Homemade Strawberry Sauce
I have a confession to make. As you know, I obviously love to cook. I also LOVE to shop for food. The same way people can get sucked into clothing or shoe stores, I can get sucked into grocery stores. I tend to fall in love with ingredients with my eyes. Unfortunately for me, those things are usually fruit. And as I am sure you are aware, many fruits, especially berries, do not last very long in the fridge. I have learned this all too well. I cannot tell you how many times I have had to throw out boxes of very expensive berries because I just didn’t use them in time. (If you ask me in front of my husband I will 100% deny this every happened!) It has always broken my heart to throw those once beautiful berries out because they have become inedible with mold growth. If you have ever purchased any type of berries before, you must have experienced this at least once!
The great thing about berries, is that even though in their raw form they last what feels like only hours, in their cooked form, they can last much longer. This is where my strawberry sauce was born. I have been making this cheesecake recipe for many years (I will share that soon), and I have always made it berry flavored. To achieve that flavor, I have always made a sauce with an assortment of berries. Now, this sauce was usually exclusively made for the cheesecake but it occurred to me only recently, I don’t know why it took so long, that I can use this sauce for so many more things! Also this sauce lasts for weeks in the fridge, and for months in the freezer! For me, this has become the most wonderful way to preserve the berries that would have otherwise gone bad. If you are in a similar situation, with any kind of berries in the fridge that are soon going to go bad, this is a super basic recipe that will extend their life, and give you an opportunity to figure out how best to use it. =)
Let me walk you through how easy it is!
First things first we need to start out with some berries. This recipe can work for any berries, and you can mix them all together too if you have a variety in the fridge. Here I have 1lb of strawberries that are already starting to get soft spots, which means that I need to use them ASAP.
Always, always, always wash your fruits and vegetables. You never know whats lingering on the skin that you are about to put into your mouth. So make sure you wash and drain the strawberries.
Cut off the tops, and cut them in half. Cutting them in half is technically optional, but it makes the next step go smoother.
Place all of your strawberries into a blender. Any blender will do. I use and LOVE my Vitamix
Blend the strawberries until smooth, then add the lemon juice and be sure to give it a whirr to let it all mix in.
Pour all the contents of the blender into a medium sauce pan.
Add the sugar, and water. The best way to add the water is to put it into the blender after emptying it and shaking it around so that it can collect any of the blended strawberries that are still left in the blender.
Mix everything together, and put the stove onto medium/low heat and cook for 10-12 minutes. Be sure to stir it occasionally.
After 10-12 minutes the sauce should be visibly thicker. At this point it will be hot but make sure you taste it to make sure there is enough sugar. If there is not, add it in a tablespoon at a time until you reach your desired flavor.
After that store the sauce in a container or a bowl and place it in the fridge for at least 3-4 hours before using, or overnight. This sauce is good when its cold.
After that you can use this sauce for any application you can think of! You can use it on pancakes, waffles, ice-cream, as an addition to buttercream or batter for cakes, a topping for cheesecake, mix it with cream cheese and make a strawberry cream cheese for bagels, use it as a base for salad dressings, or add a pinch of salt and use it in savory dishes. Literally this can be used any which way. You have just extended the life of your strawberries and opened up a whole world of options of how you could use this sauce! If you are not planning to use it within a couple of days, then you may as well store it in the freezer and just take it out into the fridge the night before you need it to thaw.
I hope you give this recipe a try for yourself! Please be sure to let me know in the comments if you do! I would love to hear what you thought of it! Be sure to subscribe so that you can be notified when I post new recipes! (link in the sidebar). Follow me on Instagram @saltyoversweet and find me on Facebook (the link is in the sidebar).
- 1lb - strawberries or any berries
- 1-2 tablespoons - Juice of half of a small Lemon
- 1/4 cup - White Cane Sugar
- 1/4-1/3 cup - Water
- Wash the strawberries/berries cut the tops off and cut them in half.
- Place them into a blender and blend until smooth.
- Add lemon juice and blend to combine.
- Pour puree into medium sauce pan and add sugar and water. You can use the water to collect any leftover puree that stuck to the blender.
- Mix everything together and cook on medium/low heat for 10-12 min.
- Sauce will thicken. Be sure to taste it and make sure that it is sweet enough for you. If not, add additional sugar 1 tablespoon at a time until you are satisfied.
- Once the sauce is to your liking, pour it into a bowl or container and store it in the fridge for 3-4 hours or overnight before using.
- If not using soon, this can also be stored in the freezer.
- Enjoy!
- *1 lb of strawberries yields approximately 1 1/2 cups of sauce.
- *This sauce is inherently Vegan.
- *This sauce is inherently Gluten-Free.
- *You can use this recipe as a base for any berries. I sometimes make a mixed berry sauce with strawberries, blackberries, raspberries and blueberries all mixed together.
- *This sauce can literally be used for anything sweet or savory, your creativity is your only limitation =)
- *This sauce can store in the fridge for 2 weeks and in the freezer for up to 4 months. If you don't plan on using it soon, just stick it in the freezer to be safe. You can always thaw it in the fridge overnight before you plan to use it.
Salty Over Sweet Food Blog is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.
