This homemade strawberry sauce is only 3 ingredients, and is the perfect strawberry topping to go on ice cream, cheesecake, pound cake, pancakes, and more!
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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
- Pound cake
Frequently Asked Questions
What is strawberry sauce made of?
The three simple ingredients that make up strawberry sauce are strawberries, sugar, and fresh lemon juice. This great recipe is the perfect topping for your favorite dessert especially during strawberry season.
What can I do with a pint of strawberries?
Next time you have a pint of strawberries ready to go, make this delicious fresh strawberry sauce. In a medium saucepan or pot, toss in the fresh berries from your pint and follow this recipe to make an excellent topping.
What can I do with too many strawberries?
Besides just eating them up, make a delicious 3 ingredient homemade strawberry sauce recipe with your sweet strawberries and only a handful of ingredients. This strawberry mixture can go on ice cream sundaes, strawberry shortcake, or any other dessert to find new favorite ways to enjoy strawberries.
Can I use frozen strawberries for this recipe?
Yes, you can use frozen berries for this strawberry sauce recipe. You will want to thaw first and drain when using frozen strawberries for this recipe as well as a using a potato masher to help push extra liquid out. For a fresh strawberry flavor it may be best to use fresh berries.
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.
Looking for more Strawberry Recipes?
- Strawberry Fluff
- Strawberry Pretzel Jello Salad
- Strawberry Icebox Cake
- Frozen Strawberry Lemonade
- Strawberry Yogurt Cake
- Strawberry Cheesecake Ice Cream
- Strawberry Muffins
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Strawberry Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 pound strawberries (about 2 cups chopped)
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 2 tsp lemon juice
Instructions
- Hull and chop your strawberries.
- Add your strawberries, sugar, and lemon juice to a medium sized pot over medium heat.
- Bring to a boil. Continue to boil, for about 15-20 minutes until sauce is thickened, stirring occasionally.
- Remove from heat and cool to room temperature. Sauce will thicken more as it cools.
Donna A says
Love this sauce on ice cream and angle-food cake! Just the right amount of sweetness.
Aimee says
So glad you love it!
Cathleen says
I made it using stevia…only 1/4 cup…..sweet enough…..and I put it on a lemon bundt cake with whipping cream
Aimee says
That sounds delicious!
Aubrey says
Very good! Added a splash of vanilla, made this using berries my partner and I picked the day before and served it on top of some home made strawberry-chocolate chip pancakes! Also used lime juice instead of lemon juice bc that’s what I had, and threw in 4-5 raspberries I had leftover.
Aimee Berrett says
Made this with some of the raspberries from our garden today, and it was delicious! My son can’t wait to put it in pancakes tomorrow morning.
Deborah says
Looks yummy!
Can I use Truvia instead of sugar in this strawberry sauce recipe?
Aimee says
I haven’t tried it, but I assume it should work!
Mimi says
Hello! May I ask, the recipe says it makes 8 servings, but how much is considered a serving? I’m asking because I’m trying to decide if I should double it for my cheesecake. Thank you
Aimee says
It probably makes about 1.5 cups of strawberry sauce depending how much you cook it down.
Mimi says
Thank you for clarifying that!
Shirlee says
I add strawberry preserves While cooking the strawberries. This has gelatin in it thickens s the sauce and enhances the strawberry flavor.
Aimee says
That sounds like a great idea! Glad you liked it!
Meg says
Hi! Can I use lemon extract instead of a real lemon juice?
Ellen says
Lemon juice and lemon extract both flavor but lemon extract doesn’t provide all the acidity needed by lemon juice. But in a pinch you can substitute.
Kate says
This is delicious spooned over lemon meringue pie…perfect summer treat!
Aimee says
Why have I never tried that?! Yum!
Roz says
Just made this and it’s delicious. The only change is that I added a couple blackberries and a wee bit more sugar. Thank you for this easy recipe.
Aimee says
Mmm blackberries added sounds yummy
ANDREA says
Can you use frozen strawberries? I can’t find fresh where I live?
Ellen says
Yes, you can use frozen, but you most likely want to thaw and drain with frozen. Let me know how it turns out for you.
Angela says
Can’t wait to try this on my pancakes and waffles. I’ll try it without lemons as I don’t like lemons and my 8 year old daughter might not either. I wonder if lemons are the weird taste I get in strawberry toppings at some restaurants and ice cream parlors, though I guess that might be more of a fermented taste if they don’t throw it out before it goes bad.
(Reposting because I misspelled my email address on my previous comment.)
Aimee says
You can do it without the lemon juice, it’s such a small amount it should effect the taste, but it should be fine with out it too
Dunia says
Oh my, I added 1 tsp vanilla and it sure gave it a an extra yummy flavor. I made 4 lbs worth and used just 3/4 c sugar which sweetened it up just enough. Thank you for this recipe I’ll be using all year long! 😋
Kyle says
Thanks for the recipe! I don’t mean to be a smarty, but just letting you know that your prep and cook times are in days instead of minutes. It would be obvious to anyone what you mean, but if it were me, I would want to know.
Aimee says
Thanks so much for catching that. I fixed it!
Viki says
This sauce is so good! I added the vanilla and I used a little less sugar. The vanilla added so much to this sauce. Thank you for this recipe!!
Ellen says
We are so glad you like the strawberry sauce, we love it too. Yes, the vanilla is a big flavor boost. Thanks for your support.
Lizzie says
Any guesses how it would taste with no lemon juice? Or less juice? I have a friend who loves strawberries but needs to limit exposure to lemon. (It’s not an allergy so less is ok) Thanks.
Aimee says
I’d already consider two teaspoons a pretty small amount, but if you need even less than that then you can just cut it in half, or leave it out. Maybe put some vanilla extract instead. The lemon juice, or lack of shouldn’t change the consistency.
Dawn says
Can this be used for strawberry shortcake, or is that a different type of topping?
Aimee says
It can definitely be used for strawberry shortcake! You could just slice your strawberries in half instead of smaller pieces if you want bigger chunks in the sauce. I may also add some extra fresh strawberries on top since I like lots of strawberries to my shortcake 😉
Sheila says
Thanks!
Melissa Holland says
I like to use powdered sugar when I cut up fresh strawberries for snacking. What would be the ratio for using powdered sugar for 12 servings?
Aimee says
As far as I can see when you’re using powdered sugar instead of regular sugar you’d replace the sugar at a 1 cup to 1 3/4 cup ratio. So for this recipe you’d use about 1/2 cup (+ 1 TBS) powdered sugar instead of the granulated sugar.