Cherries Jubilee is a tried and true sweet treat that goes great on top of vanilla ice cream, whipped cream, and so much more! This easy to make cherry syrup calls for just five simple ingredients and takes no time at all to whip up. Make a little jar of this cherry delight today!

Cherries and red syrup cover a scoop of vanilla ice cream in a martini glass.


Cherry Jubilee

I love the name of this recipe so much. I mean, it’s just so much fun to say “I made home cherry jubilee!” I was curious as to where the unique name of this fresh cherry syrup came from, so I of course I googled it, and it’s actually pretty cool! It turns out that at some point in the 1800’s (this recipe has been around for quite some time) a French chef named Auguste Escoffier debuted this cherry topping at Queen Victoria’s Golden Jubilee. And the rest, as they say, is history!

Any recipe that can stand the test of time for THAT long is bound to be delicious, and trust me, this cherry syrup most definitely is. I love whipping up a quick batch for this topping for vanilla ice cream, whipped cream, pancakes, angel food cake, and more.

If you love cherries like I do, then you’ll also love topping all sorts of sweets with this homemade syrup! It’s made with fresh ripe cherries, so the flavor is unbelievably sweet and delicious with those natural flavors. However, it’s also got other ingredients like brown sugar, lemon juice and zest, and bourbon that add more complexity to the sweet sauce.

While you can top a number of sweets with homemade cherries jubilee, vanilla ice cream is certainly the most popular base for these cherries. The combination of the sweet and smooth vanilla ice cream with the bursting warm cherries and in depth flavors that range from sweet to zesty is simply incredible!

It’s an old fashioned treat that really hits the spot every time. I guess you could say that French chefs in the 1800’s knew their stuff, because cherries jubilee isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. At least, it’ll always have a place in my kitchen, and yours too!

A wooden spoon is placed in a pot filled with cooking cherries.

How to Make It

You can make cherries jubilee in just under 15 minutes. It’s a great, quick way to enhance your plain ol’ vanilla ice cream!

Prepare. Wash and pit the cherries.

Heat them up. Add the cherries to a large skillet over medium-low heat.

Add more ingredients. Stir in the sugar, lemon zest and lemon juice to combine.

Cook. Cook the cherries until the sugar dissolved, approximately 4 minutes.

Turn up the heat. Stir and increase the heat to medium-high. Continue cooking for an additional 5 minutes until the cherries become juice and the sauce starts to thicken slightly.

Flambe. To flambe, remove the pan from the heat and add the bourbon or kirsch. Ignite the cherries with a long match or lighter. Swirl the pan lightly until the flame burns out, approximately 20-30 seconds.

Serve, and enjoy! Scoop the ice cream into 4 dishes and spoon the cherries with the juice over the ice cream. Serve immediately.

A spoon is drizzling syrup onto a serving of vanilla ice cream.

What kind of alcohol should I use in this cherries jubilee recipe?

You can use bourbon or Kirsch in this easy recipe! Adding the alcohol to the cherries is what helps to give the syrup its rich, mouthwatering flavor, and it also helps with the consistency of the jubilee. If you have leftover bourbon that you’d like to bake with, you can use it deliciously with my recipes for Chocolate Bourbon Pecan Pie or Bourbon Dark Chocolate Truffles. Or, just make some more cherries jubilee!

Why do I need to flambe the cherries jubilee?

If you skip the flambeing step, your cherries will have a much more noticeable alcohol taste to them. When you flambe the cherries, the fire helps to blend the alcohol with the rest of the ingredients, helping to mask the powerful taste of it.

A cherry with ice cream is being lifted from a small glass.

Have a hankering for cherries? Here are just a few of my all time favorite cherry recipes!

For more easy dessert recipes, follow us on Instagram and Facebook!

Cherries and red syrup cover a scoop of vanilla ice cream in a martini glass.

Get the Recipe: Cherries Jubilee

Yield: 4
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes
Classic Cherries Jubilee is easy to make in just minutes. A retro dessert that's perfect with summer's sweetest fruit!
No ratings yet
Print Recipe Rate Recipe Pin Recipe

Ingredients

  • 1 pound fresh, ripe sweet cherries
  • 1/3 cup brown sugar
  • 1 lemon, zest and juice
  • 1/3 cup bourbon or Kirsch
  • 1 pint vanilla ice cream

Equipment

  • skillet

Instructions 

  • Wash and pit the cherries.
  • Add the cherries to a large skillet over medium-low heat.
  • Stir in the sugar, lemon zest and lemon juice to combine.
  • Cook the cherries until the sugar dissolved, approximately 4 minutes.
  • Stir and increase the heat to medium-high. Continue cooking for an additional 5 minutes until the cherries become juice and the sauce starts to thicken slightly.
  • To flambe, remove the pan from the heat and add the bourbon or kirsch. Ignite the cherries with a long match or lighter.
  • Swirl the pan lightly until the flame burns out, approximately 20-30 seconds.
  • Scoop the ice cream into 4 dishes and spoon the cherries with the juice over the ice cream.
  • Serve immediately.

Notes

Cherries Jubilee is best served soon after cooking but leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Reheat before serving.
Calories: 448kcal, Carbohydrates: 65g, Protein: 9g, Fat: 14g, Saturated Fat: 8g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 4g, Cholesterol: 52mg, Sodium: 136mg, Potassium: 943mg, Fiber: 11g, Sugar: 44g, Vitamin A: 5321IU, Vitamin C: 51mg, Calcium: 449mg, Iron: 6mg
Author: Kellie
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American, French