3-Ingredient Strawberry Coulis

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Made with just a few ingredients and ready in minutes, this simple strawberry coulis is delicious on top of pancakes, ice cream, and more!

It’s the time of year when strawberries take up most of our fruit drawer! My whole family loves snacking on fresh strawberries, which means we can polish off a box in a matter of minutes.

If I’m lucky I can snag some to make strawberry biscuits or strawberry spinach salad, but one really simple recipe I love to make is strawberry coulis.

If you’re not familiar with coulis, it’s just a smooth fruit sauce. Perfect for topping a wide array of dishes, homemade strawberry coulis adds a bright pop of sweet flavor.

Plus, it’s ready in mere minutes. One of the easiest ways to extend your strawberry enjoyment!

Ingredients for strawberry coulis

You only need three ingredients to make this recipe!

Strawberries – Make sure your strawberries are ripe. They can even be overripe and slightly soft — just make sure they aren’t squishy and moldy! I recommend tasting the strawberries first, as you might want to adjust the sugar in the recipe.

Sugar – I use granulated sugar, but you could also use brown sugar if you want a deeper flavor.

Lemon juice – Use fresh or bottled lemon juice. This brightens up the coulis and keeps it from being overly sweet.

How to make this recipe

Wash strawberries and pat dry. Remove the tops and cut berries into pieces, but don’t worry about being precise. They’ll get puréed anyway!

Add the diced strawberries to a saucepan along with the sugar and lemon juice. Set over medium heat.

Stir well to coat berries and bring the mixture to a simmer. Cook for 5-10 minutes, stirring occasionally. You want the strawberries to soften and release a lot of juices. The total amount of time will depend on the ripeness of your fruit and your stove.

Once the strawberries are nice and soft, remove from heat. Carefully pour the mixture into a blender. Purée until completely smooth.

To remove the seeds and make a smooth sauce, pour the coulis through a fine mesh sieve into a bowl.

Don’t worry if it doesn’t all pass through; you might have some thicker stuff along with the seeds left over after straining. 

Transfer to a jar or other sealable container. Serve warm, at room temperature, or chill. The strawberry coulis will thicken slightly as it cools but should still be very pourable.

Storage tips

Homemade coulis will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for about 1 week.

For longer storage, freeze for up to 3 months. You can freeze the coulis in ice cube trays for single-serve portions, or in larger freezer-safe containers. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator.

If you would like to use the coulis warm, heat it gently in a small saucepan until just warmed through.

Serving suggestions

This strawberry sauce is so good, you’ll want to use it on everything!

Try it for breakfast on top of buttermilk waffles or chocolate chip pancakes.

For dessert, drizzle it over vanilla bean ice cream, homemade yellow cake, or mini cheesecakes. It also goes great with summery patriotic trifles. Or use for dunking fried cheesecake bites!

Still have more strawberries to use? Try mango strawberry salsa!