Cherry Syrup Recipe - WonkyWonderful (2024)

June 3, 2015 By Nicole Harris 24 Comments

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This Cherry Syrup Recipe makes a great homemade sauce for just about any dessert! Serve with breakfast pancakes, over yogurt or as an ice cream topping. The possibilities are endless!

Hooray for Cherry Season {aka} The best season of the year!

I absolutely adore cherries. Too much. Every year I make myself sick eating pounds of cherries.

In fact, I rarely use fresh cherries in my recipes because I eat them all before I get the chance. This week I bought 5 pounds of cherries so that I could make this cherry syrup recipe AND eat an obscene amount of fresh cherries!

This syrup is super easy to make. Just heat a few simple ingredients on the stove top to your desired consistency. I made a thin syrup for drizzling. Cook a bit longer for a thicker cherry sauce.

I suggest buying a Cherry Pitterif you love cherries as much as I do. It makes the tedious task of pitting cherries much more tolerable.

Am I the only one that is reminded of the Witches of Eastwick whenever I look at a pile of cherry pits. You know the scene I’m talking about. Blahhhh.

This cherry syrup is fantastic over ice cream, pancakes, yogurt or cheesecake. I enjoyed mine on top of homemade tapioca pudding. {recipe coming soon}

So go ahead, buy 5 pounds of cherries and make this cherry syrup. The recipe only requires 1 pound of cherries and that leaves you 4 pounds to devour.

No? Just Me?

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Cherry Syrup

Ingredients

1 Lb Red Cherries - pitted and sliced in half
1 Cup Sugar
1/2 Cup Water
2 Tablespoons Fresh Lemon Juice
Pinch Sea Salt
1/4 Cup Water
2 teaspoons Cornstarch

Instructions

Combine sugar, 1/2 cup water, lemon juice and salt in a 3 quart pot over medium heat. Add cherries.
Heat on medium for 6-7 minutes or until lightly boiling.
Reduce heat to medium/low. Cook 5 minutes while stirring frequently.
Stir together 1/4 cup water and cornstarch. Add to syrup and stir.
Continue cooking 10-12 minutes, stirring frequently.
Heat to desired consistency. Syrup will thicken slightly when cooled. Cooking time may vary slightly depending on ripeness of cherries.
Transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate.

Notes

Recipe yields 2½ Cups

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Reader Interactions

Comments

Megan says
December 21, 2017 at

Is this more of a tart syrup? I’m looking to replace the cherry topping from frozen yogurt places. My fave place, Golden Spoon, got rid of their cherry sauce. Boo! Thanks!
Reply
- Nicole Harris says
  December 21, 2017 at
  
  No, this isn’t super tart. I suppose if you can find tart cherries that would up the tartness, if that is what you are going for.
  Reply
Nelson Garcia says
June 16, 2018 at

When do I put the cup of sugar in?
Reply
- Nicole Harris says
  June 18, 2018 at
  
  You add the sugar to the water, lemon juice and salt at the very beginning. 🙂
  Reply
Lynne says
July 4, 2018 at

If I add more corn starch, will it make it thicker.
Reply
- Nicole Harris says
  July 5, 2018 at
  
  Absolutely. Just mix the cornstarch with a little water before adding it to the entire recipe to avoid clumps.
  Reply
Hannah says
July 11, 2018 at

Hello! I love how simple your recipe is! I’m looking for a syrup to can. Have you tried canning this or do you think it would be okay to can? Thanks!
Reply
See Also
Soft Snickerdoodle Recipe with Maple Syrup | Butternut Bakery
- Nicole Harris says
  July 16, 2018 at
  
  I am absolutely clueless when it comes to canning. Sorry I can’t be of help.
  Reply
Julia says
July 24, 2018 at

How long will this last before it goes bad do you know?
Reply
- Nicole Harris says
  July 30, 2018 at
  
  I would use within a week. I usually am on the cautious side though 🙂
  Reply
Deb says
August 12, 2018 at

Have you ever tried freezing?
Reply
- Nicole Harris says
  August 16, 2018 at
  
  I haven’t. I imagine it would work fine.
  Reply
Carol Keith says
August 15, 2018 at

Could this be frozen?
Reply
- Nicole Harris says
  August 16, 2018 at
  
  I haven’t tried it but I think it should work fine.
  Reply
Nick Barknot says
May 20, 2019 at

Nicole, Thanks for the great and easy cherry syrup recipe. I’ve been making cherry preserves and cherry syrup (think your own version of a Cherry co*ke). It never occurred to me to use corn starch to thicken the syrup. Thanks for the tip.
Now a tip for you and your fans: If you want to intensify the flavor of the cherry syrup, add a couple of drops of almond extract to the syrup as it’s cooling off. Cherries and almonds belong to the same family of fruits and nuts. Just a little teeny bit will do. Otherwise the syrup will smell like cheap perfume.
Thanks again. Nick Barknot
Reply
- Nicole Harris says
  May 20, 2019 at
  
  Oh, I do love the cherry almond combo. Thanks for the tip!
  Reply
misty waters says
July 23, 2019 at

Yes this can be canned in pints in a hot water bath about 20-25 minutes for pints, as long as you have the lemon juice in. Lemon juice is the needed acid. I am about to make syrup though I just made 24 pints of pie filling seasoned differently. I just want a cherry flavor on ice cream and in soda .LoL
Reply
Karen T says
August 13, 2019 at

I made this with nanking cherries. At the end of cooking I added a touch of almond extract (about 1/4 teaspoon) and 1 tablespoon of bourbon. It turned out perfectly. This recipe is a keeper! Going back to mother’s to get more cherries and freezing the next few batches. Thank you!
Reply
- Nicole Harris says
  August 15, 2019 at
  
  Sounds great 🙂
  Reply
Kelli J says
April 22, 2020 at

I made this last summer and it was outstanding served over vanilla ice cream. Tonight, I’m doing the same though with blueberries that I froze last summer. WINNER! Thank You!
Reply
Amy says
April 8, 2021 at

Your caution is interesting, but how long will this last before it goes bad do you know?
Reply
Laurie says
June 27, 2021 at

This was delicious. Added a little vanilla. Thanks for the recipe!
Reply
Cindy says
July 11, 2021 at

I love this receipe. Turned out perfect for me, it is so simple. Tasted it it was what I was looking for Ice cream. Thanks to the others who commented I will be making and freezing it!
Reply
Robin Reid says
April 9, 2022 at

I am going to can this this weekend. I will not add the cornstarch, then waterbath it.
Reply