Raspberry sauce is the perfect topping for your next cheesecake, stack of pancakes, or bowl of ice cream. It's made with a handful of simple ingredients and turns out with a perfectly balanced sweet and tart flavor.
I never comment or rate anything, and this sauce is that good. So delicious! ★★★★★ - Emily
Heather's recipe summary
Flavor: Fresh raspberry flavor with a nice balance of sweet and tart.
It's quick. Make a batch on the stovetop in about ten minutes.
Yield: About 1 cup
Similar to: Strawberry Topping for Cheesecake and Lemon Blueberry Topping for Cheesecake
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Ingredients and substitutions
- Raspberries - Fresh or frozen raspberries that have been thawed beforehand both work in this recipe. Want to make this recipe with other fruits? Try my Strawberry Topping for Cheesecake or Lemon Blueberry Topping for Cheesecake. They're both developed with the proper ratios of ingredients for each type of berry.
How to make raspberry sauce
- Add ingredients to a saucepan over medium heat.
- Bring to a simmer and gently mash berries with a spoon as your sauce cooks.
- Remove from heat and pour sauce through a fine mesh sieve.
- Press to remove as much sauce as possible while leaving behind the hard raspberry seeds.
Tips and tricks
Add more sugar as needed - Raspberry flavor can vary based on the season, so give your sauce a taste. If it tastes too tart, add more sugar and allow it to dissolve before removing it from the heat.
How to remove seeds - Raspberries are filled with tiny, hard seeds. Straining those seeds out creates a smooth consistency. You'll need a fine mesh strainer or sieve to strain the sauce. Gently pour the sauce into a fine mesh sieve that's been placed over a bowl. Use a rubber spatula to gently stir and press your sauce through the sieve.
Strain again, if needed - If desired, rinse your sieve and strain your sauce once more to catch any remaining seeds (a few are likely to get through the first time).
Frequently asked questions
Yes, fresh raspberries can be substituted with frozen raspberries that have been thawed beforehand. Thawed raspberries and any juices can go into the pan - no need to strain.
Depending on the sweetness of your raspberries and whether they're in season or not, your sauce may turn out a bit tart. Simply add a bit more sugar to balance the flavor. A small pinch of salt can also help.
Recommended
📖 Recipe
Raspberry Sauce for Cheesecake
Ingredients
- 12 ounces (341 g) raspberries
- ¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar, *
- ¼ cup (57 g) water
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- In a saucepan over medium heat, add raspberries, sugar, water, and cornstarch. Stir to combine.
- Bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low and gently mash the berries with a spoon as your sauce cooks. Cook sauce for 10-12 minutes, or until raspberries have broken down and sauce looks shiny. Remove from heat, add vanilla extract, and stir to combine.
- Arrange a fine mesh sieve over a bowl and pour your cooked sauce into the sieve, using a rubber spatula to gently press your sauce through the sieve. You should be left with a paste of mostly seeds - this can be discarded. If desired, rinse sieve and repeat to catch any remaining seeds.
- Sauce can be served warm or chilled over cheesecake, pancakes, ice cream, pound cake, and more.
Equipment Recommendations
Notes
- Add more sugar as needed: * Depending on the tartness of your raspberries, you may want to add more sugar. Taste your sauce before removing from the heat and add more sugar as desired.
- Yield: About 1 cup. Enough for one standard 9" round cheesecake or 1 tablespoon of sauce on 16 mini cheesecakes.
- Using frozen raspberries: Fresh raspberries can be substituted with frozen raspberries that have been thawed beforehand. Thawed raspberries and juices can go into the pan, no need to strain.
- Storage: Sauce will keep for up to a week in a sealed container in the refrigerator, or frozen for up to 6 months.
Will this be enough to cover a standard size cheesecake made in a 9 inch springform pan?
Yes, this recipe makes enough for one standard 9 inch round cheesecake.
It was an easy to follow recipe and it came out great got so many compliments!!
Spot on.
Sauce was fantastic! Will continue to make in the future. Perfect on top of your mini cheesecake recipe.
I made this and everyone said it tasted better than a restaurant. Topped off the cheesecake with this and fresh raspberries. This is a keeper recipe!!
Hi there, I can wait to make this! I’m going to use it to top mini cheese cakes. How many do you think this will top?
This recipe makes about 1 cup of strained sauce. Adding 1/2 tablespoon per cheesecake will cover about 32 mini cheesecakes. Adding 1 tablespoon will cover 16 mini cheesecakes. Hope this helps!
Heather, this is a lovely recipe. Very easy to make. Thank you, it was perfect!
Great flavor
This is a fantastic recipe! Thank you it turned out perfectly.
Can this sauce be can
Hi Donna, I haven't tried canning this sauce so I can't say for sure how it would turn out.
I never comment or rate anything, and this sauce is that good. So delicious!
So glad you enjoyed it Emily!
I pureed my berries in the blender first and ran them through the strainer directly into my cooking pot and then whisked in the sugar and cornstarch before cooking. It's easier, saves time and a few dirty dishes plus I'm pretty sure it tasets about the same! Delicious!
Used this for a dark chocolate cheesecake I made and it was the perfect addition.
Very good recipe! Added a smidge of lemon juice also.
Used it for my Norwegian waffles! Perfect!
Phenomenally good recipe! I just tailored it a little bit by adding 2½ tbsp of lemon juice to brighten it up a little bit. Best cheesecake topping I've ever had!