How To Make Strawberry Sauce is a fast and easy recipe that’s great for desserts, pastries and whatever else you can think of. It’s quick and easy to make your own homemade strawberry sauce and it tastes so much better than store bought varieties. Serve this as a topping for pancakes, waffles, ice cream or plain old cake.
Easy Strawberry Sauce
All you need to make this easy, homemade strawberry sauce is THREE simple ingredients, and it’s very quick and easy to prepare.
It’s a simple berry sauce that contains no cornstarch, you can make it thick or thin, or with fresh or frozen strawberries, all the details are included below. Once it’s ready, you can use it as a topping for so many things, just try to resist eating it straight from a spoon!
I have a few fruit sauce recipes on the website already, and it’s really hard to pick which one is the best because I love all of them, but this may be the one!Easy Homemade Strawberry Sauce[upbeat music playing]Play Video
When you use fresh berries to make this recipe, the finished sauce is vibrant in colour and taste! It contains defined pieces of berries, the flavour is bright and fresh, AND you can customize it to be less sweet or more sweet, it’s up to you.
Like all of my other fruit sauces, this one is also naturally vegan (as long as you use vegan sugar, see the FAQ section below) and gluten-free.
Make Your Vegan Gluten-Free Baking AMAZING!
Ingredients You’ll Need
All you need is three simple ingredients and yes, it’s made without cornstarch! So you may be wondering how to thicken it without cornstarch, right? It thickens on its own, thanks to the natural pectin in the strawberries.
All you need is strawberries, sugar, and lemon juice.
Ingredient Notes
Strawberries – Fresh is best for this sauce, but there may be times when strawberries are out of season. In those cases, frozen berries can be used. I provide details on how to use frozen berries below.
Sugar – I use organic cane sugar for this recipe. The amount you use will vary based on how sweet your strawberries are and how sweet of a sauce you want. I find that in season, fresh strawberries are the sweetest and you can get away with adding only a few tablespoons of sugar. (I prefer making it not too sweet since what I am topping with it is likely sweet, too. A sauce that has a slight bit of tartness to it provides a very nice contrast.)
Frozen and out-of-season berries can be less sweet and more tart, so you’ll need to add more sugar. I provide a range in the recipe. You can start with the smaller amount and build up the sweetness from there. I have not tried making this recipe with any other sweeteners.
Lemon Juice – Freshly squeezed lemon juice helps to brighten up the flavour of the sauce. Lemon extract cannot be used, and I have not tried it with bottled lemon juice.
How to Prepare the Strawberries
I prefer to chop my strawberries into large dice-ish pieces, like in the picture below. Depending on what you prefer, you can slice the berries, or chop them into a smaller dice, it’s up to you. The berries will break down a little while they cook, so keep that in mind.
How to Make It
(Note: I’ve outlined the step-by-step on how to make this recipe here, but find the full recipe, ingredients, and directions at the end of this post.)
There are just a few steps involved and before you know it, you’ll have a luscious, crave-worthy sauce you’ll want to put on everything!
Follow along with the steps and numbered images below. There is also a video in this post so you can see it being made.
1. Add all the ingredients to a medium pot and mix them together.
2. Heat the mixture, uncovered, over medium heat until it starts to bubble.
3. Once the mixture starts to bubble, turn the heat down to medium-low and simmer uncovered for 15-25 minutes so it can reduce (timing is based on whether you want a thin or thick strawberry sauce, details are in the recipe).
4. Cool the sauce in the pot and then enjoy. It can be served warm if you like!
Note that it will still seem runny and thin after it has cooked, but it will thicken as it cools and thickens even more after it spends some time in the refrigerator.
Using Frozen Berries
It’s possible to make this strawberry sauce with frozen strawberries, and there’s no need to thaw them before starting. I use unsweetened sliced frozen strawberries to make this recipe outside of strawberry season.
Since frozen berries need to cook for a longer amount of time, the berries break down more than with fresh strawberries so the berry chunks will be less defined.
The colour isn’t always as vibrant as when fresh berries are used, the taste isn’t as bright and fresh in comparison, and you will likely need to use the higher amount of sugar in the range I provide since frozen berries are not as sweet, BUT, despite these things, the finished compote is still delicious and it’s a great stand-in when fresh berries are not available.
Note that the measurement and cooking times for frozen berries are different from fresh berries, all of the details are in the recipe notes below.
Storage Info
After the sauce has fully cooled, transfer it to a jar or container and keep it in the refrigerator for up to 7 days. When you’re ready to serve it, bring it back up to room temperature, warm it up slightly, or serve it cold.
Freezing It
You can freeze the sauce so you have a taste of summer tucked away in the freezer long after the strawberry season has ended.
After the strawberry topping cools completely, transfer it to an airtight, freezer-friendly container and store for up to 3 months.
When you’re ready to use it, thaw the frozen strawberry sauce in the refrigerator. When you’re ready to serve it, bring it back up to room temperature, warm it up slightly, or serve it cold.
Strawberry Sauce
This homemade strawberry sauce is only 3 ingredients, and is the perfect strawberry topping to go on ice cream, cheesecake, pancakes, and more!
**This post contains references and/or links to products from one or more of our advertisers. We may receive compensation when you click on links to those products and make a purchase, at no additional cost to you.
