If your fruit sauce or syrup is thin and runny, don’t throw it out! There are some simple hacks you can use to thicken any fruit sauce or fruit syrup.
Whether you are making a fruit sauce topping for waffles or pancakes, cheesecake, tarts or any other recipe, you can use one of these simple methods to make your sauce the perfect consistency.
So how do you thicken fruit sauce?
To thicken fruit sauce you can reduce it, use cornstarch, sugar, or gelatin.
Some of these methods work on both fruit sauce and fruit syrup but read on for how to properly thicken your fruit sauce or fruit syrup.
Simple Methods to Thicken Fruit Sauce and Fruit Syrup
No matter what type of fruit sauce you are making these methods will work. That means blueberry, strawberry, banana, mango, grape, peach, apple, and any other type of fruit sauce can be thickened.
Related: How to Thicken Fruit Pie Filling
Reduce Your Fruit Sauce
The primary reason a fruit sauce is too thin and runny is because the water content is too high. And the simplest way to fix that is to reduce it until you have the right amount of liquid in your sauce.
This is accomplished by heating your fruit sauce until the excess water is evaporated.
To reduce your fruit sauce, pour it into a saucepan and bring it to low heat on your stove. Stir your sauce while it heats and continue until it reaches the desired thickness. Do not use this method for fruit syrup.
Reducing fruit sauce will only make it so thick, so if you need an extra thick fruit sauce, use one of the following methods.
Cornstarch
Cornstarch is one of the most popular thickening agents used and it works wonderfully for thickening fruit sauce and fruit syrup.
To thicken your fruit sauce with starch, first pour your sauce into a saucepan. Now add a few tablespoons of cornstarch and two tablespoons of water to a separate bowl and stir until well combined.
Now bring your saucepan to low heat and simmer while adding your cornstarch mixture. Stir until fruit sauce reaches desired thickness. You can add more cornstarch mixture if you want an even thicker sauce.
Other starches can be used for this method. Some other great options are potato starch, arrowroot powder, or cassava flour.
Sugar
If you don’t have any of the other options on this list, you can use sugar to thicken your fruit sauce or fruit syrup. Keep in mind that this will add a lot of sweetness to your sauce, so only use this method if the added sweetness works with your recipe.
To do this method, pour your fruit sauce to a saucepan and bring to low heat. Add in 1/2 cup granulated sugar and 1/2 cup water and stir while your sauce simmers.
Continue to heat until your mixture thickens. You can use more sugar if you desire a thicker sauce, but be certain to taste your sauce as you go to gauge the sweetness.
Gelatin
While not as commonly found in US kitchens, gelatin is a great thickener for fruit sauce if you have some one hand. You will want to use a flavorless gelatin unless you want to add the flavor of a flavored gelatin.
Pour your sauce in your saucepan and bring to low heat. While stirring, add a tablespoon of gelatin at a time. Continue to stir and add gelatin until the desired thickness is reached. Then remove from heat and cool your fruit sauce.
Bottom Line
So there is no reason to feat a thin fruit sauce, there are a number of easy ways you can thicken your sauce and save the day. So your cheesecake, ice cream, tart or crepe can still be saved.