Easy 4-Ingredient Berry Sauce (Made with Frozen Berries)

This naturally gluten-free berry sauce (also called compote) is made with just 4 simple ingredients (plus water). It's free of refined sugar and thickened with arrowroot flour instead of cornstarch. This from-scratch 4-ingredient berry sauce is perfect for topping cheesecake, pancakes, waffles, or ice cream—and delicious swirled into yogurt or oatmeal.

Note: This post may contain affiliate links. Please see our disclosure policy.

This from-scratch berry sauce is a sweet reminder of summer. One of my favorite foods to pick and eat in the summertime are berries. It truly is one of life's simple pleasures. There's nothing better than eating a sun-ripened strawberry or blueberry right off the plant while the sun shines on your face! I am a summer girl through and through!

Unfortunately, I cannot pick and eat fresh berries year-round where I live in Pennsylvania, so in order to enjoy them all year we freeze a lot of berries when they are in season. Then I can make this delicious berry sauce made with frozen berries and we can enjoy a taste of summer all year long!

This naturally gluten-free berry sauce is so simple to make. Even if you've never made a from-scratch sauce recipe before, this is a great recipe to start with. It is very easy to make! You will also love that there are so many ways you can use this easy 4-ingredient berry sauce.

I created this berry sauce to top my miniature cheesecake recipe. You can find that recipe here. Over the years we have found many more ways to enjoy this sauce. It's so good spooned on top of a bowl of vanilla ice cream. It's especially yummy if you serve it on top of some homemade ice cream churned in an ice cream maker. Yum!!—It's a fun and tasty summertime tradition for our family. I love how food can turn ordinary days into special moments. We all eat everyday anyway, so why not create something special to enjoy with each other. It's a very simple way to connect with those you love.

Another food we connect over is pancakes and waffles, and this sauce is delicious on top of both of those. Sometimes I'll use this berry sauce in replacement of maple syrup for a lower sugar (but still sweet) breakfast. I've shared a great gluten-free, grain-free pancake recipe here.

Lastly, I use this 4-ingredient berry sauce mixed in one of my favorite snacks. Greek yogurt, with this berry sauce swirled in and topped with a handful of granola—so easy and simple, but so good. I hope you give it a try and see how simple homemade can be!

Why You'll Love This Recipe:

• Only 4-ingredients: Made with only 4 simple ingredients- frozen berries, coconut sugar, vanilla extract, and arrowroot flour (plus water).
• Refined sugar free
• Naturally gluten-free
• No cornstarch: we will use arrowroot flour as our thickener
• Uses frozen berries: Frozen berries are easy to keep on hand at all times, so you can whip up a batch whenever needed!
• Perfect for topping pancakes, waffles, cheesecake, and ice cream

What You'll Need to Make This Easy 4-Ingredient Berry Sauce

Kitchen Supplies You'll Need

Small to medium sized kettle.

Ingredients

Frozen berries- I use frozen strawberries and frozen blueberries, but you can substitute with blackberries and raspberries or use any combination of berries you like.

Coconut sugar- Any kind will do. I like Madhava brand because of the rigorous toxin and contaminate testing they do on their coconut sugar. You could replace the coconut sugar with maple syrup instead.

Pure vanilla extract- Be sure to get pure vanilla extract and not imitation and ensure that the brand you get is gluten-free (most are). You can even make your own vanilla. If you don't like the taste of vanilla, you can omit it from the recipe.

Arrowroot flour- This is naturally gluten-free. Sometimes in the grocery store it's called arrowroot starch or powder, but their all the same thing just different names.

Water- Just a little to prevent the fruit from scorching until the berries start to cook down and make their own juices. It's also needed to make the arrowroot thickening slurry.

Steps to Make This Easy 4-Ingriedent Berry Sauce

In a small to medium kettle, add the frozen berries and ¼ cup of water. Turn the heat to medium high and bring the fruit to a boil, stirring occasionally. Mine took about 10-15 minutes to come to a boil. Once boiling reduce the heat to medium low and allow the fruit to simmer until it's fully thawed and starting to soften.

The longer you cook the berries, the more they will break down. If you desire a smoother sauce cook them longer and smash the berries while you're stirring it, if you desire larger pieces of fruit in your sauce move to the next step as soon as the berries are soft.

Pictured below is what your berry sauce should look like before adding the coconut sugar and vanilla.

Reduce the temperature to low heat. Add the coconut sugar and vanilla extract to the cooked berries and stir.

In a small bowl whisk together the arrowroot flour and ¼ cup of water until the arrowroot is dissolved to create a thickening slurry. Slowly pour the slurry into the berry mixture while stirring constantly. Continue cooking over low heat, stirring constantly until the sauce thickens to your desired consistency. This should only take a few minutes.

*Note- If you prefer a thicker sauce, mix up additional arrowroot slurry and add it gradually until the sauce reaches your desired thickness. It depends what you are going to be using this on. For example, when I use this as a pancake topping, I make it thinner, but for my cheesecake topping I make it thicker. Also keep in mind that this berry sauce will thicken up as it cools.

Remove from heat. For hot foods like pancakes and waffles use immediately while warm. For cold desserts like cheesecake or ice cream, allow the sauce to cool completely and then refrigerate before using.

Your finished sauce should look something like this.

Ways to Enjoy This 4-Ingriedent Berry Sauce

• Great for topping pancakes
• Great for topping waffles
• Spoon it over ice cream
• Swirl it in yogurt
• Makes a great cheesecake topping
• Use it as a crepe filling
• Put it on top of oatmeal
• Put it on French toast

4-Ingredient Berry Sauce FAQ