Berry Sauce with Frozen Berries
Looking for an easy berry sauce recipe for any time of year? I don’t always have fresh fruit and in-season berries on hand, but we pretty much always have a huge Costco sized bag of frozen berries for smoothies. With just frozen berries, sugar, cornstarch, and lemon juice, you can whip up a delicious sauce in no time.
This simple berry sauce can be used all different ways and it would be the perfect topping for vanilla ice cream, french toast, swirled into greek yogurt, on a yogurt parfait, or spooned on a piece of cheesecake, pound cake or angel food cake. The sauce is full of juicy berries and it’s an easy recipe you can whip up in under 20 minutes.
Ingredients for Mixed Berry Sauce:
- Frozen mixed berries
- Sugar
- Cornstarch
- Lemon juice and lemon zest
Supplies needed:
- Small saucepan
- Potato masher if you have for smashing berries
- Jar for storage
- Wooden spoon
Instructions:
- In a medium sauce pan, combine the frozen berries, sugar, cornstarch, and lemon juice. Stir well to combine.
- Cook over medium-high heat and give it a good stir until the berries start to break down and the mixture thickens, about 10 minutes. Use a potato masher, wooden spoon or fork to break up large berry chunks if desired.
- Once thickened to your liking, remove from heat and let cool slightly. Add a few tablespoons of water or a little lemon juice if needed to reach desired consistency.
- If you prefer a smoother sauce, you can blend it with an immersion blender or transfer to a blender or food processor.
- Serve the berry sauce warm, chilled or room temperature.
Substitutions:
- You can use fresh berries instead of frozen, adjusting the cooking time as needed. Also, I like a diverse combination of berries, but if you only have 1-2 types on hand that is fine too.
- If you prefer a different citrus flavor, you can use lime juice or orange juice instead of lemon.
- Honey, maple syrup, or raw sugar can be used as alternatives to the regular sugar.
Want a super smooth berry sauce? Strain pureéd berries through a fine sieve.
Store this berry sauce in an airtight container like a jar and it will last in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
Have an abundance of Fresh Strawberries on hand? You may enjoy my strawberry sauce recipe instead!
Berry Sauce with Frozen Berries
Quick and easy berry sauce using frozen berries.
Ingredients
- 2 cups mixed frozen berries
- 1/2 cup sugar* (See note)
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch**
- Juice and zest of 1 lemon
Instructions
In a medium-sized saucepan combine the berries, sugar, cornstarch, zest and juice. Toss together lightly and place on the stove over medium-high heat.
Cook and stir while the berries start to thaw and get juciy. Keep stirring until everything is well combined.
Cook for about 10 minutes or until the berries are soft, broken down a bit and the sauce is your desired consistency. Use a potato masher or fork to break down large berries.
You can pureé some or all of the sauce if you'd like using a blender or hand blender.
Store in a glass jar until cool. Serve warm, room temperature or cold. Will last in the fridge for 2 weeks.
Notes
*This recipe is adaptable so you can make it as sweet as you'd like. If you want less sweetness overall, start with 2-3 tablespoons of sugar and add more to taste.
**Also- some berries like strawberries let of a ton of liquid and others like blueberries don't. I always use a full variety, so I like using cornstarch to give the sauce a nice thickness, you can experiment with that as well.
This berry sauce is the perfect topping for pound cake. I will make a double batch next time, it’s so good!
I drenched my cheesecake in this berry sauce over the weekend and it was amazing!