Homemade Strawberry Ice Cream Topping
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Today I’m riding the coattails of my favorite ice cream recipes and continuing the celebration of National Ice Cream Month with more ice cream fun. In fact, this week BEB is completely devoted to ice cream treats… I think you’re going to enjoy the different types of recipes that are in the queue! Kicking it off is this amazing homemade strawberry topping sauce. While I’m almost always a hot fudge sundae kinda girl, sometimes there are just days in the summer that scream for some lively fruit flavor on top of creamy vanilla ice cream. The insane heat wave we just had that lasted the better part of 10 days certainly provided multiple opportunities for such ice cream-making decisions. While the store-bought sauce is okay in a pinch, it’s disheartening that two of the first three ingredients listed on the label are corn syrup and high fructose corn syrup. I may not be the healthiest eater on the face of the planet, but I really try to avoid those ingredients if at all possible. This was the perfect opportunity to conquer yet another homemade version of an ice cream-related recipe (or, ice cream accessory, if you will).
This sauce is positively delicious and will make your kitchen smell unbelievably scrumptious. The strawberry aroma is absolutely outstanding; there is no comparison between this and the store-bought variety – the flavor is bright, fresh and bold. While this is perfect as an ice cream topping, you could also use it on top of waffles, pancakes, crepes or whatever else you enjoy topping with a strawberry sauce!
The beauty of making things at home is that you can make them exactly how you like them. I chopped up the strawberries and cooked almost all of them down, saving a few to stir in at the end so the sauce was still a little chunky. You could choose to slice the strawberries, put them in whole, quartered, or even puree it in a blender at the end if you don’t like any chunks.
As is the case with most pretty things that you can put in a jar and tie a ribbon around, this strawberry sauce would make a wonderful gift. You could make some for the holidays (anything shiny, sparkly and red is always a big hit), or put together a cute little hostess basket if you’re attending a summer party. In lieu of wine, bring all the fixin’s for a great ice cream sundae party – this, along with hot fudge or some other sauces/toppings (stay tuned this week… hint, hint!) would be a great summertime gift.
Or, you can keep it in your fridge, all to yourself. I won’t tell anyone ;-)
One year ago:Â Top 10 List: Favorite Main Dishes
Two years ago: S’mores Whoopie Pies
Three years ago: Snickerdoodles
Four years ago: Plain Bagels[/donotprint]
Homemade Strawberry Ice Cream Topping
Ingredients
- 1 pint (473.18 g) fresh strawberries, rinsed, hulled and coarsely chopped
- â…“ cup (66.67 g) granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Set aside about 1/3 of the chopped strawberries.
- Combine the remaining strawberries and sugar in a 2-quart saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring the mixture to a boil and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 to 10 minutes, or until the sauce thickens. Remove from the heat and stir in the reserved strawberries and vanilla extract. Allow the sauce to cool to room temperature before using. Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container or jar in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 weeks.
Notes
Did you make this recipe?
Leave a review below, then snap a picture and tag @thebrowneyedbaker on Instagram so I can see it!
I used frozen strawberries, and left it chunky. Delicious! Thanks for the recipe; now I’m onto complete your banana split ice cream cake recipe:)Â
Just made your strawberry topping recipe about a hour ago, changed it up just a bit by adding about a half cup of finely chopped pineapple to the mix from the start. Adds a bit of extra crunch, and the hint of tartness doesn’t take away from the sweet strawberry’s. This was a last minute thought when I saw the left over pineapple in the fridge beside the bowl of strawberries. Just tried it on vanilla and was delicious. Any other combinations that you have tried yourself? Cheers RobertÂ
We use a stick blender to make it smooth. We love this easy recipe.
Always the very BEST recipes. Yummy in my tummy!
Can this be canned? Like water bath or pressure? If so what are the recommended way to process it?
Hi Betty, No, I would not advise using this recipe for long-term storage.
I’m about to try this. It sounds great. An easy to make peanut butter sauce is one part smooth peanut butter to two parts sweetener. Can use maple syrup, corn syrup, honeyor pancake syrup. I like honey the best. Put both in a microwave safe bowl and nuke for about a minute on high. Remove and stir then put back in for another minute. Can be eaten right away (on ice cream, of course) and then stored in the fridge for a week or more. Let come to room temp. or nuke for 30 sec. the next time you want some. If there’s any left. :)
Can u use brown sugar in this?
Hi Isabella, I have not tried to do so; I couldn’t say how it would turn out if you did.
I think I may be the first English person commenting on this site. If so, hooray! I love your recipe. I have already made some strawberry ice cream (with TEN egg yolks!) and the meringues with the egg whites left over. Now I need your sauce. With your recipe, would you recommend sieving out the strawberry pips to get a smoother sauce? My strawberries come from my allotment and the seeds are quite rough and there are so many of them!
