Easy Strawberry Syrup – Barefoot in the kitchen

Easy Strawberry Syrup is super easy to make with just 3 ingredients and can be used in so many ways!

Add a squirt of strawberry syrup to a glass of mint soda or a pitcher of mojitos and you might find your new favorite drink this summer. Pour it over a stack of buttermilk pancakes or my grandmother’s German pancakes for a breakfast everyone will love.

Strawberry Simple Syrup

My sister introduced me to this easy strawberry syrup years ago. She excitedly called me to say that she had doubled the batch and I had to have the recipe.

On a visit later that month, we played around with the recipe. This syrup works well in cocktails, as a topping for pancakes and waffles, and I’ve even been known to add it to a bowl of vanilla ice cream with some fresh fruit.

This delicious infusion of juicy, sun-ripened strawberries has the perfect sweetness. Strawberry syrup absorbs whatever you put on it, adding a bright pop of color and flavor beyond what you would get with regular syrup. I love having it on hand for guests and special occasions.

This syrup will keep in the fridge for weeks, although I’ve found it doesn’t keep that long in my home before I need to make another batch. My boys love pouring it over a stack of perfect pancakes.

Strawberry syrup

Not only do we pour this syrup over pancakes and waffles, we also enjoy it in cocktails like these brunch martinis and the St Germain citrus spritz. It’s also a great substitute for the simple syrup in mojitos.

Add a spritz to your next load of lemonade or drizzle over this Strawberry Basil Fruit Salad for extra sweetness. I may even have been known to add it to my yogurt or oatmeal.

Strawberry syrup recipe

You only need three ingredients for this recipe:

How to make strawberry syrup

To make the syrup, first wash the berries and remove the stems. Then roughly chop or quarter the strawberries and place in a medium saucepan. Add the water and bring to a boil.

Once it boils, reduce the heat to a simmer and cook the berries for 20 minutes. Carefully skim off and discard any foam that rises to the top.

After 20 minutes, the berries will be a much lighter color, and the water should be dark pink or red. Place a fine mesh strainer over a second saucepan and pour in the contents.

Resist the temptation to squeeze the cooked berries to extract more juice. This will make your syrup cloudy. After straining, discard the cooked berries.

Add the sugar to the liquid and bring to the boil again. Stir constantly until the sugar has completely dissolved. Skim off and discard the foam that rises to the top.

Remove from the heat and allow the syrup to cool completely before transferring to jars for refrigeration. The syrup will keep for several weeks.

Strawberry Pancake Syrup

If you would like a thicker syrup to top pancakes, ice cream, or other desserts, allow the syrup to simmer 5-10 minutes longer, until the liquid reduces and thickens further.

You can also make this syrup with frozen strawberries. I can’t distinguish the taste of fresh and frozen berries. And if you’re craving it out of season, why not grab a bag from the freezer?

If you love breakfast as much as I do, you have to try this strawberry pancake syrup. Create a classic flavor combination with these irresistible banana pancakes.

This syrup also goes great with these little German pancakes. And you could get chocolate and strawberry flavor in one bowl with this Hershey’s Chocolate Cake. But I have to warn you: it’s hard to stop eating the cake!

{originally posted 7/11/13 – recipe notes and photos updated 5/15/23}

Recipe barely adapted by and thanks to The Shiksa