Easy cherry syrup has 4 ingredients and is ready in less than 20 minutes. Homemade cherry sauce is perfect to serve alongside cheesecake, in cocktails or as a topping for pancakes.
This cherry syrup recipe is grain-free, gluten-free and vegan.
If you love cherries as much as I do you are going to want to make my recipes for cherry clafoutis, sour cherry pie filling and pectin-free cherry jam.
Cherry season is so short so I try and get as many cherries as I can. I will make bourbon soaked cherries for Manhattans, a few extra pounds so I can make a few batched of cherry pie bars and dry some for almondina pistachio and dried cherry crisp thins.
🍒 Cherry Syrup Ingredients
- cherries stems and pits removed - bing cherries are used in this recipe but a Royal Ann cherry or another sour cherry can be substituted
- sugar - the sugar combines with the water to make a thick syrup sauce.
- water
- pinch salt - salt is important to make sweet ingredients, sweeter.
- lemon - I use fresh lemon juice but bottled lemon juice will work in a pinch.
Helpful Kitchen Tools
- Multi Cherry Pitter - Simply press and lift and up to six pitted cherries will fall directly into your bowl. Such a time saver!
🔪 How To Make Cherry Sauce (basic instructions)
- Wash and remove the pit from the fresh cherries.
- Stir together the cherries, salt and sugar, resting for 20 minutes.
- Add water, lemon juice, and lemon rind along with the cherries and juice to a medium saucepan and bring to a rolling boil.
- Cook for 10 minutes at a medium boil.
- Remove the lemon rind, cool and serve.
📷 How To Make Cherry Syrup (photo instructions)
- Combine the cherries, pinch of salt and sugar in a saucepan over medium heat. Allow the mixture to rest for 20 minutes allowing the cherries to release their juices.
- Add ½ cup of water, lemon rind and lemon juice to the cherries and sugar over medium heat, and dissolve the sugar in the cherry syrup.
- Optional step: with an immersion blender, carefully pulse the cherries a few times to make a smoother, thicker syrup. Temporarily remove the lemon rind if you choose to blend. Return the lemon rind to the syrup for the thickening boil.
- Bring to a rolling boil, stirring every few minutes until a boil is achieved.
- Reduce heat to medium. Cook 10 minutes while stirring frequently to prevent scorching. Remove lemon rind. The syrup will thicken slightly when cooled.
- Cool completely and store in airtight containers in the refrigerator.
🥣 How to thicken the cherry syrup
In this recipe, I use the rind of a lemon to thicken the cherry syrup. To maintain a gluten-free, grain-free, vegan recipe I use the natural pectin in the white part of the lemon to thicken the syrup.
Many fruits naturally have pectin in them. With genetically modified produce, often the pectin is less than would naturally occur. Lemon rind, the white part and the yellow outside have a higher concentration of pectin than the juice.
By using the rind of a lemon in syrup, it will naturally thicken the syrup by the pectin being extracted through boiling. An organic lemon would be a good choice for this project.
💧 Water bath canning instructions for cherry syrup.
- Heat canning jars in a large canning pot to a simmer.
- Make cherry syrup as instructed.
- Fill jars by ladling hot syrup into hot jars.
- Wipe the rim of the jar to remove any syrup, place a clean, new lid on the jar.
- Place a canning ring/bad and finger tighten.
- Using a jar lifter, place the jelly jars back into the canning pot.
- Bring to a boil boiling for 10 minutes.
- Using a jar lifter, remove the jars and rest them on a kitchen towel, wooden cutting board or cooling rack with at least 2 inches of space around them for the air to circulate.
- 12 hours later, check to see that the lids do not flex when pressed.
- Wipe clean and store in a cool, dry, dark place for a year.
Storage Tips
Cool the cherry syrup completely and transfer to freezer save containers. Leave ½ inch headspace for freezing expansion. Use within 6 months.
