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There is no rival for homemade strawberry sauce. It has just 3 ingredients and this is the easiest strawberry sauce recipe. Adding a few spoons of this glossy fresh strawberry topping will make any dessert feel fancier. This is a great recipe to have in your arsenal for entertaining or to make your family’s eyes light up as you spoon it over a bowl of vanilla ice cream.
This strawberry topping is completely wonderful over pancakes, waffles, pie, cheesecake, this trifle, you name it! This is our favorite and easiest way to make strawberry sauce. The lemon juice balances the sweetness and makes the strawberry flavor more pronounced. Truth be told, it’s dangerously irresistible stuff – consider yourself warned ;).
We’re using this sauce in our next recipe post so I hope you are all kinds of excited!!
Make-Ahead Tip: You can make this strawberry topping 1 to 3 days in advance, cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
Easy Strawberry Sauce Ingredients:
1 lb Strawberries, rinsed, hulled and thickly sliced
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 Tbsp lemon juice (from 1/2 Lemon)
How to Make Easy Strawberry Sauce:
1. In a medium saucepan, combine sliced strawberries, 1/3 cup sugar and 1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice. Place over medium heat and bring the mixture to a boil, stirring occasionally. The strawberries will release juice without any mashing required.
2. Reduce heat and simmer 20-23 minutes or until sauce is thickened, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature. Keep in mind sauce will thicken up slightly as it cools and even more after refrigeration.
Pro Tip: Do not blend strawberries before cooking. I have tested coarsely blending strawberries in a food processor and even though they taste great, the color of the sauce was foggy and not glossy as shown in the photos above. We had best results with slicing strawberries by hand.
It really is as good as it looks – bursting with fresh strawberry flavor!
⬇Print-Friendly Strawberry Sauce Recipe:
Strawberry Sauce Recipe
Ingredients
Strawberry Sauce Ingredients:
- 1 lb Strawberries, rinsed, hulled and thickly sliced
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1 Tbsp lemon juice, from 1/2 Lemon
Instructions
How to Make Strawberry Sauce:
- In a medium saucepan, combine sliced strawberries, 1/3 cup sugar and 1 Tbsp lemon juice. Place over medium heat and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Strawberries will release juice without any mashing required.
- Reduce heat and simmer 20-23 min or until sauce is thickened, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature. Keep in mind sauce will thicken up slightly as it cools and even more with refrigeration.
Nutrition Per Serving
If you make this recipe, I’d love to see pics of your creations on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter! Hashtag them #natashaskitchen
I hope this becomes your new favorite strawberry topping. Let me know how you serve your strawberry sauce. Or maybe it’s just you with a spoon in your hand? Remember I called this dangerous for a reason!
This was so easy and turned out delicious!
Hi Kim! I’m so happy you loved it.
Can this be used to make strawberry chiffon cake and in the frosting?
Hi that should be fine. Hope you’ll love it!
Love how simple the recipe is, but how tasty the sauce. It is a perfect way to use those under ripe strawberries available at the grocery store during winter months. Delicious topping for yogurt, cottage cheese & pancakes.
It really is a perfect versatile topping. So glad you enjoyed it.
How can I thicken this sauce? I simmered this for 40 mins and it was still runny. It cooled to room temp and is still runny.
Hi Lauren, This recipe thickens naturally as it cooks down and doesn’t need it. The sauce will also thicken up slightly as it cools and even more after refrigeration. If it doesn’t meet your desired thickness, you can cook it down more or add corn starch.
Excellent and very easy
Love how easy this recipe is! Will be making a strawberry custard this weekend for some guests coming over, can i use frozen strawberries for this recipe? and if so, how should i adjust the recipe for it? ❤️
I’m glad you find it easy to follow! It’s a good option to use frozen strawberries if that’s what you have on hand. You can thaw them or cook them directly frozen. Hope you enjoy it!
I loved that this was easy to make and the directions were easy to follow. The only thing I’d change is the amount of sugar. 1/3 cup was a bit much since the strawberries I used were local and pretty sweet already.
Thank you so much for sharing that with me, Patty!
I have been using your recipe for your perfect cheese cake I get compliments every time. Thank you
How long will this sauce last in the refrigerator? It sounds delicious! It’s going over pound cake.
Hi Jane! See my note above, Make-Ahead Tip: You can make this strawberry topping 1 to 3 days in advance, cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
This is so good. First time making crepes I used this sauce with frozen strawberries. Came out so well. I love that you have the videos to watch along side the recipe. It has really helped me with all your recipes
You’re welcome! I’m so happy you loved it, Cathy!
Hi Natasha. If I simply substitute the strawberries for raspberries, with that work, or do I need to alter the weights/amounts at all?
Hi Lisa. I have not tested that to advise and you probably need to do some changes to the recipe. Let us know how it goes if you do an experiment!
Hi. How can I thin it out if I want to use it the next day?
Hi Lisa, You can make this 1 to 3 days in advance, cover, and refrigerate until ready to serve.
Natasha, can this strawberry sauce be frozen and thawed to use as a topping on your perfect cheesecake recipe that I plan to bake and freeze to use later?
Hi Krista! You can make this 1 to 3 days in advance, cover, and refrigerate until ready to serve. I have not tested freezing it, but one of our readers wrote in saying it freezes well, they said, “I freeze mine, and it turns out great.” I hope that helps.
Can I make the day before? Do I heat it slightly before using or serve cold from refrigerator?
Hi Jan! Yes, see my make ahead tip above.
Make-Ahead Tip: You can make this strawberry topping 1 to 3 days in advance, cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
It can be served cold or warm.
Hi natasha?
Can i use frozen strawberries ?
It’s a good option to use frozen strawberries if that’s what you have on hand. You can thaw them or cook them directly frozen. Hope you enjoy it!
I don’t really eat Starwberries plain but I made this strawberry sauce and it almost not made it to the cheesecake…love it, thanks
Best strawberry glaze I’ve ever had and I’ve had quite a lot glazes in my day.
Wow …this recipe is amazing …tried it and I loved it .the recipe is simple and straight forward..
This is a perfect recipe for making a delicious strawberry sauce. I will be using this forever. 🙂
I love your recipes your so good at explaining everything you make it look so easy that anyone can try thank you so much ❤️❤️❤️
So simple and easy yet very delisious. I added a splash of vanilla for another layer of flavor. I used this on my cheesecake, I will be making more for ice cream and anything else that taste good with this outstanding strawberry sauce.