Berry Sauce
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Packed with juicy berries and natural sweetness, this berry sauce recipe is perfect for dressing up both everyday and special-occasion treats.
Quick and easy to make, this mixed berry sauce is perfect spooned over cheesecake, vanilla ice cream, pancakes, crepes, or waffles. It’s thickened with puréed fruit rather than cornstarch, so the berry flavor really shines through. I like to reserve some of the whole fruit to stir into the purée before serving, but serve the berries on the side instead if you prefer.
“This is delicious and easy to do. Great with Jenn’s cheesecake, as a topping for a bowl of ice cream or on plain Greek yogurt for a sweet treat.”
What You’ll Need To Make Berry Sauce
Step-By-Step Instructions
Step 1: Simmer the berries with lemon juice and sugar. Combine all of the berries in a large bowl and stir gently. Transfer about two-thirds of the mixture to a medium saucepan (set the rest aside in the fridge for later). Add the lemon juice and sugar to the pan. Bring to a gentle boil over medium heat and cook until syrupy, about 5 minutes.
Pro Tip: If your berries aren’t super ripe or are particularly tart, you can bump up the sugar a touch—or add a splash of orange juice for a different flavor.
Step 2: Purée the sauce. Pour the hot berry mixture into a blender and blend until smooth.
Pro Tip: Take the center cap off the blender lid and cover with a kitchen towel to let steam escape—this keeps pressure from building up and making a mess.
Step 3: Strain. Set a fine mesh strainer over a bowl and pour the sauce through it. Use the back of a ladle to press the liquid through in a circular motion, leaving the seeds behind. (If you prefer a rustic, more textured sauce, you can skip straining altogether—but expect it to be seedy, thicker, and more jam-like.
Step 4: Chill and finish. Discard the seeds, then refrigerate the sauce until cold. Right before serving, stir in the reserved fresh berries. If the sauce is too thick, thin it with a little water, bit by bit, until it reaches the consistency you want.
Pro Tips for Berry sauce
- Berry flexibility: Feel free to tweak the berry ratios based on what you’ve got on hand or what looks best at the store—just keep the total amount the same.
- Make it boozy: Stir in a splash of Chambord, Grand Marnier, or port for a more grown-up twist.
- Storing: This sauce keeps well in the fridge for up to 1 week or in the freezer for up to 3 months..
- More uses: Try it over frozen yogurt, pound cake, or French toast, or swirl it into Greek yogurt or oatmeal.
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Berry Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 lb fresh strawberries, hulled and thinly sliced
- 6 oz (1 dry half pint) fresh raspberries
- 6 oz (1 dry half pint) fresh blueberries
- 6 oz (1 dry half pint) fresh blackberries
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, from 1 lemon
- ¾ cup sugar
Instructions
- Combine all of the berries in a large bowl and stir gently to combine. Spoon about ⅔ of the mixed berries into a medium saucepan; transfer the remaining berries to a small bowl and refrigerate until ready to serve.
- Add the lemon juice and sugar to the berries in the sauce pan. Bring to a gentle boil over medium heat and cook until the fruit is syrupy, about 5 minutes.
- Transfer the hot berry mixture to a blender and purée until smooth. Set a fine mesh strainer over a bowl. Pour the sauce into the strainer and use the back of a soup ladle and circular motions to force the sauce through the strainer and into the bowl. Discard the seeds that remain in the strainer. Refrigerate the berry sauce until cold or ready to serve.
- Before serving, add the reserved berries to the sauce and stir to combine. If the sauce seems too thick, add a few tablespoons of water, a little at a time, until the desired consistency is reached.
Notes
Nutrition Information
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
Gluten-Free Adaptable Note
To the best of my knowledge, all of the ingredients used in this recipe are gluten-free or widely available in gluten-free versions. There is hidden gluten in many foods; if you're following a gluten-free diet or cooking for someone with gluten allergies, always read the labels of your ingredients to verify that they are gluten-free.
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Just made today for my cheesecake. Super easy to make and isn’t overly sweet. I left out blueberries and used only strawberries, raspberries and blackberries it has a great taste.
This looks great. How much sauce does the recipe make?
I’d guesstimate it would make about 4 cups.
I made this to go with the NY cheesecake (which was SO delicious; it got rave reviews!). I followed the recipe loosely, in that I used sugar and lemon juice to taste, but used only strawberries and blueberries. Once it had boiled, I then took my immersion blender to it, leaving some of the fruit intact. So even though I didn’t make it exactly, it was a great inspiration, and the sauce was a huge hit!
Perfect over angel food cake
Another great recipe! I did not bother to strain the sauce. And I did reduce the sugar to a scant 1/2 cup. But the sauce was delicious and a big hit!
How would you use frozen berries to account for the extra liquid from thawing?
Thanks for any help.
Hi Denise, I would thaw them first and drain off any excess liquid. Hope that helps!
I had fresh strawberries, raspberries, and blackberries. My blueberries were frozen. I decided to use them only in the sauce (with the other berries). Fresh berries for serving. Worked great! I made cheesecake squares for our Christmas family celebration. Easier to serve small portions. Loved the fruit with them.
Quite simply the best cheese cake I’ve ever made. So easy and such clear informative instructions. Thanks so much for posting. I swear I litterally licked the mixing bowl. Haha
I made this sauce to go with Jenn’s NY cheesecake and I’m so glad I tried it! It’s not only beautiful, but has a great combination of syrupy sauce and some whole berries. I like that it wasn’t too sweet and complemented the cheesecake so well. I used one pound of fresh strawberries and discovered (since it it winter) a wonderful (Simple Truth organic) bag of frozen whole raspberries, blackberries and blueberries and I simply weighed out 18 oz to add to the sliced strawberries. Couldn’t have been easier to make and I can imagine it would be delicious over shortcake or pancakes. Thank you Jenn for creating another amazing recipe!! Forever grateful.
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Very good berry sauce. I did add some Caribbean Rum to mine. I also had an explosion when I put to much sauce in my blender and the lid popped up. Sauce went everywhere.
Followed the recipe to a tee other than using frozen rather than fresh berries as it is the winter months. Make sure you thaw the berries if they are frozen to prevent extra liquid ending up in your sauce. I served this over a flourless chocolate cake for a family member’s birthday and they loved it! This would be a great sauce to make for any dessert, any time of the year