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This cherry syrup for pancakes is the best pancake topping for fruity pancakes. It’s made with only 6 ingredients in 15 minutes, and you can use either fresh or frozen cherries.
Taking the time to make your own homemade pancake syrup, such as this chocolate pancake syrup, for drizzling over pancakes is always worth it.
This cherry syrup goes so well with these cherry pancakes, these banana oat pancakes or these oat milk pancakes.
Recipe Highlights
- This syrup is packed with real, natural cherry flavor, and tastes much better than any sort of store bought artificial cherry syrup.
- It takes 15 minutes to make, meaning that you can easily make it as you are cooking fresh pancakes.
- It can be made with fresh or frozen cherries so you can easily make this syrup throughout the year, even when cherries aren’t in season.
- It is vegan, dairy-free and gluten-free.
Ingredients
- Cherries: This recipe will work with any type of cherries, however it tastes particularly good when made with dark sweet cherries, such as Bing or Chelan. You can use either fresh or frozen cherries.
- Brown Sugar: Brown sugar adds a rich flavor that compliments the cherries well, as well as adds sweetness to the syrup. You can substitute this with granulated sugar if needed.
- Cornstarch: Cornstarch is used as a thickening agent to give this syrup its classic, thick pancake syrup consistency.
- Lemon Juice: A small amount of lemon juice brings out the cherry flavor and adds brightness.
- Vanilla Extract: A dash of vanilla extract gives the syrup an extra bit of sweetness.
Equipment
- A cherry pitter to pit fresh cherries with.
- A small saucepan to make the cherry syrup in.
- A glass mason jar to store leftover syrup in.
Instructions
Step 1: Add the cherries, water and brown sugar to a saucepan. Heat on medium to high heat until the mixture comes to a light boil.
Step 2: In a small bowl, mix the cornstarch and water together until smooth.
Step 3: Once boiling, add the cornstarch mixture to the cherry syrup and mix to combine. Use a fork to mash up the cherries.
Step 4: Reduce the heat to maintain a light simmer. Continue to simmer for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring occasionally until the sauce thickens up. Remove it from the heat and stir in the lemon juice and vanilla extract.
Storage
- Fridge: Let leftover cherry pancake syrup cool to room temperature. Transfer leftovers to an airtight glass container and store in the fridge for up to a week. Reheat leftovers in the microwave or in a saucepan before serving.
- Freezer: Because this syrup has cornstarch in it, it is not recommended to freeze it. Freezing this syrup can result in significant changes to its taste and texture.
Expert Tips
- Blend for a smooth syrup. This cherry syrup will naturally have small chunks of cherries in it. If you prefer a pancake syrup that is completely smooth, blend the syrup in a food processor or small blender after it has cooled to room temperature.
- Add water if the syrup is too thick. The longer the syrup simmers, the thicker it will become. It will also thicken up a lot as it cools down. If the syrup is too thick at room temperature, add water, 1 tablespoon at a time until you reach the desired consistency.
- Be creative in using the syrup. This cherry syrup is the perfect pancake syrup, but it is also great on so many other things, such as on french toast, waffles, ice cream, cheesecake or with brie and a baguette.
FAQ
Not really. This syrup is slightly to moderately sweet. For a tarter syrup, use tart cherries and reduce the sugar by half.
No. You can add frozen cherries directly from the freezer to the pan.
No. This is the perfect cherry-flavored pancake syrup, but it is not meant for making drinks with. For drinks, use a cherry simple syrup, which is made with cherries, sugar and water and doesn’t contain any cornstarch.
📖 Recipe
Cherry Syrup For Pancakes
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: ¾ cup 1x
- Diet: Vegan
Description
This cherry syrup for pancakes is the best pancake topping for fruity pancakes. It’s made with only 6 ingredients in 15 minutes, and you can use either fresh or frozen cherries.
Ingredients
- 2 cups cherries, frozen
- ½ cup + 2 tbsp water
- ½ cup brown sugar, packed
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
- 1 tbsp lemon juice, freshly squeezed
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Add the frozen cherries, ½ cup of water and brown sugar to a small saucepan and heat on medium-high. Bring the mixture to a low boil. Use a fork to break up the cherries, releasing their juices.
- In a small bowl, mix the cornstarch and 2 tablespoons of water together until smooth.
- Add the cornstarch mixture to the cherry syrup, and stir to combine.
- Reduce the heat to maintain a gentle simmer, stirring occasionally for another 3 to 4 minutes until the syrup thickens up.
- Remove the syrup from the heat and stir in the lemon juice and vanilla extract. Serve warm.
Notes
- For a smooth cherry syrup, blend the syrup after it cools to room temperature.
- If the syrup is too thick after cooling down, add water 1 tablespoon at a time until you reach the desired consistency.
- This cherry pancake syrup tastes delicious served on top of these cherry pancakes or these oat milk pancakes.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Pancake Recipes
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: ¼ cup
- Calories: 178
- Sugar: 39.2g
- Sodium: 11mg
- Fat: 0.5g
- Saturated Fat: 0.1g
- Unsaturated Fat: 0.3g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 44.2g
- Fiber: 1.7g
- Protein: 1g
- Cholesterol: 0mg
J
This was fantastic! I cut the sugar down to 1/4 cup and therefore the lemon juice to 1/2 tablespoon. I’m trying to limit my sugar consumption & it was still nicely sweet and delicious over French toast. I left the cherries smashed, but chunky & every bite was a treat.
Ali
So glad you enjoyed it, thank you for sharing!!
Jess
Definitely making this for our traditional first-day-of-school pancakes! Kids will be so excited!
rebecca
wow, this is such an easy recipe! I really like having the cherry chunks in it!
dana
Oh heck yes. I am ALL about cherries, so obviously fell in love with this syrup. Fab on waffles, too!
Justine
I just bought a bag of cherries and was trying to figure out what to do with them! This was perfect! It was easy to make and was sooooo yummy!