There’s nothing like the taste of berries. That’s why I love to whip up a batch of my Homemade Berry Sauce. Made with just two ingredients plus a little water, it’s a simple way to add LOTS of flavor to yogurt, desserts, pancakes, or waffles.
Why should you make a homemade berry sauce?
Unlike most store-bought bottled alternatives, with your homemade berry sauce you won’t have to worry about artificial ingredients and additives. Although big food companies have made some progress cleaning up labels for many packaged foods, that’s not the case when it comes to these sauces.
Just look at the ingredient labels for two of the most popular brands, Nestlé Quik and Hershey’s. There’s not even any real berries in them!!! Instead they’re FILLED with all different kinds of sugars and highly processed, artificial ingredients.
Unfortunately kids love these fake sauces (yes, sadly that includes my teenage son too). But when you’ve got a real, homemade berry sauce on hand, you’ve got a healthier choice that everyone will enjoy!
So what’s the secret to avoiding these store-bought sauces?
I have one little secret to avoid these store-bought strawberry syrups. Make a BIG batch of my homemade berry sauce and freeze it up in little mason jars. That way I can have some real berry sauce on hand any time I need it! Yes, it’s that simple!
Need ideas for how to use your Homemade Berry Sauce?
Probably our favorite way to use berry sauce is to mix it in with some yogurt. See how amazing it looks!
We also love to drizzle it over pancakes, waffles, or just about any dessert like our Easy, No-Bake Cheesecake Cups.
Or how about on ice cream? Simply spoon some sauce over vanilla ice cream for the perfect sundae! Mmmm! Can you say delicious?!?!?! 🙂
The options to use this amazing sauce are literally endless. So whip a batch tonight! I’m guessing your whole family will enjoy this simple, quick, freezable recipe as much as we do!
Cheers!
Bruce
The Best Homemade Berry Sauce
- Total Time: 12 minutes
- Yield: 0 about 2 cups 1x
Ingredients
Basic Berry Sauce
- 2 cup berries (fresh or frozen)
- 4–6 tablespoons maple syrup (to taste depending on the tartness of your berries)
- 2/3 cup water
Optional Additions
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice or balsamic vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- In a small saucepan add berries, maple syrup, and water. Simmer over medium-low heat for 6-10 minutes or until the berries have softened. If adding the optional additions, mix them in a minute or two before you remove the berry sauce from the heat.
- If you desire a smooth sauce, use a counter top blender or immersion blender and puree until smooth.
- Cool and serve immediately, refrigerate, or freeze. The sauce will keep in the refrigerator for about one week or in the freezer for up to a year.
Notes
We recommend organic ingredients when possible, especially when it comes to strawberries since they are on the Environmental Working Group’s Dirty Dozen produce list.
If you want a very smooth, translucent sauce and you’re using a berry with larger seeds (like raspberries or blackberries), you may want to run the cooked berries through a food mill or strain them through a sieve or piece of cheesecloth before blending.
- Prep Time: 2 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Desserts & Treats
Kitchen Tips and Resources:
- Cuisinart’s immersion blender comes is handy for making this Homemade Berry Sauce, although my high-speed Blendtec blender does make this berry sauce extra smooth and is perfect for larger batches.
- These 4-ounce jelly jars are a great way to store and freeze bigger batches of Homemade Berry Sauce.
