Made with frozen or fresh blueberries, this easy, homemade Blueberry Sauce is perfect for topping waffles, ice cream, cheesecake, or pound cake. The quick sauce is a versatile New England favorite to enjoy with breakfasts and desserts all year long.
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This is a wonderful sauce to have in your repertoire! Blueberry Sauce is a delightfully sweet accompaniment to all kinds of dishes. And it cooks up in only ten minutes.
For breakfast, spoon Blueberry Sauce over buttermilk pancakes, grilled muffins, or lemon crêpes. Blueberry fruit sauce also plays quite nicely with desserts; as a topping for vanilla ice cream, spooned over cake, or layered with whipped cream in a mason jar dessert.
In a nutshell... 🐿️
- What it is: A simple homemade blueberry sauce that captures the best of New England's summer berry-picking season.
- You'll love this part: It's incredibly quick to make and is a wonderful way to enjoy that fresh blueberry flavor on everything from pancakes to ice cream, all year long.
- How it's made: Simmer fresh or frozen berries with sugar and lemon juice until the sauce is thick.
Jump to:
What is a compote?
A compote is a type of fruit sauce with a chunky texture, either from whole berries or large pieces of fruit. The fruit is simmered with sugar, spices, and other flavorings until it thickens into a sauce. Compotes can be made with one fruit or a blend of fruits. A coulis is similar to a compote, except that it's puréed and/or strained to have a smooth texture.
Traditional compotes are simmered for a long time over low heat to develop the flavors. My recipe, however, is a type of quick blueberry compote, a very simple fruit sauce recipe made with blueberries, sugar, and lemon juice. It can be prepared in less than 15 minutes, and it still has softened berries in a sweet, thick sauce.
So sweet!
Find even more fruit recipes:
Like coffee cakes, muffins, and fruit salads.
Why you'll love this recipe
Not only is this a versatile blueberry lemon sauce, it's so easy to make either ahead of time or right before you need it. Just throw everything into a pan and in fifteen minutes or so, the sauce is finished.
This recipe is a wonderful way to put freshly-picked summer blueberries to use, but you can also make Blueberry Sauce with frozen blueberries or blueberries from the grocery store.
A tasty way to enjoy New England blueberries!
In the summertime in Vermont and nowadays in Massachusetts, blueberry picking is one of my favorite things to do! Orchards across all six New England states boast rows of brimming blueberry shrubs, ready for picking from July through August.
When heading out to pick (or pick up) your blueberries bring home as much as you can—that way you'll have them on hand for so many luscious recipes like this one! They're easy to freeze for dishes down the road, long after warm summer breezes have given way to Stick Season and gray skies.
Wild blueberries—those tiny, flavor-packed beauties also known as low-bush blueberries can also be used in this recipe. They the pride, joy, and state fruit of Maine.
More blueberry love!
Homemade Blueberry Ketchup
This is such delicious sweet-savory ketchup made with fresh blueberries, garlic, and maple syrup!
🔪 How to make homemade Blueberry Sauce
Ingredients:
- Blueberries: This recipe is a perfect way to preserve the flavor of fresh summer blueberries. You can also make this sauce with frozen blueberries.
- Sugar: A little granulated sugar gives this blueberry sauce a luscious sweetness.
- Lemon juice: A dash of lemon juice balances the sweetness with a hint of acidity, and also enhances the blueberry flavor.
- Vanilla extract: Blueberries and vanilla are sublime together. Use a good quality brand such as Nielsen-Massey.
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- Put everything in the pan: Stir together the blueberries, sugar, and lemon juice in a medium saucepan, and bring it to a simmer over medium heat. Cook the berries for about five minutes, stirring occasionally, until the mixture begins to thicken.
- Let it cool: Pull the pan from the heat and add vanilla. Let the sauce cool for about five minutes. Serve it warm, or let it cool to room temperature first.
More fresh fruit ideas!
Mango Refrigerator Jam
Turn fresh mangos into an easy, spreadable jam that's so delicious on toast!
What to eat with Blueberry Sauce
This blueberry topping is a lovely choice for bowls of ice cream—like vanilla or salted caramel. Serve shortcakes or slices of pound cake with fresh blueberry sauce and whipped cream. And cheesecake... holy smokes, cheesecake! Spoon a generous amount of Blueberry Sauce over slices of New York cheesecake for a real treat.
How about breakfast? I love making this berry compote for pancakes, hot waffles, or to spoon over grilled muffins. Try it with cinnamon-dusted French toast, too.
As a recipe ingredient, I fold this blueberry sauce Toasted Marshmallow Blueberry Milkshakes and to create a Cinnamon Blueberry Icebox Cake.
Blueberry Sauce with fresh blueberries is sooo good spooned over hot County Fair Fried Dough!
Tips:
- To store Blueberry Sauce, let it cool to room temperature. Transfer the sauce to a mason jar or other container and cover tightly.
Blueberry Sauce FAQs
When sealed in a tightly covered container and refrigerated, blueberry sauce is good for up to two weeks.
Yes—because this is a sweetened fruit sauce, blueberry sauce must be refrigerated. If left out at room temperature, it will very quickly become moldy.
Enjoy Blueberry Sauce on pancakes, waffles, crêpes, and French toast. For dessert, spoon blueberry sauce over cream puffs, fresh fruit, or over slices of cake. It's wonderful for any dish where you want a burst of rich, sweet blueberry flavor!
Yes! Let the sauce cool completely, then transfer it to a freezer-safe bag with the air pressed out, or a container leaving just a little head space for the sauce to expand. Freeze blueberry sauce for up to three months.
Allow it to thaw in the fridge overnight, then stir the sauce and serve.
Jam and sauce have many elements in common—they're both made with whole berries or chunky pieces of fruit and are simmered with sugar. Jams have a thicker texture, sometimes with the help of added pectin, to make them spreadable. While sauce is a thickened fruit sauce, it's looser than jam, which makes it perfect for spooning over desserts and breakfast dishes.
The Blueberry Sauce recipe is below! And here are more recipes with blueberries that you'll really like:
💬 Did you make and devour this recipe? Leave a comment below.
📖 Recipe
Blueberry Sauce
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Ingredients
- 3 cups fresh or frozen blueberries
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup water
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- In a medium pan stir together the 3 cups fresh or frozen blueberries, ½ cup granulated sugar, ¼ cup water, and 1 teaspoon lemon juice. Bring the mixture to a simmer over medium heat.
- Cook the mixture at a low simmer for about 5 minutes, continuing to stir often, until it has thickened.
- Use the back of your spoon to smush some of the berries (do this carefully—don't get splashed) to help thicken the sauce.
- Remove the pan from the heat. Stir in the 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract. Allow the sauce to cool for 5 minutes.
- Serve the sauce while it's still warm, or let it cool to room temperature. You can also serve it chilled.
- When the blueberry sauce has cooled, transfer it to a mason jar or other container, and cover. Store the sauce in the fridge for up to two weeks.
- Makes 2 cups of blueberry sauce.
Notes
- To store Blueberry Sauce, let it cool to room temperature. Transfer the sauce to a mason jar or other container and cover tightly.
- This Blueberry Sauce can be refrigerated for two weeks or frozen for up to three months.
Nutrition
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