Simple Strawberry Coulis

This Simple Strawberry Coulis recipe is the easiest way to make homemade strawberry sauce. It’s one I return to every strawberry season to preserve fresh berries. I use it to top ice cream, pancakes and even chocolate cake! It only takes a couple of basic ingredients, fresh ripe strawberries and about 10 minutes of hands-on time. That’s all you need to make this luscious sweet treat that just sings summer!

Why We Love This Strawberry Coulis Recipe

If you think something called “Coulis” sounds too fussy or complicated, think again. The word coulis just means fruit sauce. And it is anything but fussy! Like my Rhubarb Compote, I assure you this is completely simple and perfect even for beginner cooks.

To make it, essentially all you do is hull and slice freshly picked strawberries. Then you cook them down with sugar (or your favorite sweetener) and a little lemon juice. This literally takes less than ten minutes to do! All that’s left is to drizzle in a little vanilla extract and puree the sauce in a blender or with an immersion blender. The hardest part is waiting for it to cool before drizzling it over your bowl of ice cream!

The jars of sauce will keep for two weeks in the fridge and you can also freeze it. Then when the mood strikes, drizzle your homemade Strawberry Coulis over Pancakes, French Toast, Crepes or dessert!

Ingredients For Strawberry Coulis

Fresh Strawberries

This recipe is all about the fruit so using perfectly ripe and freshly picked locally grown strawberries is essential! They have much more flavor than those that are shipped from across the country. Avoid berries that have soft spots or bruising, but do not worry if the greens are not perfectly green. As long as the fruit is red all the way through, but not turning black, you have yourself some great strawberries for making coulis! Wash them really well in a bowl of cold water for three or four minutes.

Sugar, Honey or Maple Syrup

This recipe works with sugar, honey or maple syrup. Or you can choose your favorite non-nutritive sweetener to taste to make this a no-sugar-added recipe.

Strawberries are both sweet and tart, and depending on when they are picked their amount of natural sugars can vary widely through the season due to growing conditions including how much sun and rain they get. That’s why we call for a range of sweeteners in this recipe. You can start with 1/3 cup and see if it is sweet enough. If the sauce is still too tart, add up to a total of 3/4 cup sweetener.

Lemon Juice

When I first started making coulis I never used lemon juice, but I have found that I really love how the intense acidity really makes the fruity flavors of the strawberry pop even more. 1 tablespoon is really all you need to bring out the fruit flavors.

Vanilla

My favorite way to flavor strawberry coulis is with a little pure vanilla extract. Just one teaspoon instantly turns the sauce from one dimension to three!

I should mention, that if you happen to have vanilla beans on hand they really are exceptionally good in this. You only need half of a bean to add plenty of vanilla flavor. (Remove the pod before pureeing the sauce.)

How To Make This Recipe Step-By-Step

Step 1: Combine Strawberries with Lemon and Sweetener

After removing the green stems you can leave the strawberries whole or slice them (this will help them break down faster.) Stir the strawberries, sugar (or other sweetener) and lemon in a medium saucepan.

Step 2: Simmer Coulis To Soften Strawberries

Set the saucepan over medium-low heat and bring to a simmer, stirring often. Simmer the mixture until the berries start to break down and the mixture is very juicy, 4 to 5 minutes.

Step 3: Puree Coulis Until Smooth

Transfer the mixture to a blender, and add vanilla. Cover, and using caution puree until smooth. This only takes a couple of seconds! Alternatively, puree with an immersion blender.

Step 4: Cool and Store

Once the coulis is smooth, transfer it to a metal bowl and set it over another larger bowl of ice water. Chill, by stirring often. Alternatively, chill in the refrigerator overnight. You can keep it in jars or a re-sealable container for two weeks in the refrigerator. It can also be frozen for 3 months.

FAQs and Expert Tips For Making Strawberry Sauce

More Sauces and Strawberry Recipes To Try

• This Strawberry Lemonade Cocktail is made with my Ginger Simple Syrup and homemade strawberry-infused vokda! It makes a perfect signature cocktail for weddings and showers or any summer gathering.
• This Green Salad with Strawberries, Goat Cheese and Chicken is a super fresh and healthy entree salad.
• If you like making your own sauces and condiments, try our Maple Peach Barbecue Sauce. It is a little smoky from a kick of chipotle!
• At this time of year I am also stocking up my freezer with batches of homemade basil pesto too!
• Along with strawberries, you can use pretty much any seasonal fruit to make Fruit Salsa with this master recipe.
• This Pickled Carrot recipe and this Pickeled Onion recipe are two more ways to preserve the summer bounty!

At Healthy Seasonal Recipes, we specialize in cooking with fresh veggies and creating weeknight meals. Sign up HERE to get more produce-forward dinner ideas for FREE! If you make this recipe, please come back and leave a star rating and review. I would love to hear what you thought! Happy Cooking! ~Katie

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