Simple Strawberry Syrup Recipe For Drinks, Pancakes And More
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As funny as it may sound, this recipe is a by-product of the mango strawberry jam we’ve been perfecting for the last few weeks. Our mango strawberry jam calls for strawberries macerated in their juices but not the juices themselves. Rather than waste the delicious strawberry liquid, we drizzled it over the pancakes, mixed it with sparkling drinks, and used it to sweeten our morning oats. Then came the “aha” moment—why not make a preserve? That decision was a game-changer! This strawberry syrup, a close cousin to our favorite strawberry-in-syrup recipe, is perfect for pancakes, waffles, and more. Make them both, and let us know which one is your personal favorite.
Ingredients and substitutions to use in this syrup recipe
In this strawberry syrup recipe, we used only fresh, overripe strawberries. However, it is possible to make this recipe with frozen strawberries too. If you want to make this strawberry syrup using frozen strawberries, you may need to add about 10 minutes of cooking time to get your strawberry syrup to reach the desired consistency. This will depend greatly on the ripeness of the fresh berries used for freezing.
We didn’t use any thickeners in this syrup recipe. If you plan to use this strawberry syrup for drinks, we recommend keeping it that way. But if you want a thicker syrup for pancakes or waffles, you may want to add ½ teaspoon of fruit pectin mixed with ½ cup of sugar closer to the end of the cooking.
Yield:
The specified in this syrup recipe quantity of ingredients should yield enough syrup to fill four 8 oz. (250 ml.) mason jars. The final yield may vary based on your preferred level of jam doneness.
Recommended Canning Tools & Equipment for this and other recipes:
Strawberry Syrup
Ingredients
- 4 lb. ripe strawberries 1,814 g.
- 2 tbsp. lemon juice
- 2 lb. sugar 908 g.
Instructions
Prepare the strawberries:
- Pick very ripe strawberries for this recipe.
- Gently rinse the strawberries under cold running water.
- Remove the green stems, any blemishes, and white cores (hulls) from each strawberry. To hull strawberries, insert the knife or huller at a slight angle and rotate it around the stem to remove it.
- Chop or quarter the strawberries and place them into a heavy-bottomed pot.
- Add 1 ½ cups of sugar and mix thoroughly with the strawberries. It’s okay if you squash the strawberries a bit while mixing.
- Cover the pot and let it sit for a minimum of 4 to 6 hours, or even overnight. This allows the sugar to draw out the strawberry juices needed to make the syrup.
Cooking strawberries:
- After 4 hours, you should see plenty of strawberry juices in the pot. Bring the strawberries to a boil over medium heat, stirring often to dissolve the sugar.
- Skim any foam forming on top.
- Once boiling, lower the heat to medium-low and cook for 5 minutes.
- Turn off the heat and use a fine mesh strainer to drain the strawberry juices into a separate pot. This juice will be the base of your syrup. Set the strawberries aside; you can use them in another jam or store them in an airtight container for topping your ice cream, pancakes, and waffles.
Making syrup:
- Add lemon juice and the remaining sugar to the rendered strawberry juices and bring the mixture to a boil.
- Stir regularly until all the sugar dissolves.
- Once boiling, reduce the heat to the lowest setting and let the mixture bubble slowly.
- Cook for 30 minutes to let the syrup reduce and become more concentrated.
- After cooking, the syrup is ready to be used immediately. However, if you want to preserve it, proceed to the next step.
Canning the Strawberry Syrup:
- Pour the hot syrup into clean, sterilized canning jars.
- Process the jars using your preferred canning method
Choose your preferred canning method to preserve your strawberry syrup
For those processing this preserve using water bath or steam canner, the processing time guidelines at various altitudes are as follows:
0 – 1,000 ft: 5 mins
1,001 – 6,000 ft: 10 mins
Altitudes Above 6,000 ft: 15 mins
Frequently asked questions
Can you freeze strawberry syrup?
If you don’t want to can strawberry syrup but still want to preserve it for longer, it is possible to freeze it. This is how you can do it:
- Cool the Syrup: Allow the syrup to cool completely at room temperature.
- Choose Containers: Use freezer-safe containers – we always recommend glass containers. Leave some space at the top of the container to allow for expansion as the syrup freezes.
- Label and Date: Label the containers with the date so you can keep track of how long it’s been stored.
- Freeze: Place the containers in the freezer.
- When you’re ready to use the syrup, thaw it in the refrigerator overnight. You may need to give it a good shake and stir before using it, as it will separate due to freezing-defrosting.
How long will this syrup keep in the fridge?
If you decided against freezing or canning your strawberry syrup and are storing it in the fridge instead, plan to use it within one month. It may keep longer than that, but we would advise you to be very careful with any open preserve stored for longer than one month in a fridge. Make sure to check for mould and smell in your strawberry syrup that was stored in a fridge for more than one month before you use it in your food.
How to use this strawberry syrup?
Strawberry syrup has to be one of the most versatile preserves. You can use it in several different ways. These are some of our favorite ones:
- Pancakes, French Toast and Waffles: Forget maple syrup! Use your homemade strawberry syrup instead! We like using it over waffles. It tastes great over pancakes and divine over French toast.
- Drinks: Mix strawberry syrup with lemonade, iced tea, sparkling water, or cocktails. We even like mixing it with plain water for a tasty and sweet drink.
- Desserts: Our favorite use for this syrup has to be pouring it over vanilla ice cream or New York cheesecake. It is simply irresistible, especially over the ice cream. We guarantee that once you try it, you’ll never have your ice cream served any other way.
- Yogurt and Oatmeal: Mix it into plain yogurt or add it to your oatmeal to jazz up your morning routine.
- Smoothies or Milkshakes: What’s better than ice cream with a spoonful of strawberry syrup? Three spoonfuls of strawberry syrup, a lot of ice cream and other goodness to make a delicious smoothie or a milkshake.
These are just a few of our suggestions, but the possibilities are truly endless. We can’t wait to learn how you use this syrup. We hope you will share with our audience and us your creative way of using this syrup.
