Strawberry Sauce (or topping)

This 4-ingredient homemade sauce beats anything you ever tasted that is store-bought! It's sweet but not cloying, has a deep strawberry flavor, and is a snap to prepare, ready in 20 minutes. Top your favorite ice cream, cheesecake, or waffles with it, and be ready to take them to the next level.

Few recipes easier than homemade berry sauces and the results are exceptional. Truly. I usually make this basic blueberry sauce recipe, but for those of us that are strawberry fans, this is a recipe that you'll also want to make again and again.

Why this recipe works:

• Easy to make. And that is an understatement. It comes together in 10 minutes and keeps well in the refrigerator for a week.
• Flavor. It has a great balance between sweetness, freshness, and strawberry flavor.
• Uses. Top your favorite baked cheesecake recipe, waffles, pancakes, ice cream, or even toast or croissant if you're into that type of breakfast.

Ingredients

They are few and easily available.

• Strawberries - they're the star on this recipe, of course, and the more seasonal they are, the better the flavor. This strawberry sauce is especially good for using those berries that are not in their prime because they will be cooked.
• Sugar - I love to use brown because it works really well with strawberries, something that is already documented in the Brown Sugar Strawberry Crisp recipe. But you can use white with amazing results.
• Lemon juice - it balances out the sweetness and adds freshness.
• Cornstarch - is needed to thicken the sauce and create that syrup that we want to eat with a spoon because it's so delicious!

Easy steps

This recipe is so easy! You simply cook a few ingredients in the stove and then you let it cool down.

Strawberries

Wash, hull and slice or dice strawberries. Put them in a saucepan and add sugar. Mix with a wooden spoon.

Liquids

Add lemon juice and half the amount of water, and cook on the stovetop over medium heat. After a few minutes, a lot of liquid from the strawberries will start releasing.

Thickener

Dissolve the cornstarch in the rest of the water. When the strawberry mixture foams, add it and stir all the time. Cook another minute so that it looses some of it's starchy flavor.

Final step

The sauce will be thick. Add the rest of the chopped strawberries and mix lightly. Taste and check if you want to add more lemon juice or a few more tablespoons more water, depending on how much syrup you want.

The result is shiny, and sweet, and bursting with flavor and oh so delicious!

My top tips

• Strawberries: this is the recipe to use those overripe berries. You can cut them small or just in half, depending on what you'll be using it for. If using frozen, cook them all together, because you won't have fresh pieces to add at the end.
• Make ahead: this sauce can be kept in the refrigerator for a week and in the freezer for a month, always in a container with a tight-fitting lid.
• Citrus: I love lemon for this recipe, but lime and orange go very well with strawberries. So choose your favorite.
• Sweetness: you can add up to ¼ cup more of sugar if you have a sweeter tooth.
• Syrup: if you like to go heavy on the syrup, double the amount of water and add a teaspoon more of cornstarch.

Other recipes you might like:

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Strawberry Sauce (or topping)

• Author: Paula Montenegro
• Prep Time: 10
• Cook Time: 10
• Total Time: 20 minutes
• Yield: About 2 ½ cups 1x
• Category: Desserts
• Method: Cooking
• Cuisine: International

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Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 1 pound (½ kg) fresh strawberries (see Notes, below)
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice 
• ¼ cup water
• ¼ cup light brown sugar 
• 1 teaspoon cornstarch 

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Instructions

1. Wash, hull, and cut the strawberries into pieces. 
2. Put half of them in a medium saucepan and add the sugar, lemon juice, and half the amount of water. 
3. Cook until it begins to boil and foam, stirring once in a while. 
4. Dissolve the cornstarch in the remaining water and add to the strawberries. 
5. Stir constantly and cook for 1 minute. 
6. Remove from the heat, transfer to a bowl and add the remaining pieces of fresh strawberries. 
7. Mix well and let cool. 
8. Store in the refrigerator for up to a week in a container with a tight-fitting lid. 

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Notes

Strawberries: this is the recipe to use those overripe berries. You can cut them small or just in half, depending on what you'll be using it for. If using frozen, cook them all together, because you won't have fresh pieces to add at the end and they will have more liquid, so maybe add an extra teaspoon of cornstarch. 

Make ahead: this sauce can be kept in the refrigerator for a week and in the freezer for a month, always in a container with a tight-fitting lid.

Citrus: I love lemon for this recipe, but lime and orange go very well with strawberries. So choose your favorite.

Sweetness: you can add up to ¼ cup more of sugar if you have a sweeter tooth.

Syrup: if you like to go heavy on the syrup, double the amount of water and add a teaspoon more of cornstarch.

Keywords: strawberry sauce

Paula Montenegro

I'm Paula, a baker for more than 30 years and your designated recipe finder, sharing the best ones on this blog, with simple ingredients + easy-to-follow instructions.