Strawberry purée is the “berry” best way to add a burst of summer sweetness to kitchen creations!
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Strawberries have an identity crisis. Although these bright red fruits have “berry” in their name, they’re actually a relative of roses. Weird, right? But that’s not the craziest part. Get this: eggplants and avocados are true botanical “berries!”
No matter what the botanists say, everyone knows strawberries are a refreshing fruit and a staple of summer snacking. Whether you enjoy eating sliced strawberries, making smoothies, or topping strawberries with decadent chocolate, there are many reasons to fall for these delicious and nutritious treats.
Plus, you don’t always have to eat strawberries whole to enjoy their tasty flavor. Have you ever thought about puréeing your strawberries into a syrupy sauce? Yes, puréeing strawberries is a great way to incorporate this fruit into more recipes.
Whether you’re interested in dessert toppings, baking additions, or cocktail infusions, strawberry purée will become your new BFF in the kitchen.
Is Strawberry Purée Healthy?
Blueberries sometimes hog the health spotlight for their insane antioxidant profile, but strawberries aren’t slouches! With a high dose of healthful vitamins, antioxidants, and fiber, a fresh strawberry purée can give everyone a serious dose of wellness.
There’s only one significant “concern” people have with their strawberry purée’s health score: added sugars. Although sugar helps smooth out the tart edges of your strawberry purée, it introduces an unhealthy element to this recipe.
The solution? You could simply take sugar out if you don’t mind a little extra tartness. Otherwise, experiment with no-carb sweeteners like stevia, monk fruit, and erythritol as an alternative to plain white sugar. As a final tip, try a dab of raw honey rather than sugar as your purée’s primary sweetener.
How do you make strawberry purée without a blender?
Blending strawberry purée is a breeze, but don’t worry if you don’t have one of these machines. There are plenty of other ways to make a jar full of this sweet sauce without blitzing your berries.
For instance, you could put washed and hulled strawberries in a covered saucepan over medium-low heat. Check your strawberries every 10 – 15 minutes until they’re super soft and the natural juices are bubbling. Keep mashing your strawberries with a fork or potato masher until you have a thick paste. You can then keep your strawberry purée uncovered and monitor it until it reaches the texture you like. Lastly, put your strawberry purée directly into a mason jar or strain it through a sieve or cheesecloth, and wait for it to cool before popping it in the fridge.
You could also push pieces of strawberries through a fine-mesh sieve to make a perfect purée. For this method, wash, hull, and cut your strawberries into small chunks, then place them in your fine-mesh strainer. With a spoon, force your strawberries through the sieve into the final container to get all that good juice out. Although this method takes a bit of elbow grease, it will still give you a tasty strawberry purée.
INGREDIENTS
- 16 ounces ripe strawberries, cleaned and hulled
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar, or to taste
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
INSTRUCTIONS
Blend
Combine ingredients and blend until smooth.
Adjust
Taste and adjust sweetness as desired.
Store
Refrigerate or freeze the purée for future use.
Devour!
FAQs & Tips
Whether you use a blender, saucepan, or sieve to make your strawberry purée, you can store your berry blend in an airtight container and put it in the fridge or freezer. Strawberry purée typically stays in the refrigerator for a few days, but it lasts for months if you freeze it. Pro tip: consider putting frozen strawberry purées in ice trays for extra simple dosing.
Frozen strawberries work beautifully when blending or melting a purée. The only big difference between using frozen and fresh strawberries is that the former has extra water content, so you may notice your final purée is a bit thin. Also, it’s a good idea to thaw out your frozen strawberries for about 15 minutes to make the blending process smoother.
If your strawberry purée is thinner than you’d like, there are a few possible reasons to explore. First, frozen strawberries release more moisture, so they tend to make thinner sauces versus fresh counterparts. Also, if you’re boiling your berries on the stovetop, you might have taken them off the heat too early and didn’t let enough water evaporate.
Thankfully, there are a few simple hacks to bulk up your strawberry purée. For those using the stovetop method, simmer your strawberry purée for a few more minutes until excess water evaporates. Otherwise, add thickening agents like xanthan gum or cornstarch and water until your strawberry purée turns out perfect.
Serving Suggestions
Trust me, once you have a jar of strawberry purée, you’ll be spreading this sauce on EVERYTHING! There’s no limit to the recipes you could add strawberry purée. As long as you believe a food or drink could use a little extra sweetness, chances are strawberry purée is a great option.
Here are a few of my favorite ideas:
Drizzle some strawberry purée on top of The Best Waffles Recipe or Strawberry Pancakes for a great start to the day.
Pair with creamy Peach Milk for a frothy and fruity drink.
Indulge in an Easy Sugar-Free No Bake Keto Cheesecake with a spoonful of strawberry purée.
Top DIY Frozen Yogurt or Vegan Banana Ice Cream Bars for an extra pop of fruit-forward flavors.
Strawberry Purée
Ingredients
- 16 ounces ripe strawberries cleaned and hulled
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar or to taste
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
Instructions
-
Combine the strawberries, sugar, and lemon juice in a blender or food processor.
-
Blend the mixture until smooth, scraping down the sides as necessary.
-
Taste and adjust sweetness if needed, then transfer the purée to an airtight container.
-
Refrigerate and use within 5 days, or freeze for longer storage.
Nutrition
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