Strawberry Simple Syrup Recipe for Drinks and Desserts

This homemade strawberry simple syrup is bright, sweet, fruity, and incredibly easy to make with fresh strawberries. It is a versatile strawberry syrup for cocktails, mocktails, pancakes, waffles, cakes, iced tea, soda, and many other drinks and desserts. Made with just strawberries, sugar, and water, this simple syrup comes together in less than 20 minutes and adds a fresh strawberry flavor to anything you pour it into or over.

Ways to Use

• Cocktails: This strawberry simple syrup is ideal for adding fresh berry flavor to strawberry cocktails and mocktails. Stir about an ounce into your favorite drink, or use it in place of regular simple syrup when you want a sweet strawberry finish. It works especially well in sparkling cocktails, mojito-style drinks, martinis, and other refreshing mixed drinks.
• Iced tea: Add a few tablespoons of syrup to chilled iced tea for an easy strawberry iced tea. Start with a small amount, stir, taste, and add more syrup if you prefer a sweeter drink.
• Bubble tea: Use this syrup to make homemade strawberry milk tea or strawberry bubble tea. It gives the drink a fruity flavor and costs much less than buying it from a shop.
• Soda: For a quick strawberry soda, stir a couple of spoonfuls into lemon-lime soda or sparkling water. Serve it over ice for a fun, refreshing drink that is especially great at lunchtime.
• Pancakes and Waffles: This syrup makes a sweet and decadent breakfast topping. Drizzle it over pancakes or waffles, either on its own or with maple syrup. Add fresh berries and a light dusting of icing sugar for an extra special breakfast.
• Cakes: Simple syrup is often brushed onto cakes to help keep them moist during storage. Use this strawberry version when you want to add both moisture and a gentle strawberry flavor.

Ingredients

• Strawberries: Fresh strawberries work best for this recipe because they create the brightest flavor and color. Slightly soft or very ripe strawberries are fine to use, since they will be cooked down and strained. If you only have frozen strawberries, thaw them first and drain away any extra liquid so the syrup does not become watery.
• Sugar: Granulated sugar is the classic choice for simple syrup. It dissolves smoothly and lets the strawberry flavor come through clearly. Brown sugar can also be used, but it will add a deeper, slightly caramel-like flavor, which may be better for some desserts than for lighter drinks.
• Water: Water helps dissolve the sugar and creates the right pourable syrup consistency.

How to Store

Store strawberry simple syrup in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to several weeks. Simple syrup keeps well, but it can eventually spoil, so always check it before using. If the syrup looks cloudy in an unusual way, smells off, or shows any sign of spoilage, discard it.

You can also freeze this strawberry syrup for 2 to 3 months. For easy portions, pour the cooled syrup into an ice cube tray and freeze until solid. Once frozen, transfer the cubes to a freezer-safe container so you can thaw only the amount you need for drinks, pancakes, or desserts.

Expert Tips

• Simmer for at least 10 minutes. Plain simple syrup only needs to be heated until the sugar dissolves, but strawberry simple syrup needs more time. A gentle simmer allows the strawberry flavor to fully infuse into the syrup.
• Reduce the sugar if needed. For cocktails and drink recipes, the sweetness is easy to adjust by using a smaller amount of syrup. For pancakes or waffles, you may prefer a less sweet version. If so, use ¼ cup to ⅓ cup sugar instead of the full amount.
• Drain frozen strawberries well. If using frozen strawberries, thaw them completely and remove excess liquid before cooking. Too much water can dilute the syrup and make the strawberry flavor less concentrated.
• Save the strawberry pieces. After straining the syrup, do not throw away the softened strawberry pulp. It tastes great stirred into plain Greek yogurt.

Other Simple Syrup Recipes to Try

📖 Recipe

Strawberry Simple Syrup

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4.5 from 2 reviews

• Author: Alejandra | The Littlest Crumb
• Total Time: 18 minutes
• Yield: ½ cup
• Diet: Vegan

Description

This strawberry simple syrup is a quick homemade syrup made with fresh strawberries, sugar, and water. It is sweet, fruity, and perfect for cocktails, iced tea, homemade soda, pancakes, waffles, cakes, and other desserts.

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Ingredients

• 1 cup fresh strawberries, hulled and sliced
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• ½ cup water

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Instructions

1. Add the strawberries, sugar, and water to a saucepan. Heat over medium-high heat until the mixture reaches a gentle simmer, stirring occasionally. As the strawberries soften and begin to break down, mash them with a fork to release as much flavor as possible. Continue simmering and stirring for 10 to 15 minutes.
2. Remove the saucepan from the heat and let the mixture cool for a few minutes. Pour it through a fine mesh sieve to separate the syrup from the strawberry pieces.
3. Let the strawberry syrup cool completely to room temperature before using. Transfer it to an airtight container and store it in the refrigerator.

Notes

• Let it simmer. Simmer the syrup for at least 10 minutes so the strawberry flavor has time to fully infuse.
• Save the strawberry chunks. The strained strawberry pieces are delicious mixed into plain Greek yogurt.
• Frozen strawberries: Thaw frozen strawberries and drain off excess liquid before using them so the syrup does not become diluted.
• Storage: Keep the syrup in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to several weeks, or freeze it for 2 to 3 months.

• Prep Time: 3 minutes
• Cook Time: 15 minutes
• Category: Syrup
• Method: Stovetop
• Cuisine: American

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1 tbsp
• Calories: 55
• Sugar: 13.6g
• Sodium: 0mg
• Fat: 0.1g
• Saturated Fat: 0g
• Unsaturated Fat: 0.1g
• Trans Fat: 0g
• Carbohydrates: 14g
• Fiber: 0.4g
• Protein: 0.2g
• Cholesterol: 0mg