Homemade Fresh Strawberry Sauce
This Homemade Fresh Strawberry Sauce is quick and easy to make and so versatile. You can enjoy it warm or cold, and it's the perfect topping for cheesecake, ice cream, pancakes, and lots more!
Servings: 12 (2 tablespoons each; recipe makes about 1½ cups total)
Estimated Calories: 32
Ingredients
- 1 pound fresh strawberries, washed and patted dry with paper towels
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 3 tablespoons cold water, divided
- ¼ cup pure maple syrup, or sugar, add more or less to taste
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Remove the leaves/stems from the strawberries; cut the strawberries into ½-inch pieces.
- In a small bowl, combine the cornstarch and 1 tablespoon cold water; stir until smooth (this is called a cornstarch slurry). Set aside.
- Place the chopped strawberries into a medium saucepot (I use a 3-quart pot) along with the remaining 2 tablespoons water, the maple syrup (or sugar), and the lemon juice; give the mixture a quick stir.
- Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally.
- Optional: Once the berry mixture comes to a boil, mash the strawberries a bit with a potato masher, a fork, or the back of a spoon if you want a less-chunky sauce.
- Stir in the cornstarch slurry.
- Reduce the heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes or until the sauce has thickened slightly. Note: The sauce will thicken up a little more as it cools.
- Remove the pot from the heat and stir in the vanilla extract.
- Taste and add more maple syrup (or sugar), if needed.
- Serve warm or chilled. If you are going to serve it chilled, pour it into a bowl, let it cool completely at room temperature, and then place in the refrigerator until cold.
Recipe Notes
- You can chop the strawberries any size you want depending on the texture you want your sauce to have.
- The amount of maple syrup (or sugar) needed will depend on how tart your strawberries are and your own personal tastes (¼ cup always seems to work perfectly for me). If desired, you could start with less and add more at the end, if needed.
- This is not meant to be a super thick sauce. It should still be pourable but not liquidy. If you want it thicker, you can always add more cornstarch slurry (just remember you will need to bring the sauce back to a simmer so the cornstarch will thicken it).
- Store leftover sauce in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3 to 5 days, or you can freeze it. For best results, use frozen sauce within 2 to 3 months.
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