Strawberry Sauce
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With only three ingredients this homemade strawberry sauce recipe is easy to make with your fresh strawberries. It’s thick and delicious. Perfect for topping your Angel Food Cake, Cheesecake, Pancakes, Waffles, Ice Cream and more!

Strawberry sauce is a really easy way to dress up your favorite desserts and breakfast dishes! It’s sweet and bursting with fresh strawberries and looks so pretty spooned over ice cream, cake, or homemade pancakes and waffles!
My recipe is so simple and only takes about 15 minutes from start to finish! Plus, the sauce will keep up to two weeks in the refrigerator. If you’ve tried my homemade blueberry sauce you already know how delicious fruit sauce is.
Why this recipe works:
- You can use fresh or frozen strawberries.
- Only takes 15 minutes to make.
- Keeps in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.
Frozen vs Fresh Strawberries
This sauce is absolutely delicious when you use fresh strawberries to make it and that’s what I recommend that you use!
If you can’t find good fresh strawberries (especially during the winter), that doesn’t mean you can’t make it. You can use frozen strawberries instead – it will still be delicious. Make sure that the frozen strawberries are not sweetened, if they are, just add less sugar.
In addition to the strawberries you just need some water, sugar, cornstarch to make the sauce. Red food coloring is optional – more on that in a minute!

Products Needed
Tips to Prepare
The mashed strawberries will create the base of the sauce and the chopped ones are added towards the end so you get that burst of fresh strawberry flavor.
I like to divide the strawberries into two parts and mash half of them with a potato masher and then chop the other half.
For frozen strawberries: if you use frozen ones, you will need to thaw them first and then lightly mash all of them. You don’t have to divide them.
How to Thicken Strawberry Sauce
The cornstarch is what thickens the sauce. You place the mashed strawberries in a saucepan with the cornstarch and sugar and then add the water
Bring the mixture to a boil and stir constantly. As you stir, the cornstarch will thicken the sauce. It doesn’t take long – only about three minutes!
It is possible the thicken the sauce without cornstarch, but you would have to cook the strawberries a lot longer. The cornstarch makes it really quick and easy.
Once the sauce has thickened, stir in the chopped strawberries and then transfer all of it to a bowl and let it cool for 10 to 15 minutes. At this point, it’s ready to serve or you can store it for later!
Pro Tips
- For a more vibrant sauce, you can add a small amount of red food coloring before you bring it to a boil in the saucepan.
- To store the sauce, keep it in an airtight container in the refrigerator and it will keep for up to two weeks!
- If you prefer a less chunky sauce, you can mash all of the strawberries and cook them with the cornstarch and other ingredients.
- You can rewarm the sauce on the stove or in the microwave!
- You can easily double this sauce if needed.

How to Use It!
Besides just eating straight from the container with a spoon (guilty as charged!) there are so many ways to use this strawberry sauce:
- Top your homemade Buttermilk Pancakes with a generous spoonful. Add some Whipped Cream to make it extra special!
- Use it as a dipping sauce for some French Toast Sticks! Or spoon it over regular French Toast for an amazing breakfast.
- Stir it into a bowl of oatmeal or use it as a topping for yogurt.
- Make a batch of Cake Batter Ice Cream and add some sauce on top!
- Serve it with Chocolate Angel Food Cake for a dessert no one will forget!
- Add it as a layer in my Banana Split Trifle – this is a great dessert for a crowd!
Try it and love it? I’d love it if you’d give it a rating below and comment.
If you snap a photo, please be sure tag me on Instagram at @julieseatsandtreats or #julieseatsandtreats so I can see your yummy treat!!
Did you make this? If you snap a photo, please be sure tag me on Instagram at @julieseatsandtreats or #julieseatsandtreats so I can see your yummy treat!

