25 Homemade Dessert Toppings (Easy Sauces, Curds & Spreads)
I’m forever and always a gravy gal. All of these homemade dessert toppings are right up my alley when it comes to something you can pour, spread, or set over a sweet treat to make it even better.
After getting many comments requesting recipes for curds, ganaches, syrups, and more, I put together a series on my socials called “dessert gravy” where I show how to make the toppings people know and love, but often assume are hard to make. Newsflash, they’re not.
Most of these homemade dessert toppings require very few ingredients, many of which you already have on hand. The perk (besides the flavor and texture add) is that all your friends and family will think you’re a sweet treat genius whenever you whip them up.
If you try any of these recipes, tag @accentgolden in your posts on social! I love to see what you’re making!
This website uses affiliate links, which may earn commission for purchases made at no additional cost to you.
Fruit Sauces & Compotes
Whether you’re looking for something to balance a creamy cheesecake, layer into a pavlova, or serve with a fresh stack of pancakes, these homemade fruit sauces and compotes bring a sweet-and-sharp balance to many desserts.
Strawberry Rhubarb Compote
A delicious way to use up some of summer’s best produce, this strawberry rhubarb compote comes together all in one pot in under 15 minutes.
Strawberry Basil Sauce
An herby twist on a classic topping, this strawberry basil sauce combines fresh or frozen strawberries with a hearty handful of basil. The perfect homemade dessert topping for cheesecakes, sundaes, or even parfaits.
Blueberry Syrup
For when that pancake stack needs a fruity drizzle, make this homemade blueberry syrup. Possibly the best way to add a little color to your plate (and it freezes well!).
Carrot Cake Sauce
All the flavors of carrot cake, in spoonable, saucy form. This carrot cake sauce combines fresh carrots with spices like ginger, cinnamon, and nutmeg, making a delicious topping for loaf cakes, cheesecakes, and more.
Cranberry Compote
It only takes three ingredients to whip up this simple cranberry compote. If you love a colorful, sharp, and sweet contrast to your sweet treats, this is the homemade dessert topping for you.
Cinnamon Plum Compote
While I love a buttered biscuit, a biscuit with this cozy cinnamon plum compote spooned warm over top? A knockout.
Peach Compote with Fresh Mint
There’s something about the sweetness of summer peaches combined with fresh mint that balances beautifully. Enjoy this herby peach compote with fresh mint on toast, spooned over cake, or, honestly, straight out of the jar with a spoon.
Cranberry Consommé
Picture cranberries that are extra juicy; that’s this cranberry consommé. You’ll cook the fruit in a way that keeps its texture while releasing lots of cranberry juice. Then spoon over creamy desserts like chocolate mousse, homemade frozen yogurt, or cheesecake.
Raspberry Sauce
One of my favorite ways to use fresh or frozen raspberries? Turn them into this raspberry sauce. Cooked down and blended to just the right thickened consistency for pouring over any of your favorite treats.
Cherry-Berry Compote
This cherry-berry compote is the perfect medley for when you have a mix of fruit you’re not sure what to do with but need to use up. Spoon it over mini pavlovas, alongside a fresh scone, or layered in a parfait.
Homemade Fruit Curds
Many people assume fruit curds are hard to make, but they’re actually one of the easiest (and quickest!) homemade dessert toppings. Usually only requiring 5-ingredients or less, they’re delicious on top of cakes, filling cookies, or simply layered in breakfast treats (parfait anyone?).
Lemon Curd
Make this simple lemon curd from scratch with just four ingredients (plus no separating eggs!). A winter citrus fruit turned into a fresh homemade dessert topping for cakes, crepes, pies, and more that’ll make even the coldest day brighter.
Lime Curd
Swap the lemon for a lime, and you have a homemade lime curd in under 15 minutes. For people who love a key lime vibe (without squeezing all those mini limes), this is perfect for spreading on top of cakes, filling cookies, or layering with yogurt and an easy granola.
ACCENT GOLDEN FAVORITES
Baking Resources
Check out my curated selection of must-have tools, ingredients, books, and more to help you create delicious baked goods and stunning treats right at home.
