How to Make a Cherry Sauce for Ice Cream

Last Updated on July 27, 2023 by Ellen Christian

Have you ever wondered how to make a cherry sauce? Try this recipe and make a delicious cherry topping for your favorite dessert.

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How to make a cherry sauce for ice cream

How to Make Cherry Sauce Topping

Summer is the perfect time to enjoy lots of fruit desserts because so many different types of fruits are in season. 

We generally pick our own or find them at our organic food coop. If you don’t have that option in your area, check out the organic section in your traditional grocery store.

Ice cream is one of the kid’s favorite summer desserts.  Of course, when you have ice cream, you need to top it with all sorts of fun toppings.  

I generally add fresh fruits and nuts to my ice cream when I have it but the kids like to pour ice cream sauces on theirs.  

I’m not a big fan of the ice cream sauces at the grocery store. Most of them are loaded with artificial ingredients and high fructose corn syrup.

It’s really easy to make your own ice cream sauce at home and now that I know how to make a cherry sauce for ice cream, I’ll never buy those grocery store toppings again.

Learn more about my favorite ice cream maker with no rocksalt. It’s the easiest way to make ice cream!

close up of a bowl of vanilla ice cream with cherry sauce on it

To use fresh cherries in any recipe, you will need to remove the pits. This can be done quite easily with a cherry pitter.

I like the one that I linked to because you can do more than one cherry at a time. If you’re planning on making a recipe that uses a lot of cherries, removing the pits one by one can really take a lot of time.

A basket of fresh cherries hanging from a tree

Freezing Cherries:

If you do go cherry picking, you will probably find yourself with too many fresh cherries to use up at one time. Don’t worry, you can easily freeze fresh cherries. Just remove the pits and place the cherries in a single layer on top of parchment paper on a cookie sheet.

Once they are frozen, you can place them in a freezer bag. Freezing them in a single layer will ensure that they dont’ clump together in the bag making it impossible to remove just one or two.

How long can you freeze cherries?

If you are wondering how long you can freeze the cherries once you’ve removed the pits, you can leave them in a freezer bag for six to twelve months. Just make sure that they are well protected and don’t get freezer burn.

Fresh cherries in a pink bowl

How do you keep cherries fresh?

If you’d like to keep your cherries fresh longer, store them in the refrigerator wrapped loosely in a plastic bag. Then, you should wash them with cold water before eating.

Cherries will lose their freshness more quickly if you store them at room temperature.

How long will cherries keep in the refrigerator?

Fresh cherries will stay good in the refrigerator for 3-5 days or up to two weeks. If you leave them at room temperature on the counter, they will stay good for about 2 days so be sure to eat them quickly.

Yield: 4

How to Make a Cherry Sauce for Ice Cream

cherry sauce on vanilla ice cream in decorative bowls

Have you ever wondered how to make a cherry sauce? Try this recipe and make a delicious cherry topping for your favorite dessert.

Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes

Ingredients

  • 2 cups of pitted sweet cherries
  • 2 tbsp of demerara or other unbleached sugar
  • 2 tbsp water
  • 1 tsp cornstarch
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice

Instructions

  1. Put the cherries, water and sugar into a pan. Simmer for about 5 minutes.
  2. Remove the cherries and set them aside.
  3. In a small bowl, mix the cornstarch & 1 tbsp water until it dissolves. Bring the liquid back to a boil.
  4. Add the cornstarch mixture and lemon juice to the cherry/sugar liquid and cook until it thickens, stirring constantly. You can add more cornstarch if you need to.
  5. Add the cherries back to the pan and cook for a few minutes to meld the flavors.
  6. Store in an air tight jar in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
  7. Serve over ice cream, yogurt or homemade pudding.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

6

Serving Size:

1/4 cup

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 49Total Fat: 0gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 1mgCarbohydrates: 13gFiber: 1gSugar: 10gProtein: 1g

Did you make this recipe?

If you make this, tag me on Instagram so I can see @ellenblogs

17 thoughts on “How to Make a Cherry Sauce for Ice Cream”

  1. Pingback: 20 Cherry Dessert Recipes - Just 2 Sisters
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  3. This sounds absolutely amazing. I'm not sure I have ever taken the time to make a sauce for ice cream and it also sounds way healthier than pouring chocolate syrup all over ice cream. Thanks for sharing! http://familyfocusblog.com
    Reply
  4. It sure looks delicious. I know I'd like it with the sweet cherries you used. I wonder if it would be good with the tart ones too (I like both kinds).
    Reply
  5. Yum!  Cherries are on sale this week at the local store and I have plans for picking up a ton to pit and freeze.  Thank you for adding one more recipe to the list that I know will be a hit!
    Reply
  6. I love anything with cherries, but this is a unique and delicious way to use fresh cherries! I have an cherry pitter, so this would be easy to make...adding cherries to my shopping list today!
    Reply
  7. That sounds delicious! I've never thought of making my own cherry topping, but this recipe is so simple that I might have to try it! ;)
    Reply

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