What to do with cherry syrup:
- serve over ice cream
- on top of creme brulee
- stir into a cola
- topping for pancakes
- use in between layers of a cake
- add to cocktails
- make a craft soda
- serve as a topping along with cheese and baguette
- bake with brie, serve with baguette
- serve on top of oatmeal
- serve on top of tapioca pudding
- dollop on top of cheese cake. Be sure to try my sous vide cheesecake!
- scoop on top of brownies
5 Days To Canning Confidence
📝 Frequently asked questions, answers and tips:
Yes! Cool the cherry syrup completely and transfer to freezer save containers. Leave ½ inch head space for freezing expansion. Use within 6 months.
This recipe uses bing cherries but I have also made cherry syrup with royal Ann cherries as well as tart cherries. Each cherry variety will give you a different flavor profile for your syrup. Feel free to combine different varieties of cherries for your own unique cherry syrup blend.
By using the rind of a lemon in syrup, it will naturally thicken the syrup by the pectin being extracted through boiling. An organic lemon would be a good choice for this project.
Chef Tip
This recipe uses bing cherries but I have also made cherry syrup with royal Ann cherries as well as tart cherries. Each cherry variety will give you a different flavor profile for your syrup. Feel free to combine different varieties of cherries for your own unique cherry syrup blend.
Ingredients
- 1 Pound cherries stems and pits removed
- 1 Cup Sugar
- ½ Cup Water
- pinch salt
- rind of 1 lemon
Instructions
- Combine the cherries, pinch of salt and sugar in a medium sauce pot. Allow to rest for 20 minutes.1 Pound cherries, 1 Cup Sugar, pinch salt
- Add the ½ cup water and lemon rind to the cherries and sugar. Over medium heat, dissolve the sugar in the cherry syrup.½ Cup Water, rind of 1 lemon
- Optional step: with an immersion blender, carefully pulse the cherries a few times to make a smoother, thicker syrup. Temporarily remove the lemon rind if you choose to blend. Return the lemon rind to the syrup for the thickening boil.
- Bring to a rolling boil, stirring every few minutes until a boil is achieved.
- Reduce heat to medium. Cook 10 minutes while stirring frequently to prevent scorching. Remove lemon rind.
- Syrup will thicken slightly when cooled.
- Cool completely and store in air tight containers in the refrigerator.
Nutrition
published August 15, 2018
I am Sarah Mock. Welcome!
Sarah Mock is a classically trained Chef and a graduate of Johnson & Wales University. A culinary blogger for 17 years, Sarah helps the home cook prepare her recipes with professional results.
Bob Royce says
Dear Sarah,
I recently made your blueberry syrup. Great blueberry taste, not too sweet. Yummy warm on French toast.
In reading the cherry syrup recipe, I am confused. Three times in the web page you mention lemon juice. The recipe itself does not mention lemon juice.
Do you mean the rind and juice of one lemon or something else?
Liz says
Hi! I’m just wondering how long this will keep in the refrigerator? Or could this be canned?
Denise says
My Bing Cherries are on! And want to make this syrup to can in water bath canner. Wondering how many cups 1 lb of cherries comes to when pitted and pulsed for this recipe?
Lara says
Are you using sweet or tart cherries?
Sarah Mock says
For this one I am using sweet but I think tart would make a great syrup! A blend of tart cherries and sweet from the sugar would be good!
Sarah
Lydia says
If using the lemon rind for thickening, what exactly do you do with it? Leave it in big pieces and then remove it? Grate it so it’s mixed in well?
Sarah says
Remove it after the 10 minute thickening cook OR if you want to pulse the syrup....remove it to pulse and then place the rind back it for the remaining cook.
Thanks for the question. I will update the recipe to be more clear.
Sandra Shaffer says
My husband is a big fan of the flavor of cherries and since we've given up soft drinks I bet he'll love this with club soda! Excited to stockpile and freeze this syrup too!
Sarah says
This is a great alternative to soft drinks! Use as much or as little as you need.
Taryn says
We are the new owners of a snow cone machine and this cherry syrup is so much better than the fake sugary ones sold for it!
Sarah says
YEAH!!!! I am so glad you think so!