The ripeness of your strawberries will determine the thickness of your sauce: Slightly underripe berries have a little more pectin, yielding a thicker, jammy consistency, while very ripe berries result in a more juicy sauce. It’s perfect on yogurt, a piece of toast, pound cake, ice cream, or our cheesecake recipe.

  • Yields: 2 1/3 cups
  • Difficulty: Easy
  • Total: 10 mins, plus cooling time

Ingredients (4)

  • 1 1/2 pounds strawberries, washed, hulled, and cut into large dice
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest (from 1 medium lemon)
  • 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

Instructions

  1. Place strawberries and sugar in a medium, nonreactive saucepan and stir until strawberries are coated in sugar. Mash with a potato masher until about half of the strawberries are completely smashed but some medium-sized chunks remain, about 1 minute.
  2. Place the pan over high heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until bubbles form along the pan’s edge, about 5 minutes. Skim any foam from the surface of the sauce with a spoon and discard. Add lemon zest and juice, stir to combine, and bring to a full boil, cooking until foam coats the surface, about 2 minutes.
  3. Remove from heat and skim and discard the foam. Let the sauce cool to room temperature. Transfer to a container with a tightfitting lid and refrigerate for up to 3 weeks.