Making fruit puree is quick and easy. Only 2 ingredients are needed for this strawberry pure recipe that you can flavor and adjust for sweetness depending on what you use it for. It's perfect for drinks, glazes, icings, fruit fillings, and many desserts. It lasts a week or more in the refrigerator and can be frozen.
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In theory, you can make a fruit puree with just one ingredient, the fruit itself. Blend sweet strawberries and that's it, you have strawberry purée.
But for baking and drinks, some sugar is usually added for flavor and consistency. Also other flavorings such as citrus or spices (more on that in the Notes section of the recipe card).
It's great for when you have a small number of leftover strawberries or very ripe ones that have seen better days. Blend them with sugar and freeze it for later use.
How to use strawberry puree
- Glazes and icings: powdered sugar glaze is a staple here and one of my favorite ways to spruce up a simple cake, scones, and cookies. Use the puree as the liquid and create an eye-catching pink icing as we do for the fresh strawberry scones and strawberry pound cake below.
- Drinks: for cocktails that call for muddling strawberries with sugar, like the strawberry and passion fruit caipirinha (below), you can simply use this homemade strawberry puree.
- Ice cream: when making no-churn strawberry ice cream (or the regular kind), you need to start with a puree.
- Fruit sauces: add some pureed berries to a homemade strawberry sauce for extra texture and flavor.
- Strawberry cake or cheesecake: you can add it to a vanilla cake batter and make it strawberry-flavored, use it to make strawberry buttercream, or swirl it on a cheesecake filling just before it goes into the oven. If you want a more concentrated flavor and texture for this type of recipe, make a reduced strawberry puree by cooking it over low or medium heat until it thickens.
Ingredients
Just two ingredients to make this berry puree. You can add other ingredients such as lemon juice or vanilla extract, and that is all explained in the recipe card at the end of this post.
- Strawberries: when in season use fresh strawberries if possible. Frozen berries also work but they have more water content so the flavor is sometimes weaker.
- Sugar: white granulated sugar is the best.
- Optional: lemon juice, orange juice, vanilla extract, liquor of your choice.
See the recipe card for quantities.
How to make strawberry puree
It's simple, you have to process the strawberries with the sugar until completely smooth and no chunks of fruit remain.
Both a regular blender and an immersion blender will render perfect results. A food processor most times won't completely disintegrate the fruit, so I don't recommend it. Unless you want a chunky mixture.
Immersion blender
I find this is the best and easiest way to do it because you do it directly in the bowl you're using.
Mix strawberry pieces with sugar in a bowl and start mixing with the immersion blender.
Process until completely pureed and smooth and no chunks remain.
Blender
In terms of easiness, it's similar to the one above, but the puree is harder to take out of the jar afterward.
Add strawberries and sugar to the blender jar.
Blend until completely pureed.
Super smooth puree: if you want a seedless perfect puree, you can sieve the blended strawberry mixture. I tried it with a very fine mesh sieve but it did not go through easily as the puree is thick. You'll have to be patient as the seeds are there but quite disintegrated.
Variations
Strawberries pair well with several flavors and they can be added to this easy puree recipe.
- Citrus - lemon, orange, and lime, all pair very well with strawberries. My rule is that if the strawberries are very sweet (usually seasonal ones) I use lemon or lime juice. If they taste more acidic I use orange or tangerine juice that adds sweetness.
- Alcohol - a tablespoon of champagne, golden rum, Cointreau, or Grand Marnier is wonderful if you want a boozy strawberry puree.
- Flavorings - add a few drops of pure vanilla extract, ground cinnamon, fresh mint, or fresh basil, to add another layer of flavor depending on what you're using it for.
Kitchen notes
- Organization: read the recipe first and make sure you have ingredients at the right temperatures, equipment needed, and enough workspace. This will make the process so much easier!
- Frozen strawberries: you can use them straight from the freezer. If they have too much ice around them (something that happens when they've been frozen for a long time) thaw them a little just to release some of the icy water, not the juices. The strawberry itself will still be pretty frozen.
