Strawberry Sauce (Strawberry Topping) – Mom On Timeout
This easy Strawberry Sauce recipe is bursting with fresh berry flavor and is a simple way to make any breakfast or dessert feel extra special. This sweet and fruity sauce comes together with just three ingredients (plus water!) in 20 minutes. Keep a jar of this strawberry topping in the fridge for ice cream, cheesecake, waffles and all your favorite treats!
Planing on ice cream sundaes? Make sure to make up these favorites: Hot Fudge, Caramel Sauce, Vanilla Ice Cream and this 2 ingredient Chocolate Magic Shell!
Strawberry Sauce Recipe
Summer is bursting with fresh berries and what better way to celebrate their sweet, juicy flavor than with my homemade strawberry sauce recipe? Sweet, vibrant and incredibly easy to prepare, this sauce adds a burst of strawberry flavor to breakfast, dessert and everything in between. Best of all, it requires just three simple ingredients and a few minutes of prep.
My favorite part about this strawberry fruit sauce is that it’s incredibly versatile: we love it drizzled over vanilla ice cream, spooned onto pancakes and waffles with a dollop of fresh whipped cream, and it’s our favorite strawberry sauce for cheesecake.
I get a lot of requests during the summer to whip up this easy strawberry sauce because it’s so good! It takes just minutes to make, and the flavor is simply unmatched! With this easy recipe, you can transform fresh strawberries into a delicious sauce that will taste amazing on your dessert or breakfast!
For a seriously yummy treat, blend this strawberry sauce with some vanilla ice cream (or strawberry ice cream), milk and malted milk powder for this best strawberry milkshake!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
This easy homemade Strawberry Sauce is the perfect way to add bright, fresh flavor to your favorite treats. There’s lots to love about this simple strawberry topping:
- Super Simple: This recipe is all about convenience without sacrificing flavor. Just three ingredients and a handful of minutes are all you need to create an amazing strawberry topping that your family is sure to love.
- Real Ingredients: Ditch the store-bought syrups loaded with weird, unpronounceable ingredients you wouldn’t find in your pantry. This 3-ingredient strawberry sauce lets the natural sweetness of fresh strawberries shine.
- Versatile: This strawberry sauce has so many uses! Spoon it over ice cream for a classic sundae, drizzle it on pancakes or waffles for a fruity breakfast, or even use it as a filling for crepes. The possibilities are endless!
Strawberry Topping Serving Ideas
- Ice cream sundaes
- Crepes
- Pancakes and waffles
- French toast
- Yogurt parfaits
- Cheesecakes and pies
- Angel food cake or pound cake
- Milkshakes (try blending it with vanilla ice cream, milk, and malted milk powder)
What You’ll Need
There are just 3 ingredients in this strawberry sauce recipe plus water. Use the best looking strawberries for the best flavor. Don’t use underripe or mushy strawberries because it WILL affect the flavor.
- strawberries – you’ll need to wash, stem, and hull the strawberries for giving them a rough chop.
- sugar – granulated sugar, when melted helps to make this strawberry syrup.
- water – this speeds up the cooking process and helps to break down the strawberries.
- fresh lemon juice – balances the sweetness from the sugar and strawberries and gives this strawberry sauce a bright, fresh flavor.
How To Make Strawberry Sauce
This recipe is incredibly simple and fast to make – my favorite kind of recipe. Strawberries, sugar, water and a bit of lemon juice are all combined in a small saucepan and cooked until syrupy. As always, you can find the full, printable recipe card at the end of this post.
- Prep strawberries by washing, hulling, removing stems and cutting into quarters or smaller.
- Combine strawberries, sugar, lemon juice, and water in a small saucepan.
- Bring to a simmer and cook over medium low heat for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally to keep from bubbling over.
- Cool strawberry sauce before transferring to an airtight container.
The amount of time you simmer your sauce will determine its thickness. If you prefer a thinner, more syrupy sauce, simmer for a shorter amount of time. If you like a thicker sauce, suitable for spooning, simmer for a longer time, letting the sauce reduce and thicken up.
Storage Information
- Refrigerator: Let the sauce cool completely to room temperature before storing in an airtight container. The sauce can be stored for up to 1 week in the fridge. Because the sauce thickens as it chills, you may want to let it sit at room temperature for a few minutes before serving. It can also be gently warmed in a saucepan over low heat or microwaved in short intervals.
- Make Ahead: This sauce is an excellent make-ahead option. Prepare it a day or two before you need it, let it cool completely and keep it refrigerated until serving.
- Freezer: For longer storage, you can freeze your leftover sauce. Once cooled, transfer it to a freezer-safe container and store for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and stir well before using.
