Blueberry sauce (AKA blueberry compote) is a sweet, simple topping that’s ideal for pairing with pancakes, crepes, cheesecakes and more. Takes only 15 minutes to make and works equally well with fresh or frozen berries.
My Favorite…Everything Topping
This easy blueberry sauce recipe is the perfect example of how simple ingredients and smart technique combine to create something truly magical. This recipe makes a glossy, vibrant and fresh sauce that you’ll want to drizzle on everything from pancakes to cheesecake.
Things to Know About This Recipe:
- Backed by food science. Acid (by way of lemon juice) brightens the flavor, sugar heat, and a cornstarch slurry create the thickened, glossy texture,
- Fresh or frozen… both work great! This recipe was tested with both, and while fresh is generally my preference, if fresh berries aren’t in season frozen will work just as well. No need to thaw them first.
- Customizable. A splash of vanilla is recommended, but try a sprinkle of cinnamon or a bit of orange, lemon, or lime zest for a twist. A bit of maple syrup in place of the sugar is also a nice change-up!
Jump to:
What You Need
- Blueberries. As mentioned, fresh or frozen will work equally well (no need to thaw if using frozen berries). The most important thing, just like when making blueberry muffins, is that the blueberries taste good. Don’t try to make blueberry sauce with pale, lackluster, flavorless berries or it simply will have a flat flavor.
- Sugar. While your blueberries should already be fairly sweet, a touch of sugar helps increase the sweetness ratio (blueberry sauce should be a bit on the sweeter side, without being cloying!) and it also serves to help thicken the sauce as it cooks, too.
- Cornstarch. Cornstarch is helpful for thickening the sauce so it isn’t runny or watery. It’s used in many sauces, like my strawberry sauce or even the topping for my strawberry cheesecake.
- Vanilla. While you could omit this for pure, blueberry flavor, I love the subtle accent it adds. If you’re using this sauce to top pancakes, definitely include the vanilla extract!
- Butter. While butter is a less common ingredient in blueberry sauce recipes, I find it makes quite a difference in the end result. It adds a silky, glossy finish and deepens the flavor beautifully.
Remember, this is just an overview of the ingredients I used and why. For the full recipe please scroll down to the bottom of the post!
SAM’S TIP: While bottled lemon juice technically works just fine, I generally prefer to stick with fresh lemon juice when it’s available. It’s a subtle difference, but it is a difference!
How to Make Blueberry Sauce
Combine all the blueberries, most of the water, sugar, and lemon juice, and cook until the berries release their juices and begin to burst. You can help them along as they warm by gently mushing them against the side of the saucepan with your spatula.
While I tried thickening the sauce by just cooking the cornstarch right in with the other ingredients (like I do for the topping in my blueberry cheesecake and blueberry cream cheese pie) for a silkier, saucier topping I prefer to use a cornstarch slurry. This is very simple, just whisk together a bit of cornstarch and water until its smooth, then add this to the blueberry sauce and stir well. The sauce will thicken, and once it has, remove it from heat.
Now add a bit of butter and vanilla, stir, and let it cool until you’re no longer likely to scald yourself with it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Honestly? Not much. The main difference is simply the name, though sometimes compotes are a bit… chunkier. You can make this sauce chunkier or less so depending on how much you mash the berries.
Place in an airtight container and it will keep in the refrigerator for up to a week.
Serve your blueberry sauce over one of these:
Let me know your favorite blueberry sauce pairing!
Enjoy!
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Blueberry Sauce
My easy blueberry sauce can be made with fresh or frozen blueberries berries. It’s ready in just 15 minutes and pairs well with breakfast, dessert, and everything in-between!
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Servings: 9 servings (¼ cup per serving)
Calories: 81kcal
Instructions
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Combine blueberries, ¼ cup water, sugar, and lemon juice in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat.
4 cups (560 g) blueberries, ¼ cup (60 ml) water, ⅓ cup (67 g) granulated sugar, 1 Tablespoon (15 ml) lemon juice
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Stir frequently until the blueberries release their juices (about 5-7 minutes). Feel free to use your spoon or spatula to squish the berries against the side of the saucepan to encourage them to break down further.
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Separately, in a small dish, whisk together cornstarch and 2 Tablespoons cold water until completely combined.
1 Tablespoon (15 g) cornstarch, 2 Tablespoons cold water
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Add the cornstarch mixture into the blueberry mixture and stir well.
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Stirring constantly, bring mixture to a rolling boil and then reduce heat and simmer, stirring frequently, until the sauce coats the bottom of a metal spoon.
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Remove from heat, add butter and vanilla extract and stir until butter is melted.
1 Tablespoon (15 g) salted butter, ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
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Serve and enjoy. If your sauce becomes too thick you can always add water while the mixture is still hot to make it thinner, but be sure to only add a teaspoon or two at a time until desired consistency is reached. Blueberry sauce is best served warm.
Notes
*A little vanilla extract goes a long way in this recipe, it enhances the sweetness of the blueberry sauce. For a more tart sauce with a stronger blueberry flavor, you may omit the vanilla extract, but all of my taste testers and I prefer this recipe with the vanilla.
Storing
Store unused blueberry sauce in the refrigerator in an airtight container. Blueberry sauce will keep at least a week in the refrigerator (many sources say longer but I’ve never kept mine longer than a week).
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 81kcal | Carbohydrates: 18g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 3mg | Sodium: 12mg | Potassium: 53mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 14g | Vitamin A: 74IU | Vitamin C: 7mg | Calcium: 5mg | Iron: 1mg
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered an estimate only. Actual nutritional content will vary based upon brands used, measuring methods, cooking method, portion sizes, and more.