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Warm berry sauce poured over cold ice cream is one of my favorite desserts. I make this sauce year-round and every time I serve it, it gets raves.
Berry Sauce from Frozen Berries
This fruit sauce might be the simplest recipe I keep in my dessert recipe notebook. I scribbled it out on a scrap of paper almost 25 years ago while I was visiting a friend.
We were dishing up bowls of ice cream and her husband told us to wait a minute. He combined some frozen fruit and a bit of sugar in a saucepan, simmered a few minutes, and then transformed that basic bowl of ice cream into something much more elegant.
I was speechless (yes, imagine that) over the difference the warm fruit sauce made over that dish of ice cream. Sweet berry flavor turned the easy dessert into a cold creamy bowl of heaven.
I’ve never served this simple berry sauce to guests without rave reviews. There is something heavenly about the way the warm fruits melt down into the cold ice cream or spreads over a slice of creamy cheesecake. You’re going to love this!
I made the ice çream and berry sauce. It was to die for.!!! I finally found my comfort food. I had straight cherries 🍒🍒instead of mixed berries for the sauce🥘🧁. AWESOME 🍨
Berry Sauce for Ice Cream
My whole family gets excited when I pull berries out of the freezer along with a tub of ice cream. Not only is the flavor delicious, but the contrast of warm and cold temperatures is also divine.
I’m all about simple and hassle-free ways to turn basic treats into something that feels a bit more special and this mixed berry sauce does just that.
Perfect Berry Sauce
With so many possible combinations of berries and fruits to use in this sauce, I never get bored with it either.
Lest you think this sauce is only good as an ice cream topping, I also poured this over the Vanilla Bean Cheesecake I made last week. From topping cheesecakes to Greek yogurt to mousse cups or pudding, this berry sauce makes everything better.
This really is the perfect 5-minute treat.
I’ve made this simple fruit sauce topping countless times over the years, using whichever fruits I happened to have in the freezer at the time. Cherries, strawberries, and blueberries are all perfect in this topping.
I’ve also used raspberries for a slightly tarter variation on the original berry sauce. A mix of different berries is my favorite combination, the different fruit flavors always combine so well together.
Whatever berries or cherries you happen to have stored away in your freezer are sure to work well in this sauce! It’s so versatile and makes even the simplest desserts something special.
Berry Sauce Recipe
Making this berry sauce is so easy it hardly requires a recipe at all. I’ve played with different proportions of sugar and berries and still think the original is just perfect.
This sauce is as easy as combining berries and sugar in a pan. Put frozen berries and a big scoop of granulated sugar in a sauce pan over low heat. Stir the berries occasionally until they soften and everything starts to meld together.
Turn the heat up to medium once the berries are completely thawed and soft. Use a potato masher to mash the berries and stir constantly while the berries simmer, for about 2 minutes.
If you don’t have a potato masher, a sturdy fork or the back of a spoon will work too. Mash the berries until there are no big chunks of berries left.
Serve the sauce warm, poured right on top of Old Fashioned Vanilla Ice Cream or Strawberry Vanilla Ice Cream. It also makes a great ice cream sundae topping along with crushed nuts and homemade Vanilla Bean Whipped Cream.
Homemade sauces for ice cream are worlds better than anything you can buy from the store, and they come together in just a few minutes. You can even make the berry sauce ahead of time and store it in the fridge so it’s ready to go anytime you need it. This sauce will keep well in the fridge for up to a couple of weeks.
Fruit Topping for Cheesecake
Berry sauce is also my secret to turning a plain cheesecake into an elegant treat. Turn your vanilla cheesecake into a blueberry, strawberry, raspberry, or cherry cheesecake just by pouring this sauce on top.
When using the sauce for cheesecake, let it cool to room temperature first. The combination of flavors is phenomenal!
There are no limits to the number of ways you can use this sweet and simple berry sauce. Add some excitement to a Yogurt Parfait, drizzle over Whole Wheat Pancakes or mix it into a cup of Vanilla Pudding.
