Juicy Strawberry Syrup

Late spring is strawberry season, and I can think of no better use for strawberries than making this super juicy strawberry syrup.

Made with fresh strawberries, white grape juice, and a healthy splash of white balsamic vinegar, the flavor is sweet with just a little tang to keep it from being too sweet.

Serve it over ice cream or vanilla pudding, or even splash some in club soda for a refreshing summer sip!

For ease of browsing, you can find all my dessert sauce recipes in one place. Now let’s get on with the show.

At a Glance

✅Skill Level: Beginner
✅Skills: Using an immersion blender, straining
✅Type: Dessert Sauce
✅Number of Ingredients: 6
✅Prep Time: 5 minutes
✅Cook Time: 15 minutes
✅Yield: 12 oz or about 1 1/2 cups
✅Related Reading: Mixed Berry Sauce

Jump Straight to the Recipe

Tasting Notes

I call this juicy strawberry sauce because it tastes like the juiciest strawberries in the world. Like the flavor is more intense than you’d think it could be with a relatively short time on the stove and only 6 ingredients.

The flavor is sweetly strawberry-forward with just a bit of tanginess from the white balsamic. It’s bright and colorful and fresh.

If this sounds like a winner to you and you end up making it, please do me a quick favor, if you would.

Strawberry Syrup Ingredients and Substitutions

• strawberries: Fresh or frozen will work here, as you just going to puree them anyway. You can also use other berries or a mix of berries if that’s what you have on hand
• white grape juice: Adding extra liquid ensures your sauce doesn’t reduce too much while it’s cooking and end up becoming jam. I like to use a liquid that is already flavorful, and white grape juice won’t compete with the flavor of the strawberries. Apple juice or other light-colored juice will work here too. Or consider something like cran-strawberry or cran-apple. Using juice also allows you to use less sugar. If all you have is water, you may need to increase the sugar by a couple of ounces.
• sugar: I use pure granulated sugar here to keep the flavor profile firmly in the strawberry camp. You could use a liquid sugar like honey or maple syrup, but that will obviously affect the flavor.
• white balsamic vinegar: The sweet-tart tang of white balsamic vinegar works well here without dulling the color of the syrup. Feel free to use a different vinegar, like apple cider or white wine vinegar, but you will probably only need about half. Using some lemon juice or lime juice will also balance the sauce, so if you don’t have vinegar, using citrus juice is a great option. You will probably only need a tablespoon of citrus juice
• salt: Focuses the flavors and counteracts any potential bitterness from the vinegar (or citrus, if that’s what you’re using)
• vanilla extract: Rounds out all the flavors with a creamy, floral note

Procedure

This is a straightforward syrup to make.

If you already know how to make syrups, skip down to the recipe. Otherwise, read on for some visuals and a more indepth explainer than what is written in the recipe.

If you are using fresh berries, wash them well, and cut off their little green tops.

Place the whole berries in a pan along with the white grape juice, sugar, white balsamic, and salt.

Bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat, mashing the berries as they heat and soften.

I love a meat chopper for this task.

Allow the mixture to simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Puree with an immersion blender, then simmer five more minutes.

Strain the mixture, stir in the vanilla, then pour into a jar or jars.

💡Don’t forget to scrape the back of the strainer. Puree likes to hide back there!

Recipe Variations (Make It Fancy)

Consider adding an herbal element.

Natural pairings with strawberry are:

• basil
• lavender
• mint
• thyme

Add a hint of bite with a bit of black pepper or fresh or ground ginger.

You can also use the sauce as a swirl in vanilla ice cream. Simply layer softened (or freshly churned) ice cream with thin layers of strawberry sauce and freeze. That’s it!

For a more mysterious take on the strawberry balsamic flavor profile, take a look at my strawberry balsamic preserves recipe.

A Little Strawberry Syrup Q & A

Questions?

If you have any questions about this post or recipe, I am happy to help.

Simply leave a comment here and I will get back to you soon. I also invite you to ask question in my Facebook group, Fearless Kitchen Fun.

If your question is more pressing, please feel free to email me. I should be back in touch ASAP, as long as I’m not asleep.

A Note About Measurements

My recipes are almost all written by weight, including liquids, unless otherwise specified.

For accuracy and consistency of results, I encourage you to buy–and use–a kitchen scale.

I promise that baking and cleanup will be so much quicker and easier.

This is the scale that I recommend for home use. I have owned and used one for years.

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Enjoy the strawberry syrup, friends! Thanks for spending some time with me. Glad you’re here!