Easy Strawberry Coulis Recipe (2024)

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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, and other desserts!

Easy Strawberry Coulis Recipe (1)

Doesn’t this strawberry sauce look luscious?! It’s such an easy and delicious homemade sauce to use on top of your favorite desserts.

This sweet strawberry sauce is a coulis, which is a thin pureed fruit or vegetable sauce. Unlike a compote, which tends to have whole or partial berries in it, a coulis is super smooth and tends to be on the thinner side, making it perfect for drizzling on ice cream and other desserts.

Why you’ll love it:

  • Easy: It uses only 3 ingredients and can be made in 15 minutes!
  • Customizable: You can make it thinner, thicker, or add different flavors (check out the section below on fun variations!).
  • Year Round: Because it can be made with both fresh strawberries and frozen strawberries, you can make it all year round!

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

Easy Strawberry Coulis Recipe (2)
  • 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

Similar to blueberry coulis or raspberry coulis, this recipe is super simple! You need only 3 ingredients and it takes just 15 minutes.

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.

Easy Strawberry Coulis Recipe (3)

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.

Easy Strawberry Coulis Recipe (4)

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 sieve for a super smooth coulis with no tiny strawberry seeds.

Easy Strawberry Coulis Recipe (5)

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 liqueurs 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.

FLAVOR VARIATIONS

There are so many flavors that go great with strawberries and really kick up this coulis to another level.

  • Strawberry Blueberry Coulis: replace half of the strawberries with fresh or frozen blueberries and cook as directed. You can also use other strawberry fruit combinations like raspberry, blackberry or kiwi.
  • Strawberry Champagne Coulis: Replace the lemon juice with ¼ cup of Champagne or Prosecco.
  • Strawberry Liqueur Coulis: Replace the lemon juice with 2 tablespoons of liqueurs such as Chambord or Cointreau.
  • Strawberry Mint Coulis: Simmer the sauce with a handful or fresh mint. Be sure to remove the herbs before blending. You can also use basil!

You can also add various extracts like a ½ teaspoon of vanilla extract for strawberry vanilla or almond extract for strawberry almond. Or a pinch of cinnamon. Delicious!

Easy Strawberry Coulis Recipe (6)

When to Use

It’s a very versatile dessert sauce and has so many uses:

  • Desserts: You can drizzle on top of cakes like angel food cake, pound cake, vanilla cake, cheesecake, pavlova, ice cream, pudding, panna cotta, tarts, churros, or lemon posset.
  • Breakfast/brunch: Similar to lemon curd, this coulis is a perfect breakfast or brunch staple. It’s great on top of yogurt, french toast, pancakes, and waffles.
  • Appetizers: This is a delicious dip or spread for your cheese board, dessert board, or crostini appetizers!
  • Drinks: I love using this as a base for drinks like smoothies, milkshakes, and co*cktails like strawberry mimosas (just add champagne and orange juice!).

FAQ

How can I thicken this coulis?

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.

And, if you’re looking for a very thick sauce, check out this strawberry filling. It’s perfect for filling layer cakes and cupcakes.

Can you freeze strawberry coulis?

Yes, this recipe is very freezer friendly!

STORING AND Making Ahead

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.

Looking for more strawberry recipes? Check these out!

  • Oven Dried Strawberries
  • Candied Strawberries
  • Chocolate Covered Strawberries
  • Strawberry Milk
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Easy Strawberry Coulis Recipe (8)

Strawberry Coulis

Using only 3 ingredients, this easy strawberry coulis can be made in less than 15 minutes, making it an easy topping for cheesecake, pancakes, or other desserts!

5 from 5 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes minutes

Servings: 12

Calories: 45kcal

Author: Sophia Assunta

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.

Nutrition

Serving: 2tbsp | Calories: 45kcal | Carbohydrates: 11g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 1mg | Potassium: 61mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 5IU | Vitamin C: 23mg | Calcium: 6mg | Iron: 1mg

Tried this Recipe? Let me know!Tag @Sophia.Assunta or #Partylicious!

Easy Strawberry Coulis Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is strawberry coulis made of? ›

What is a strawberry coulis. The word makes it sound fancy, but all it is simply a strawberry sauce. Literally that's it. It is a smooth, 3 ingredient sauce made from pureed and strained strawberries, sugar, and lemon juice.

What is the process of coulis? ›

In order to make a coulis, the fruits or vegetables are pureed and then strained. Sometimes, they are strained multiple times to remove any seeds or chunks and to give the liquid a velvety texture. Vegetables are usually cooked and then pureed, but fruits may be pureed fresh with no cooking.

