Versatile Homemade Strawberry Sauce

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Versatile Homemade Strawberry Sauce

A glossy, professional-grade strawberry sauce made with peak seasonal berries, 20% sugar, 8% lemon juice, and real vanilla. Perfect as a dessert topping for cheesecake and ice cream, or mixed into beverages and lattes.

Prep Time10

Cook Time10

Cooling Time10

Total Time30

Course: Condiments, Dessert, Sauce

Cuisine: American, French

Keyword: fruit sauce, homemade dessert sauce, ice cream topping, ichigo sauce, strawberry coulis, strawberry sauce

Servings: oz

Calories: 36kcal

Ingredients

420 g fresh strawberries (washed, hulled, and quartered)
84 g caster sugar (20% of berry weight)
34 ml fresh lemon juice (8% of berry weight)
¾ tsp vanilla bean paste (or ½ vanilla bean pod, split and scraped)

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Wash, hull, and quarter the fresh strawberries. If using a vanilla bean pod, split it lengthwise and scrape the seeds into your saucepan with the back of a paring knife, dropping the scraped pod hull into the pot as well. If using vanilla paste, measure ¾ teaspoon directly into the pan.
Combine the strawberries, sugar, lemon juice, and vanilla in a medium saucepan. Place over medium-high heat until the mixture reaches a gentle simmer.
Lower the heat to medium-low and cook for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally as the fruit softens and the liquids reduce into a glossy syrup.
Turn off the heat just before it reaches your target thickness, as it will continue to set as it chills.
Remove the pan from the heat. Carefully skim off the white foam (aku) from the surface with a spoon to ensure a clear, glossy finish. Discard the spent vanilla pod hull if using one.
Puree the mixture with an immersion blender until smooth.
Then press through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl to catch seeds and skin fragments.
Place the bowl into a larger container filled with ice and cold water (an ice bath). Stir occasionally until completely cold to lock in the bright crimson color and fresh berry aromatics. Transfer to a clean 16 oz glass jar.

Notes

Storage Instructions:

Refrigerator: Store in an airtight glass jar for up to 4 days.
Freezer: Pour into silicone ice cube trays and freeze until solid. Transfer cubes to a freezer bag and store for up to 3 months. Thaw individual portions in the fridge overnight.

Chef’s Tips & Variations:

Chunky Style: Skip the blender. Dice half the strawberries fine and leave the rest quartered. Simmer as directed, then mash lightly with a fork or potato masher.
Using Frozen Berries: Frozen berries work year-round. Because they release more moisture, extend the simmer time by 3–5 minutes.
To Thicken: If the sauce remains too thin after chilling, return to the pan and simmer for 3–5 minutes, or whisk in a cornstarch slurry (½ tsp cornstarch + 1 tsp cold water) and boil for 1 minute.

Nutrition