DISCOVER MORE
Chocolate Ganache, Hot Fudge & More
For when you’re craving a chocolatey sauce to pour over your ice cream sundae or a ganache to set on top of your cheesecakes or inside a batch of thumbprint cookies.
Homemade Hot Fudge Sauce
You will never buy store-bought again after making this easy hot fudge sauce. A one-pot recipe that quickly mixes up into the most delicious hot fudge dessert topping you’ve ever tasted.
White Chocolate Raspberry Ganache
Take the simplicity of chocolate ganache (chopped chocolate and warm cream) but add a little color. This white chocolate raspberry ganache gives a fudgy, fruity bite that goes especially well in my favorite lavender thumbprint cookies.
Peanut Butter Ganache
Whether you’re looking for a cookie topping (that’s not a frosting) or want to elevate your cake flavors, this peanut butter ganache packs a smooth, nutty bite.
Caramel & Toffee Sauces
Though made with similar ingredients, the ingredient ratios and preparation are the key difference between caramel sauce and toffee sauce. For caramel sauce, you melt and “caramelize” sugar before whisking in extras like butter and cream. In a toffee sauce, the ratio of butter is higher, and you cook it slightly differently to create a richer, more buttery taste.
Salted Caramel Sauce
Make this classic homemade dessert topping in 10 minutes or less! Balancing both sweet and salty, this salted caramel sauce makes for a great drizzle over galettes, poured over a scoop of ice cream, or served alongside a sweet crepe.
Toffee Sauce
Rich, buttery sweetness never tasted so good as this from-scratch toffee sauce. My favorite way to enjoy it is over a slice of my Christmas crack cheesecake.
Jams, Fruit Butters, & Sweet Spreads
When you’re looking for something to spread on toast, fill a danish, or layer into puff pastry, these homemade dessert toppings are thicker than sauces and perfect for filling baked goods.
Apple Butter
A set-it-and-forget-it type of spread, this apple butter has the most scrumptious combination of spices. The apples cook low and slow for a delicious homemade dessert topping that will have your kitchen smelling like fall.
Raspberry Jam
This is the best raspberry jam you will ever make. The perfect balance of sweet and sharp flavors that make the raspberry flavor pop (and you only need three ingredients!).
Sweet Glazes
A delicious way to finish a dessert is with a homemade glaze. Made with a few ingredients, these sweet glazes are easy to whip up and offer the perfect final pop of flavor on top of bars, spread (or drizzled!) over cakes, or even to give a simple final gloss to tarts and pastries.
Salted Vanilla Glaze
There’s something about a cake topped with a thin, almost fudgy layer of this salted vanilla glaze. The use of salt makes the vanilla flavors pop and brings new life to your desserts.
Lemon Glaze
One of my favorite toppings for shortbread bars, this homemade lemon glaze gives that perfect crackly top that just melts in your mouth.
Brown Butter Vanilla Glaze
If you’re looking for a drizzle to top your bundt cakes or cupcakes, this brown butter vanilla glaze is gonna be your new best friend. The brown butter adds a rich flavor to the glaze, plus I love to see the caramelized flecks in the topping.
Apricot Glaze
You know when you walk into a bakery, and the tarts and pastries have that glossy glow? Simply brush on this one-ingredient apricot glaze to give your desserts a bakery-style finish.
Dessert Fillings & More
Use these dessert fillings as-is, as bases in fruit tarts, or on top of homemade pies. Or, turn them into mousse-like treats or fold into pie fillings.
Vanilla Pastry Cream
Spread along the bottom of many fruit tarts or piped into the center of your favorite danishes, this vanilla pastry cream is a tried-and-true dessert filling. Also referred to as crème pâtissière, it acts as the base for other classics such as crème diplomat and crème mousseline.
Simple Whipped Cream
Whether you call it whipped cream or chantilly cream, this sweet and fluffy dessert topping only requires heavy cream, powdered sugar, and a mixer (or a whisk, if your arms are up for it).
