Easy Sugar-Free Cherry Sauce Recipe without Cornstarch (2024)

by Karla

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Easy Sugar-Free Cherry Sauce Recipe without Cornstarch (1)

Sugar-free cherry sauce without cornstarch is SO easy to make and crazy tasty. My favorite cherry sauce recipe makes an amazing cherry dipping sauce, is perfect as a pancake or waffle topper (my FAV) or eaten by the spoonful (my 2 year old’s preference).

CHERRY SAUCE WITHOUT CORNSTARCH

I originally made this cherry sauce recipe to go on top of my coconut flour waffles, and now my children request it whenever I make the waffles.

I oblige because I love it just as much as them, and this easy cherry sauce is completely sugar free. I make this cherry sauce without cornstarch because I prefer to use arrowroot instead.

That makes this cherry sauce Paleo, sugar-free, gluten-free, grain-free and sugar free (but still full of flavor!).

SUGAR FREE CHERRY SAUCE RECIPE

When I say this cherry sauce is sugar free, I don’t mean it has stevia or xylitol, or any other sugar substitute added.

I mean is that there is absolutely no sugar or sugar substitute in this recipe.

Most fruit and cherry sauce recipes have some type of sugar in them, but I have never understood why since fruit is nature’s candy! I find cherries to be plenty sweet on their own, so you won’t find ANY sweeteners in this recipe. We use this sauce as a topping for our coconut flour waffles instead of syrup for a completely sugar free breakfast that tastes like a treat. WIN!

Easy Sugar-Free Cherry Sauce Recipe without Cornstarch (2)

SIMPLE CHERRY SAUCE

The thing that makes this cherry sauce recipe so simple is that it uses frozen cherries instead of fresh.

Yes, fresh cherries would probably be even MORE delicious, but who has time to pit a bowl full of cherries when you are trying to get breakfast served to a gang (3 counts as a gang, right?) of hungry kids? Not me!

Plus, cherries are only in season for a few short months, but my family likes to enjoy this cherry dipping sauce all year.

CHERRY SAUCE RECIPE WITH FROZEN CHERRIES

I buy the giant bag of organic frozen cherries from Costco and they are amazing in this recipe. They are the dark, sweet variety – you want to make sure you use sweet cherries, not tart in this recipe.

(These frozen cherries are also amazing in smoothies, chopped and added to oatmeal, by themselves eaten straight from the freezer…..I could go on for days. We are super in love with frozen cherries around here).

You could also make this easy fruit sauce with blueberries, raspberries, blackberries or a combination of any of those.

I’ve used the exact same fruit sauce recipe with blueberries and it turned out wonderful. My family prefers the cherry sauce, so that is what I typically stick with.

THE BEST PALEO SAUCE THICKENER

I use Arrowroot as a thickening agent in my cherry sauce, and it works wonderfully! Arrowroot is a great paleo sauce thickener, and works for all kinds of gravies and sauces.

Arrowroot poweder is, in my opinion, far under-utilized in most kitchens! It has been getting lots of love from me lately as a thickener for sauces and in all of my grain-free baked recipes to enhance the texture of baked goods.

I avoid many corn products because I am not interested in feeding my family GMO’s, so arrowroot is a wonderful alternative to cornstarch.

HOW TO MAKE CHERRY SAUCE

Cherry sauce is so easy to make! It is a simple reduction of cherries with a little liquid and a paleo friendly sauce thickener that comes together in just a few minutes. You will love this sugar-free version with no cornstarch – it tastes like a treat!

CHERRY SAUCE RECIPE

Easy Sugar-Free Cherry Sauce Recipe without Cornstarch (3)

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Easy Sugar-Free Cherry Sauce Recipe without Cornstarch

This quick and easy sugar free cherry sauce uses only a few ingredients, comes together in minutes and is delicious on top of waffles, pancakes, ice cream or desserts.

Total Time 5 minutes

Ingredients

  • 2cupsfrozen pitted sweet cherries
  • 1/2tspvanilla extract
  • 2tbswater
  • 1tbsarrowroot powder

Instructions

  1. Add frozen cherries and vanilla to a medium saucepan and heat over medium/high heat just until boiling and all cherries are defrosted

  2. Mix arrowroot powder in a small bowl with 2 Tbs water until it is dissolved

  3. Add arrowroot mixture to just boiling cherries

  4. Stir sauce until thickened. This should happen very quickly if the cherries are boiling.

  5. Remove from heat once desired thickness is reached and serve

Recipe Notes

makes about 1 and 1/3 cups finished cherry sauce. This is enough for 4-5 waffles for us.

Looking for a healthy recipe you can top with this cherry sauce? Try my coconut flour waffles – its the perfect combination.

Easy Sugar-Free Cherry Sauce Recipe without Cornstarch (4)

Easy Sugar-Free Cherry Sauce Recipe without Cornstarch (2024)

FAQs

How to thicken cherry juice without cornstarch? ›

Instead of using cornstarch, swap it out for arrowroot starch. Note that if cornstarch or arrowroot starch is not used in the recipe, it will not get thick and will be very watery. Sugar - The amount of sugar you use will vary based on how sweet your cherries are.

