Easy Strawberry Topping Sauce Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Why is my strawberry sauce not thickening? ›

The easiest way to thicken strawberry sauce is to simmer it for longer. The longer you allow it to heat on the stove, the more moisture will evaporate. If your sauce isn't thickening on the stove, or you don't have the time to let it simmer longer, you can add a cornstarch slurry to thicken it.

Cornstarch + water: You don't need much, but you must dissolve the cornstarch in a little water before using. This is called a “slurry”; see raspberry cake filling an example. Without mixing with water, the cornstarch will leave white chunks in your strawberry sauce.

If you don't have any cornstarch or would rather not use it, you can still make this homemade strawberry sauce. You'll need to cook the strawberries with the sugar and lemon juice for about 10-15 minutes instead of 1-2 minutes. This will help the sauce reduce and thicken.

The most readily available sauce-thickener is flour. For a too-thin sauce, try adding a slurry (equal parts flour and water, whisked together) or beurre manie (equal parts softened butter and flour, kneaded together to form a paste)—both are ideal thickeners for rich and creamy sauces, such as steak sauce recipes.

Step 4: Mix the Sauce

It was time for the secret weapon: lemon juice. Turns out, the acidity of the juice acts as a thickening agent, which reacts with the proteins in the dairy to increase the viscosity. It's a similar concept to adding vinegar to milk to make buttermilk, said Clark.

Add a little sugar

Sugar doesn't thicken in quite the same way as starch or fat, but it does make your sauce stickier, and getting your sauce to stick to the food is the entire point. Adding sugar to water creates a solution that is thicker than water, and further heating (boiling or simmering) makes it even thicker.

Egg yolks, arrowroot, tomato paste or butter can thicken sauce in place of flour or cornstarch.

Add a little sugar and salt! Wash your strawberries, cut them, and hit them with a pinch of salt and a couple good three-finger pinches of granulated sugar, give them a little tossy-toss, and watch them magically start to darken and get extra juicy.

What flavor brings out strawberry? ›

Black pepper and balsamic vinegar

Black pepper and balsamic vinegar are both championed by chef Nigel Slater as giving strawberries more flavour: "You only need a little – and it does sound daft, but it works."

I highly recommend chopped mint, basil and lavender, which add surprising depth to a bowl of strawberries. Skip the rest of them, especially tarragon and sage, which clash completely with strawberry's bright flavors.

Use Flour and Water

Combine 2 tablespoons flour with every 1/4 cup cold water and whisk until smooth. Add the mixture to your sauce over medium heat, and continue to stir and cook until you've reached your desired consistency. Test with a spoon.

Cornstarch is a popular thickener because it creates a shiny filling without clouding the colors of the fruit juice.

If you don't leave the pie in the oven long enough your thickener doesn't get to the necessary temperature and time to thicken your filling. You want to see thick bubbling! The bubbling of the filling is activating the natural gelatin of your fruit as well as your thickeners.

To thicken syrup without any additives, simply reduce it on the stove. Pour the syrup into a saucepan, then turn the burner on low. Bring the sauce to a low simmer and let it sit for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally so it doesn't burn.