Our easy Strawberry Sauce Recipe is the perfect strawberry topping for ice cream, pancakes, cheesecake and so much more! It is a sweet, fresh, and delicious topping for any dessert. You’re going to want to spread on everything.
Learn how to make strawberry sauce with only 4 simple ingredients!
When all you want is a fresh and flavorful fruit sauce to top any dessert, this easy berry sauce is the recipe you need!
I make this easy strawberry topping for my kids all of the time. They love it! It’s one of the best strawberry ice cream toppings, but it works for so much more.
It is the best strawberry glaze for cheesecake, especially our strawberry swirl cheesecake. We also enjoy it as a strawberry shortcake topping!
🍽 Equipment
To make this perfect strawberry sauce recipe, you will need a heavy saucepan and a strainer to strain out the strawberry seeds.
You will also need a blender to puree the sauce before straining.
🥘 Ingredients
You only need 4 ingredients if you want to learn how to make the strawberry sauce, and they could not be more simple! It’s likely you already have the ingredients on hand.
- 1 lb. frozen strawberries
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon water
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
And really, does water even count as an ingredient? It’s so simple to make our easy strawberry sauce recipe!
🔪 Instructions
Luckily for us all, this strawberry sauce recipe is incredibly easy to make. There are three (just three!) steps to this recipe. It’s that simple!
- Add all ingredients to a heavy-based saucepan over low heat. Heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar.
- As soon as the strawberries have thawed, add everything to a blender and purée.
- Return the puree to the saucepan, bring it to a simmer and let cook, stirring every couple of minutes until very thick and a little darker. Strain the mixture to remove the strawberry seeds.
By far the hardest part of making the homemade strawberry sauce is waiting for it to cool! Strawberry sauce tastes best when you let it cool down.
⭐ Family Foodie Tips
- I use a heavy-based saucepan, as they distribute heat better. Make sure to stir every so often to stop the sugar from catching on the bottom of the pan.
- If you would like some chunks of strawberry in your sauce, then take out a few pieces of the thawed strawberry before you puree it. Chop these pieces into chunks and add it back to the sauce after straining.
- Pour the sauce into muffin tins to freeze. Once frozen, transfer the frozen strawberry sauce into an airtight container or zip-lock bag. This way, you can grab just as much as you need each time.
💭 Frequently Asked Questions
What is strawberry sauce?
Strawberry sauce is a thick, sweet sauce made from real fresh strawberries. Unlike store-bought squeeze bottle dessert toppings, you know you’re getting the freshest, sweetest ingredients and taste from this homemade sauce for strawberries!
The best part is, all you need are 4 ingredients and less than 15 minutes on the stovetop to make this berry sauce.
It tastes delicious on just about every fresh strawberry dessert you can dream of and is the perfect strawberry topping for cake of all kinds!
Do you use frozen strawberries to make strawberry topping?
I use frozen strawberries to make the strawberry sauce. Strawberries are so easy to freeze! I always have them stashed in my freezer so I can make this sauce at any time of year, even when strawberries aren’t in season.
Follow this EASY guide on freezing strawberries so that you are always prepared for this recipe!
You can use fresh strawberries if you prefer. Since you don’t need to wait for the strawberries to thaw, you can blend them right at the start. Then add the puree to a saucepan and finish the sauce the same way you would when using frozen berries.
Can I make strawberry topping ahead of time?
You can make this strawberry topping 3 days in advance. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. This is actually perfect timing, as the strawberry flavor intensifies in the refrigerator!
🥫 Storage
How long does strawberry sauce keep?
It’s best to use this sauce fresh within 3-4 days, but don’t worry! You can use a large portion of it as a Strawberry Cheesecake topping or another favorite dessert, like a topping for Homemade Strawberry Shortcake Biscuits.
Can you freeze strawberry sauce?
Strawberry sauce should be frozen in an airtight container, but here’s a tip if you’re making more than you need right away:
- Pour the sauce into muffin tins and freeze.
- Once frozen, transfer the frozen strawberry sauce to an airtight container or zip-lock bag.
