If you love strawberries, you'll want to have a jar of this Strawberry Simple Syrup in your fridge at all times! This pretty syrup has so many uses, from making cocktails or mocktails to using as pancake syrup to drizzling over ice cream. It's easy to make and will become a spring and summertime staple for you.
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Asking me to choose a favorite simple syrup is like asking a mother to choose a favorite child. I can't really answer that... But I CAN tell you that this strawberry simple syrup is VERY high up there.
Fresh strawberry season is all too short and this syrup is the perfect way to capture its essence and add it to all your favorite drinks, desserts, and more.
🍬 What is simple syrup
Simple syrup is essentially just granulated sugar and water brought to a boil and then simmered until the sugar dissolves and it thickens into a syrup.
It's a key ingredient in many cocktails as it's an easy way to add sweetness and potentially flavor to drinks.
But simple syrup also has lots more uses, from dessert toppings to acting as a cake moistner.
❓ Why make strawberry simple syrup
There are so many reasons to make this homemade strawberry simple syrup! I have a whole list of uses for it below, but I'd say I most often use it as a cocktail mixer. I also like adding a little bit of it to soda water for a yummy mocktail.
Of course you can add fresh strawberries to drinks, but not only is muddling them a bit of a chore, but cocktails with muddled fruits can sometimes be tougher to drink. This syrup easily incorporates sweet strawberry flavor right into the drink!
I also highly recommend making this simple syrup if you have a batch of strawberries in your kitchen and are worried you won't be able to eat them before they go bad.
The syrup should last in your fridge for about a month, so it's a great way to enjoy your strawberries without rushing through a container of them.
If you love that sweet strawberry flavor, I also encourage you to try this Candied Fruit!
🗒 Ingredients
You only need 3 basic ingredients for this strawberry simple syrup (be sure to check out the recipe card at the bottom of this post for ingredient amounts and full recipe directions):
- Water
- Granulated Sugar
- Strawberries
🍓 How to make strawberry simple syrup
Not only is this drink made with simple ingredients, but it's also a really simple process to make it!
All you have to do is combine water and granulated sugar in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat and bring to a boil.
Then lower the mixture to a simmer and add hulled and sliced strawberries to saucepan. Stir to combine.
Let the mixture simmer until sugar is dissolved and syrup begins to thicken, about 10 minutes.
Remove saucepan from the heat and strain syrup through a fine mesh sieve into a heatproof container like a bowl or a mason jar.
Press down on strawberries with a wooden spoon to extract as much liquid as possible.
Discard strawberries or use them for something else (they make a delicious ice cream topping!).
Make sure you chill your strawberry simple syrup before enjoying. I like to keep it in a mason jar in my fridge (you don't even want to know how many mason jars full of simple syrup I have in my fridge at all times!).
💡 Variations on recipe
I make this strawberry simple syrup as is quite often, but there are also quite a few tweaks you can make to the recipe to make it even more fun.
Here are a few ideas:
- Add a vanilla bean to the finished syrup and let it infuse for a strawberry vanilla simple syrup.
- Simmer an herb like basil or mint with the strawberries to give it added summer flavor.
- Add a few slices of fresh ginger for a strawberry ginger syrup.
- Add lemon juice or lime juice for a little tartness.
- Simmer with dried rose petals or lavender buds for a strawberry syrup with a floral touch.
- Add a spice like cinnamon, black pepper, or chili powder for a fruity syrup with a little kick.
🧊 Can I use frozen strawberries?
I personally think this syrup is best with fresh berries, but if you can't get your hands on them, frozen strawberries should work.
There may be a slight alternation in the color of the finished syrup.
⏲️ How to store
You should always store your simple syrups in the fridge in an airtight container. When stored properly, it should stay fresh for at least a month.
I love using mason jars to store my simple syrups, but glass bottles are fun, too.
👩🍳 How to use
There are so many different ways you can use this fruit syrup and it makes the perfect addition to all kinds of drinks and desserts. You can also use it in place of strawberry sauce in most recipes that call for it.
Here are some of my favorite different ways to incorporate this simple strawberry syrup recipe into your life... But please share with me how you're using it, too!
- Strawberry Vanilla Love Potion Cocktail: This cocktail uses this strawberry simple syrup recipe, but with a vanilla bean added in.
