces from sticking to the bottom.
Beautiful Glass Jars are nice for showing off your delicious sauce or giving sauce for a nice gift.
Other recipes that are delicious with this Sweet Cherry Sauce:
Kolaches by Barbara Bakes (she even has a great "how to" video in the post!)
Black Forest Cake by Cafe Johnsonia
How to Pit Cherries Without a Cherry Pitter by Cafe Johnsonia
Why We Love Cherries at Our House
I have to warn you, we LOVE cherries at our house. PLUS, we can be pretty picky about our cherries around here. Chocolate covered cherries are my husband's absolute favorite candy. His memories of the confection are tied to childhood and summer days and playing in his father's shop. His father owned the only candy wholesale in town. As a little boy, he spent many hours at "the shop" surrounded by candy and chocolate and bubble gum and soda pop; a little boy's dream.
His father often ordered special candies for the holidays and brought them home as a surprise. Boxes of candied orange peels and bright colored jellies coated in sparkly sugar and cherries coated in fine chocolate with liquid centers were a special treat.
I have given up trying to buy him chocolate covered cherries. The cherries of today, with their waxy chocolate and too sweet center, never live up to the memory. And looking for the perfect liquid center? Forget about it. Instead, I have developed other chocolate cherry desserts for him. Desserts that give him all the flavors of childhood but, don't have to compete with his special memories.
Print this Sweet Cherry Sauce Recipe
Sweet Cherry Sauce Recipe
Sweet Cherry Sauce is the "little black dress" of my dessert collection. Dress it up in a Chocolate Souffle or Cheesecake or keep it fast and easy by spooning it over ice cream. Ingredients
Ingredients
- 3 pounds fresh, pitted cherries or 2 pounds frozen cherries and 1 pound fresh
- ¼ cups plus 2 tablespoons sugar
- ¼ cup water
- ½ lemon, juiced
- ¼ cup cherry juice
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- ½ teaspoon vanilla, optional
Instructions
Instructions
- Remove pits and stems from 2 pounds of cherries and place in a small sauce pan (you may use frozen cherries for this step). Add water and sprinkle with sugar. Bring the cherries to a slow boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes.
- Place a fine sieve over a mixing bowl. Scoop the cherries into the sieve a little at a time and press the cherries with the back of a wooden spoon to release the juice and pulp into the bowl. Scrape the skins out of the sieve and repeat until all of the cherries have been juiced.
- Return the juice to the sauce pan over medium heat and stir in the lemon juice. Combine the bottled cherry juice with the cornstarch to make a slurry and stir until there are no lumps. Slowly pour the slurry into the sauce pan while whisking.
- Gently simmer until the cherry juice reaches the desired thickness. It will become thicker as it cools.
- Just before removing the sauce from the heat, add the remaining one pound of pitted cherries and fold into the sauce. Allow the sauce to return to a boil and immediately remove from the heat. The cherries should retain a firm texture.
- Let the sauce cool and pour into a jar. Keep refrigerated for up to one week.
Nutrition Information
Serving Size
1 gramsAmount Per Serving Unsaturated Fat 0g
I hope you love this recipe and use it on every dessert you can think of. Leave me a comment and let us know what delicious dessert you topped with this sauce!
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—posted by Sandy
Posted July 13, 2018, update December 18, 2021
Alexys
I am drooling over these pictures! I will definitely be making this for my cheesecake!!!!
Kathryn
About how much does this make? I want to make enough to test for an upcoming retreat but I don't want to make more than I need.
Sandy
Hi Kathryn, Thank you for your question. I find that the recipe makes about 1 cup of sauce for every one cup of cherries. There are about 1 and 1/2 cups of cherries to every 3 pounds of cherries so, after pitting the cherries, I get about 4 1/2 to 6 cups of sauce. It can very depending on how large (and heavy) the seeds and stems in a particular batch of cherries are. I hope this answer gives you a better idea. I will change the recipe as soon as I get a chance.
Cassandra
Can this sauce be frozen well? I want to make it as a mix-in for my greek yogurt, but it will be too much to eat in just a week.
Sandy
Hi Cassandra, Thanks for the great question. I have never frozen this sauce, it never lasts that long around my house. I have frozen other pie filling type sauces and they do very well so, I don't see why this sauce wouldn't do well. Especially, if you are using it as a mix-in. I hope you love it as much as we do!
Carrie
Can you do this with tart cherries, and if so, do you need to adjust the sugar any? Also, if you wanted to can for later usage...hot water bath, and how long? Have you ever done that?
Looks delicious!
Thanks!
sasha
This sauce looks delicious and I intend to try it, but i'd like to make enough sauce so I can keep it for cols seasons. Can be stored somehow? as you pointed it can be refrigerated for up to one week. Is there anyway I can freeze or can it for long periods?
Thank you very much in advance.
Jennifer
Hi Sandy this looks amazing. Just a quick question before I run out and buy the cherries! The recipe says to use cherry juice. I honestly don't know anyone who stocks it on a regular basis where I live. Could I substitute apple juice maybe? Thanks Jen
Denay DeGuzman
Woo-hoo!!! My family absolutely loved this scrumptious cherry sauce. We drizzled it over vanilla ice cream and it took this otherwise simple dessert to the next level! With a cherry pitter, pitting cherries for this recipe was a breeze.
Christina
This looks amazing! I can think of so many things to use this on!
Cerys
The best Cherry Sauce I have made... Can't wait for our cherry tree to fruit again next year to make some more.
Jill Robbins
This looks divine. And, full disclosure: I'm not a huge fan of cherries but this is making me drool! My family would LOVE this.
Ally
This sauce turned out perfect!
vicki finn
Yum yum yum!! My mom also loved chocolate covered cherries from her childhood. Nothing compares to fresh cherries, and this recipe is one of our new favorites!
Patricia @ Grab a Plate
Mmm! What a fabulous, classic dessert staple to have in your back pocket! Especially during cherry season! Lovely!
Denay DeGuzman
This sweet cherry sauce was so delicious over vanilla ice cream! I made an extra jar as a gift to my parents. Thank you so much for this yummy summer recipe!
Glenda
What a scrumptious recipe! I want to drizzle it into a hot fudge sundae!
Sandi
This is the best sauce...I love it on chicken!
Michele
This Cherry sauce is sheer perfection, thank you for sharing it.
Journa
Love this cherry sauce recipe! It's so simple and ewsy to make and so versatile!
Avanti
I love this sauce on my yogurt to make a healthy dessert. Thanks for the recipe.
Allyssa
Thanks a lot for this recipe! very easy! Thank you!
Ann
A terrific sauce! Use it with vanilla ice cream for a wonderful treat.
Swathi
This sweet cherry sauce looks really yum. great with cheesecake.
Raquel
Served it with ice cream and angel food cake - delicious!
Sandy
Hi Raquel, Ooooh, so yummy with your ice cream and angel food cake!
Jennifer
Cherries are my favorite I could eat the pie filling right out of the can but now that I have this recipe I will be making my own! Excited to make a couple of batches to give out as gifts!
Sandy
Hi Jennifer, If you love cherries, you will LOVE these! And yes! This makes a delicious gift. It's good to hear from you. 🙂
Allyssa
Thank you so much for this amazing recipe! Fam really loves it. Highly recommended! Will surely make this again!
Sandy
Hi Alyssa, I'm so glad your family loves this cherry sauce! We put it on everything. Well, almost everything.