Easy Naturally Sweetened Berry Sauce (Mixed Berry Coulis)

Naturally sweetened berry sauce is a delicious addition to desserts, breakfasts, and snacks. Quick and easy to make, this healthy berry coulis is bursting with summer flavor and adaptable to whatever berries you have at the moment. With only 3 ingredients, you can use fresh or frozen berries and make this simple berry sauce to your taste!

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Naturally sweetened berry sauce is a staple recipe with many delectable uses! As delicious as it is healthy, this mixed berry coulis is simple to make and adapt to your taste and to whatever berries you want! The options are many!

• use fresh or frozen berries
• sweeten or don’t sweeten
• make it smooth or leave it chunky
• highlight just one type or berry or a mix of several

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What can I do with naturally sweetened berry sauce?

While I often make a naturally sweetened berry sauce for a particular purpose, I have learned it is good to make more than I need. The leftovers always find their way into some totally separate dish within a couple of days. There are so many wonderful ways to serve it!

Because naturally sweetened berry sauce is good for us, it is equally good to serve as a component of dessert as breakfast or a snack. Indulgent and healthy all at once!

Health benefits of homemade berry sauce

There are only three ingredients in this recipe, and each can be considered beneficial.

• berries— Packed with nutrition and good for most special diets, berries form the bulk of the sauce. While different types of berries offer somewhat different benefits, they are all good for us. Read more about what berries can do for you here. Organic is ideal!
• lemon zest— Not strictly essential to the recipe, lemon zest adds natural pectin that helps thicken the sauce without starches. Lemon peels are nutritious and may support immune, blood, sugar, heart health and more. I like to buy organic lemons when consuming the peels and wash them well.
• raw honey— Though a sugar, raw honey is believed to benefit the immune system, blood sugar regulation, digestive health, the circulatory system, skin, and more. With anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, raw honey can support your health is a wide variety of ways.

Favorite uses for berry sauce

While it may be tempting to eat this sauce straight from a spoon, it is good for many other purposes!

• pour generously over pancakes, waffles, or French toast. The sauce adds flavor, nutrition, and color! Serve warm or cold.
• use as an ice cream topping– we like it on GAPS vanilla ice cream for a nutrient dense treat!
• drizzle over a cake or cheesecake for an elegant and vibrantly flavored dessert
• spread in a pavlova, sprinkle with fresh berries, and top with whipped cream or whipped cultured or coconut cream for a beautiful, gluten free dessert
• top cooked apples or roasted bananas (or fresh ones!) with the berry sauce, possibly with cream or yogurt
• flavor plain yogurt with the sauce– either stir it in or serve as a topping. I like to add a bit on top of each little single-serving jar of homemade yogurt before sticking them in the refrigerator. Sort of like fruit-on-the-bottom yogurt from the store, except the fruit is on top. And it doesn’t have sugar or other objectionable ingredients in it!

How to Make Naturally Sweetened Berry Sauce

Choose your berries

Frozen ones work perfectly, but so do fresh berries. You need about a quart, though you can easily scale the recipe up or down. If you use fresh berries, wash and sort them. If you use frozen berries, you can start from frozen or thaw them first.

I used frozen mixed berries in the pictures– strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, and blackberries. I also use the same recipe for single berries– usually blueberries– and other mixtures of berries. Use the berries you love, or the ones in season if using fresh, or the ones on sale!

Simmer gently

Put the berries in a saucepan. Turn the heat on very low and cover the berries. As they release their juices, you can turn the heat up toward medium. Stir every few minutes. Once the berries become juicy, keep the lid off.

While the berries begin to cook, zest the lemons. I like to use organic and wash well, then grate them or use a zesting tool or knife. You can use the juice in the berry sauce if you like. I usually save the juice for another use. Add the lemon zest to the berries. As it cooks, it will add a bit of pectin, helping your naturally sweetened berry sauce to thicken just enough.

Cool before adding honey

Once your fruit is cooked and juicy (10-15 minutes), turn off the heat. At this point, you can either leave it chunky, like a berry compote, or you can blend it for a smoother sauce, more like a berry coulis. You could even strain it to remove any seeds, but I don’t bother! Often, I use an immersion blender, similar to this one, right in the cooking pot.

Once the mixture cools a bit, stir in the honey. Cooling the sauce before adding honey helps preserve the enzymes and other benefits of raw honey. If you substitute pasteurized honey, sugar, or a sugar substitute, it won’t matter when you add it.

You don’t really have to add any sweetener. The berries and lemon are delicious on their own! I like the sauce better with a little bit of added sweetness, though. The flavors of the berries and lemon are enhanced by even a little bit of honey, and they can be on the sour side with no sweetening at all.

You can serve the sauce warm over warm foods like pancakes. Otherwise, put it in a jar and chill it. I like to use these lids with a close-able pouring spout that fit on a wide-mouth Mason jar. (They are also handy for homemade salad dressings!) Naturally sweetened berry sauce will thicken a little as it chills.

Frequently Asked Questions

What kind of berries should I use?

Any berries you want! Any mixture of berries, or just one type. If you add something really sour, like cranberries, you will need extra honey.

Do I have to use the lemon zest?

Not really. It adds flavor and helps thicken the sauce, but you can leave it out, reduce the amount, or even try orange zest.

Does the honey have to be raw?

You can use pasteurized honey, sugar, or a sugar substitute. You can even skip the sweetening. Raw honey is the most nourishing option.

Is this sauce better smooth or chunky?

It depends on your taste and what you want to use it for. I usually blend it– it is thicker that way, and we like it smoother. With more body, it holds up to different uses. Chunky berry sauce is different but also great on ice cream or pancakes, for example.

You also don’t have to make it either smooth or chunky. You can blend it a little, leaving some chunks, or mash with a potato masher for a medium texture.

Could I use other fruit?

You can add other fruit (cherries, apples) with berries. You can also use the same recipe for something with no berries involved– peaches, for example. If I make this with a fruit like peaches that will turn brown, I add the lemon juice along with the zest so it keeps its color.

Can you preserve this sauce?

I haven’t done it. You could freeze it, leaving room for expansion. If you try this, make sure it is cold before putting in the freezer and use a jar with straight sides (no shoulders) to reduce the risk of the jar cracking.

Presumably, you could can this sauce like jam. I have never had trouble with canning jam, even with reduced sugar, but I haven’t actually done it with the berry sauce. Carefully follow directions for safe canning, like these.