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Easy cherry syrup has 4 ingredients and is ready in less than 20 minutes. Homemade cherry sauce is perfect to serve alongside cheesecake, in co*cktails 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 forcherry clafoutis, sour cherry pie fillingand 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 foralmondina pistachio and dried cherry crisp thins.
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- Want To Save This Recipe?
- 🍒 Cherry Syrup Ingredients
- Helpful Kitchen Tools
- 🔪 How To Make Cherry Sauce (basic instructions)
- 5 Days To Canning Confidence
- 📷 How To Make Cherry Syrup (photo instructions)
- 🥣 How to thicken the cherry syrup
- 💧 Water bath canning instructions for cherry syrup.
- Storage Tips
- What to do with cherry syrup:
- 📝 Frequently asked questions, answers and tips:
- 👩🍳 Chef Tip
- Want To Save This Recipe?
- 📖 Recipe
- 👩🏻🍳 Sarah Mock
- Comments
🍒 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.
- 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.
5 Days To Canning Confidence
📷 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 co*cktails
- 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
📝 Frequently asked questions, answers and tips:
Can you freeze cherry syrup?
Yes! Cool the cherry syrup completely and transfer to freezer save containers. Leave ½ inch head space for freezing expansion. Use within 6 months.
What types of cherries can I use to make cherry syrup?
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.
Why is there lemon rind in this recipe?
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.
📖 Recipe
Cherry Syrup
Sarah Mock
Make this 4 ingredient cherry syrup recipe at home. In less than 20 minutes you will have homemade cherry syrup to serve alongside cheesecake, in co*cktails or as a topping for pancakes. This cherry syrup recipe is grain free, gluten free and vegan.
4.64 from 19 votes
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Note From Sarah
There is more to a recipe than just the recipe card. Frequently Asked Questions within the blog post that you may find helpful. Simply scroll back up to read them!
Prep time for the recipePrep Time 10 minutes mins
Cook time for the recipeCook Time 10 minutes mins
total time to prep and cook the recipe.Total Time 20 minutes mins
Course Breakfast Recipes
Cuisine American
Makes 9 ½ cup servings
Per Serving 117 kcal
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.
Video
Nutrition
Serving: 0.25cup | Calories: 117kcal | Carbohydrates: 30g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 1mg | Potassium: 112mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 29g | Vitamin A: 32IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 7mg | Iron: 1mg
Nutrition Disclosure
Nutritional facts are estimates and are provided as a courtesy to the reader. Please utilize your own brand nutritional values to double check against our estimates. Nutritional values are calculated via a third party. Changing ingredients, amounts or cooking technique will alter the estimated nutritional calculations.
published August 15, 2018
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About Sarah Mock
Sarah Mock is a classically trained Chef and graduate of Johnson & Wales University. A culinary blogger for 14 years Sarah helps the home cook prepare her recipes with professional results.
Reader Interactions
Comments
Bob Royce
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?
Reply
Denise
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?Reply
Lara
Are you using sweet or tart cherries?
Reply
Sarah Mock
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
Reply
Lydia
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?
Reply
Sarah
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.
Reply
Sandra Shaffer
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!Reply
Sarah
This is a great alternative to soft drinks! Use as much or as little as you need.
Reply
Taryn
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!Reply
Sarah
YEAH!!!! I am so glad you think so!
Reply