Strawberry Syrup Recipe – Made With Fresh Strawberries

Fresh strawberries, two sugars, and a squeeze of lemon — this is the strawberry syrup you'll want in the fridge all summer. Ready in about 15 minutes, no candy thermometer required.

Strawberry Syrup Recipe – Made With Fresh Strawberries

☕sally's kitchen · Fruit & Floral Syrup

Strawberry Syrup Recipe

Recipe by Sally

Fresh strawberries, two kinds of sugar, and a squeeze of lemon — that's genuinely the whole ingredient list. No pectin, no candy thermometer, no waiting around for a boil that never quite rolls. Strawberry syrup is a simple syrup made by cooking fresh strawberries down with sugar, water, and lemon juice, then straining out the solids — and fifteen minutes on the stove is all it takes. Stir it into iced coffee, wake up a glass of lemonade, or steep it right into a cup of Strawberry Serendipity Tea and let two strawberry flavors do what one can't.

Yield

About 1 cup

Time

15 minutes

Vibe

Sweet & Fruity

The Tea This Was Basically Made For

Strawberry Serendipity Tea is already strawberries, hibiscus, apple, and rose hips doing a very good impression of a berry patch — this syrup just turns the volume up. Steep it hot, stir the syrup in while the tea's still warm so it dissolves clean, then pour over ice. The hibiscus keeps it from tasting like straight juice, and the syrup fills in exactly the sweetness the tea doesn't bring on its own. 

Shop Strawberry Serendipity Tea →

Available in 1/2 oz and 2 oz pouches. Never tried it? The 1/2 oz pouch is a good place to start — enough cups to know if it's yours.

Strawberry Syrup

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups fresh strawberries, quartered
  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 Tbsp brown sugar
  • 2 Tbsp water
  • 1 Tbsp lemon juice

Method

  1. Combine strawberries and both sugars in a small pot. Stir and let sit a minute — the sugar pulls juice out of the berries and starts forming a loose, wet slurry.
  2. Add the water and lemon juice. Set over low heat and bring to a gentle simmer. Cook 5–7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the berries have fully broken down and the mixture looks more like sauce than fruit.
  3. Remove from heat and let cool slightly. Strain through a fine-mesh strainer set over a bowl or jar, pressing on the solids with the back of a spoon to get every drop. Store in the fridge.

The Java Momma Twist

Don't toss what's left in the strainer. Those cooked-down berries are basically strawberry jam at that point — spread it on toast, stir it into yogurt, spoon it over pancakes. Nothing good gets wasted.

Storage & Shelf Life

Up to 1 week in the fridge in a sealed jar or bottle. Fresh fruit syrups don't keep as long as sugar-only syrups — real strawberries mean it's on a shorter clock. Want it to last longer? Freeze it in an ice cube tray. One cube is about a tablespoon, so you can pull exactly what you need without thawing the whole batch.

Ways to Use It

  • Hot coffee — stir in instead of sugar
  • Iced coffee — add before the milk, blends better cold than granulated sugar ever will
  • Cold brew — layer it in over ice for a gradient before you stir
  • Tea — hot or iced, especially with Strawberry Serendipity
  • Lemonade — a few tablespoons and it's strawberry lemonade
  • Sparkling water — a homemade Italian soda, no store run required
  • Homemade sodas — same idea, more fizz
  • Yogurt — swirl into plain or vanilla
  • Pancakes & waffles — instead of maple syrup, or alongside it
  • Desserts — over ice cream, on cheesecake, stirred into whipped cream

Featured Drink: Strawberry Serendipity Iced Tea

Steep 2 tsp Strawberry Serendipity Tea in 8 oz just-boiled water for 5–10 minutes. Stir in 1–2 Tbsp strawberry syrup while the tea is still hot, until fully dissolved. Pour over ice. A splash of lemonade turns it into an Arnold Palmer worth writing home about.

Prefer coffee? A tablespoon stirred into iced coffee or cold brew from your favorite medium roast works just as well — the syrup doesn't need tea to work, it's just especially good with this one. Or go the full build with our Strawberry Cold Brew Recipe, which already calls for a strawberry syrup — this is the one to use.

Made this one? Strawberry Serendipity Tea is available in 1/2 oz and 2 oz pouches — however you like to brew it, hot or iced, it works.

Not sure yet? The 1/2 oz pouch is the right place to start — a few cups to know before you commit to the bigger bag.

More recipes like this one are at The Menu. Or go straight to the Syrup Masterclass for the whole library.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does homemade strawberry syrup last?

About 1 week in the fridge in a sealed container. It's a fresh fruit syrup, so it's on a shorter clock than a plain sugar syrup — freeze it in an ice cube tray if you want it to last longer.

Can I use frozen strawberries instead of fresh?

Fresh is what this recipe was built around — frozen berries carry more water, so the syrup may end up thinner and take a few extra minutes to reduce. If frozen is what you've got, thaw and drain them first before starting.

Can I use this strawberry syrup in coffee?

Yes — hot coffee, iced coffee, and cold brew all work. Stir it in before adding milk for the smoothest result in iced drinks.

Does strawberry syrup work in mocktails or cocktails?

It does. A splash in sparkling water or lemonade makes a mocktail; add your spirit of choice and it works just as well in a cocktail.

Is there a sugar-free version of this recipe?

Not published yet, but it's on the list. In the meantime, allulose or a monk fruit blend can generally sub in 1:1 for the granulated sugar here — the set and thickness will be a little different from the full-sugar version.

Previous Article
Strawberry Syrup

Strawberry Syrup

Sally Valenti

Servings

1 cup approximately

Prep Time

5 minutes

Cook Time

10 minutes

Cuisine

American

Category

Syrups & Sauces

Fresh strawberries, two sugars, and a squeeze of lemon — this is the strawberry syrup you'll want in the fridge all summer. Ready in about 15 minutes, no candy thermometer required.

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups fresh strawberries, quartered

  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar

  • 2 Tbsp brown sugar

  • 2 Tbsp water

  • 1 Tbsp lemon juice

Directions

  1. 1. Combine strawberries and both sugars in a small pot. Stir and let sit a minute until the sugar pulls juice from the berries and forms a loose slurry.

  2. 2. Add water and lemon juice. Set over low heat and bring to a gentle simmer. Cook 5–7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until berries are fully broken down.

  3. 3. Remove from heat, cool slightly, then strain through a fine-mesh strainer, pressing on the solids to extract all the liquid. Store in the fridge.

American Express Apple Pay Diners Club Discover Google Pay Mastercard PayPal Shop Pay Visa