With fresh raspberries and only 20 minutes, you can have a flavorful and easy raspberry sauce that’s perfect for special occasions, holidays, or even everyday use. This raspberry reduction is a fresh raspberry sauce that will taste amazing with fresh or frozen raspberries.

My family loves putting this on our breakfast foods such as English pancakes, buttermilk waffles, almond milk pancakes, and we even love it in our oatmeal! But it’s also amazing on your favorite desserts like cheesecake, angel food cake and brownies.

Delicious and easy to make raspberry sauce! Use fresh or frozen raspberries to make this delicious sauce. We love to use this atop ice cream, cheesecake, or crepes!

Why This Recipe Works

  • This raspberry sauce recipe is so versatile! It can be used on and with so many delicious foods. Whether you choose to use this raspberry sauce for cheesecake or use this raspberry sauce for ice cream, you really can’t go wrong. It’s excellent on yogurts and cupcakes too! I like pairing it with my Greek yogurt whipped cream and crepes, using the cream as the filling and the sauce as the topping and I swear it’s heavenly.
  • Knowing how to make raspberry sauce is a huge bonus as it’s easy to make and only takes a few simple ingredients. Plus, if you make it for a breakfast, you can use it for a dessert another time! Gotta love those leftovers that also become dessert 🙂

Ingredients

Ingredients used to make raspberry sauce on a cream textured background.
  • Raspberries: You can use frozen or fresh raspberries.
  • Sugar: The sugar pulls out the juices in the berries, making this raspberry sauce sweet and flavorful.
  • Water: To make it a bit more pourable and not super chunky like a jam.
  • Vanilla Extract: This gives it a bit more flavor depth.
  • Cornstarch: This is the thickener and it makes the raspberry sauce thicker — more like a topping and less like a syrup. 
  • Butter: You can use salted or unsalted.

Step-by-Step Instructions

  1. Add the raspberries to a saucepan over medium heat. Add the sugar and water. Stir until the sugar has dissolved. Heat the mixture until it comes to a boil, stirring frequently.
A saucepan full of frozen raspberries, water, and sugar.
  1. Once boiling, reduce the heat and add in the vanilla.
  2. Next, make a cornstarch slurry. In a small bowl, mix together the cornstarch and 2 tablespoons of water until the cornstarch is well mixed. 
  3. Add the cornstarch mixture to the saucepan and stir. Allow to boil for 4-5 minutes or until the sauce has thickened.
A cornstarch slurry being poured into a saucepan full of a raspberry compote.
  1. Remove the pan from the heat and add in the butter. Stir until the butter has completely melted and is well incorporated into the sauce.
Raspberry sauce and a slice of butter in a small pot.
  1. Allow the raspberry sauce to cool for about 20 minutes and then add in the remaining fresh or frozen raspberries.
Raspberry sauce in a saucepan with a wooden spoon scooping some up.
  1. Stir until raspberries are well distributed. Serve this sauce cold or hot over breakfast foods, ice cream, cheesecake and other desserts.
A glass jar on a white background, overflowing with raspberry sauce.

Recipe Tips

Raspberries: You can use frozen or fresh raspberries in raspberry sauce. Adding some extra whole berries at the end allows for a chunky and smooth sauce full of texture throughout the sauce and in my opinion, it’s AMAZING! Feel free to add even more raspberries at the end if you want more.

Be sure to stir while cooking the sauce so you don’t get sticking and burning.

You can serve this sauce cold or hot.

Serve this raspberry sauce on cheesecake, brownies, ice cream, pizookies, pancakes, waffles, etc.

Serve this raspberry sauce as a filling for chocolate cake or chocolate cupcakes, toaster strudels, doughnuts, and so much more!

Storing

Store the raspberry sauce in an airtight container or jar in the fridge for up to a week. I like using a mason jar with fitted lid and rim to contain it because it’s airtight and easy to pour or scoop from. You can freeze the sauce in an airtight container or Ziplock bag for up to 3 months.

FAQs

Can I use frozen raspberries in raspberry sauce?

Absolutely! Fresh raspberries aren’t always easy to find (or cheap to buy) especially in the off-season. Cut out some of that hard work and cost by buying a big bag of frozen raspberries and you can enjoy this simple sauce whenever you want!

Can raspberry sauce be frozen?

While I’ve never tried, you should be able to freeze and thaw this sauce just fine. Just make sure that the airtight container of choice is also freezer friendly and you should be good to go. Freeze it for up to 3 months and thaw it by placing the sauce in the fridge overnight. You can always reheat it on the stove to warm it up if you’d like to serve it warm.

