Cherry Syrup Recipe
This Cherry Syrup Recipe makes a great homemade sauce for just about any dessert! Serve with breakfast pancakes, over yogurt or as an ice cream topping. The possibilities are endless!
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Table of Contents
Homemade Cherry Sauce With Fresh Cherries
Hooray for Cherry Season {aka} The best season of the year! I absolutely adore cherries. Too much. Every year I make myself sick eating pounds of cherries.
In fact, I rarely use fresh cherries in my recipes because I eat them all before I get the chance. This week I bought 5 pounds of cherries so that I could make this cherry syrup recipe AND eat an obscene amount of fresh cherries!
This syrup is super easy to make. Just heat a few simple ingredients on the stove top to your desired consistency. I made a thin syrup for drizzling. Cook a bit longer for a thicker cherry sauce.
I suggest buying a Cherry Pitter
if you love cherries as much as I do. It makes the tedious task of pitting cherries much more tolerable.
Cherry syrup topping is a vibrant, sweet-tart sauce that instantly elevates everything from pancakes and waffles to cheesecakes and ice cream. With its glossy ruby color and bold fruit flavor, this easy homemade topping tastes far better than store-bought versions and it takes just minutes to make.
Cherry Sauce Serving Ideas
- Desserts: Spoon over cheesecake, vanilla ice cream, panna cotta, or chocolate cake.
- Breakfast: Drizzle on pancakes, French toast, oatmeal, or yogurt.
- Savory dishes: Pair with roast duck, pork chops, or turkey for a gourmet touch.
This cherry syrup is fantastic over ice cream, pancakes, yogurt or cheesecake. I enjoyed mine on top of HOMEMADE TAPIOCA PUDDING.
What To Serve With This Cherry Syrup: MINI CHEESECAKES – COCONUT CREAM PIE – Buttermilk Pancakes
Whether you’re looking to preserve the essence of summer or just want a vibrant topping for your dessert, this cherry sauce is a must-have in your kitchen.
So go ahead, buy 5 pounds of cherries and make this cherry syrup. The recipe only requires 1 pound of cherries and that leaves you 4 pounds to devour.
Why You’ll Love This Cherry Syrup
- Rich cherry flavor – Sweet with a hint of tartness
- Quick and easy – Ready in about 15 minutes
- Versatile – Perfect for desserts, drinks, and breakfast
- Customizable – Adjust sweetness and thickness to your liking
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Ingredients
- 1 Lb Red Cherries - pitted and sliced in half
- 1 Cup Sugar
- 1/2 Cup Water
- 2 Tablespoons Fresh Lemon Juice
- Pinch Sea Salt
- 1/4 Cup Water
- 2 teaspoons Cornstarch
Instructions
- Combine sugar, 1/2 cup water, lemon juice and salt in a 3 quart pot over medium heat. Add cherries.
- Heat on medium for 6-7 minutes or until lightly boiling.
- Reduce heat to medium/low. Cook 5 minutes while stirring frequently.
- Stir together 1/4 cup water and cornstarch. Add to syrup and stir.
- Continue cooking 10-12 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Heat to desired consistency. Syrup will thicken slightly when cooled. Cooking time may vary slightly depending on ripeness of cherries.
- Transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate.
Notes
Yes, drain them first and reduce the sugar slightly since canned cherries are often sweetened.
Add an extra ½ teaspoon of cornstarch mixed with water and simmer again until thickened.
Yes. You can simmer longer to naturally reduce and thicken, or substitute arrowroot powder.
Not exactly. Cherry pie filling is usually thicker and contains more starch. This syrup is lighter and more pourable.
Absolutely! It’s great in mocktails, cocktails and milkshakes.
Welcome!
Nicole Harris is the recipe creator behind WonkyWonderful, sharing fast, budget-friendly meals for busy families. Since 2012 she’s been developing 30-minute dinners, kid-approved favorites, and holiday dishes with flair - all with real ingredients and no fuss. She grew up stretching simple pantry staples into something delicious, and that shows up in every recipe: easy, affordable, and full of flavor. Read more...
Is this more of a tart syrup? I’m looking to replace the cherry topping from frozen yogurt places. My fave place, Golden Spoon, got rid of their cherry sauce. Boo! Thanks!
No, this isn’t super tart. I suppose if you can find tart cherries that would up the tartness, if that is what you are going for.
When do I put the cup of sugar in?
You add the sugar to the water, lemon juice and salt at the very beginning. 🙂
If I add more corn starch, will it make it thicker.
Absolutely. Just mix the cornstarch with a little water before adding it to the entire recipe to avoid clumps.
Hello! I love how simple your recipe is! I’m looking for a syrup to can. Have you tried canning this or do you think it would be okay to can? Thanks!
I am absolutely clueless when it comes to canning. Sorry I can’t be of help.
How long will this last before it goes bad do you know?
I would use within a week. I usually am on the cautious side though 🙂
Have you ever tried freezing?
I haven’t. I imagine it would work fine.
Could this be frozen?
I haven’t tried it but I think it should work fine.
Nicole, Thanks for the great and easy cherry syrup recipe. I’ve been making cherry preserves and cherry syrup (think your own version of a Cherry Coke). It never occurred to me to use corn starch to thicken the syrup. Thanks for the tip.
Now a tip for you and your fans: If you want to intensify the flavor of the cherry syrup, add a couple of drops of almond extract to the syrup as it’s cooling off. Cherries and almonds belong to the same family of fruits and nuts. Just a little teeny bit will do. Otherwise the syrup will smell like cheap perfume.
Thanks again. Nick Barknot
Oh, I do love the cherry almond combo. Thanks for the tip!
Yes this can be canned in pints in a hot water bath about 20-25 minutes for pints, as long as you have the lemon juice in. Lemon juice is the needed acid. I am about to make syrup though I just made 24 pints of pie filling seasoned differently. I just want a cherry flavor on ice cream and in soda .LoL
I made this with nanking cherries. At the end of cooking I added a touch of almond extract (about 1/4 teaspoon) and 1 tablespoon of bourbon. It turned out perfectly. This recipe is a keeper! Going back to mother’s to get more cherries and freezing the next few batches. Thank you!
Sounds great 🙂
I made this last summer and it was outstanding served over vanilla ice cream. Tonight, I’m doing the same though with blueberries that I froze last summer. WINNER! Thank You!
Your caution is interesting, but how long will this last before it goes bad do you know?
This was delicious. Added a little vanilla. Thanks for the recipe!
I love this receipe. Turned out perfect for me, it is so simple. Tasted it it was what I was looking for Ice cream. Thanks to the others who commented I will be making and freezing it!
I am going to can this this weekend. I will not add the cornstarch, then waterbath it.