I needed a basic strawberry sauce to put on an ice cream cake and once again, had to go digging through my other recipes to find a good strawberry sauce. Like the fudge sauce, this topping was buried within another recipe. So here it is on its own page! The recipe card includes a way to make strawberry topping with frozen or fresh strawberries. Neither version requires a food processor.
Fresh Strawberry Topping
The topping in the photo above was made with 2 cups of fresh strawberries, 2 tablespoons of sugar and 1 ½ teaspoons of cornstarch. The recipe has you macerate the strawberries in the sugar, which takes several hours. How long it actually takes to render the liquid will depend on the overall juiciness of your strawberries, but you do need to plan ahead for this one.
Strawberry Sauce with Frozen Strawberries
Frozen strawberries are more convenient. They're good for strawberry cheesecake topping, but since frozen strawberries are softer they need to be handled gently. For instance, I was rough with my frozen, thawed strawberries and the batch I threw together for this lime cheesecake looked like this. It tasted good, but it was a reminder to be handle with care. But the frozen ones still work very well for strawberry toppings.
How to Make Strawberry Topping with Frozen Strawberries
Here's a quick rundown of the steps for making strawberry topping or strawberry sauce to put over cheesecake, pound cake or whatever you like.
- Thaw the fruit in the refrigerator overnight or in the microwave.
- Drain the juice. 1 pound of frozen thawed strawberries should give you between ⅓ cup and ½ cup of juice.
- Combine sugar and cornstarch in a small saucepan, then add the cold strawberry juice and stir well.
- Set over heat and whisk until thick.
- Remove from heat and add your drained strawberries.
- Add a splash of lemon or lime juice to brighten up the flavor.
Recipe
Easy Strawberry Sauce and Topping Recipe
Ingredients
Frozen Strawberry Sauce or Topping
- 1 pound frozen strawberries
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar (25 grams)
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch (6 grams)
- Optional: Splash of lemon juice, almond extract, orange juice, lime juice, etc.
Fresh Strawberry Sauce
- 2 cups strawberries, sliced (170 grams)
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoons cornstarch
- Optional: Splash of lemon juice, almond extract, orange juice, lime juice, etc.
Instructions
Frozen Strawberry Sauce Recipe
- Thaw the fruit overnight in the refrigerator or in the microwave using a low setting. Drain the juice from the fruit. In my experience, a pound of frozen strawberries should give you between ⅓ and ½ cup of liquid. If you only get ⅓ cup, add a little extra water to make ½ cup.
- In a medium size (I use a 3 quart) saucepan, combine the sugar and cornstarch, then stir in the cold strawberry liquid. Stir to dissolve cornstarch.
- Place saucepan over medium heat and whisk or stir until mixture boils, thickens and becomes somewhat translucent. Stir in the strawberries.
- Remove from heat. Add any optional ingredients you wish and let cool.
Fresh Strawberry Sauce Recipe
- Toss the sliced fresh strawberries with sugar and let sit (macerate) for at least 4 hours or until you have between ⅓ and ½ cup of liquid. If needed, add enough water to make ½ cup.
- Combine cold strawberry juice with cornstarch in a saucepan and stir to dissolve cornstarch. Turn heat to medium and heat until mixture starts to thicken. Stir in strawberries.
- Remove from heat. Add any optional ingredients you wish and let cool.
Anna says
Thank you for trying it, Colleen! Sorry about the lemon juice allergy, that must be difficult.
Colleen Renaud says
This sauce turned out really nicely. I liked that you could thaw the strawberries in the microwave, as I was pressed for time. So good that I didn't have to use lemon juice, as I'm allergic. This is a keeper!