Hi Karen, You could definitely strain the sauce to make it extra-smooth. Enjoy! :)
Can you use frozen strawberries
Hi Tamarah, I haven’t tried it, but it might work. Let me know how it turns out.
I had a friend try it with frozen strawberries, and it turned out great!
I’m trying this RIGHT NOW. It’s literally in a pan on the stove behind me. But, was there supposed to be any water added to the pot?
Nope, no water; the strawberries will release their own juices as they cook.
Thank you!
so good
Love this recipe! Mind if we share it on our blog? With due credit, of course! Keep up the awesome ideas!
Hi there, please email michelle@browneyedbaker.com to discuss reprinting the recipe.
Thanks, Michelle! I sent an email last night :-)
Hi Michelle ~ the sauce looks amazing and very red. Whenever I’ve made strawberry sauce, it’s not that red in color. May I ask if you used a touch of red color gel?
Thanks!
I did not use any artificial colors; all of the color you see there is natural!
Just an FYI, when I made this, it turned out that way, too — but it took the red right out of the actual strawberries! LOL!
can i can and store this reciepe at room temp…. how long will it stay preserved if i go through the whole canning process
Hi Mikki, Unfortunately I am not an expert at canning and can’t give you a definitive yes or no answer as to whether you can properly can this. I would check with your local agriculture department to be safe.
This is absolutely amazing sauce and so simple! Hoarding it for myself =)
This is quite possibly my favorite topping for ice cream next to sprinkles.
What a great way to use up all the wonderful strawberries out right now!
Brilliant! I made this last night, except I used vanilla sugar to mAke it. I did purée it in the blender to make it really smooth though. My son is drinking a strawberry milk right now and is praising my genius. Next on the agenda is homemade strawberry yogurt drinks=score! If there is any left we will get some together with ice cream:)
Thanks for the recipe and inspiration!
Such a good idea, love it!
I made a similar sauce with a little cornstarch added to top french toast this weekend. Can’t believe I’ve never done this before. There will be more in the future.
I’d like Jess’ recipe for peanut butter sauce.
Yum! I never thought of making a strawberry sauce that was cooked. We always just macerated the strawberries with a little bit of sugar. I will have to try this. My favorite ice cream topping is peanut butter sauce. Where I am from it is called an Amish sundae because they make a thick peanut butter sauce and pour it over vanilla ice cream.
That’s what we usually do, too! But this was much better. I did add 1 teaspoon of cornstarch to 2 tablespoons cold water. At the very end, I turned off the heat, added the cornstarch water, stirred for about 2 minutes, then let it sit to cool then refrigerated it til it was time. I found it to be not that sweet but guess what – that’s perfect for something naturally sweet like ice cream; didn’t make it too rich. My husband went nuts over it. I forgot about the idea of slices up some strawberries to put in at the end, so I’ll try that tonight!
THIS RECIPE IS A NEW FAMILY FAVORITE!
Could you share the peanut butter sauce recipe? That sounds awesome!
I have made the strawberry topping and the hot fudge…and let me tell you, I have nothing left over from the last party!. Easy recipes and oh so good! A little strawberry topping and a little hot fudge….heaven! thank you so much for the recipes.
DELICIOUS! Could you preserves this through canning??? I want to make a whole bunch it looks so yummy!
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Yum! This looks delicious!
This is amazing… I bet this would be amazing on angel food cake too!!! Yum! So much better than the store bought stuff with all of the preservatives!
I’ll be keeping this all to myself, thank you! It looks scrumptious!
I’ll probably try it cause I always have fresh strawberries these days cause they are not too expensive. Thanks for posting. :)
I’ve done this with blueberries before too :) It’s nuts how simple it is to make a healthier version of fruit syrup at home!
I love that you come up with homemade versions of store bought treats, because I’d rather make something at home than buy it. This look amazing and easy to make. Love the bright color!
oh my gosh–i wish i’d seen this last Christmas when i prepared ice cream gift baskets for family (http://www.thesweetslife.com/2012/01/homemade-hot-fudge-sauce.html)…definitely including the strawberry sauce next time! Thanks for sharing :)
Fantastic idea!
So few ingredients to make something so delicious. A great recipe to make when strawberries at on sale too. I could eat this over my scrambled eggs.
This looks so pretty and simple and delicious! I love national ice cream month! Keep the recipes coming!
A great topping!
Oh yum! So glad we never really have winter here – so ice cream is a year round thing! This would make a really sweet gift – but i must be honest – It probably wouldnt make it out of my front door!
Yum! I love strawberry sundaes!! This sauce is so much better than the store bought stuff!
Mmm I’m seriously craving ice cream right now.
That looks amazing!!
Great idea! I love how it just take a few ingredients to have some homemade ice cream topping :)