Once you have this sauce tucked into the fridge, I highly recommend making a batch of Mixed Berry Ice Cream. I’m so very glad I scribbled down this recipe all those years ago!
Looking for more berry ice cream recipes? Creamy and rich with an abundance of chocolate chunks that melt in your mouth, Black Raspberry Ice Cream is as iconic a flavor in Ohio as the chocolate and peanut butter “Buckeye” flavors that are also popular in every ice cream shop here.
Creamy, sweet, and just a bit tart, let’s give the summer a last hurrah of bright refreshing flavors with this Lime Ice Cream.
Berry Sauce
Ingredients
- 2 cups frozen berries (I typically use a mixture of cherries, strawberries, blueberries and raspberries.)
- ⅓ cup sugar
Instructions
- Place the frozen fruit and the sugar in a small saucepan. Set the heat to low, stirring occasionally, until the berries have softened. This should take between 5-10 minutes.
- Once the berries are mostly thawed, increase the heat to medium. Mash them with a potato masher and stir constantly while the liquid simmers for about 2 minutes.
- Pour the warm mixture over vanilla ice cream or let cool and then serve with the dessert of your choice. Store in the refrigerator until ready to use. Enjoy!
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
{originally published 2/20/13 – recipe notes and photos updated 6/14/23}
Simple perfection…… YUM!!
I could eat this on cereal! I can't believe how easy it is. It looks pretty amazing on that cheesecake too! Have a lovely Wednesday.
I bet this would be good stirred into plain yogurt!
Wonderful. I've been looking for a recipe like this to add to my plain yogurt or kefir. I bet it would also make a great topping for pancakes (maybe use maple syrup in place of the sugar). OOOH I am so excited I can't wait to try it.
I added 1 cup extra berries w. 1/3 c pure maple syrup to mine and used 1/6 c of brown sugar 1/6 c of raw honey to do a maple brown sugar flavor
so basically you just made up your own recipe
I'm completely into these ultra simple recipes these days—this sauce sounds like it would good on just about anything.
Looks yummy! I've made a sauce like this and served it in crepes (gluten-free) and it is delicious! Now you have me craving this!
Oh I want some of this sauce like right now!! It looks so yummy!
I can think of about ten things to do with this – and I always have frozen fruit in the freezer.
How simple! Pinned it!
Just Made this for my yogurt topping 🙂 thank you!!! so simple!! I just blended it after it became warm because I didn’t have a potato masher 🙂
Looks tummy, My husband will love this.
OYG ! This is delicious . I needed a second fruit sauce and this was perfect. I had Mandarin orange marmalade I’d made that i softened. Both were choices for homemade vanilla ice cream and a homemade custard pie with a sugar cookie crust. Guests choice. They were both so perfect, guests tried both and enjoyed them. Thanks so much for the recipe .
awe, I’m thrilled that you love the sauce, Cynthia!
Thanks for the recipe Mary! How long will it last in fridge?
Hi Tia. This should be fine for up to a week in the fridge.
Question – I prefer whole berries with my cheesecake sauce. Will this work well without mashing the berries?
Well, they will burst as it cooks, Michelle. That’s going to form the base of the sauce. However, you don’t need to mash all of the berries.
Fabulous
I’m so glad that you like it, Nicola!
How long can you store it in the fridge?
This will be fine for up to a week, Joanie.
Can you make this with fresh berries?
Definitely, Ginger! If you have an abundance of fresh berries on hand, they’ll work beautifully.
Can this sauce be canned? Sounds too awesome to not be ready at a moment’s notice. I don’t always have fruit in my freezer and some fruits are not available year-round.
Crossing my fingers you say yes.
I honestly don’t know, Netta. I’ve never done that myself. While you can certainly can a berry sauce and pie filling in general, I can’t swear to the safety of these ingredients as writen.
Do you think this will work nicely if poured over fresh berries
Sure thing, Fran.