Homemade strawberry sauce is so much better than what you can get from the store. It’s so easy to make, with only three ingredients, and only takes about 20 minutes to whip up. Adding it to any dessert, or many breakfasts for the perfect topping.
This strawberry sauce can be made with three ingredients, fresh strawberries, sugar, and a little fresh lemon juice.
How to make Strawberry Sauce?
First you’ll hull, then chop up your strawberries. You’ll need 1 pound of strawberries. Add your strawberries, sugar, and lemon juice to a medium sized sauce pan and heat over medium heat. Bring to a boil, then continue to cook for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring occasionally until the sauce is thickened.
You don’t need to smash the berries as they’ll release the juices on their own.
Tips for making Strawberry Sauce:
- Make the recipe using frozen strawberries, so you can have this sauce all year long. The sauce may not be as glossy looking as this one, but it should still taste delicious.
- Try adding in 1/2 to 1 tsp vanilla extract for a sweet vanilla flavor in the sauce.
- Recipe can easily be doubled for a bigger batch if needed.
How long can I store Strawberry Sauce?
Homemade strawberry sauce will last in the fridge for 3-4 days. You’ll want to keep it sealed in an airtight container. If the sauce is too thick when you are ready to use it you can warm it up in a sauce pan over medium heat till it’s pour-able again.
The strawberry sauce can also be frozen in an airtight container for 3-4 months.
How to use Strawberry Sauce:
This homemade strawberry sauce is perfect on top of so many things.
- Cheesecake – I like to add it after the cheesecake is fully baked and cooled and ready to eat. Also try it on no bake cheesecake.
- Waffles, pancakes, french toast.
- Ice Cream
- Brownies
- Yogurt – It would be especially yummy in a yogurt parfait.
- Angel Food Cake
How would you use your homemade strawberry sauce first? I must warn you that it’s so delicious, you may just want to eat it with a spoon.
Fresh Strawberry Sauce
| Nutrition Facts (per serving) | |
|---|---|
| 44 | Calories |
| 0g | Fat |
| 11g | Carbs |
| 0g | Protein |
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)SAVE RECIPE
This strawberry sauce is sweet, luscious, and a tiny bit tangy. It comes together with just a few ingredients and only a short amount of time on the stove. Use this sauce as a topping on cheesecake or homemade ice cream. It’s also delicious on pancakes and waffles, or spooned on top of yogurt.
The freshest, most ripe berries will make the most flavorful sauce. Make sure to choose strawberries that are bright red and have nice green leaves. Even better, make this sauce during strawberry season and use fresh from the market or pick your own. This recipe calls for using a slurry (mixture of cornstarch and water), which adds a glossy finish and thicker texture, but you can eliminate it if you like.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds strawberries (washed)
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon water
Steps to Make It
HIDE IMAGES
- Gather the ingredients.
- Hull the strawberries by cutting the green tops along with the white center out of the strawberry. Insert the knife into the top of the strawberry and turn until the green top and white center are completely cut out.
- Dice half of the strawberries; cut the remaining strawberries in half and set aside.
- Add the diced strawberries, lemon juice, sugar, and vanilla extract to a large pot. Cook over medium-low heat, breaking up the strawberries with the back of a spoon as you cook, for 3 to 5 minutes.
- In a small bowl, whisk the cornstarch with the water and add it to the strawberry mixture. Stir to combine and mix in the strawberries halves. Cook for another 3 minutes or until the halves have just slightly softened.
- Allow to cool slightly.
- Use to top your favorite cakes, ice creams, or pancakes and waffles, and enjoy.
How to Store
- The sauce may be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for at least a week.
- For longer storage, feel free to can the sauce. Ladle the hot sauce into jars, wipe down the rim of the jar, attach the lid and ring, and tighten. Place in the hot water bath in the canner and boil for 15 minutes. Let sit to cool.
Strawberry coulis
- Sauce
- Easy
- 8–10
- 15 minutes
This lovely bright red coulis captures the taste of British summer desserts in sauce form. Fold through Eton mess, drizzle over ice cream or simply drizzle over fresh strawberries and cream for an extra kick of fruity flavour. Surprisingly quick to make, this is a great little recipe to have in your repertoire
Related Recipes
Blackberry coulisby The Kitchen with Great British ChefsEasy raspberry coulisby Sally AbéHot ganache with dipping treatsby Paul A YoungVegan chocolate and cashew nut butterby Urvashi RoeStrawberry and elderflower
A simple strawberry coulis is a very useful thing! Drizzle over a summery pavlova, give ice cream a fruity boost or use it as a garnish for a slice of cake or tart. It freezes well too, so is a good thing to make if you have an allotment glut of strawberries.
Ingredients
METRIC
IMPERIAL
- 300g of strawberries
- 50g of icing sugar
- 1/4 tsp lemon juice, (fresh)
Equipment
- Hand blender
Method
1Wash, hull and quarter the strawberries2Place in a pan with the icing sugar and lemon juice and simmer down until the strawberries have completely collapsed – about 5–10 minutes3Blend the strawberries into a smooth sauce using a hand blender or blender. Pass through a fine sieve for an extra smooth finish