This homemade Cherry Sauce is loaded with sweet juicy cherries. Quick and easy to make, we love serving this cherry topping on Cheesecake, pancakes, waffles, vanilla ice cream, and pound cake. Cherry Sauce tastes like the filling for Cherry Pie.
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Homemade Cherry Sauce Recipe:
Fruit toppings are the perfect complement to many desserts, and this Cherry Sauce definitely can’t be beaten. I find that cherries make the perfect fruit topping for decadent desserts like cheesecake because the tartness of the cherries balances the indulgence of the dessert.
Nothing beats homemade sauces, be sure to also try our Strawberry Sauce and our Caramel Sauce as toppings for desserts or breakfast foods like pancakes and waffles!
How to Make Homemade Cherry Sauce:
This Cherry Sauce couldn’t be easier! All of the ingredients are cooked together in one saucepan and you are left with an irresistible sauce you’ll want to eat with a spoon!
- In a medium saucepan, whisk together water, lemon juice, cornstarch, and sugar.
- Put the saucepan over medium heat and stir until it starts to thicken. Add cherries and continue stirring occasionally until sauce is at a light uniform boil and has thickened.
- Remove from heat and cool to room temperature. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. The sauce will continue to thicken as it cools.
Should I Use Sweet or Tart Cherries?
I love making this sauce with sweet cherries. Using sweet cherries means less added sugar is needed – only about 2 tablespoons. Tart cherries also work very well for cherry sauce, however, if using tart cherries I recommend adding 1/4 to 1/2 cup of sugar (or add sugar to taste) so the sauce isn’t too tart.
Can I Use Fresh or Frozen Cherries?
This Cherry topping recipe is so versatile – either fresh or frozen cherries work. Fresh cherries are perfect in the summer at the peak of their growing season.
Frozen cherries are a great choice when fresh cherries are out of season and are typically pre-pitted which can save you the step of removing cherry pits. Keep in mind, frozen fruit release more juice so add a little less water with frozen cherries.
Can This be Used as Cherry Pie Filling?
With a few modifications, this Cherry Sauce makes a delicious cherry pie filling! Simply double the recipe and add an extra tablespoon of cornstarch to thicken the sauce to allow your cherry pie to set up more firmly.
Since the Cherry Sauce is usually served over a sweet dessert, we love that it is a little tangy. If you prefer a sweeter cherry pie filling, be sure to add a little more sugar to sweeten the mixture.
How to Store Cherry Topping:
If you have leftovers of this delicious Cherry Sauce or need to make it in advance, the sauce will store well in the fridge for about 3 days. Let the sauce cool completely to room temperature then store in a glass mason jar or Tupperware container. This recipe also freezes well for future use.
Love Cherries? More Cherry Desserts:
- Classic Cherry Pie – with the best crust
- Cherry Upside-Down Cake – the fluffiest cake
- Cherry Crumble – delicious almonds on top
- Pineapple Cherry Dump Cake – quick and easy dessert
- Cherry Clafoutis – a cherry flan dessert
Easy Cherry Sauce
Ingredients
- 4 cups sweet cherries, (fresh or frozen), pitted*
- 1/4 to 1/3 cup water
- 1 Tbsp corn starch
- 1 Tbsp lemon juice
- 2 Tbsp sugar
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan (off the heat), add water (use 1/3 cup for fresh cherries and 1/4 cup water for frozen cherries). Whisk in 1 Tbsp cornstarch, 1 Tbsp lemon juice, and 2 Tbsp sugar.
- Place over medium heat and whisk constantly until the mixture starts to thicken.
- Add cherries and cook stirring occasionally until sauce is at a light boil (about 6-10 minutes for fresh cherries and 12-15 minutes for frozen). The sauce should be thickened and uniformly bubbling, not just at the edges, then remove from heat.
- Cool to room temperature then cover and store in the refrigerator in a glass mason jar or Tupperware container until ready to use. It will thicken more as it stands.
Notes
Nutrition Per Serving
Filed Under
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Hi Natasha! I plan to use this to top a cheesecake. Would you recommend just cooling to room temperature prior to topping the cheesecake, or fully chilling it first? I wasn’t sure if it would be too stiff to spread, if I chilled it all the way.
Hi Nikki, we prefer it chilled, but it should work both ways! I hope you love it!
I may not have read closely enough, but I can’t find mention of using canned cherries (NOT cherry pie filling, just plain, canned cherries, tart or sweet, in water. I’ll be using them for a cheesecake topping and I think they’ll be fine but wondering if there was a reason for not mentioning them?
They may work, I just haven’t tested it to advise.
I added 1/2 cup of sugar. 2 tablespoons was just not enough. I like it sweet!
Do you have a recipe for chocolate cheese cake my husband only likes chocolate thank you. And thank you for all the wonderful recipes you post.😋💜
Hi Helen, I don’t have a recipe for that yet. Thank you for suggesting that, I’ll make sure to share it if I find a great recipe for Chocolate cheesecake.