- Sweetness: this strawberry puree recipe can be adjusted to your taste by adding as much (within limits, of course, as lots of sugar will overpower the fresh strawberry flavor) or as little sugar as you want. So find your sweet spot.
- No sugar: the truth is that you can make it with just strawberries and maybe a little bit of liquid if needed. The fresh berries will release their natural sweetness as they're blended, especially when strawberry season hits and the market is flooded with different varieties. This is also known as a strawberry coulis.
- Other sweeteners: the recipe does work with brown sugar, coconut sugar, and muscovado sugar. The last two don't sweeten as much though, so you may have to adjust the quantities. You can also use other natural sweeteners like maple syrup, agave syrup, corn syrup, honey, or artificial sweeteners like Splenda, stevia, or light sugar. Always start with small amounts until you find the perfect place for your taste.
- Storing: it keeps well for at least a week in the refrigerator, and a month in the freezer, always in an airtight container.
- Ice cube trays: this is a great way of freezing fresh strawberry puree if you want small, individual servings for drinks, strawberry milk, or as a topping for ice cream or sweet whipped cream (on top of a slice of pound cake, cheesecake, or angel food cake for example). It's especially handy when you have a small amount of leftover puree.
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Quick & Easy Strawberry Puree
Making fruit puree is quick and easy. You can flavor it and adjust the sweetness depending on what you use it for. It's perfect for drinks, glazes, icings, and many desserts. It lasts a week or more in the refrigerator and can be frozen.
- Total Time: 10 minutes
- Yield: 2 cups
Ingredients
- 1 pound of strawberries (fresh or frozen)
- ¼ cup sugar
- Flavorings, optional, see Notes below
Instructions
- Wash and hull strawberries, cut them into pieces, and put them in a large bowl if using an immersion blender or the jar if using a blender. If using frozen strawberries see Notes below.
- Sprinkle with sugar and lightly mix to coat.
- Blend everything until completely smooth and no pieces of fruit remain.
- Store in an airtight jar or container in the refrigerator for a week or in the freezer for a month.
Notes
Organization: read the recipe first and make sure you have ingredients at the right temperatures, equipment needed, and enough workspace. This will make the process so much easier!
Frozen strawberries: you can use them straight from the freezer. If they have too much ice around them (something that happens when they've been frozen for a long time) thaw them a little just to release some of the icy water, not the juices. The strawberry itself will still be pretty frozen.
Sweetness: this strawberry puree recipe can be adjusted to your taste by adding as much (within limits of course) or as little sugar as you want. So find your sweet spot.
No sugar: the truth is that you can make it with just strawberries and maybe a little bit of liquid if needed. The fresh berries will release their natural sweetness as they're blended, especially when in season.
Other sweeteners: the recipe does work with brown sugar, coconut sugar, and muscovado sugar. The last two don't sweeten as much though, so you may have to adjust the quantities. You can also use maple syrup, agave, corn syrup, honey, or other types of artificial sweeteners like Splenda, stevia, or light sugar.
Storing: it keeps well for at least a week in the refrigerator, and a month in the freezer, always in an airtight container.
Ice cube trays: this is a great way of freezing fresh strawberry puree if you want small, individual servings for drinks, strawberry milk, or as a topping for ice cream or sweet whipped cream (on top of a slice of pound cake, cheesecake, or angel food cake for example).
Flavor variations:
Citrus - lemon, orange, and lime, all pair very well with strawberries. My rule is that if the strawberries are very sweet (usually seasonal ones) I use lemon or lime juice. If they taste more acidic I use orange or tangerine juice that adds sweetness.
Alcohol - a tablespoon of champagne, golden rum, Cointreau, or Grand Marnier is wonderful if you want a boozy strawberry puree.
Extracts, herbs, and spices - add a few drops of pure vanilla extract, orange extract, ground cinnamon, fresh mint, or fresh basil, to add another layer of flavor depending on what you're using it for.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Sauces
- Method: Blending
- Cuisine: International
Keywords: strawberry puree
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