Strawberry Topping for Cheesecake is made from scratch and ready in minutes for your next dessert recipe. This sweet strawberry topping is perfect for more than just cheesecake - try it on pancakes, pound cake, waffles, cupcakes, and more.
Strawberries are the perfect addition to many desserts and baked goods - especially cheesecake. Make this strawberry topping next time you whip up your favorite cheesecake recipe - maybe a batch of Easy Mini Cheesecakes.
This strawberry topping is exceptionally easy to make, and is ready in just a few minutes. You'll need some fresh strawberries, sugar, lemon juice, and cornstarch. That's it!
The strawberries naturally color this topping a vibrant red, so no food coloring is needed.
Cooking your strawberries
First, hull and dice your strawberries. Here's a great article on ways to hull strawberries.
Your strawberries will slowly release their juices as they cook. The cornstarch works with the juices in the pan to create a thick, gel-like sauce.
Since strawberries vary across the world, you may find it necessary to add a small amount of water to the pan. I'd suggest starting with 1-2 tablespoons, adding more as needed.
This recipe is less about following an exact time and more about the look of your sauce. Keep an eye on it, as your strawberries can cook down quickly.
Ways to use strawberry topping
Ways to use strawberry toppingUse this strawberry topping for cheesecake, pound cake, pancakes, waffles, or to top just about any sweet baked good!
- Easy Mini Cheesecakes - mini cheesecake topping
- How To Make No Churn Ice Cream - ice cream topping
- Fluffy Buttermilk Pancakes - pancake topping
- Strawberry Filled Cupcakes - cupcake filling
Freezing leftovers
Do you have leftover strawberry topping from your most recent batch?
This topping freezes well, and can be stored for up to 6 months in the freezer in a tightly sealed, freezer safe container.
Strawberry Topping for Cheesecake
Ingredients
- 1 pound fresh strawberries hulled and diced
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
Instructions
- In a saucepan over medium heat, add strawberries, sugar, lemon juice, and cornstarch. Stir to combine. If your strawberries are not very juicy, you may need to add 1-2 tablespoons of water as needed.
- Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook until mixture has thickened to your liking (this could take up to 6-8 minutes). Remove from heat and allow to cool.
Equipment Recommendations
Notes
- This recipe is less about time and more about the thickness of your sauce, so watch it carefully and remove from heat when your sauce has thickened.
- Use your strawberry topping to top cheesecake, mini cheesecakes, pancakes, pound cake, as a cupcake filling, or as an ice cream topping.
- Strawberry topping can be frozen for up to 6 months in a tightly sealed, freezer safe container.
I live in south Texas and was able to pick strawberries from a local farm! This recipe is perfect on top of homemade cheesecake. Thank you!
If you only have 1 T liquid how do you bring to a boil without strawberries burning
The strawberries release their juices as they are warmed up (the post shows a process shot of this above). I've used fresh picked, in-season strawberries that needed no additional liquid. You're welcome to add as much water as you need to make the topping, depending on the juiciness of your strawberries.
I can't wait to try these filled cupcakes they sound & look so good. Thanks for sharing.
can we use water instead of lemon juice
The lemon juice is added to cut the sweetness of the sauce - it can be substituted with lime juice, orange juice, or omitted entirely if you don't have these on hand. Water is added in step one (as needed) to thin your sauce if your strawberries are not very juicy.
Made this tonight for the first time and turned out amazing! Strawberries are out of season where we live so I added 2tbs of water and it looks so good! I’m excited to put on my homemade cheesecake in the morning! Thank you for the recipe!
Is this firm enough to be used for a cake filling?
I haven't tried using it between layers of cake, but I do use this same filling in my strawberry filled cupcakes and it works great! https://thetoastykitchen.com/fluffy-white-cupcakes-strawberry-filling/
WOW! This was so easy and tastes good!! Can’t wait to put it on my Cheese Cake 🎂 I added some Strawberry Ice Cream Topping Syrup!
Thanks 🤩
Can we use frozen strawberries for this recipe?
Frozen strawberries will work as long as they've been thawed beforehand.
Would this work with cherries instead of strawberries? Or other berries? If so, would I need to make any alterations?
You may want to adjust the sugar based on how sweet your fruit is, but otherwise the same process would work for any berries!
Is this topping served warm or can it be made the day before and served chilled?
It can be made the day before and refrigerated. You can serve it warm, room temperature, or chilled!
If I used this to fill cupcakes would they need to be refrigerated?
The sugar should help to preserve the filling, but I'd still recommend refrigerating them to be safe.
How long would you say it takes to cool? I need it for a cookout we’re having and it just got done about 5 minutes ago
I'd suggest transferring it to another dish and refrigerating to help it cool faster. Normally it may take 20 minutes or more to cool, but refrigerating should help cut down the time a bit.
Great receipe, tastes great. Easy to follow the instructions and super fast.
Smells so good cooking and turned our perfect!
Can I use lime in place of lemon? I also read orange liquor may work?
Yes lime juice will definitely work. I can't say for sure about orange liquor but if you give it a try, let us know how it goes!
Easy and delicious! Thank you!
I’m sorry to say, but this turned out a terrible gloppy mess. I followed the recipe exactly but there was not enough liquid from the strawberries, and they formed into a big ball of goo. I think it was too much cornstarch… maybe it could’ve worked with berries in season but not for these winter strawberries.
Hi Jenny, I'm sorry to hear that your strawberry topping didn't turn out! If your strawberries are not very juicy, they may not release enough liquid to make a sauce with the cornstarch, which sounds like what happened. I've added a note to the recipe card to add water as needed to thin out the sauce.
Can you freeze the strawberry topping?
Hi Marcia, yes you can freeze strawberry topping. I'd suggest transferring to the refrigerator the night before using so that it can thaw overnight.
How can i make this keto friendly
Hi Denise, I am not very familiar with keto friendly sugar substitutes, but from looking at a few other recipes it looks like you can simply swap the sugar in this recipe with your favorite sugar substitute, and omit the cornstarch. Another recipe mentions using xantham gum as a thickener.
Here is one recipe that looks promising:
https://lowcarbyum.com/how-to-make-strawberry-sauce-for-cheesecake/
How early would you fill cupcakes before you serve them?
They are best the same day, but you can fill them the day before and they'd be just fine.
How long will this recipe keep in refrigerator ?
It will keep for 3-4 days in the refrigerator before the strawberries start breaking down.
Made this but instead of lemon juice , I used orange juice and it came out wonderful !!...Thank you. !!
Thanks for sharing, Nina! That sounds like a great substitution.
Making cheesecake tonight for my husband's work potluck! Strawberry cheesecake, his favorite. <3
Yum, sounds great! Let us know how it goes 😀