🍒 Quick and Easy Healthy Fresh Cherry Sauce

Fresh Cherry sauce in a black bowl with a spoon and a sprig of mint on top and ½ and orange in the background.

🍒 Quick and Easy Healthy Fresh Cherry Sauce

Skip the sugary store-bought syrup! This Quick & Healthy Cherry Sauce is a zesty, 10-minute topping that turns any basic breakfast into a gourmet experience. Made with fresh summer cherries, a splash of orange juice, and a hint of almond, it’s refined sugar-free and Weight Watchers friendly. It’s the ultimate topping for pancakes, waffles, ice cream. or a simple bowl of Greek yogurt.

Course Dessert, sauce, Snack, topping

Cuisine American, Canadian, North American

Keyword cherry, fresh, healthy, quick, sauce

Special Diet Dairy-free, Gluten-free, Vegan, Vegetarian, weight watchers

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 10

Total Time 15

Servings servings

Calories 79kcal

Author Terri Gilson

Ingredients

2 cups Fresh Cherries pitted and halved (approx. 1 lb).
¼ cup Orange Juice
1½ tablespoon Agave - add more if you like it very sweet and add less if your cherries are very sweet.
pinch of salt
2 teaspoon Cornstarch.
¼ teaspoon Almond Extract

US Customary - Metric

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Instructions

Pit and halve your fresh cherries. (Don't forget to use the "The Lazy Way" straw and bottle hack to make this part quick and mess-free!)
In a small saucepan, combine the pitted cherries, orange juice, agave and a tiny pinch of salt.
2 cups Fresh Cherries, ¼ cup Orange Juice, 1½ tablespoon Agave , pinch of salt
Bring the mixture to a gentle simmer over medium heat. Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the cherries begin to soften and release their deep red juices.
In a small cup, whisk the cornstarch with 1 teaspoon of water to create a smooth slurry.
2 teaspoon Cornstarch.
Pour the slurry into the bubbling cherries and stir constantly for about 1-2 minutes. You will see the sauce transform from cloudy to thick and glossy.
Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the almond extract.
¼ teaspoon Almond Extract
Serve the sauce warm over Oven Baked Pancakes, waffles, or even a bowl of plain Greek yogurt for a healthy, high-protein treat!

Notes

Expert Recipe Tips:

The "Straw & Bottle" Pitting Hack: To make this recipe truly quick, place a cherry on top of an empty glass bottle. Use a sturdy reusable straw to "pop" the pit through the center into the bottle. It's the fastest way to prep a big batch of fruit! *See July's newsletter for video!
The Slurry Secret: Never add dry cornstarch directly to hot fruit, or it will clump. Always whisk it with a teaspoon of cold water first.
Don't Overcook: You want the cherries to be soft and jammy, but still hold their shape.
The Glossy Finish: Make sure the sauce comes to a full, bubbling simmer after adding the cornstarch. The heat is what "activates" the starch to give you that beautiful shine.

🌡️Storage

Reheating: Microwave for 20 seconds or heat gently on the stovetop with a splash of water to bring back that pourable consistency.

Fridge: Store in a glass jar for up to 5 days.

Freezer: This sauce freezes beautifully! Store in an airtight container for up to 3 months.

WW Points:

This recipe is Weight Watchers friendly at 1-2 points for ¼ cup, depending on how much sweetener you use. Use liquid monk fruit instead of agave to bring down the points to 0, but you only need to use half the amount.

Nutrition