Berry Sauce

A fantastically versatile recipe for a thick berry sauce that goes perfect with cheesecake, waffles, ice cream, and more.

Since fresh berries are hard to find around here, I usually rely on frozen berries to serve with cheesecakes. Since thawed berries don’t really look attractive, though, I like to use them to make a sauce. All it really takes to make a berry sauce is just cooking berries and sugar in a saucepan, although I like to add a few other ingredients to enhance the flavor.

A few notes: 

• Try to keep most of the berries whole while cooking (but if they do break, that’s ok).
• Frozen berries release plenty of juices while cooking, so don’t be tempted to add water in the beginning.
• If you’re using fresh berries rather than frozen, you’ll need to add a few tablespoons of water until you reach the desired consistency.
• The longer you cook the sauce, the thicker it will get. You can also add a bit more cornstarch for thickening, but don’t add too much or it will affect the taste.
• For a smooth sauce, you can puree the cooked sauce in a food processor. If you like, you can also push it through a fine sieve using the back of a spoon to discard the seeds.
• If you like, you can add a fruit-based liqueur such as Grand Marnier or Chambord.
• You can use orange zest instead of lemon zest (but still use the lemon juice).
• Try using a pinch of warm spices such as cinnamon or nutmeg.

5 from 8 votes

Berry Sauce

A fantastically versatile recipe for a thick berry sauce that goes perfect with cheesecake, waffles, ice cream, and more.

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Ingredients

• 2 cups frozen mixed berries*
• 2-6 tablespoons granulated sugar , to taste
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 5 grates of lemon zest
• 1 tablespoon water
• 1/2 tablespoon cornstarch

Instructions

1. In a medium-sized saucepan over medium heat, place berries, 2 tablespoons sugar, lemon juice, and zest. Cook for about 5 minutes, mixing occasionally until the liquid (which is the juice released from the fruit) thickens. At any point, you can add water if the sauce it too thick, or more sugar to make it sweeter.
2. In a small cup, whisk together cornstarch and water until smooth, then add it to the saucepan. Let the mixture simmer for a few minutes longer until it reaches the desired consistency. Sauce will thicken further as it cools.

Recipe Notes

*If using fresh berries rather than frozen, you’ll need to add a few tablespoons of water until you reach the desired consistency.