Easy Cherry Sauce (made with fresh or frozen cherries)

Cherry Sauce is one of my favorite ways to cook with fresh cherries. It’s a super easy-to-make, versatile summer recipe that is delicious spooned over everything from grilled meat to ice cream.

There are few things better than fresh summer fruit, and Bing cherries are at the very top of my list. On a recent visit, my dad showed up with a big box of tree-ripened cherries, and after happily snacking on them for days (and making my once-a-year homemade cherry pie), I knew this cherry sauce was next.

This sauce is everything I love about summer cherries — sweet, vibrant, and a little magical — with almost no effort. It comes together easily, is refined sugar-free, and somehow manages to feel both special and everyday.

I love it most spooned generously over vanilla ice cream, but it’s surprisingly versatile. It’s just as delicious with grilled or baked meat, and while I usually make it with fresh cherries in summer, frozen cherries work beautifully, too. It’s one of those simple recipes that puts a smile on your face every single time.

Should I add butter to my cherry sauce?

Many cherry sauce recipes call for butter. But here’s the thing … I think that fresh cherry sauce is better with no butter. And this is coming from someone who LOVES butter. When you add butter to cherry sauce, it becomes less fresh-tasting.

Cherry sauce is one of the few recipes that are better without butter.

Favorite cherry recipes

• Arugula and Fresh Cherry Salad with Goat Cheese and Candied Pecans
• Fresh Cherry Vinaigrette
• Coconut Cherry Ice Cream

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Easy Cherry Sauce (made with fresh or frozen cherries)

Prep: 10 minutes mins

Cook: 5 minutes mins

Total: 15 minutes mins

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Cherry Sauce is one of my favorite way to cook with fresh cherries. It's a super easy to make and versatile summer recipe that is delicious spooned over everything from ice cream to grilled meat.

2

Ingredients

• ▢ 2 packed cups of pitted cherries (about 1 lb)
• ▢ ½ cup water (divided)
• ▢ 2 tablespoons coconut sugar (or prefered sweetener)
• ▢ A pinch of salt
• ▢ 1 teaspoon tapioca starch or cornstarch

Instructions 

• Cut half the pitted cherries in half. Leave the other half whole.
  2 packed cups of pitted cherries
• Add the pitted cherries, ¼ cup of the water, sugar, and salt to a small pot and bring it to a boil over high heat. Lower the heat to medium and simmer for 5 minutes, or until the cherries are soft.
  2 tablespoons coconut sugar, A pinch of salt
• Whisk the tapioca starch with the remaining ¼ cup of water and add it to the pot. Stir until it thickens then remove the pot from the heat.
  1 teaspoon tapioca starch or cornstarch, ½ cup water

Notes

The easiest way to pit fresh cherries is to use a cherry pitter. This is the one that I have. The other option is to cut around the cherry to remove the pit. You won’t end up with whole cherries if you cut around the pit, but the cherry sauce will still be delicious!

Cherries: Feel free to use either fresh or frozen cherries to make this sauce. 

Nutrition

Serving: 2 tablespoons, Calories: 16kcal (1%), Carbohydrates: 4g (1%), Protein: 1g (2%), Fat: 1g (2%), Saturated Fat: 1g (6%), Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 1g, Sodium: 6mg, Potassium: 38mg (1%), Fiber: 1g (4%), Sugar: 3g (3%), Vitamin A: 11IU, Vitamin C: 1mg (1%), Calcium: 2mg, Iron: 1mg (6%)

© Author Kristen Stevens

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