Homemade Strawberry Sauce is the perfect berry topping for everything from cheesecake to ice cream. The natural sweetness of strawberries gets a zesty boost from the citrus in this sauce. With a hint of maple flavor, this strawberry sauce is a perfect match for pancakes as well!
A swirl of strawberry sauce instantly makes any dessert fancier! Add it to angel food cake or dollop it onto a simple bowl of vanilla ice cream.
Fresh Strawberry Sauce
I’ve been making my own homemade strawberry sauce for years. There are plenty of variations on strawberry sauce toppings. Some with just sugar and berries; others with a mile long list of ingredients.
This Strawberry Sauce recipe is the best of both worlds. A handful of ingredients but with an exciting dimension of flavor. I love the zing this sweet sauce gets from the addition of lime and orange juice!
Strawberry Sauce for Cheesecake
I drizzled some of this sauce over a slice of cheesecake for a dessert that looked as good as it tastes. The sour lime balances out the sweetness of the maple syrup and cheesecake perfectly.
The next morning, we used strawberry sauce for pancakes! It was a huge hit. You could also use this sauce for waffles, angel food cake or as a plating garnish for any dessert.
Did I mention this makes an incredible Strawberry Shortcake Sauce, too? Learn how to make strawberry sauce to instantly enhance any dessert!
Tips For Making Strawberry Sauce
The consistency of the sauce should be like thin jam. if the sauce doesn’t thicken, add a teaspoon of cornstarch and whisk it in.
Another way to thicken your jam is to boil it for a longer period of time. The jam will thicken slightly once cooled, but not by much because we are not boiling it for a long period of time.
The size of the strawberries is entirely up to you. I have found that by roughly chopping the strawberries, you still get a great bite of chunky strawberries. The strawberries will break down during the cooking process, so if you like a very chunky strawberry sauce, you may only need to cut your strawberries in half.
Questions & Answers
What will I need to complete this recipe? You will need the following ingredients (at a glance, printable recipe at bottom of page):
- Strawberries: You could also use another type of fruit with this recipe instead. Or even add another fruit and make it a blend. Raspberries are always a good choice.
- Granulated sugar: Feel free to use brown sugar instead.
- Maple syrup: Swap out with honey if needed.
- Orange juice: If you use lemon juice instead, you will get a sauce that is more tart as opposed to sweet, but could be what you prefer. This can be fresh or from concentrate.
- Lime juice: You can use lemon juice as well. The lime juice can be fresh or from concentrate.
- Water
You will need the following supplies:
- Saucepan
- Mixing tools
- Measuring tools
How do I store this?
Store this strawberry sauce in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week. This will also freeze quite well. To freeze, place strawberry sauce in a ziploc baggie and leave for a nice cool topping whenever you want.
What can I eat this strawberry sauce with?
This strawberry sauce is similar to a jam, but without all of the preservatives. Try including it with a shortcake as a strawberry shortcake tart. Add it to the top of a cream cheese fruit dip, made for crackers or chocolate.
Put it in the middle of your favorite cake as the filling. Spread it on toast for a delicious breakfast meal. Or pour it on the top of some cheesecake or ice cream as the best topping. Whatever you do, make sure you enjoy it!
What if I need to serve a bigger crowd?
This recipe doesn’t yield too much strawberry sauce, so if you want to create more for more occasions, it would be prudent to double or triple the recipe. You can always put any leftovers in the freezer for longer storage.
More Recipes You’ll Love
Looking for more delicious strawberry recipes? Here are some of my favorites!
- Frozen Fruit Strawberry Smoothie
- Strawberry Cupcakes
- Strawberry Shortcake
- Mini Strawberry Cheesecakes
- Chantilly Cake
- Berry Crumble Bars
- Strawberry Pretzel Salad
- Berry Compote Parfait
If you can’t get enough sweet sauce recipes, you’ll love my Homemade Caramel Sauce for topping ice cream too!
I can’t wait for you to try this deliciously easy sauce. What will you add it to?
Strawberry Sauce
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups fresh strawberries, chopped about 1 pint
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 2 tbsp water
- 1 tbsp orange juice
- 1 tbs lime juice
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
Instructions
- In a saucepan, heat all the ingredients (strawberries, sugar, water, orange juice, and maple syrup) together over medium-high heat.
- Bring mixture to a boil, stirring occasionally to make sure nothing burns.
- Once boiling, turn down heat to medium-low and cook for 10-15 minutes or until your mixture thickens up and strawberries break down. If you dip a spoon in your mixture and run your finger along the back of the spoon, there should be a defined line through the jam.
- When the sauce is finished cooking, let it cool on the counter before storing in the refrigerator to chill.Plate and serve with your favorite dessert!
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