Homemade Dessert Toppings That are Right for You?
| If you’re making… | Try… |
| Cheesecake | Lemon curd, strawberry basil sauce, cranberry compote, toffee sauce |
| Brownies | Hot fudge, salted caramel, peanut butter ganache, cranberry consommé |
| Ice cream | Hot fudge, carrot cake sauce, raspberry sauce, salted caramel |
| Pancakes | Cherry-berry compote, blueberry syrup, apple butter |
| Waffles | Strawberry sauce, blueberry sauce |
| Loaf cake | Carrot cake sauce, Lemon curd, cinnamon plum compote |
| Apple desserts | Salted caramel, toffee sauce, carrot cake sauce |
| Cinnamon rolls | Salted vanilla glaze, apple butter |
| Cookies | White chocolate ganache, peanut butter ganache, lemon glaze |
| Pies | Lime curd, toffee sauce, whipped cream, pastry cream |
| Scones | Strawberry rhubarb compote, raspberry jam, peach mint compote |
Tips for Making Homemade Dessert Toppings
Many toppings thicken as they cool. Fruit sauces, curds, jams, and caramel often need a little cooling to reach the right consistency, so don’t worry if they seem slightly loose when warm. Just be careful not to overcook them, or they could become too thick once cooled.
Adjust the consistency to suit your dessert. Loosen ganache or hot fudge by adding an extra splash of cream, or cook down fruit sauces a little longer for a thicker consistency, perfect for cheesecakes or cake fillings.
Balance sweetness and make flavor pop with a pinch of salt or acid. Lemon juice can brighten fruit sauces, while a small amount of salt helps balance caramels, ganaches, and glazes.
Prepare for the final presentation. Jams, compotes, curds, and sauces can be spread into place later, while ganache begins to set as it cools. For the smoothest finish, pour and spread your ganache while it’s still warm, though it can be carefully reheated if needed.
Serve at the right temperature. The right temperature results in the right consistency for your dessert toppings. Warm toppings like hot fudge and caramel pour deliciously over ice cream, while chilled curds, pastry cream, and fruit compotes fill or spread best on cakes, tarts, and breakfast treats.
Make them ahead for easy entertaining. Most dessert toppings can be prepped in advance and stored in the refrigerator until you’re ready to serve. Bonus: the flavor often tastes even better the next day!
Store each topping properly. Curds, pastry cream, ganache, and dairy-based toppings should always be refrigerated, while jams, fruit butters, and some sauces may have a longer shelf life.
| Topping Type | Serve Warm or Cold? | Freeze Well? |
| Fruit sauces & compotes | Either | Usually yes |
| Curds | Cold | Sometimes |
| Caramel & toffee | Warm or room temperature | Usually |
| Hot fudge & ganache | Warm or room temperature | Often |
| Jams & fruit butters | Usually cold or room temperature | Yes |
| Pastry cream | Cold | No |
| Glazes | Room temperature | Usually not |
Frequently Asked Questions
Fruit and caramel sauces as well as chocolate ganaches make for easy, few-ingredient homemade dessert toppings that work with a variety of treats.
Desserts like cheesecake and mousse are great desserts to pour homemade fruit sauce over, as the sharp sweetness balances well with the creamy texture and flavors.
Compotes and fruit sauces differ in both texture and preparation. A fruit sauce is often cooked down until the fruit fully breaks down, then is blended and/or strained for a smooth consistency. Whereas a compote is cooked for a shorter time to keep chunks of fruit in it.
Many homemade dessert toppings will freeze well, especially fruit sauces, compotes, jams, and caramel sauces. Sweet toppings that don’t do as well in the freezer are often made with eggs or dairy (curds, pastry cream, etc.), which may separate or become grainy after thawing.
Most caramel sauces, fruit sauces, jams, and compotes can keep for several days up to a few weeks in the fridge or frozen for several months. Egg and dairy-based toppings like pastry creams, curds, and ganaches should be enjoyed within a few days.
If you’re looking for a dessert topping that you can pour right over your treat, most can be made in advance. But for a dessert topping you can use inside of or on top of a dessert – like a ganache, toffee, or a pastry cream – it’s best to make them as you’re prepping your recipe, so it sets properly.
