Low-Carb Cherry Amarenata Sauce

Martina SlajerovaUpdated 4 November 2025★★★★★4.7 (72 ratings)

Ready in 45m
2.7 g net carbs
13 kcal
Serves 18

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Low-Carb Amarenata (sugar-free, keto, paleo, vegan)

This homemade Amarenata cherry sauce is just as delicious as the traditional Italian cherries in syrup but with none of the sugar and carbs. Thick and syrupy with pieces of cherries flavored with vanilla and cinnamon.

Making Amarenata is a great way to enjoy cherries even on carb-restricted diet! The flavor is so concentrated, almost like cherry extract so you won't need to use a lot to add amazing flavor to any low-carb treats.

Another way to enjoy cherries on a low-carb diet is by making a Sugar-Free Cherry Chia Jam which you can also use to make Dark Cherry Crunch Pie.

If you can't find fresh cherries, use frozen. Both work great in this recipe and you are not limited just to the cherry season. It's delicious which means it's addictive — don't make Amarenata in large batches, or if you do, preserve it using the canning methodTrusted sourceWikipediaWikipedia is written collaboratively by largely anonymous volunteers who write without pay.Open link for longer storage.

Allulose would be your best option in this recipe as it works just like sugar. It will make it more syrupy with no extra carbs and no gritty texture once chilled.

How To Thicken Amarenata Cherry Sauce

For a thicker texture, you can use some of the options below:

Gelatin. Use 2 to 4 gelatin sheets and add them directly into the hot sauce. If using powdered gelatin, sprinkle 1 ¹/₂ to 2 ¹/₂ gelatin powder in a small bowl filled with 2-4 tbsp water. Let it bloom, then stir into the hot cherry sauce. Do not boil.
Agar powder. Use ¹/₂ to 1 ¹/₂ teaspoons of agar powder for a vegetarian and vegan option. Sprinkle in a small bowl filled with cold water and leave to bloom. Then add to the sauce while still boiling.
Arrowroot powder. Simply mix with a few tablespoons of cold water and stir into the hot sauce. Cook for another 5 minutes and take off the heat. When using arrowroot powder, you shouldn't cook it at high temperatures and not for too long.
Ground/whole chia seeds. If you use chia seeds, simply sprinkle the chia seeds over the cherries to the hot sauce and take off the heat. Let it sit for 10-15 minutes to thicken and stir well. Unlike other options, this will make the sauce a bit gritty.

How to Use Amarenata Cherry Sauce

Try with full-fat yogurt, in keto ice cream, panna cotta, smoothies or even on top of low-carb pancakes.

You can use it to make some Keto Cherry Ice-Cream, Low-Carb Cherry Garcia Ice Cream, Low-Carb Black Forest Chocolate Cake or No Bake Keto Cherry Cheesecake.

This Amarenata is adapted from Chocolate Chili Mango. I tweaked it a bit and used sweet cherries instead of morello sour cherries, and swapped Erythritol for sugar.

Step-by-step

Wash the cherries and remove the pits. Add them to a non-reactive pan.
Add the Erythritol and ³/₄ cup of water.
Add the cinnamon and vanilla extract and mix in well. If using vanilla bean, cut the vanilla bean lengthwise and scrape the seeds out.
Place on a stove and cook over low-medium heat. Slowly bring to a boil and mix frequently until the juices slightly thicken. This may take 20-30 minutes.
Optionally, you can add 2 to 4 gelatin sheets directly into the hot sauce. Let them soften for a minute and then stir to combine. Three gelatin sheets will result in a soft set.
When done, let it cool down. The sauce will thicken even more when chilled in the fridge.
You can store Amarenata in the fridge for up to 2 weeks or use the canning method to preserve for longer storage.
Enjoy with full-fat yogurt, coconut cream or use to make some Keto Cherry Ice-Cream, Low-Carb Cherry Garcia Ice Cream, Low-Carb Black Forest Chocolate Cake or No Bake Keto Cherry Cheesecake.

Recipe