This homemade strawberry syrup is the kind of simple recipe that makes you wonder why you ever bought it pre-made in a bottle! What makes our recipe special is how it takes just three ingredients and a little time to create a syrup that tastes like fresh strawberries instead of artificial flavoring. Once you make this once, you’ll never go back to store-bought!
My husband and I have been making homemade syrups for over a decade now. We started getting into DIY simple syrups in our 20s specifically to master the art of making our own cocktails at home and avoid having to buy special ingredients. Once we realized how easy making your own syrups is, there was no turning back! We’ve experimented with so many variations over the years, and like our blueberry syrup and peach syrup, this strawberry version is a summertime favorite that we use constantly.
The beauty of homemade syrups is that you control the flavor intensity and sweetness level, plus you get that fresh strawberry flavor that bottled syrups just can’t match. Whether you’re topping breakfast foods, mixing it into drinks, or using it in coffee and cocktails, this syrup is incredibly delicious and versatile!
You’ll Love This Strawberry Simple Syrup
Just three simple ingredients. Sugar, water, and strawberries are all you need to make restaurant-quality syrup at home.
Option to use fresh or frozen strawberries. Whether you’re in the peak of strawberry season and have loads of fresh seasonal strawberries or it’s mid-winter and grabbing a bag of frozen berries at your local grocery store is your best option, you can make a batch of this fresh strawberry syrup!
Ready in minutes with steeping time. The active cooking time is about 10 minutes, then you just let it steep and cool while you do other things.
Endlessly versatile. Use it in all kinds of beverages like cocktails, mocktails, lemonades, or coffees and teas. Or use it as a topping for pancakes, waffles, and French toast. The possibilities are endless!
Ingredients for Strawberry Simple Syrup
- Granulated sugar. Creates the base for your syrup and dissolves with the water to form a simple syrup.
- Water. Combines with the sugar to create the syrup base that will be infused with strawberry flavor.
- Fresh or frozen strawberries. These release their juice and flavor as they cook down and steep in the warm simple syrup, creating our fruity syrup. Both fresh and frozen work well!
All ingredient measurements and full recipe details can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of the page.
How to Make Strawberry Syrup
Combine ingredients and heat. Place the water, sugar, and strawberries into a medium saucepan over medium heat, bringing the strawberry mixture to a simmer or low boil.
Stir occasionally and smash the strawberries to help release their juices, cooking for about 10 minutes until the sugar has completely dissolved.
Let it steep. Remove from heat and allow the mixture to steep at room temperature for 30 minutes to 1 hour. The longer it steeps, the more intense the strawberry flavor will be. You can adjust this based on how strong you like your syrup (and how much time you have).
Strain. Pour the cooled liquid through a fine mesh strainer into a bowl or liquid measuring cup.
Transfer the liquid to an airtight container and store in the fridge. The fruit that was removed can be enjoyed on yogurt or over ice cream (my husband always calls dibs), or you can discard it.
Use and enjoy!
Want to Use This Strawberry Syrup on Pancakes, Waffles, or French Toast? Thicken It!
If you’re making this syrup exclusively to use as a topping, take an extra step to thicken it! While you can simmer the mixture a little longer on the stove to release moisture and thicken it, creating a cornstarch “slurry” will result in the thickest, most topping-like consistency.
To do so, start by combining 1 teaspoon of cornstarch into 3-4 teaspoons of cold water in a glass and mixing it until there are no lumps. Then slowly stir the slurry into your warm syrup. It will continue to thicken as it cools.
Easy Strawberry Syrup Variations
- Use more strawberries for intense flavor. Increase to 2 cups of strawberries instead of 1 cup for a deeper, more intense strawberry flavor and added natural sweetness.
- Add lemon juice. Mix in about 1 teaspoon of fresh lemon juice to brighten the flavor and add a subtle tartness that complements the strawberries.
How to Store Strawberry Syrup
Store your homemade strawberry syrup in an airtight container (like a mason jar) in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. The flavors will actually meld and intensify as it sits, so making a batch ahead is totally fine!
You can also freeze this syrup if you want to make it in batches! Pour it into ice cube trays, freeze solid, then pop the cubes into a freezer-safe container. Thaw in the fridge or use the frozen cubes directly in cold drinks!
Homemade Strawberry Syrup FAQs
Straining removes the fruit solids and gives you a smooth syrup instead of a chunky mixture. If you prefer a more textured syrup, you can skip the straining step, but keep in mind the fruit pieces will settle to the bottom over time.
We love honey simple syrup as much as the next guy, but it definitely has a distinct honey flavor. To showcase that sweet strawberry flavor for this recipe, granulated sugar is the best choice.
However, you can experiment with honey or maple syrup if you’d like, but the ratio and cooking time may need adjusting since they dissolve differently than granulated sugar.
You can do way more than use this for pancakes or cocktails! Use it to sweeten and flavor plain yogurt, drizzle it over ice cream, use it for a chocolate covered strawberry coffee, make a strawberry lemonade, use it for a dirty soda, enjoy it as a topping for waffles and French toast, or even blend a splash into smoothies. Get creative and have fun with it!
Love This Recipe? Try One of These Homemade Simple Syrups Next!
Simple Homemade Strawberry Syrup
Ingredients
- 1 C water
- 1 C granulated sugar
- 1 C fresh or frozen strawberries (rinsed, stems removed)
Instructions
- Place all ingredients in a medium saucepan over medium heat until the sugar has dissolved (approximately 10 minutes), stirring occasionally and smashing the strawberries to help release their juices.1 C granulated sugar1 C water1 C fresh or frozen strawberries
- Remove from heat and allow to steep for 30 minutes – 1 hour.
- Pour cooled syrup through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl or liquid measuring cup to remove the fruit. Save the fruit for use in yogurt, on ice cream, or other uses, or discard it.
- Store fully cooled syrup in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
Notes
- Use more strawberries for intense flavor. Increase to 2 cups of strawberries instead of 1 cup for a deeper, more intense strawberry flavor and added natural sweetness.
- Add lemon juice. Mix in about 1 teaspoon of fresh lemon juice to brighten the flavor and add a subtle tartness that complements the strawberries.
- Make it thicker for pancakes. If you want this as a pancake syrup rather than a drink syrup, let the mixture simmer for another 5 to 10 minutes after the initial cooking to reduce the water content and thicken it up!
Meredith says
So easy!