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Homemade Blueberry Sauce comes together in just a few minutes. Try a spoonful with your morning yogurt, dolloped over a stack of pancakes, or spooned on top of cheesecake for a delicious treat!
I seriously can’t get over the fact that our little babe goes back to school in a month.
I don’t know if it was the fact that it rained the entire month of June or what, but summer has flown by and I’m all kinds of sad about it.
We’re trying to pack as much as we can into these remaining weeks while still saving time for just chilling out at home, eating ice cream and creating some pretty epic chalk designs on the driveway.
If I’m being honest, I have some serious anxiety about her going from half-day to full-day school. Trust me, she’s definitely ready, it’s Mom that’s not.
I just get this overwhelming feeling of missing her so much every single time I think about it. But I’m putting on a brave face and pumping her up for this new adventure, even though I get all teary-eyed every time we browse the school supply aisles at Target.
Everyone told us that time flies, but I just didn’t really get it until now.
One of the things we love to do together is bake – when it’s not sweltering outside. Whether it’s sweets for Elle’s lemonade stand or just a little quality time in the kitchen, we’ve been whipping up chocolate chip cookies, pineapple coconut cake and testing several cheesecake recipes to share with all of you!
If you caught my post for graham cracker crust last week, you know I’m going to share my favorite recipe for vanilla cheesecake this week. But first, I wanted to share this homemade blueberry sauce with you because it is the perfect cheesecake topping!
HOW TO MAKE BLUEBERRY TOPPING FOR CHEESECAKE
I love homemade blueberry sauce. Spooned over a slice of vanilla cheesecake? It’s absolute heaven.
The thing I love the most about blueberry sauce? The fact that it comes together on the stovetop in less than ten minutes with just a few staple ingredients.
That’s right. Fresh or frozen blueberries, water, sugar, lemon juice and cornstarch are all you need.
To start, throw the blueberries, a little bit of water, sugar and lemon juice in a saucepan. Bring this mixture to a low boil, stirring frequently.
While the blueberries get bubbly and happy, mix together a slurry with cornstarch and cold water.
Did you know if you add cornstarch to hot liquid, it will clump up? That’s why it’s important to make a slurry, or a mixture of cornstarch and a cold liquid, when using cornstarch to thicken a recipe. Add the slurry to your dish and the cornstarch won’t clump!
Add the slurry to the blueberries and stir, but be careful not to crush the blueberries!
Once the blueberry sauce has thickened, remove it from the heat and stir in vanilla and lemon zest for some extra flavor if you’d like.
Out of lemons? You can use orange juice and zest instead.
HOW ELSE CAN YOU USE BLUEBERRY SAUCE?
So if my recent posts on how to soften cream cheese, making graham cracker crust and how to bake cheesecake in a water bath haven’t made it clear enough, cheesecake is pretty much my fave. Which means serving blueberry sauce as a cheesecake topping is pretty much my fave.
But I also love serving blueberry sauce in a ton of other ways.
I like to stir a spoonful into vanilla Greek-style yogurt and top with a sprinkle of Coconut Pecan Granola for a fun and tasty afternoon snack.
It’s also absolutely delicious spooned over a stack of mascarpone pancakes or vanilla bean waffles for breakfast. Or make blueberry trifles or use it to top cream cheese pound cake for dessert.
Whether you’re serving this sauce up with breakfast, dessert or a midday snack, it’s sure to please the blueberry lover in your life!
Homemade Blueberry Sauce
Ingredients
- 2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries
- ½ cup water
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch mixed with 2 tablespoons cold water
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- Zest of 1 lemon about 1 tablespoon, optional
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine the blueberries, 1/2 cup of water, sugar and lemon juice. Stir frequently, and bring to a low boil.
- In a small bowl, whisk the cornstarch with 2 tablespoons of cold water.
- Slowly stir the cornstarch into the blueberries, taking care not to crush the blueberries. Simmer until the homemade blueberry sauce is thick enough to coat the back of a metal spoon, about 5 minutes.
- Remove from heat and gently stir in vanilla and lemon zest.
Video
Notes
- The amount of sugar that you use will depend on the sweetness of your berries, simply adjust the amount to suite your taste.
- If this sauce is too thick for you, slowly add in water until you reach the desired consistency.
- No lemons on hand? This homemade blueberry sauce recipe tastes really great with orange juice and zest.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
It’s been awhile since the last post so I hope you’re all still here.
I’ve tried many a blueberry sauce recipe over time and I’ve got to say…this one is primo. Taking care to keep the blueberries whole, as opposed to mashing them and hoping for a few whole ones, is the way to go. I added the lemon after taking the pan off the heat having learned how fragile lemon juice is. The mouth-feel and perfect balance of sweet and tart of this recipe makes it a Keeper. Thank you for sharing with us.
So glad to hear you enjoyed the recipe, Rachelle. Thanks so much for stopping back and leaving your feedback! Happy baking!
-Jamie
Tried this for my cheesecake……Love the tartness from the lemon juice and the taste of the vanilla really came through! Yummy!
So glad to hear you enjoyed the blueberry sauce! Thanks so much for stopping back!
-Jamie
Hi I was wondering how would honey go as a substitute for sugar?
I have not tried this substitution, Kaye so I can’t tell you how it would turn out. Thanks so much for stopping by!
-Jamie
This sauce was very yummy and easy to make. I used frozen mixed berries instead of blueberries and put the sauce on top of panna cotta. It was a hit! Thanks for the recipe.ย
I am so glad to hear that you enjoyed it, Joshua! :)
-Jamie
I made this sauce and doused some waffles in it, and it was spectacular! My third-oldest sister and I are in high school and the only kids left at home, and our parents were gone for the weekend. I made this for the two of us for breakfast, and we enjoyed it out on the front porch on a picturesque, sunny morning with waffles and brie, as well as hot coffee! It was wonderful!
Yay! So glad to hear to enjoyed the recipe! Thanks so much for stopping by and leaving your feedback. Happy Baking!
-Jamie
Can you can this syrup?
Shan-
Hello! I am not much of a canner, so I honestly have no idea if this recipe is able to be canned. I’m sorry that I am not more of a help.
-Jamie
An opportunity to win a case of Kind bars!!! I am in. My favorite flavor is Madagascar Vanilla. But I have to say that your copy cats were delicious!
Your social media bar on the left side of the page is VERY ANNOYING. You should move it to another location or move the copy on the page to the right so it is not blocked. Can’t imagine I’m the first to note this but oiyโฆis it annoying when trying to read a recipe!
Thank you,
Margaret
Margaret,
You are actually the first person to ever voice concern about the bar. For me, it appears at the far left of screen which is no where near the copy. I will definitely have my web developer look into the issue that you describe. Thanks for your feedback.
-Jamie
Thanks for the lovely recipe! I made this to serve with a simple shortcake. I topped the shortcake with coconut yogurt, and then with the berry sauce. Spectacular!
I made a couple of changes based on what I had available. I used 1 c of blueberries, and cooked that with the sauce. Then, I took it off the heat and added 1 c of blackberries and 1 c of raspberries, and mixed them very gently. I also used the orange juice and zest as you suggested. I served it at room temp the next day and wow! The very picky family just LOVED it! It’s so good, I think I could give this as a hostess gift or birthday gift in a mason jar. Looks so pretty. Thank you!
Laura-
I’m glad you enjoyed the sauce, the addition of raspberries sound wonderful. Thanks for stopping by.
-Jamie
Love this, so nice and easy, great tasting too, with no artificial preservatives.
Gonna try it on the Rumchatta cheesecake I made for supper.
Thanks so much for stopping by!
-Jamie