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Fresh strawberries, sugar and lemon combine to create this homemade strawberry simple syrup. It's a perfect addition to cocktails, mocktails, lemonade, or sparkling water - great for both kids and adults!
It's strawberry season! One of my favorite activities to do with the kids is to take them berry picking when the temperatures warm.
The kids and I have such fun picking the BEST berries. And ending up with a giant crate of strawberries gets my creativity flowing!
I love enjoying a bowl of fresh strawberries as much as the next person, but I also love to find ways to use fresh ingredients to create new recipes!
This strawberry simple syrup was created when we came home from a long hot day of picking berries. We combined it with chilled sparkling water to create something light and refreshing that the whole family could enjoy.
You'll love it too, as it's the perfect compliment to just about any drink: cocktails, iced tea, lemonade, your backyard BBQ or cookout.
Tools and Equipment You'll Need
How to Make Strawberry Simple Syrup - Step by Step
Step 1: Wash strawberries. Remove tops and slice into small pieces.
Step 2: In a medium saucepan, dissolve sugar with 1 cup of water over medium low heat, swirling occasionally. Add strawberries and lemon juice.
Step 3: Cook at a simmer for about 10 minutes until strawberries are mostly disintegrated. Allow to sit for 30 minutes.
Step 4: Strain through a mesh sieve.
Step 5: Store in glass jar or bottle in the fridge until cold.
Step 6: To serve, mix about 2 tbsp syrup with about 8 fl oz/140ml sparkling water (or lime/lemon flavored sparkling water).
What makes this strawberry Simple Syrup healthy?
- Low in Sugar: You only need 1 tbsp of this simple syrup to jazz up any 8oz drink - adding only 6 grams of sugar to your drink (when typical sodas and mixed drinks run upwards of 20 grams of sugar per serving!)
- Low in Calories: One serving of this syrup is under 30 calories. Not bad for something that packs so much flavor and can be added to just about anything!
- All Natural: Most strawberry drinks are flavored artificially. This syrup has the vibrant flavor of strawberry with no artificial flavors or colors!
Will kids enjoy this strawberry Simple Syrup?
There are so many kid friendly foods this strawberry syrup can be added to, the possibilities are endless! My kids loved the flavored-sparkling-water version (adding 1 tbsp syrup to 8oz sparkling water), but I'm sure they would have enjoyed this syrup in lemonade or even drizzled over pancakes in the morning!
How do you make simple syrup from scratch?
Making simple syrup from scratch can be done in 3 easy steps. Simple syrup is just equal parts sugar and water - and then you can infuse it with anything you like (fruits, herbs, spices, teas, etc.)
To make simple syrup:- Add sugar and water to a small saucepan, heat over medium heat.
- Stir continuously until sugar is dissolved into the water.
- Let the mixture cool completely, and then pour it into an air-tight glass jar or container.
Can you make simple syrup with other fruits?
Absolutely! You can infuse simple syrup with pretty much anything you like: all berries work well, as do stone fruits like peaches & nectarines. You can also use warm spices or ginger!
Uses and Variations for Strawberry Simple Syrup
While my go-to use for this simple syrup recipe is to add it to sparkling water, I have used strawberry simple syrup in a bunch of different ways! Here are some of my favorites:
- Add it to lemonade or iced tea (1 tbsp per 8oz)
- Drizzle it over ice cream
- Add it to whipped cream!
- Add it to a smoothie
- Mix it into cocktails or mocktails
- Use it instead of maple syrup as a topping for pancakes or french toast
- Hot processing (heating the sugar + water together on the stovetop) is the preferred method of making simple syrup, because it helps the syrup to last longer.
- Make sure your water doesn't boil because then some of it will evaporate, changing the sugar-to-water ratio.
- For a thicker, heavier syrup, you can use a 2:1 sugar-to-water ratio
- Make sure you let the syrup cool completely before transferring it to a glass container for storage.
- This syrup can be used in cocktails and other drinks in a 1:1 replacement for soda syrup.
- Syrup stores for up to 2-3 weeks in the fridge.
- This syrup may not freeze completely because of the sugar content, so I recommend storing it the fridge and using it while it's still fresh.
- If the syrup becomes cloudy or moldy, it has gone bad (and in that case, throw it out!)
