Make your own strawberry syrup at home for a dessert topping, adding to drinks and cocktails, or drizzling over pancakes and waffles. It’s not only easy for beginners in the kitchen but cooking it yourself gives you control of the ingredients. You get to choose the best ripe strawberries, and you can adjust the sweetness to your liking, reducing sugar and eliminating preservatives often found in store-bought syrups.
Ways to Use Strawberry Syrup
Here are some tasty ideas to add a burst of strawberry flavor to your food and drinks:
- Pancakes and Waffles: Drizzle the syrup over your morning pancakes or waffles for a fruity twist to your breakfast.
- Dessert Topping: Pour over desserts like cheesecake, ice cream, rice pudding parfait, and strawberry shortcake.
- Cocktails and Mocktails: Give your beverages a pop of color and sweetness; it works great in margaritas, daiquiris, and lemonade. A copycat strawberry Nesquik in milk? Perfect!
- Dress up Oatmeal: Swirl it into your hot oatmeal or cold overnight oats.
- Homemade Soda: Mix with sparkling water to create your own strawberry soda. Keep taste-testing until you find the right ratio of water to syrup.
- Fruit Salad Dressing: Toss this easy strawberry syrup with fresh-cut fruits for a brunch-worthy fruit salad.
- Tea Sweetener: Stir into iced tea or hot tea for a fruity note.
Have fun experimenting and see how your homemade strawberry syrup can add a delicious twist to your favorite desserts, drinks, and snacks.
CookingChew Tip: Don’t bother straining out the pulp and just keep it all as a spoonable strawberry topping!
Storage and Shelf Life for Strawberry Syrup
Homemade strawberry syrup, when stored correctly in a clean, airtight container or jar in the refrigerator, can last up to two weeks or more.
To ensure the longest possible shelf life:
- Cool the syrup completely before transferring it to the storage container.
- Start with a clean container and keep it clean as you use it. We like this swing-top bottle or this old-timey syrup dispenser.
- Keep the syrup cold and don’t leave it on the counter for long. It’s not meant to be kept in the pantry like store-bought syrup.
The bottom line
Fresh berries that are in season are the most economical for this recipe; frozen strawberries work great too. Did you hit it big with a large flat of berries at the farmer’s market? This is a great recipe that can be doubled, making a great gift for a very lucky neighbor.
Easy, homemade strawberry syrup is versatile:
- Drizzle on breakfast classics such as pancakes, waffles and crepes.
- Swirl into yogurts or oatmeal.
- Mix into cocktails or over desserts like rice pudding.
It only takes a few ingredients and the cooking process is pretty simple. Let us know if you made this recipe. Email us at hello @ cookingchew dot com.
More About Strawberries
- 25 Strawberry Desserts
- 27 Best Frozen Strawberry Recipes from Crepes to Cocktails
- 15 Best Recipes That Use Strawberry Extract
- RECIPE: Strawberry Chia Pudding Recipe
- RECIPE: Strawberry Yogurt Granola Parfait
- RECIPE: Simple Strawberry Compote
Easy 30-Minute Strawberry Syrup Recipe (Perfect for Beginners!)
Make this easy syrup that combines the sweet, familiar taste of fresh strawberries with a hint of lemon. Perfect drizzled on your favorite beverages, breakfast, and desserts.
Ingredients
- 2 cups fresh strawberries (organic preferred), washed, hulled, and sliced (measure out 2 cups after slicing). If using frozen strawberries, you can use a 10- or 14-oz package of frozen strawberries instead of the 2 cups of fresh strawberries
- 1 cup granulated sugar (you can adjust this depending on how sweet you want it)
- 1 cup water
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice (fresh or bottled works fine)
- A pinch of salt (to balance the sweetness)
- Optional: 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (for depth of flavor)
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan, combine the strawberries, sugar, and water. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring occasionally until the sugar has dissolved.
- Add the lemon juice, vanilla extract (if using), and a pinch of salt. Reduce heat to low and let it simmer for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until the strawberries have softened and the syrup has thickened slightly. This may take a bit longer at high elevations.
- Remove from heat and let cool for a few minutes.
- Into a large bowl, strain the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve, pressing on the solids to extract as much liquid as possible. It will thicken some as it cools.
- Discard the solids or set them aside in the refrigerator to blend into a smoothie or add to this chia pudding.
- If large solids have made it through the sieve, you can run the mixture through the sieve again or transfer it through cheesecloth for the smoothest syrup.
- Transfer the syrup to a glass container by carefully pouring and scraping the sides of the bowl. A kitchen funnel may be helpful for this step to help limit messes.
- Allow the syrup to cool completely at room temp before sealing and storing in the refrigerator, about 30 minutes.
Notes
- The syrup can be stored in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.
- It's perfect for adding to cocktails, lemonades, iced teas, or desserts.
- Feel free to adjust the sweetness or add other herbs/spices during the simmer.