Strawberries are in season right now, which means you’ll have all kinds of beautiful berries to choose from at the market. Plus, you’ll have the added benefit of knowing what went into your syrup– just three ingredients, all natural, nothing artificial. Sugar acts as a natural preservative, so all you need to do is refrigerate. The syrup will last for weeks (but it’s so addicting, it never lasts that long in my kitchen!).
Homemade strawberry syrup can be used for a number of purposes. It is most commonly added to beverages and cocktails to give them a strong, sweet strawberry flavor. Try adding it to lemonade to make strawberry lemonade or seltzer to make a strawberry spritzer. It makes a lovely addition to cocktails and mocktails. You can also drizzle it on pancakes or waffles as an alternative to maple syrup. So many possibilities!
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Homemade Strawberry Syrup
Ingredients
- 2 lbs strawberries
- 1 quart water (4 cups)
- 2 cups sugar
Notes
Instructions
- Rinse the berries clean, then hull them with a paring knife by slicing around and pulling out the stem.
- Slice the strawberries into smaller pieces.
- Place the strawberry slices in a medium saucepan.
- Cover with water and bring to a boil. Reduce to a medium simmer and let the strawberries cook for about 20 minutes. Skim any foam that rises to the top.
- After about 20 minutes, the strawberries will have lost most of their color and the water should be deep pink/red in color. Remove from heat.
- Strain the strawberry liquid through a fine mesh strainer into another clean pot, separating the solid berries from the liquid. DO NOT press down on the solids to extract more juice; it's tempting, but doing this will make your strawberry syrup cloudy.
- Once the strawberry liquid has been strained, discard the solid berries. Add 2 cups of sugar to the strawberry liquid. Bring back to a boil, stirring frequently to dissolve the sugar into the syrup. Let the syrup simmer for 5 minutes till the sugar is completely dissolved, skimming any additional foam that rises to the top.
- Remove from heat and allow to cool completely. Pour into a glass container, seal, and refrigerate. The syrup should last for several weeks.
- Note: if you prefer a thicker syrup for use on pancakes or waffles, you can simmer it for several minutes longer till the liquid reduces and thickens more. The consistency as written is perfect for mixing into beverages.
Danita says
I used the syrup with a salad of arugula, fresh strawberries, walnuts, and feta cheese. Guests really liked.
Shannen says
Hi! Gorgeous recipe, I’m just wondering if I have to refrigerate it when I store it or if I can leave it out (out of the sun) And how long until it expires?
Tori Avey says
I always refrigerate this to be safe. It should last several weeks in the refrigerator; sugar is a natural preservative. Enjoy!
Dave says
Just made this syrup. Absolutely delicious!
Brittney says
I have some frozen strawberries in my freezer. Do you think this would come out just as good using the frozen ones?
Tori Avey says
Yes, it should!
Megan says
I used frozen, halved the recipe and used less sugar since it was going in something that was already sweet. It turned out great, a little thicker and darker than in the video, but that was what I was going for. It’s got a great flavor and the hardest part was the wait for it to be finished!
Patricia says
thank you! a well made guide to a good simple recipe! i scaled the recipe down to one quarter of the measurements and it turned out great! i used it to make strawberry mousse :^)
Daelene says
I want to add herbs, like rosemary, to strawberry syrup. I ate some once and it was amazing. How is best to do that? Should I just boil the rosemary down with the strawberries?
Tori Avey says
Yes! And then strain. I love adding herbs, just make sure you don’t add too much and overpower the strawberries. One medium-sized sprig of rosemary should do it.
192.168.l.l says
I will definitely try it! It’s strawberry season!
Chris Cummings says
I loved the syrup it was so easy to make and was absolutely delicious. I used it to make strawberry lemonade. I was trying to print out the recipe but I think the link is broken. I tried several times and so did my husband. I hope you can get it fixed. I also wasn’t able to pin it from your site. I had to search it on pinterest and post it that way
Tori Avey says
Hi Chris! Can you please let me know what browser you are using? On my end all browsers seem to be working fine… but each browser is different, we may have some bugs to work out on the one you’re using.
Bethy Levy says
Hi, Tori–and Chag Shavuot to You and Yours.
I have a question for you: Before I make the beautiful strawberry syrup, do you have any ideas as to how to use the strained strawberries? It seems a shame to waste them…maybe mush them into a quick-bread?
Your message today and your photo and message on Instagram yesterday were much-needed and appreciated by me–and I’m sure everyone else who read them. My heart has been breaking this past week, and you gave me some strength. Thank You, Tori.
Tori Avey says
Hi Bethy! We could all use some strength right now, very difficult times. I try my best to keep my focus on the positive, always. Having a baby daughter helps tremendously… she’s pure light! Strained strawberries work great as a topping for ice cream or waffles. I’ve never tried a quick bread… if you do, you might push it through a fine mesh strainer to remove the seeds. Enjoy!
Karen says
To Bethy regarding the cooked strawberries; I’m not sure they would have much flavor after giving it up to the syrup base. I plan to put mine in our worm composter after they are cooked…
Looking forward to trying this syrup now!
Christine says
Thank you so much for this recipe!!! I was wondering what to do with all these strawberries!!! Tori, Thank you!
Alma S says
I was looking in all the Super market to buy the Strawberry Syrup, But i can’t find it and I check on line and find you, I don’t know much English but I’m trying to understand your receipt, thank Yoy very much.