Sweet raspberry sauce makes the most delicious dessert topping or cake filling! Our homemade raspberry sauce is thick, spreadable, and strikes the perfect balance of sweet and tart. It’s incredibly easy to make and has so many uses!
Similar to our Strawberry Topping, this delicious raspberry sauce is the perfect topping and dessert sauce.
It adds a sweet berry finish to treats like angel food cake, pound cake, or vanilla ice cream. Dress up a chocolate ganache cake or cheesecake for special occasions with this thick raspberry sauce. Or enjoy it on top of brunch fare like French toast bake, fluffy sourdough pancakes, or plain yogurt.
It’s the perfect sauce for a variety of occasions and, even better, it’s an easy recipe too.
Why This Recipe Works
This simple raspberry sauce recipe is one to keep on-hand and return to again and again! It’s fast and easy to make, plus there are so many different ways to use it.
Once you try this fruity sauce, you’ll be looking for any excuse to enjoy it!
Why you’ll love this raspberry sauce:
- Only seven simple ingredients are required.
- It takes just a few minutes to make.
- The sweet flavor of raspberries are enhanced with just the right amount of sugar and vanilla.
- The cooked raspberries thicken beautifully which creates a spreadable sauce with so many uses!
Ingredients for Raspberry Sauce
This versatile sauce only calls for seven ingredients, and you don’t even need fresh raspberries to make it! Our recipe only requires a little bit of sugar, which means the natural sweetness of the berries really shine.
Here are the ingredients you will need to make this sweet and tart raspberry sauce:
- Frozen raspberries. This means raspberry sauce can be enjoyed year-round (not just during raspberry season!). See notes if you prefer to use fresh raspberries.
- Water. This thins the sauce and helps the berries break down as they cook. You will also need a little bit to make the cornstarch slurry.
- Lemon juice. A little bit of lemon juice will add a bright, acidity that’s very subtle when it comes to the flavor of the sauce.
- Granulated sugar. To enhance the sweet flavor of the raspberries.
- Cornstarch. This ingredient helps thicken the sauce so it turns into a spreadable, smooth sauce.
- Vanilla extract. A splash of vanilla adds the most subtle vanilla flavor that takes this sauce to the next level!
How to Make Raspberry Sauce
The process for this easy raspberry sauce recipe is super simple and takes minimal effort!
Here is a look at the steps required but be sure to scroll to the bottom of the page to view the printable recipe card for all of the details.
In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine the frozen raspberries, water, lemon juice, and sugar. Bring to a low boil and cook, mashing the berries with a rubber spatula or spoon.
Make a slurry in a small dish by mixing the cornstarch and cold water. Temper the slurry with 2-3 tablespoons of the raspberry mixture, then slowly stir it into the saucepan. Cook for 3 more minutes until the sauce thickens.
Transfer the sauce out of the small saucepan into a dish or pitcher. Serve the sauce, either warm or cold. It will thicken as it cools.
Tips for Success
- Using fresh raspberries: To make a fresh raspberry sauce, substitute the frozen raspberries with 5 cups of fresh berries.
- Removing seeds from the sauce: For a smooth, seedless sauce, transfer the sauce into a fine mesh sieve set over a bowl and use the back of a spoon or a silicone spatula to force the berries through the strainer to remove the raspberry seeds. Discard the seeds.
⏲ Storage and Reheating
Store leftover raspberry sauce in an airtight container or small jar for up to one week.
Reheating raspberry sauce: To reheat, warm the sauce in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring often. You can also microwave the sauce in 15-second bursts until warm.
You can also freeze this sauce. Place it in freezer proof containers and freeze it for up to six months. Thaw it overnight in the fridge. When the sauce thaws, it will be a bit thinner because cornstarch loses its thickening power after it gets frozen.
How to Use Raspberry Sauce
A favorite way to use this sauce is as a sweet and fruity cake filling! All you need to do is to pipe a dam around the perimeter of the cake, then fill it with the sauce.
However, this sauce has so many uses- from special occasion desserts to the everyday recipes we make on a regular basis.
Here are a few ideas for how to use it:
- on flourless chocolate cake or truffle cake
- as a berry syrup for a stack of barley pancakes, sourdough waffles or ricotta pancakes.
- drizzled over some of our favorite desserts like mini cheesecakes, lemon ricotta cake or sweet panna cotta
- over Greek yogurt or lavender ice cream
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Raspberry Sauce
Ingredients
- 2 packages 10 oz. each frozen raspberries
- ⅓ cup water
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice freshly squeezed
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons cold water
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Combine the frozen raspberries, water, lemon juice and sugar in a saucepan set over medium heat. Bring to a low boil and cook while stirring occasionally and mashing the berries with a spoon or spatula, about 10 minutes.
- In a small dish, stir the cornstarch and cold water together. Temper the slurry with 2-3 tablespoons of the hot berry mixture and slowly stir into the saucepan of berries. Continue to cook and stir for about 3 minutes until the sauce thickens.
- Transfer the sauce to a dish or pitcher and serve either warm or at cold. The sauce will thicken as it cools.
- Serve as a topping for ice cream, cheesecake, breakfast yogurt, and waffles. It also makes a great cake filling as long as you pipe a dam around the perimeter of the cake.
Notes
- This sauce uses only a small amount of granulated sugar, which adds sweetness to the berries while allowing their natural flavor to shine.
- Reheat the sauce in a saucepan set over medium heat, stirring often, or in the microwave for 15-second bursts, stirring often.
- To make this recipe with fresh raspberries, substitute the frozen raspberries with 5 cups of fresh raspberries.
- For a smooth, seedless sauce, transfer the sauce into a fine mesh strainer set over a bowl and use the back of a spoon or a silicone spatula to force the berries through the strainer to remove the seeds. Discard the seeds.
