Strawberry Coulis

Strawberry coulis sounds fancy but it’s just three ingredients and 20 minutes. You cook fresh strawberries down with sugar and lemon juice until jammy, then strain them smooth. Bright, intensely strawberry, and goes on just about everything. I make a big batch every summer when good strawberries are around and keep it in the freezer all year.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• 3 ingredients, 20 minutes. Strawberries, sugar, lemon juice, one pan. That’s the whole recipe.
• Fresh or frozen strawberries both work. Peak-season fresh gives you the best flavor, but frozen works great the rest of the year.
• Freezes beautifully. Pour leftovers into an ice cube tray, freeze solid, and pull out a cube whenever you need it.

Ingredient Notes

• Strawberries – Fresh strawberries in season give you the best flavor and the brightest color. Frozen work well the rest of the year and don’t need to be thawed before going into the pan, though the cooking time may run a few minutes longer.
• Granulated Sugar – This is what balances the tartness of the strawberries and helps them break down as they cook. Brown sugar works as a 1:1 substitute if that’s what you have, though the color of the finished sauce will be slightly darker.
• Lemon Juice – Fresh is best here. If you’re using bottled, start with a little less since bottled lemon juice tends to be sharper than fresh.

Serve it Chunky or Smooth

After cooking, you can serve the coulis as-is for a chunkier compote texture, or strain it through a fine mesh sieve for a smooth, pourable sauce. The straining step takes about two extra minutes and makes a noticeably cleaner result.

Recipe FAQs

Both start with cooked fruit, but a compote is left chunky with visible pieces of fruit, while a coulis is strained smooth. You can stop after step 3 of this recipe for a compote, or strain it for a coulis.

Yes. Raspberries, blackberries, and blueberries all work with the same method and measurements. Cherries work well too, just pit them first.

About 1 cup, depending on how thoroughly you strain it. The recipe serves 16 as a topping, about 1 tablespoon per serving.

Expert Tips

• Mash as you go. Use the back of a wooden spoon to press the strawberries against the side of the pan as they cook. This speeds up the breakdown and helps you get more juice out of them before straining.
• Push hard through the sieve. When straining, use a spatula to press the cooked strawberries firmly into the mesh. The more you work it, the more sauce you get. Don’t just let it drip.
• Let it cool before refrigerating. The sauce thickens as it cools. What looks thin right off the stove will be a proper pourable consistency once it’s cooled to room temperature.

Storage Instructions

Refrigerator : Store in an airtight container for up to 1 week.

Freezer : Freeze in an airtight container for up to 3 months. For easy portioning, pour into an ice cube tray, freeze solid, then transfer the cubes to a freezer bag. Thaw individual cubes as needed and warm in a small saucepan before serving.

Serving Suggestions

This is the sauce I make when I’m serving gluten-free cheesecake or gluten-free pancakes and want something to go on top that isn’t just maple syrup or whipped cream. It also works as a topping for strawberry frozen yogurt when you want an extra layer of strawberry flavor, or drizzled over fresh strawberry ice cream if you happen to have leftover strawberries from the same batch.