- Fresh Strawberry Milk: This recipe utilizes a more concentrated syrup, but you can use this strawberry simple syrup, too. Just add to milk and you have a homemade strawberry milk!
- Strawberry Milkshakes: Add a little bit of syrup into a milkshake for a delicious strawberry treat!
- Add it to all kinds of cocktails: Strawberry old fashioneds and strawberry margaritas are absolutely delicious! But really, this syrup goes well in so many different drinks!
- Add to lemonade for a delicious homemade strawberry lemonade.
- Mocktails: If you want an alcohol-free drink that's still fun, add a little bit of this strawberry simple syrup to some soda water and you have an instant summery fun drink!
- Pancake or Waffle Topping: This syrup is absolutely incredible when drizzled over your favorite breakfast, like pancakes, waffles, french toast or crepes in place of maple syrup. It goes especially well on these strawberry crepes.
- Oatmeal Topping: Have trouble getting excited about oatmeal? You'll love it when it's topped with fresh strawberry syrup!
- Ice Cream Topping: Ice cream is delicious as is, but with strawberry syrup drizzled over it? This makes any flavor more delicious!
- Cake moistener: Lots of people brush simple syrup on cakes after they cool to make cakes extra moist. Flavored simple syrup will also add flavor to the cake and this strawberry version would work on vanilla, chocolate, lemon, and pretty much any cake flavor!
- Use it as a Cocktail Rimmer: Brush a little bit of this syrup on the rim of a cocktail or margarita glass and you can easily adhere salt or sugar to the rim.
- Marinade Ingredient: Want to give your chicken, steak, shrimp, or other seafood a fruity kick? Use this in a marinade!
- Tea sweetener: Add a little of this to tea instead of sugar or honey for a yummy light fruity flavor and some sweetness. You can also use it in your own homemade strawberry iced tea.
- While the recipe is a little bit different, strawberry syrup is a main ingredient in the base for the Strawberry Acai Refresher from Starbucks. Be sure to check out that recipe because you'll make the syrup with grape juice instead of water and a few different flavorings. This is also the base for the Pink Drink and the Strawberry Acai Lemonade.
🫙 How to make more
This recipe makes about 1 ¼ cups (10 oz.) of simple syrup. For reference, most of my cocktail recipes call for about ½-1 oz. of simple syrup in them.
If you're making a big batch cocktail or just want to have extra syrup on hand, you can easily double or triple this recipe. Since the syrup uses equal parts water and sugar (a 1:1 water and sugar ratio), you can increase as you see fit.
If you want to double this recipe, use 2 cups of water and 2 cups of sugar, along with about 2 cups of hulled and sliced strawberries.
🛒 Where to buy
I highly recommend you make this strawberry simple syrup from scratch because it's so, so good! But if you want to purchase already-made syrup, you have lots of options.
Here are the best brands:
- Pink House Alchemy Strawberry Simple Syrup
- Monin Strawberry Syrup
- Wäbry Organic Strawberry Syrup
- Vifranc Organic Strawberry Syrup
- Strawberry Fennel Simple Syrup
🎉 More simple syrup flavors
When it comes to simple syrup, the flavor options are pretty much endless! I have a lot of simple syrup recipes here on this blog and I'll be developing many more in the coming months, so keep checking back!
Here are some of my favorite ideas for simple syrup flavors:
- Jalapeno
- Blueberry
- Lavender
- Mint
- Apple
- Pear
- Peach
- Pistachio
- Pumpkin Spice
- Bubblegum
- Candy Corn
- Cranberry
- Gingerbread
- Sugar Cookie
- Candy Cane
- Vanilla
- Ginger
- Raspberry
- Rhubarb
- Pink Peppercorn
- Holiday Spice
To what recipes would you add this strawberry simple syrup?
📖 Recipe
Strawberry Simple Syrup
Ingredients
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup hulled and sliced strawberries
Instructions
- Combine water and sugar in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat and bring to a boil.
- Lower to a simmer and add strawberries to saucepan. Stir to combine.
- Let simmer until sugar is dissolved and syrup begins to thicken, about 10 minutes.
- Remove from heat and strain syrup through a fine mesh sieve into a heatproof container like a bowl or a mason jar. Press down on strawberries with a wooden spoon to extract as much liquid as possible. Discard strawberries or use them for something else (they make a delicious ice cream topping!)
- Place bowl or jar in fridge to cool completely before using. Syrup will continue to thicken as it cools.
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