Strawberry Topping

Fresh, sweet strawberries are simmered to make this sweet Strawberry Topping with a hint of lemon and vanilla that beats store-bought syrup any day. Serve on shortcake, pancakes, pound cake, ice cream….the possibilities are endless!

Do you have a strawberry patch in your garden? We planted a small patch of strawberries at our old house and ate them as soon as they were ready.

Eating strawberries fresh is my favorite way to eat them. Ok…that is a slight lie. If I had my choice, I’d eat this shortcake recipe with this homemade strawberry topping every day.

What is strawberry sauce made of?

For this recipe you’ll need:

• Strawberries. This strawberry sauce recipe works with fresh or frozen berries.
• Sugar. To sweeten the sauce. I have not tried using any sugar substitute and prefer standard granulated sugar.
• Water. Water gives the strawberry sauce a base and allows the strawberries to soften on the stovetop without scorching.
• Vanilla. Vanilla extract adds a warm, familiar flavor to the strawberry sauce.
• Lemon juice. This adds flavor and complements the sweet strawberries.
• Cornstarch. Cornstarch is a thickening agent and helps the strawberry sauce not be too runny.
• Salted butter. Our secret ingredient. Read more ⬇️

How to Make Strawberry Topping

• In a saucepan over medium heat, stir together the strawberries, sugar and water until the sugar is dissolved. Heat the mixture to boiling, stirring often. Reduce heat and add the vanilla and lemon juice.

• In a small cup, combine the cornstarch and two tablespoons of water. Mix well.

• Pour this into the boiling strawberry mixture. Stir and boil over medium-low heat for 4 minutes or until the mixture has thickened a bit.
• Remove the pan from the heat.
• Add 1 tablespoon of butter and mix until the butter has completely melted. Again…this is the secret! Don’t skip it.

• If you’d like your strawberry syrup to have a nice red color, add a few drops of red food coloring. This is completely optional.
• Allow the mixture to cool for 15 minutes, then add the last cup of quartered, fresh strawberries. This allows you to have nice chunks of strawberries instead of small strawberry pieces.

What to Serve with Strawberry Topping

The possibilities are endless, really. Serve on waffles, pancakes, Jell-O cake, shortcake, blend them with ice cream for a strawberry milkshake.

Whatever your desire, this simple homemade strawberry syrup recipe with a touch of lemon juice and a hint of vanilla is going to be one you want to save and share with your family and friends this summer.

Can I blend this to make a smooth strawberry sauce?

Yes! If you don’t want chunks of strawberries in your strawberry sauce, blend the sauce with an immersion blender (or regular blender) after cooking to the smoothness that you’d like.

How do you store homemade strawberry topping?

Store the strawberry sauce in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Can you freeze strawberry sauce?

Yes! You can freeze the strawberry sauce in an airtight container for up to 3 months.

Homemade Strawberry Topping with Secret Ingredient

4.71 from 150 votes

Fresh, sweet strawberries are simmered to make a sweet Homemade Strawberry Topping with a hint of vanilla and lemon that beats store-bought syrup any day.

Servings 8

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes minutes

Total Time 20 minutes minutes

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Ingredients

 

• 1 1/2 cups quartered strawberries
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 2 tablespoons water
• 1 tablespoon salted butter
• 1 additional cup of quartered strawberries
• red food coloring (optional)

Instructions

 

• In a saucepan over medium heat, stir together the strawberries, sugar and water until the sugar is dissolved. Heat the mixture to boiling, stirring often. Reduce heat and add the vanilla and lemon juice.
• In a small cup, combine the cornstarch and two tablespoons of water. Mix well.
• Pour this into the boiling strawberry mixture. Stir and boil over medium-low heat for 4 minutes or until the mixture has thickened a bit.
• Remove the pan from the heat.
• Add 1 tablespoon of butter and mix until the butter has completely melted.
• If you’d like your strawberry syrup to have a nice red color, add a few drops of red food coloring. This is completely optional.
• Allow the mixture to cool for 15 minutes, then add the last cup of quartered, fresh strawberries.
• Serve over whatever dessert you’d like!
• Refrigerate the leftovers.

Video

Notes

The calories shown are based on the recipe serving 8, with one serving being ⅛ of the recipe. Since different brands of ingredients have different nutritional information, the calories shown are just an estimate. **We are not dietitians and recommend you seek a nutritionist for exact nutritional information.**

Nutrition

Calories: 106kcal | Carbohydrates: 24g | Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 3mg | Sodium: 13mg | Potassium: 79mg | Sugar: 22g | Vitamin A: 120IU | Vitamin C: 28.2mg | Calcium: 7mg | Iron: 0.2mg

Author Julie Clark

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Calories 106

Keyword july 4, summer

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