Easy Blueberry Sauce & Syrup

First off, we need to announce the winner of our food storage giveaway! The winner is #1025, Heather H. Congrats, Heather! Please email us ASAP to claim your prize!

Secondly, we’re going to pick a winner for the Photo Contest Giveaway tonight, so you still have time to enter!

And finally…Blueberry Sauce. Yeah, yeah, it’s kind of a summery thing, but for me, the most evil part of summer is starting to end and summer how I knew it growing up (hot days and cooler nights) is beginning. So while all of you were gallivanting around with your barbecues and your bonfires, I was huddled in a corner in the fetal position, wondering why my air conditioner wasn’t working properly. And now I am barbecuing and bonfiring (yeah, spell-check, I know that’s not a word…your squiggly red lines don’t intimidate me…) And eating blueberry syrup. On my waffles (come Friday) and my ice cream (every night between now and Friday).

This recipe is super easy. You’ll need 2 cups of blueberries (fresh or frozen), 1 cup of water, 2/3 cup sugar, 2 tablespoons corn starch, 1/4 cup strained lemon juice, and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract.

In a large, heavy saucepan, combine the water, sugar, lemon juice, and corn starch. Bring to a boil, stirring frequently, and boil for 1-2 minutes or until the mixture begins to thicken. Add the blueberries and stir constantly for 5 minutes. You can either mash or blend the berries or you can leave the berries whole. I think mashed berries work better for syrup and whole berries work better for ice cream (I like how they kind of freeze up on the ice cream, but I find them a wee bit creepy on pancakes or waffles or french toast).

This makes about 3 cups. And yes, before you ask, this can be frozen and I’m sure it can be canned, but I am not a canning expert and have no idea how you would go about doing it. If refrigerated, use or freeze it within 1 week.

Easy Blueberry Sauce & Syrup

1 cup water
2/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup strained fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 cups blueberries
1 teaspoon vanilla

Instructions:

Combine the water, sugar, lemon juice, and corn starch in a medium-sized heavy saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring frequently, and cook 1-2 minutes until thickened. Add the blueberries and cook for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and add the vanilla. You can either mash or blend the berries (like for syrup) or leave them whole (to use as a topping). Serve warm and refrigerate the leftovers for up to

Sara Wells
Meet The Author

Sara Wells

Sara Wells co-founded Our Best Bites in 2008. She is the author of three Bestselling Cook Books, Best Bites: 150 Family Favorite Recipes, Savoring the Seasons with Our Best Bites, and 400 Calories or Less from Our Best Bites. Sara’s work has been featured in many local and national news outlets and publications such as Parenting Magazine, Better Homes & Gardens, Fine Cooking, The Rachel Ray Show and the New York Times.

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Questions & Reviews

  1. This. Was. So. Good. Like, of everything we had out for a crepe bar this was the big hit (beating Cookie Butter, Nutella, macerated strawberries, etc.). This is amazing, and to answer the question above would be AMAZING on cheesecake among a number of other things. I was tempted, in making it, to cut the recipe in half but I’m so glad I didn’t!!

    1. And checking in over a year later, I can also say this is delicious made with 1 c. blueberries and 1 c. diced fresh peaches. This base recipe has a lot of possibilities!

  2. I make blueberry sauce all the time for our pancakes, but do this. Dump all the ingred in a saucepan on the stove: frozen or fresh blueberries, some sugar, a little cornstarch, cinnamon, lemon juice, and sometimes just a tad of maple syrup. Bring to a boil, stir, and simmer for about 10 minutes.

  3. I made this with flour, and then tried a batch with strawberries! Both were winners! I did give the finished product a quick whirl in the blender, because I have one child who is particular about foods being too “chunky.” We will not use maple syrup very often at our house anymore!

  4. Hi,
    You can also use modified corn starch as a thickener if you are wanting to can it. Modified corn starch is approved by the usda and is stable for canning sauces, fillings,syrups, and such. We canned a ton of apple pie filling a year ago and I did a lot of research on it, I even called the local extension office. I had to order it online though, however in Utah and Idaho apparently they have the stuff or as another reader said the powdered clear gel at certain cooking stores. Here in the midwest they do not have anything like that. The problem with cornstarch in canning is that it breaks down (it cannot handle heat that you have to have to create a seal on a jar) and allows bacteria to grow while clear gel or modified corn starch does not have this same problem.

    1. Clear Jel is a modified corn starch. There are tons of places to order it from. Depending on where you live you can buy it locally. From what I understand Amish stores have it. I buy mine from myspicesage.com You just want to make sure you get clear jel and not instant clear jel.

    2. Sorry forgot to add that it is very true about the cornstarch and breaking down. One of the first things I canned was apple pie filling with cornstarch. It was a recipe that came from someone I knew and trusted and how she eats that stuff is beyond my imagination. The taste was horrible and so was the smell. It had a moldy smell to it and I was stupid and thought if I could bake the pie it would get better. Needless to say that was not true. Since then I learned cornstarch is a big no no in canning. Like the first person said if you want to make it and then add the cornstarch when you heat it up that would work.

  5. If I’m going to can, can I use pectin to thicken? Is that the same thing as the clear gel you mentioned, Tish?

    1. Pectin will make the sauce thick like a jam and clear jel will make the sauce thin and flow like a syrup.

  6. Oh, I have a ton of frozen blueberries in the freezer from a u-pick this summer- this is a good way to use them!

  7. Someone else said it above about canning it and taking out the cornstarch and that is very true. It is not recommended to can with cornstarch. You can also use clear gel (not instant clear gel) to use if you want to can it with the thickner. The recommendation to can this product would be use equal amounts of clear jel as cornstarch and I would use bottled lemon juice. 1/4″ headspace and 10 minutes in a water bath.

  8. Sounds fantastic! My hubby would love this on everything! He loves blueberries! And best of all I can make one and freeze one!

  9. Just a quick question…in the paragraph you mention 2 cups of blueberries but in the ingredient list, you put down 1 cup. My guess is 2 cups?

  10. To can this:
    Leave out the cornstarch. Otherwise, cook until it reaches 230 degrees Fahrenheit. Syrup will be thin. Process pints or 1/2 pints for 10 minutes, quarts for 15 minutes. (Add 5 minutes for every 1000 feet above sea level).

    One recipe of this would make 1 pint jar and one 1/2 pint jar. Or, I’ve heard that there are now 1 1/2 pint jars out, which would fit this recipe perfectly.

    To serve after canning:
    Whisk in corn starch and cook in a saucepan until thickened.

    Then eat… of course. 🙂

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