Hi Natasha! I love ALL your recipes! I made the cherry sauce by the letter but I don’t seem to have enough “juice”. I used fresh cherries. How can I make more juice? Thank you!
Hi Debbie, you could add a splash of water if the sauce seems too thick and that should work well.
Has anyone ever tried making this recipe any other way besides on the stove top? The kitchen I’m using doesn’t currently have a stove but I love this cherry topping for my cheesecakes! Any help is greatly appreciated!
Hi Natasha,
I made your no-bake cheesecake with strawberries, it’s to die for. I also made it last week and wanted to eat the whole thing by myself in one sitting. My husband loved it too and asked me to make it again. So, I did. We’ll enjoy having it this week for dessert. This NY style cheesecake looks good too and the cherry sauce is what I can’t wait to make next. Thank you so much for making these videos. I really enjoy watching you cook, and love the easy and thorough way you teach us all.
Hello Vicky, thank you for sharing that with us. I’m happy to hear that you enjoyed the recipes that you tried so far. I hope you love it all!
i see you on facebook ilove to watch you you look so happy
Thank you for watching our recipes, Mattie!
Just made this to use up the Hood River cherries I had before they started to go bad. So darn easy and it will top my homemade mini cheesecakes perfectly! Thank you so much!
You’re welcome! I’m so happy you enjoyed it, Hayley!
Hi! I made this sauce for my mini cheesecake & didn’t use it all. I was wondering how long this sauce can be stored in the fridge? Also it is delicious!!
Hi Crystal, we usually try to use it up within a week of making the cherry sauce.
Hi Natasha!! We love your recipes! Our cheesecake is cooling now…. When making the cherry sauce do you boil for 12 – 15 minutes for frozen cherries or are you saying that’s how long it should take to reach a light boil all over? Can hardly wait for the cheesecake to cool😁.
Thanks
Hi Kim, it will take about 6-10 minutes for fresh cherries and 12-15 minutes for frozen with a lightly boil-down.
Hi, Natasha,
I just made this sauce, and I’m going to top a bought New York style cheesecake from a very good bakery. I bought plain cheesecake purposely so that I could top it as desired. I had wonderful, fresh sweet cherries. In addition, I added about 1/3 cup dried, sour cherries, which reconstituted nicely, and added a fuller, rounder flavor along with the sweet. Otherwise, I followed the recipe exactly. Fabulous!
That’s just awesome! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review, Laura!
Thanks!
This was insanely easy and delicious! I had no idea it was this easy to make homemade cherry topping! I used fresh cherries and followed the recipe exactly. It turned out fantastic. Thanks for the great recipe, I will not be going back to the canned stuff:)
YASS! Isn’t it so yumm! I’m so happy you enjoyed that.
Hello Natasha,
Could I skip cornstarch in this recipe ?
Thank you
I haven’t tested this recipe without cornstarch to advise.
I do not care for the consistency cornstarch makes. I’d rather have a messy, runny pie, but if I’m concerned about appearance, I add just a bit of flour. That thickens it a bit without making it gloppy.
Corn starch is what thickens the juices of the cherries otherwise it would just be runny. You could try swapping out for tapioca flour/starch.
Can I add amaretto liquor to this will it still set for a topping?
Hi Amarri, I haven’t tested that but here is what one of our readers wrote: “I used frozen cherries and it turned out perfectly. I did add a splash of amaretto ….just because. It made it more Christmassy..lol”
Could this be used as a filling in a cake?
Hi Laura, I think that would be delicious to use this cherry sauce as a cake filling.
Hi Natasha – Big fan, your page has really got me into cooking this lockdown.
I have the cheesecake in the over as I type. Notice a couple of things:
1. The cheesecake has many brown circles around the cheescake, not smooth 1 colour. Any though why this would happen?
2. Your cheesecake is flat end to end whilst mine looks more of a dome, a little more risen around the centre. Not sure why 🤨
Hope you get a chance to see this and drop me a pointer if possible.
Thanks – Sh4mz
Hi Shamir, 1. I wonder if it has to do with hot spots in your oven? I haven’t had that experience. 2. Again, it sounds like maybe there are inconsistent heating going on – maybe your oven is running too hot?
Think the cornstarch measure should be a tspn rather than a tblspn. Was very thick and had to add more water.
Hi Christine, we used TBSP, and it turned out great. I hope you give this another try.
I agree with this. Should have been a teaspoon. Its super thick.
When using sour cherries, how much extra sugar should I add? The paragraph about using tart cherries says to add “1/4 to 1/4 cup” which is clearly a typo. Thx!
Hi Karen, thank you for catching that – it should be 1/4 to 1/2.
Hi Natasha,
If I’m using frozen cherries, would I use the lesser 1/4 cup of water?
Thank you,
Christine
Frozen cherries are a great choice when fresh cherries are out of season and are typically pre-pitted which can save you the step of removing cherry pits. Keep in mind, frozen fruit release more juice so add a little less water with frozen cherries. I imagine that should work,