- This way, you can grab just as much as you need each time.
If you plan to freeze your strawberry sauce, it will keep well for 2-3 months.
🍓 Serving Suggestions
Here are a few of my favorite uses for this strawberry sauce recipe, but really, the options are endless:
- A perfect strawberry sauce for pancakes, especially Fluffy Japanese Pancakes or a Dutch Baby Pancake
- A strawberry filling for cheesecake or cake, like Instant Pot Cheesecake
- Pour it over our No-Churn Ice Cream. It makes the most delicious Strawberry Sundae!
- It will be a hit on your Yogurt Parfait Bar when poured over yogurt.
- Try topping your Fresas Con Crema with a dollop of sauce. I promise you won’t regret it.
I could literally go on forever. It is the perfect dessert topper!
Everyone needs a dessert recipe like this! Enjoy, and let us know what you think in the comments below and in the ratings. We love to hear from you!
Save the Video Pin
📋 Recipe
How to Make Strawberry Sauce
🥘 Ingredients
- 1 lb. frozen strawberries
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon water
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
🔪 Instructions
- Add all ingredients to a heavy-based saucepan over low heat. Heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar.
- As soon as the strawberries have thawed, add everything to a blender and purée (see notes).
- Return the puree to the saucepan, bring it to a simmer and let cook, stirring every so often until very thick and a little darker. Strain the mixture.
Video
Notes
- If you would like some chunks of strawberry in your sauce, then take out a few pieces of the thawed strawberry before you puree it. Chop these pieces into chunks and add it back to the sauce after straining.
- Pour the sauce into muffin tins and freeze. Once frozen, transfer the frozen Strawberry Sauce into an airtight container or ziplock bag. This way, you can grab just as much as you need each time.
- I use a heavy-based saucepan as they distribute the heat better. Make sure to stir every so often to stop the sugar from catching on the bottom of the pan.
Dannii says
We make strawberry sauce every week to go on pancakes. It is SO good.
Em Beitel says
That is awesome. We could eat strawberry sauce on pancakes every day!
Noelle says
I love how simple this is, I already have all the ingredients so no excuses for not making it! 🙂
Em Beitel says
We’re glad to hear it, Noelle! We’d love to know how it goes!
Kelly Anthony says
I really like your idea of freezing this strawberry sauce in muffin tins so you can have it anytime of the year. Such a great idea.
Em Beitel says
Thanks, Kelly! It’s so handy for enjoying it year-round.
Amy | The Cook Report says
This sauce looks so delicious! Such a gorgeous colour too 🙂
Em Beitel says
Thank you, Amy! We hope you love it!
kim says
This is definitely going to be making an appearance on my Easter brunch table! So much deliciousness!
Em Beitel says
Thank you so much, Kim! It’s such an easy and delicious dessert topper!
Judith Fertig says
This sauce looks so delicious! Thanks for sharing!
Em Beitel says
Thank you, Judith! We’re so glad to hear that!
eatfrysmith says
Great recipe. I like to eat dishes with sauce. Fresh and fatty taste combined with vegetables
Terri says
Can I use regular sour cream in place of the “light sour cream”? I will try to make this tonight.
Em Beitel says
Hi Terri! Is this for the strawberry swirl cheesecake? If so, yes! Regular sour cream has slightly more fat and calories than light, so your nutritional values won’t be the same as what’s listed here, but there should not be a noticeable difference in taste if you use regular instead of light. Thanks so much! Please enjoy!
Terri says
Thank you. I apologize for duplicating this question. I didn’t see that someone had already asked this question until after I posted mine. I made the cheesecake and it is fabulous!
Em Beitel says
Hi Terri! That’s no problem at all. Thank you so much for the question, and I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed it!
Sue Smith says
Hi! Is there any reason that fresh strawberries couldn’t be used instead of frozen? It’s fresh strawberry season and they’re plentiful and cheap.
Thanks.
Em Beitel says
Not at all, Sue! You can use fresh strawberries if you prefer. Thank you for asking!