Using only 3 ingredients, this easy strawberry coulis recipe can be made in less than 15 minutes, making it an easy topping for cheesecake, pancakes, or other desserts! 
Where I live strawberry season has officially started! Strawberries are such a verstile fruit – perfect for candied strawberries, chocolate covered strawberries, strawberry blondies, strawberry milk, and of course, strawberry coulis.
A coulis is a thin pureed fruit or vegetable sauce that is often used on desserts. Unlike a compote which tends to have whole or partial berries still in it, this sauce is super smooth. And, this recipe can use both fresh and frozen strawberries so you can have this sweet strawberry sauce all year long.
Similar to blueberry or raspberry coulis, this strawberry version goes with so many desserts! It’s perfect for panna cotta, pavlov, cheesecake, tarts, or topping ice cream. Plus, it stores beautifully in the fridge or freezer and it’s naturally gluten free, dairy free, and vegan making it a perfect easy topping for your favorite dessert or snack.
Ingredients
- Strawberries: fresh or frozen strawberry both work beautifully in this recipe.
- Lemon Juice: you can also use different juices such as orange juice, lime juice, or liquors like Chambord. You can even use water.
- Sugar: The amount of sugar can depend on the sweetness of the berries and also personal preference. I recommend starting with a few tablespoons and adding more if needed. You can also use honey, agave, maple syrup, or brown sugar.
How to Make
STEP 1: SIMMER BERRIES, SUGAR, AND LEMON JUICE
If using fresh berries, remove the stems. Frozen berries are good to go.
Then, simmer the berries, sugar, and lemon juice over medium heat until they are very soft and start to break down, about 8-10 minutes. If necessary, cook a few minutes longer for frozen berries.
STEP 2: PUREE strawberry MIXTURE
Let the mixture cool for a few minutes. Then, using a regular blender, immersion blender, or food processor blend the mixture until smooth.
STEP 3: STRAIN (OPTIONAL)
If you like a slightly thicker, more textured sauce you can leave it as is. Otherwise, strain the sauce using a fine mesh strainer for a super smooth coulis with no tiny strawberry seeds.
Thickening the Sauce
The sauce will thicken a bit as cools but if you want a thicker strawberry sauce, there are two easy ways to thicken the coulis:
- Continue cooking the mixture: After you’ve pureed, cook the mixture down another 3-5 minutes if you want it a bit thicker.
- Add cornstarch: While the mixture is still warm, make a cornstarch slurry by adding ½ tablespoon of cornstarch to 2-3 tablespoons of the warm strawberry puree. Mix until combined and there are no visible lumps of cornstarch. Then add the slurry back to the saucepan of strawberry coulis and cook another minute or two until it’s thickened. You can read more about using a cornstarch slurry here.
Flavor Variations
There are so many flavors that go great with strawberries and really kick up this coulis to another level.
Instead of lemon juice you could use:
- Liquors such as Chambord or Cointreau
- Orange, tangerine, lime, or other fruit or citrus juices
Try adding the following while simmering:
- ½ tsp Vanilla Extract
- ¼ tsp Cinnamon
You can also simmer the strawberries with a handful of herbs such as basil or mint. Just remove the herbs before pureeing.
TIPS FOR MAKING THIS RECIPE
- Adjust the sweetness and flavors to taste. Depending on the type of berries and season, you might need more or less sugar. Be sure to try a bit and adjust accordingly.
- The strawberry coulis will thicken as it cools. If, when you’re ready to serve you find it is too thick our you want a thinner coulis, you can add a tablespoon or two of water, orange juice, or flavored liquors to thin it out.
- If you like or don’t mind strawberry seeds in your sauce, leave them in! Straining the seeds out of the strawberry sauce is totally optional.
- You can easily double or triple the recipe as needed.
STORING AND FREEZING
This will keep 3-5 days in the refrigerator as long as it’s in an airtight container.
Strawberry coulis also freezes beautifully. You can make it ahead and then store it in a plastic freezer bag or airtight container for up to 3 months. When ready to use, defrost in the fridge and then let come to room temperature.
WHAT CAN I USE this COULIS FOR?
This sauce is so versatile. You can drizzle on cakes like angel food, pound cake, vanilla cake, cheesecake, pavlova, or ice cream. It’s also great on pudding, tartlets, panna cotta, and lemon posset.
Not only is it delicious for desserts, it’s a great addition to brunch. Try it on yogurt, pancakes, and waffles to really take your breakfast to the next level. You can also mix 2-3 tablespoons into a batch of vanilla frosting for a simple buttercream frosting.
And if your want to get really crazy you can use it as a dip or spread for your cheese board or crostini or as a base for strawberry mimosas (just add orange juice and champagne!). Yum!
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Strawberry Coulis
Equipment
- Saucepan
- fine mesh strainer optional
- regular or immersion blender optional
INGREDIENTS
- 16 oz strawberries fresh or frozen
- ½ cup granulated sugar more or less to taste
- 2 tbs lemon juice juice from ½ lemon
Instructions
- If using fresh berries, remove the stems. In a medium saucepan, simmer the berries, sugar, and lemon juice over medium heat until they are very soft, about 8-10 minutes. The longer you boil it the thicker sauce it will be.
- Let the mixture cool for a few minutes.
- Using a regular or immersion blender, blend the mixture until smooth.
- If you like a slightly thicker, more textured sauce you can leave it as is.
- Otherwise, strain the berries out of the strawberry coulis using a fine mesh strainer for a super smooth coulis.
- If you want a thinner sauce, you can add a bit more lemon juice, water or flavored liquor to thin it out to your desired consistency.
- Enjoy on your favorite dessert or in a strawberry mimosa!
Video
Notes
- Adjust the sweetness and flavors to taste. Depending on the type of berries and season, you might need more or less sugar. Be sure to try a bit and adjust accordingly.
- The strawberry coulis will thicken as it cools. If, when you’re ready to serve you find it is too thick our you want a thinner coulis, you can add a tablespoon or two of water, orange juice, or flavored liquors to thin it out.
- If you like or don’t mind strawberry seeds in your sauce, leave them in! Straining the seeds out of the strawberry sauce is totally optional.
- This recipe makes about 1.5-2 cups coulis. You can easily half or double the recipe as needed.
- The coulis will last 3-5 days in an airtight container in the fridge or up to 3 months in the freezer.
Beth says
This is wonderful! We love it on our pancakes and even ice cream – delish!
Tavo says
I love that the coulis was super easy to make. We use it in plain vanilla ice cream.
Gabby says
This is delicious! It was a perfect pairing for our pancakes on the weekend so I’ll definitely be making it again.
Janessa says
YUM! We enjoyed this on top of cheesecake and it was excellent!