Strawberry Sauce or Topping
This homemade strawberry sauce is quick, easy, and packed with jammy fruit flavor. Made with fresh or frozen berries, it’s perfect for topping a cheesecake, ice cream, strawberry shortcake, and more. No canning or fancy steps required.
Servings: 2 cups
Ingredients
- 4 cups fresh or frozen strawberries about 1 pound
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch or 2 tablespoons instant clearjel
- pinch salt
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 to 3 drops red food coloring Optional
Instructions
- Wash and hull the fresh strawberries. Slice the larger strawberries into halves or quarters (leave smaller strawberries whole). Add the strawberries to a saucepan.
- In a separate bowl, combine the sugar, clearjel (or cornstarch), and the salt. Whisk well to distribute the cornstarch or clearjel into the sugar.
- Add the sugar mixture to the strawberries and stir to coat the strawberries in the sugar/starch mixture.
- Add the lemon juice to the saucepan and cook over medium high heat, stirring constantly. Use a spoon or fork to break up some of the strawberries as you stir.
- Bring the strawberry sauce to a simmer and continue to cook for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla and food coloring if using. Allow the sauce to cool completely. If you are using cornstarch, the sauce will thicken a bit more once it is cold.
- If you want to smooth the sauce out, you can use an immersion blender to puree it.
Notes
Fresh or frozen berries work: If using frozen strawberries you do not need to thaw them.
Sweetness Tip: If your strawberries aren’t very sweet, you can bump up the sugar to ½ cup.
Preventing Lumps: To avoid lumps, mix the cornstarch or Clearjel into the sugar first. Then stir that sugar-starch blend into the strawberries, making sure the berries are well coated. This method eliminates the need to make a separate water-and-starch slurry.
Simmer Time Matters: Be sure to simmer the sauce for at least 5 minutes to activate the thickener fully, especially if you’re using cornstarch.
Freezing Notes: Planning to freeze the sauce? Use Clearjel instead of cornstarch. Cornstarch tends to break down after freezing and thawing, which can leave the sauce watery. Clearjel holds its texture and stays thick after freezing.
Cooking with Clearjel: When using Clearjel, the mixture may look thick and gloppy at first. That’s normal, just keep stirring and gently mash a few strawberries. As they break down, the glaze will smooth out.
Storage: Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week.
Nutrition info is based on ¼ cup of sauce.
Nutrition
Serving: 1 serving | Calories: 75kcal | Carbohydrates: 19g | Protein: 1g | Sodium: 20mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 13g
