When strawberry season hits, this easy homemade strawberry sauce is the perfect sauce to make during the season. Made with just 6 ingredients, including fresh in-season strawberries and a little lemon juice, it's an easy recipe ready in 15 minutes. Make this strawberry topping for everyday use or your next special occasion.
I love the taste of this fresh strawberry sauce. Nothing store-bought comes close to the taste of this sauce. It's an easy recipe that features local sweet strawberries. It's also a great recipe to have in your arsenal for easy entertaining.
If you’re a strawberry lover, be sure to try my roasted strawberries for a deeper, caramelized flavor, or check out my strawberry jam for a delicious spread. For something extra indulgent, my strawberry curd adds a smooth, tangy twist that’s perfect for tarts or as a filling for cakes. And if you just love summer berries, then try this tart raspberry sauce.
Why You'll Love This Homemade Strawberry Sauce
- Made with real strawberries
- Nothing artificial and no preservatives
- 6 simple ingredients
- 15 minutes to make
- Use it on anything
Strawberry Sauce Ingredients
These are the ingredients that you’ll need for this delicious strawberry topping:
- Fresh Strawberries: For the best possible flavor use in season strawberries. They should be sweet and have all red or mostly red centers (with just a little white). When strawberries aren’t in season, use frozen strawberries.
- Granulated Sugar: Just enough to sweeten the sauce without taking away from the natural strawberry flavor.
- Lemon Juice: Adds a bright freshness to the sauce and enhances the strawberry flavor.
- Cornstarch: Slightly thickens the sauce. Always mix the cornstarch with cold water before adding it to the sauce. Otherwise, you’ll end up with white lumps in the sauce.
- Vanilla Extract: Vanilla extract and strawberries go so well together.
How to Make Strawberry Sauce
Step 1: Wash, hull, and cut the strawberries into large slices or in half if they are small.
Step 2: Combine the strawberries, sugar, and lemon juice in a medium saucepan
Step 3: Cook the strawberries until the mixture is thick. Add the cornstarch and cook until the sauce is slightly thicker.
Step 4: Remove the sauce from the heat and allow it to cool to room temperature before refrigerating it in an airtight container.
Favorite Ways to Use This Strawberry Topping
- Use as a topping for ice cream
- Serve with pound cake and whipped cream
- Cheesecake or mini cheesecakes
- Filling for homemade crepes
- Topping for yogurt, oatmeal, waffles, french toast, pancakes, and biscuits
- Serve with strawberry shortcake
- Use this to make strawberry lemonade
Pro Tips for Making This Recipe
- Freshly squeezed lemon will taste brighter and more fresh than bottled lemon juice.
- If you want an extra zesty flavor, add lemon zest to the sauce.
- Don't add the dry cornstarch directly to the strawberries - there will be lumps. Always mix it with water first to create a slurry.
If you make this yummy fruity jam, please leave a rating and a comment below.
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Quick Strawberry Sauce with Fresh Strawberries
Ingredients
- 1 pound (454 grams) fresh strawberries
- 1/3 cup (75 grams) granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon fresh squeezed lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- 2 teaspoons water
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Wash the strawberries and cut off the green stem (removing the green stem is also called hulling). Cut the strawberries into thick slices. If they are small, cut them in half. Whisk the cornstarch and water together in a small bowl. This is your cornstarch slurry.
- Place the strawberries in a 3 or 4-quart saucepan and add the lemon juice and sugar. Place the pan over medium-high heat. Cook the strawberries until they begin to boil, stirring occasionally. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer for 10-15 minutes until the liquid is reduced by a third and noticeably thicker. Stir the cornstarch slurry into the strawberries and increase the heat to medium-high. Continuously stir the strawberry sauce until it comes to a boil and then boil it for 30 seconds.
- Remove it from heat and pour the strawberry sauce into a medium sized bowl. Stir in the vanilla extract. Cool the sauce to room temperature. Once it’s cool, refrigerate the sauce. You can serve the sauce while it is still warm.
Storage
- The strawberry sauce can be stored in the refrigerator for up to one week.
Becca Hubble says
Sadly, this recipe didn't work for me as hoped. I am pretty sure I overcooked the sauce, waiting for it to thicken (which it never did) because the strawberries lost their bright red color. They looked brownish red. Boo. I'll try the recipe again another time cuz I recognize I may have done something wrong.
Cheryl Norris says
Hi Becca
I'm sorry this recipe didn't work out for you. The final strawberry sauce won't be incredibly thick, just slightly thicker (with a little shine) with the amount of cornstarch in this recipe. Let me know if you have any questions.