Strawberry Sauce
Ingredients
- 2 c. fresh strawberries cleaned, divided
- 1 c. granulated sugar
- 3 Tbsp cornstarch
- ¾ c. water
- Red food coloring optional
Instructions
- Take 1 c. of the strawberries, hull and chop. Add them to a small bowl and mash, set aside.
- Hull and chop the remaining 1 c. of the strawberries and set aside.
- In a medium saucepan, stir together the sugar and cornstarch. Then stir in water and the mashed strawberries.
- Bring strawberry mixture to a boil, stirring constantly. If you desire a darker red color you can stir in red food coloring at this time.
- Cook and stir the strawberry mixture for 3 minutes or until it has thickened.
- Remove from heat, stir in reserved chopped strawberries. Transfer mixture to a bowl and let cool for 10-15 minutes.
- Add strawberry sauce to a jar or container with lid.
- Serve immediately or store in refrigerator for up to 2 weeks in airtight sealed container
Tips
- For a more vibrant sauce, you can add a small amount of red food coloring before you bring it to a boil in the saucepan.
- To store the sauce, keep it in an airtight container in the refrigerator and it will keep for up to two weeks!
- If you prefer a less chunky sauce, you can mash all of the strawberries and cook them with the cornstarch and other ingredients.
- You can rewarm the sauce on the stove or in the microwave!
- You can easily double this sauce if needed.
Jen says
absolutely delicious and a beautiful red color even without the food coloring. Will be repeated!
Courtney says
Yay! Thank you for letting us know you enjoyed this recipe!
Deb Timm says
OMG! I should have doubled this recipe because I may eat it all before it makes it to the cake!
Kaye says
This sauce is PERFECT!! So delicious and no food coloring needed. Thanks for sharing.
Courtney says
Yay! Thank you for letting me know you enjoyed this! 🙂
Gisela says
Since I’m diabetic I’m using Stevia for sweetener. I use these types of sauces in my cottage cheese and yogurt. Will be freezing in individual servings in ice cube trays. I’ll let you know how it works.
Julie Evink says
Hope it works. Let us know how it goes!
Scott says
Perfect as written (except I didn’t add food coloring – it was perfect WITHOUT it)! Great on shortcake, pancakes, ice cream, EVERYTHING!
Courtney says
So awesome to hear you loved this recipe! Thank you for taking the time to rate this recipe!
Mary says
Easy peezzy to make & taste great
Julie Evink says
Awesome to hear Mary! Thank you for commenting and rating the recipe!
Bea says
The perfect taste & texture!!
Julie Evink says
Great to hear Bea! Thanks for commenting and rating the recipe!
Manon says
Hi there .u think canning this sauce would work? I make a blueberry sauce similar to this one and I always caned it without problem
Julie Evink says
I would not be comfortable saying you can use this recipe to can because I’m not a professional on the acidity etc. needed to safely can something.
Bea says
No, if you are going to can it then it’s only safe if you use clear gel instead of cornstarch or omit the thickener all together..
Treasa says
Good recipe!!! I left the red food coloring out, because I didn’t have it. It still looks good without it and the flavor was absolutely delicious……
Julie Evink says
Great to hear Treasa!
Paula Hollenberg says
I do not want to use red food coloring, and this is a disgusting color without it!!
Michelle Sperr says
Sorry you don’t like to use red food coloring. I have colored things with raspberry juice before for a natural alternative!
Debora says
An this new frozen for later use?
Michelle Sperr says
Hi Debora. I suggest storing this in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks after its prepared!
Anna says
I am obsessed with this sauce! Perfect on so many desserts but I could eat it straight from the jar!
Julie says
Perfect! I’m so glad you love it!
Stephanie says
Absolutely incredible! I poured it over a (heaping) bowl of ice cream and it was the best I ever had!
Julie says
Sounds perfect! Glad you loved it!
Natalie says
Ok, i want to pour this over everything!! Delicious!! My kids love this on their pancakes!
Julie says
Pancakes is a great idea! Glad you all enjoy it!