Why is my strawberry sauce not thickening? ›

The easiest way to thicken strawberry sauce is to simmer it for longer. The longer you allow it to heat on the stove, the more moisture will evaporate. If your sauce isn't thickening on the stove, or you don't have the time to let it simmer longer, you can add a cornstarch slurry to thicken it.

What is the typical ratio of sugar to fruit when producing fruit coulis? ›

In fact, you will on average need a 5:1 ratio of sugar to fruit to make fruit-based sauces, jams, syrups, and more. We all know sugar simply makes things taste great, but it serves multiple purposes beyond improving taste.

What is the difference between a coulis and a puree? ›

Puree vs coulis

While fruit compote can be thought of as being similar to fruit coulis, a coulis is usually cooked for a while longer to make the fruit very soft. The mixture is then pressed through a strainer to make a smooth puree or paste.

What can I use to thicken a coulis? ›

Use one tablespoon cornstarch mixed with one tablespoon cold water (aka a cornstarch slurry) for each cup of medium-thick sauce. Thoroughly mix the cornstarch and water together, then pour into your sauce. Cook and stir over medium heat until thickened and bubbly.

Why add lemon juice to coulis? ›

Lemon: Freshly squeezed lemon juice adds brightness and acidity to the coulis. Make sure it's freshly squeezed—it really makes a difference in the flavor! Lemon zest enhances the flavor even more and makes the sweet berries really shine!

How long does homemade coulis last in the fridge? ›

Tip the mixture into the sieve and push through the liquid using a spatula. Discard the seeds. The coulis is ready to use. Will keep refrigerated in an airtight jar for up to two days.

What is the difference between a coulis and a sauce? ›

Something that distinguishes coulis from other sauces is that the purée is not cooked. You might cook the fruit first, if it's necessary to soften it, but once it's soft you add optional ingredients, purée, strain and you're done.

How many cups is 1 lb of strawberries? ›

If you are going to the store and strawberries are only sold in 1-pound containers of whole strawberries, you need a few simple equivalents to figure out how many containers you need to buy. One pound of whole strawberries equals: 2 3/4 cups sliced strawberries. 3 3/4 cups whole strawberries.

Can dogs eat strawberries? ›

Yes, dogs can eat strawberries. Strawberries are full of fiber and vitamin C. Along with that, they also contain an enzyme that can help whiten your dog's teeth as he or she eats them.

What makes strawberries taste watery? ›

Have you ever bitten into a plump, red strawberry, only to find it bland and watery? Certain pesticides might be responsible. A team has found that two common strawberry fungicides can impact cellular mechanisms, creating berries with subdued flavor and sweetness, as well as a lower nutritional value.

How do you know when coulis is done? ›

Bring to a simmer then simmer uncovered for 12 - 18 minutes (stirring occasionally) or until fruit is soft and sauce has thickened. Add more sugar to taste, if necessary. Remove saucepan from the heat and using an immersion blender (see my notes for other blending options) blend until smooth.

What texture should coulis be? ›

Ulcerative colitis can change the texture, color, and smell of your poop. You may notice that your stools are looser, contain blood or mucus, or smell foul. UC can also change your bowel movement habits, including how often or urgently you need to go.

How to preserve coulis? ›

Store in the fridge for up to 4 days until needed. It can also be frozen, thaw overnight in the fridge before serving.

What's the difference between a coulis and a sauce? ›

Something that distinguishes coulis from other sauces is that the purée is not cooked. You might cook the fruit first, if it's necessary to soften it, but once it's soft you add optional ingredients, purée, strain and you're done.

What is a coulis vs compote? ›

Key Differences

Coulis can be made by pureeing fruits or vegetables, whereas compote is prepared by cooking down fruits until soft. Coulis is basically a fruit in pureed form, but compote has additional ingredients like spices and dried fruits, which lend a complex flavor.

What is strawberry puree made of? ›

Strawberry puree is made by cooking strawberries with sugar. The heating dissolves and melts the sugar in the water contained in the strawberries. It also evaporates water, creating a thick red syrup containing strawberry solids. The resulting puree is concentrated in color, texture, and strawberry flavor.

What are the different types of coulis? ›

All kinds of fruits or vegetables can be made into coulis, but common types are raspberry, apricot or red pepper. Coulis are usually drizzled over desserts or savoury dishes, but they can also be used in sauces to enhance their flavour.

References

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