If you're looking for a delicious and versatile topping for your desserts, look no further than this homemade strawberry sauce!
Made with fresh strawberries, sugar, and lemon juice, this sauce is the perfect addition to add to the top off ice cream, pancakes, waffles, and more!
This is an incredibly easy to make. It's ready fast and can be stored in the freezer for future use. So why settle for store-bought when you can whip up a batch of this delicious homemade strawberry sauce in no time?
Check out this family favorite breakfast idea and recipe with freezing tips included.
What makes this homemade fruit-filled sauce so special? For starters, you can control the sweetness level to your liking, plus you know exactly what ingredients are going into it.
The benefits of making homemade strawberry sauce are that you can control the ingredients, sweetness level, and texture.
Check out the recipe notes and variations following the step-by-step photos for any possible substitutions and freezing tips so you can enjoy this homemade sauce any time of year.
Looking for more fruit inspired recipes? Try my Strawberry Cinnamon Roll Casserole, Cinnamon Rolls with Cherry Pie Filling and Blueberry Crescent Rolls.
Table of Contents
Recipe Notes
You won't need any special equipment to make this homemade strawberry sauce. Fresh berries work best, but you can use frozen berries as well!
This recipe calls for breaking up the strawberries using a potato masher. You could also chop the strawberries up into smaller pieces before adding them the saucepan with the other ingredients.
I like the sauce to have a little texture...it's what makes this recipe stand out from other recipes that are pureed or blended.
The sauce can be stored in the refrigerator for up to a week or you can freeze the leftovers to use at a later date.
If you're looking for a thicker, jam-like consistency, try this recipe for Homemade Strawberry Jam or this recipe for Strawberry Freezer Jam.
🛒Helpful Kitchen Tools
Mason Jars 6 OZ.
Sturdy Masher, 10.25 inch, Stainless Steel/BlackStainless Steel Mixing Bowls/Metal Prep Bowls, Set of 4
📋Ingredients
Here's a quick overview of the ingredients for this recipe. Find the exact amounts and click the Instacart button to easily add them to your cart – all in the printable recipe card below!
Recipe Variations
- You can replace the strawberries with any of your favorite fruit.
- If you're looking for a savory sauce, balsamic glaze is an excellent alternative. It can be made by cooking balsamic vinegar and sugar together until it thickens and reduces down to a glaze. Pour this over fresh fruit or cheese!
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Add the strawberries to a medium sized saucepan. Place the saucepan over medium heat.
Step 2: Stir the strawberries and sugar over medium heat. Continuous stirring will help the sugar dissolve evenly and prevent the mixture from burning.
Bring Sauce to a Boil
Step 3: Grab a potato masher and gently start crushing the strawberries. This releases their delicious juices and creates the start of your jam-like texture.
Step 4: Add the water and orange juice. Stirring gently, bring to a boil.
Quick Tip
If the sauce is getting too thick, you can thin it out with a little water or even a few extra teaspoons of orange juice!
How to Thicken Fruit Sauce
Step 5: Mix the cornstarch and ¼ cup of cold water in a small bowl. Once combined, gently stir the cornstarch mixture into the strawberries. Be careful not to mash the berries too much while you incorporate the cornstarch.
Step 6: Let the mixture simmer until the sauce thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon. Once it's reached the desired consistency, remove the pan from the heat and stir in the almond extract and cinnamon.
Before You Begin!
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Make it a Meal
Serve this homemade strawberry sauce over Buttermilk Pancakes, Homemade Waffles or even Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream.
For a fun twist, try layering the sauce with homemade yogurt and granola for a delicious breakfast parfait.
Recipe FAQ's
Why isn't my strawberry sauce thickening?
If your strawberry sauce isn't thickening, it could because it was cooked long enough. Try simmering it for a few more minutes. You might have also used overripe and watery strawberries which could lead to more water in the sauce. Next time, try to choose firmer, less ripe strawberries.
How can I thicken watery strawberry sauce?
If your homemade strawberry sauce is too thin, you can add a thickening agent like cornstarch or arrowroot powder to help it thicken up. Mix a small amount of cornstarch or arrowroot powder with water and add it to the sauce while it's cooking, stirring constantly until it thickens. Remember, the sauce will also continue to thicken as it cools!
Storage Tips
To store fresh homemade strawberry sauce, let it cool to room temperature and transfer it to a clean, airtight container.
You can keep it in the fridge for up to a week or in the freezer for longer storage. I. When you're ready to use the sauce, thaw it in the fridge overnight or on the countertop at room temperature. Once thawed, give it a good stir to re-incorporate any separated liquids and enjoy!
Freezing Tips
Add the leftover sauce to a freezer-safe container and place in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Make sure to leave a little extra space at the top of the container as the sauce will expand as it freezes.
Do not freeze the sauce in glass mason jars.
Thawing and Reheating Tips
Remove the container from the freezer the night before and allow it to defrost in the refrigerator.
The next morning, place the desired amount in a microwaveable-safe bowl and warm it up in the microwave.
Once thawed and reheated, give it a good stir to re-incorporate any separated liquids.
Top Tip
This recipe works great with other berries too. Try blueberries next and follow my recipe for Homemade Blueberry Sauce.
More Recipes to Love
📖 Recipe Card
Homemade Strawberry Sauce
Ingredients
- 2 cups strawberries fresh or frozen
- ¼ cup water
- 1 cup orange juice
- ¾ cup white sugar
- ¼ cup cold water
- 3 tablespoon corn starch
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
- In a saucepan, over medium heat, combine the strawberries, ¼ cup water, orange juice and sugar. Stirring gently, bring to a boil.
- In a small bowl, combine together the cornstarch and ¼ cup cold water. Gently stir the cornstarch mixture into the strawberries without mashing the berries too much.
- Simmer until the sauce is thick enough to coat the back of a metal spoon; around three to four minutes.
- Remove from heat and stir in the almond extract and cinnamon.
- If the sauce gets too thick, you can thin it out with more water.
Notes
- You can substitute whatever berries you have on hand.
- The sauce freezes beautifully. So if you have leftovers, just add them to a freezer safe container and freeze for up to 3 months.
This recipe has been updated since it first appeared in 2014 with new photos, information and a new printable recipe card that includes nutritional information. I hope you enjoy the updates as much as I enjoyed working on them!
Diane Doppelhammer says
This sauce sounds great, although my husband can't eat strawberries in any quantity. We use a lot of blueberries and I make a similar sauce for pancakes. The pancake recipe sounds wonderful and I'm going to try that soon.
Lois says
Thank you for visiting Diane!
Maribeth says
Do you think you could use this for pineapple sauce?
Lois says
Yes! And I bet you could even make it with canned pineapple as well. Please come back and let me know how it turns out.
Jenny says
This strawberry sauce looks delicious. I will be featuring this in my Sensational Strawberry Recipes at Merry Monday on Sunday at 6 pm pst. Hope to see you there!
Lois says
Thank you for letting me know! I'll see you Sunday!
Kelley Wilson says
What a great recipe, will have to try this for sure! Thanks for sharing it with Cook it! Craft it! Share it! Hope to see you back this week!
Creative Dream says
Sounds soo good! I would love it if you joined and contribute your awesome posts at my link party at City of Creative Dreams, starts on Fridays 😀 Hope to see you there at City of Creative Dreams Link Party.
Joanne DiPalo says
Oh, this sounds so delicious Lois. I love making fruit sauces which we always add to our ice cream. Thanks for sharing your recipe. I'm going to make it with both my blueberries and strawberries. Grampy bought them not knowing I also bought also them a few days ago. Your recipe is just in time. Pinned/shared.