How do you preserve cherries without sugar? ›

Cherries, pitted or with pits, may be frozen without sugar, in water or unsweetened fruit juice, or dry, but the texture will be softer when thawed. Sweet cherries may be frozen in a single layer on shallow trays before packing into containers or zip-type plastic bags to prevent them from sticking together.

What is cherry sauce made of? ›

Combine sugar, cornstarch and salt in a saucepan. Stir in water. Add the cherries and cook until thick and bubbly.

How to can cherries in light syrup? ›

Fill jars with cherries to within a generous 1/2 inch of the top of the jar. Shake the jar gently to make sure the cherries are distributing evenly but don't crush them into the jar. Add hot syrup to cover cherries, if necessary, leaving 1/2 inch of headspace. Wipe the rim of the jar and remove any air bubbles.

What can I use instead of cornstarch to thicken a sauce? ›

5 Best Cornstarch Substitutes
  • All-Purpose Flour. Yep, that's right — all-purpose flour is a very stable thickener. ...
  • Arrowroot Powder. If you happen to have this starch on hand, you're in luck: It has the same thickening power as cornstarch, and it creates a beautiful, shiny sauce. ...
  • Potato Starch. ...
  • Rice Flour. ...
  • Tapioca Starch.
Jun 23, 2023

How to make a sauce thicker without cornstarch? ›

The most readily available sauce-thickener is flour. For a too-thin sauce, try adding a slurry (equal parts flour and water, whisked together) or beurre manie (equal parts softened butter and flour, kneaded together to form a paste)—both are ideal thickeners for rich and creamy sauces, such as steak sauce recipes.

How do you keep cherries fresh in a Mason jar? ›

The cherries that have stems, I will put them into a half gallon or gallon sized mason jar with a paper towel at the bottom. The mason jar of cherries should be stored in the fridge and they will last for about three weeks. The bowl of cherries should also be placed in the fridge, but be sure to eat those first!

Can you freeze cherries without sugar? ›

You can also try freezing without any sugar. Just boil the water, add the cherries, bring back to a boil and then ladle out when cool enough to work with. Freeze.

How do you preserve fruit in a jar without sugar? ›

One is to coat the fruit as it is cut with a solution of 1 teaspoon crystalline ascorbic acid or 3,000 mg crushed vitamin C tablets per cup of water. Another is to drop the cut pieces in a solution of water and ascorbic acid, citric acid, or lemon juice.

What to do with overripe cherries? ›

Ten Great Ways to Use up Your Summer Cherries
  1. Make brandied cherries. ...
  2. Turn cherries into fruit compote. ...
  3. Pickle your leftover summer cherries. ...
  4. Use up summer cherries in a fluffy clafoutis. ...
  5. Mull leftover cherries in wine. ...
  6. Use up cherries by roasting them into a tasty condiment. ...
  7. Enjoy a cherry gelee.
Aug 24, 2023

What is a glazed cherry called? ›

A maraschino cherry (/ˌmærəˈskiːnoʊ, -ˈʃiː-/ MARR-ə-SKEE-noh, -⁠SHEE-) is a preserved, sweetened cherry, typically made from light-colored sweet cherries such as the Royal Ann, Rainier, or Gold varieties.

How much sugar is in cherry sauce? ›

Calories in Cherry Sauce
Calories114.0
Potassium217.5 mg
Total Carbohydrate29.1 g
Dietary Fiber1.5 g
Sugars24.9 g
8 more rows

How to preserve cherries without sugar? ›

Without liquid or sweetening, pack cherries into containers to within 1/2 inch from top. If pint or quart freezer bags are used, fill to within 3/4 inches from the top. Squeeze out as much air as possible. Seal and label.

How to preserve cherries at home? ›

How to preserve cherries
  1. Ingredients. 1½ cups caster sugar. ...
  2. Heat. Combine 1²⁄3 cups of water, sugar, lemon, star anise, cloves and cinnamon quills in a saucepan over a medium heat. ...
  3. Pack and pour. Pack as many cherries as possible into a 1-litre screw-top jar. ...
  4. Cook. ...
  5. Store.
Oct 8, 2020

Should cherries in syrup be refrigerated? ›

In this case, we're erring on the side of food safety: Once opened, we recommend tightly sealing jars of co*cktail cherries and storing them in the fridge. Some oppose refrigeration because it can cause the co*cktail cherry syrup to thicken.

What can I use instead of cornstarch in cherry pie filling? ›

All-purpose flour is an easy substitute for cornstarch; in fact you may see recipes for thickening pie fillings or soups with either. You'll need 2 tablespoons of flour for every 1 tablespoon of cornstarch in a recipe.

How do you thicken fruit without cornstarch? ›

When thickening a fruit pie filling, there are several options to consider. Very often flour or cornstarch is used, but in certain instances tapioca, arrowroot and potato starch can also help achieve the desired consistency.

How to thicken fruit syrup without cornstarch? ›

To thicken syrup without any additives, simply reduce it on the stove. Pour the syrup into a saucepan, then turn the burner on low. Bring the sauce to a low simmer and let it sit for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally so it doesn't burn.

What is the best thickener for fruit juice? ›

Cornstarch is a popular thickener because it creates a shiny filling without clouding the colors of the fruit juice. If your recipe calls for a dry ingredient like sugar, you can easily mix cornstarch with this dry ingredient before following the rest of the recipe.

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