How do you thicken raspberry sauce?

The cornstarch slurry we made should be good enough to thicken your sauce up pretty well. If you notice your sauce isn’t thickening as you want it to, turn the heat up just a little bit (not much) and boil for a little longer. The cornstarch needs heat to activate and you will also notice that the sauce continues to thicken as it cools, so patience could also be key to a great consistency.

What is raspberry sauce made of?

While recipes can differ, the staple ingredients are raspberries, cornstarch, water, and sugar. My recipe uses vanilla and butter in addition for more flavor.

Delicious and easy to make raspberry sauce! Use fresh or frozen raspberries to make this delicious sauce. We love to use this atop ice cream, cheesecake, or crepes!

More Raspberry Recipes

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Delicious and easy to make raspberry sauce! Use fresh or frozen raspberries to make this delicious sauce. We love to use this atop ice cream, cheesecake, or crepes!
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4.88 from 8 votes

Raspberry Sauce

Use frozen or fresh raspberries to make this mouthwatering raspberry sauce! It goes great on top of pancakes, waffles, ice cream, crepes and more!
Prep Time: 5 mins
Cook Time: 15 mins
cool time: 20 mins
Total Time: 20 mins
Servings: 8

Ingredients
 

  • 12 oz bag frozen raspberries (or fresh) about 2 1/2 cups
  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
  • 2 tablespoons water
  • 1 tablespoon butter - (salted or unsalted, but I used salted)

Instructions
 

  • In a saucepan over medium heat add 1 1/2 cups raspberries, sugar, and water. Stir to dissolve the sugar. Heat until the mixture comes to a boil, stirring frequently. 
  • Reduce heat and add the vanilla. 
  • In a small bowl stir the cornstarch and 2 tablespoons of water. 
  • Add the cornstarch mixture to the saucepan of raspberries. Stir and boil over medium-low heat for 4-5 minutes or until the sauce has thickened a bit. 
  • Remove the pan from the heat. Add the butter and stir the butter into the sauce until the butter is completely melted.
  • Let the raspberry sauce cool for 20 minutes, then add the remaining raspberries (about 1-1 1/2 cups or whatever you have left. Stir to incorporate the raspberries into the sauce. 
  • Serve over any and all desserts! 
  • Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. 

Notes

Berries: You can use fresh or frozen raspberries for this recipe, or a combination of the two. You can use different fruit varieties as well, blueberries, blackberries, strawberries… they’ll all taste good! Feel free to add even more raspberries at the end if you want more.
Storing: Keep your sauce stored in an airtight container in the fridge and you can expect it to last about a week. I like using a mason jar with fitted lid and rim to contain it because it’s airtight and easy to pour or scoop from but feel free to use any airtight container that you like!
Freezing: While I’ve never tried, you should be able to freeze and thaw this sauce just fine. Just make sure that the airtight container of choice is also freezer friendly and you should be good to go. Freeze it for up to 3 months and thaw it by placing the sauce in the fridge overnight. You can always reheat it on the stove to warm it up if you’d like to serve it warm.
Trouble thickening the sauce? The cornstarch slurry that we made should be good enough to thicken your sauce up pretty well. If you notice your sauce isn’t thickening as you want it to, turn the heat up just a little bit (not much) and boil for a little longer. The cornstarch needs heat to activate and you will also notice that the sauce continues to thicken as it cools, so patience could also be key to a great consistency.
Be sure to stir while cooking the sauce so you don’t get sticking and burning.
You can serve this sauce cold or hot.
Serve this raspberry sauce on cheesecake, brownies, ice cream, pizookies, pancakes, waffles, etc.
Serve this raspberry sauce as a filling for chocolate cake or chocolate cupcakes, toaster strudels, doughnuts, and so much more!

Nutrition

Calories: 111kcal (6%)Carbohydrates: 24g (8%)Fat: 1g (2%)Cholesterol: 3mg (1%)Sodium: 14mg (1%)Potassium: 64mg (2%)Fiber: 2g (8%)Sugar: 20g (22%)Vitamin A: 60IU (1%)Vitamin C: 11.1mg (13%)Calcium: 11mg (1%)Iron: 0.3mg (2%)
author: Whitney Wright
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
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This recipe was originally published in April 2018. It was republished on Aug. 3, 2021, to include additional information and photos.

This Raspberry Sauce is finger-licking good! You can use this on just about anything, pancakes, crepes, brownies, cheesecake, you name it! Use fresh or frozen raspberries, it's up to you! Full recipe at saltandbaker.com #saltandbaker #raspberrysauce #raspberries #foodphotography #beautifulfood #raspberrydesserts