Food & Cooking Recipes Dessert & Treats Recipes Macerated Berry Topping 4.1 (20) 2 Reviews This two-ingredient recipe is our favorite finishing touch for summer desserts (so long, cherry on top!). By Jennifer Aaronson Jennifer Aaronson Jennifer Aaronson is a chef, business owner, and recipe developer with more than 25 years of experience. She spent 14 years working at Martha Stewart Living, managing the test kitchens, creating and styling content. Editorial Guidelines Updated on June 12, 2025 Rate PRINT Share Prep Time: 5 mins Total Time: 50 mins Servings: 4 Jump to recipe It calls for only two simple ingredients—fresh berries and sugar—and this macerated berry topping recipe is the perfect addition to ice cream, pancakes, shortcakes, yogurt, and more. It's particularly ideal for hot summer days as it requires zero time on the stove. You can use a mix of berries or just one type—whatever looks best or just what you have on hand. Leave smaller berries whole, but be sure to slice larger ones to encourage them to release as much juice as possible. Riper fruit will need less time, but at most, this recipe should take about 45 minutes—a few minutes of prep and then hands-off time while the berries macerate. How to Wash and Store Berries So They Stay Fresh Longer Credit: Marcus Nilsson How Does Macerating Work? Macerating is the process of soaking fruit in a liquid, which helps it to soften as it absorbs the liquid and its flavor. Both dried and fresh fruit can be macerated, and liquids can range from fruit juice and wine to liquor or vinegar. In this case, combining fresh berries with sugar causes the fruit to release its juices as it sits, which then forms a syrup in which the fruit soaks. Stirring the fruit frequently will help ensure all of the berries make contact with the sugar and syrup, resulting in the juiciest and most flavorful result. How to Keep Fresh Berries Fresh for Longer When you get your berries home from the store, pick through them and remove any with signs of mold or soft, brown spots. If you'll be eating them in a few days, you can store them in the fridge in the container they came in and wait to wash them until you're ready to use them. To extend their shelf life, place the berries in a colander, then dunk the colander in a solution of one part white vinegar to three parts water. Transfer them to a paper towel-lined baking sheet and let them sit until completely dry, then store them in a container lined with a paper towel. The vinegar will help to kill any mold spores, staving off decay and keeping the berries fresh for at least one week. (Note: This trick works great for strawberries, blackberries, and blueberries, but we don't recommend it for more delicate raspberries.) Cook Mode (Keep screen awake) Ingredients 4 cups mixed berries (slice larger ones) ½ cup sugar Directions Combine with sugar; let sit: Combine berries with sugar. Stir occasionally for 45 minutes, and watch as they transform into a vibrant, juicy sauce. How to Serve Macerated Berries Breakfast: Serve these juicy berries for breakfast spooned over oatmeal or yogurt. They also make an excellent topping for pancakes or waffles instead of syrup—or along with it. Dessert: For an easy dessert, spoon berries onto a slice of pound cake or angel food cake or over a scoop of ice cream. To make a berry float, alternate the berries with scoops of ice cream and top it all off with seltzer. 5 More Berry Recipes to Try Chocolate Cake With Whipped Cream and Berries Berries With Buttermilk and Honey Lemon-Basil Custard Pie With Red Berries Baked Oatmeal for a Crowd With Berries and Seeds Pull-Apart Vanilla-Wafer Cupcake Cake With Berries Rate PRINT Updated by Esther Reynolds Esther Reynolds Esther Reynolds is an experienced recipe developer, recipe tester, food editor, and writer with over a decade of experience in the food and media industries.