Variations To Try
This basic Strawberry Sauce recipe is delicious as written, but it’s also easy to customize:
- Blend the cooled sauce with an immersion blender or regular blender until smooth. Strain it through a fine-mesh sieve if you want to remove the seeds.
- Don’t limit yourself to strawberries! Mix in other berries like raspberries, blueberries, or blackberries.
- Stir in a small amount of vanilla extract after removing the sauce from the heat.
- For a fun, warm flavor, add a pinch of ground cinnamon, ginger, or cayenne pepper.
- Fresh herbs like mint, basil, or even lavender can add a unique flavor twist to your sauce.
- For a healthier sauce, try natural sweeteners like honey, maple syrup, or even agave nectar instead of sugar.
Can I use frozen strawberries?
Absolutely! Frozen strawberries work great! And there’s no need to thaw them beforehand, just make the sauce like normal. Just keep in mind that frozen strawberries tend to be more liquidy when they cook, so you’ll probably need to simmer the sauce for a few extra minutes to help thicken it up.
What if my sauce is too thick?
Stir in a small amount of water until the sauce reaches your preferred consistency. Add just a teaspoon or two at a time so it doesn’t become too thin.
Can I reduce the sugar?
Yes, but keep in mind that the sugar adds sweetness and helps create the sauce’s syrupy texture. If your strawberries are especially ripe and sweet, you can reduce the sugar slightly.
Should this Strawberry Sauce be served warm or cold?
It’s delicious either way! Serve it warm over pancakes, waffles or French toast, or enjoy it chilled over cheesecake, yogurt and ice cream.
What can I serve with Strawberry Sauce?
Try it with pancakes, waffles, French toast, crepes, cheesecake, pound cake, angel food cake, ice cream or yogurt. It can also be swirled into oatmeal or blended into strawberry milkshakes.
Trish’s Tips
- Use perfectly ripe strawberries. They will have the best flavor and sweetness, resulting in a more delicious sauce. Avoid any strawberries that are bruised or damaged because they will affect the flavor.
- Cut the strawberries into similar-size pieces so they cook evenly.
- If you prefer a smoother sauce, you can push the cooked sauce through a fine-mesh sieve after simmering to remove the seeds.
- Simmering over low or medium-low heat will help prevent scorching or bubbling over and allows the flavors to develop without burning the sauce.
- Don’t be afraid to adjust the sweetness. You can start with a smaller amount of sugar and add more to taste as the sauce simmers.
- Remember that the sauce will thicken as it cools, so avoid cooking it until it is overly thick in the saucepan.
- Let the sauce cool before transferring it to an airtight container for storage.
More Strawberry Recipes
Strawberry Sauce Recipe
This easy Strawberry Sauce recipe is bursting with fresh berry flavor and is a simple way to make any breakfast or dessert feel extra special. This sweet and fruity sauce comes together with just three ingredients (plus water!) in 20 minutes. Keep a jar of this strawberry topping in the fridge for ice cream, cheesecake, waffles and all your favorite treats!
Ingredients
- 1 pound strawberries cleaned, dried, stems removed, hulled, diced
- ⅓ cup granulated ugar
- ⅓ cup water
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Instructions
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Combine all of the ingredients in a small saucepan.
1 pound strawberries, ⅓ cup granulated ugar, ⅓ cup water, 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
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Cook over medium low heat for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally to keep it from bubbling over.
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Let the strawberry sauce cool completely before transferring it to an airtight container.
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Store in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. Serve over ice cream, waffles, French toast, or use to make strawberry milkshakes.
Notes
- Refrigerator: Let the sauce cool completely to room temperature before storing in an airtight container. The sauce can be stored for up to 1 week in the fridge. Because the sauce thickens as it chills, you may want to let it sit at room temperature for a few minutes before serving. It can also be gently warmed in a saucepan over low heat or microwaved in short intervals.
- Make Ahead: This sauce is an excellent make-ahead option. Prepare it a day or two before you need it, let it cool completely and keep it refrigerated until serving.
- Freezer: For longer storage, you can freeze your leftover sauce. Once cooled, transfer it to a freezer-safe container and store for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and stir well before using.
For a super smooth sauce, blend the cooled sauce with an immersion blender or regular blender until smooth. Strain it through a fine-mesh sieve if you want to remove the seeds.
Tools and Equipment (affiliate links): Measuring Cups | Measuring Spoons | Canning Jars
Please see post above for more information, step-by-step process photos, recipe tips and frequently asked questions.
Nutrition
Calories: 27kcal | Carbohydrates: 7g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 1mg | Potassium: 46mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 4IU | Vitamin C: 18mg | Calcium: 5mg | Iron: 1mg
Originally published June 14, 2015.
