Fresh Blueberry Sauce Recipe

By
Diana Rattray
Diana Rattray
Diana Rattray
Southern-cuisine expert and cookbook author Diana Rattray has created more than 5,000 recipes and articles in her 20 years as a food writer.
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Updated on 02/28/22
Fresh blueberry sauce

The Spruce

Prep: 10 mins
Cook: 3 mins
Total: 13 mins
Servings: 4 servings

Blueberry sauce is a great way to use fresh blueberries when their peak season brings a bounty of berries. Better yet, there are many ways to use this fruit sauce, from an ice cream topping, a sauce for bread pudding, or to serve with waffles. Scale up the recipe and store in the freezer; you will have blueberry sauce on hand year-round to bring a taste of summer to your dishes any time! Though fresh blueberries are best, you can also make this sauce with frozen blueberries.

This easy sauce is a simple combination of blueberries, sugar, and a little fresh lemon juice—and it's all made without cornstarch. It can be combined with lemon curd and spooned onto sponge cake and a little blueberry sauce stirred into cream cheese makes an amazing spread for muffins, biscuits, and quick bread. 

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Ingredients

  • 2 cups fresh blueberries

  • 1/3 cup granulated sugar

  • 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

  • 1/8 teaspoon salt

  • 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    Ingredients for blueberry sauce
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  2. Wash the blueberries in a colander. Sort through them and pick out pieces of stem.

    Wash the blueberries
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  3. Transfer the blueberries to a saucepan and use a potato masher to crush them.

    Transfer blueberries to a saucepan
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  4. Add the sugar, lemon juice, and salt. Mix well.

    Add the sugar and lemon juice
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  5. Place the pan over medium heat and bring the blueberry mixture to a boil. Boil for about 1 minute.

    Place the pan over heat
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  6. Add the vanilla extract and stir to blend.

    Add the vanilla extract
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  7. Transfer the sauce to a bowl or container and let it cool to room temperature. Cover and refrigerate.

    Transfer to sauce to a bowl
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  8. When ready to serve, warm the sauce slightly to spoon over bread puddings, pancakes, cake, or ice cream.

Tips

  • When buying fresh blueberries, which are at their peak from May to October, look for firm, uniformly sized, dark-colored berries; turn over the container to make sure there aren't any mushy ones on the bottom. Fresh blueberries will remain good for about 5 days when stored in the refrigerator.
  • For longer storage, you can freeze. Place berries in one layer on a baking sheet and put in the freezer until frozen. Then pour into zip-lock bags and return to the freezer until ready to use; the berries will last about one year.


Recipe Variations

  • To thicken the sauce more, simmer it over low heat for about 5 to 8 minutes after it has come to a boil.
  • Replace the vanilla extract with 1/4 teaspoon of almond extract or with 2 teaspoons of grated orange zest. You can also swap orange juice instead of lemon juice if you like. 
  • Any leftover blueberry sauce can be stored in small, air-tight containers and placed in the freezer. Defrost and warm gently before using. 
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
108 Calories
0g Fat
28g Carbs
1g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4
Amount per serving
Calories 108
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 0g 0%
Saturated Fat 0g 0%
Cholesterol 0mg 0%
Sodium 64mg 3%
Total Carbohydrate 28g 10%
Dietary Fiber 2g 6%
Total Sugars 24g
Protein 1g
Vitamin C 9mg 43%
Calcium 5mg 0%
Iron 0mg 1%
Potassium 62mg 1%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)