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 for 6-8 minutes, or until mixture has thickened. 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.
Cheyenne Ballow
Making cheesecake tonight for my husband's work potluck! Strawberry cheesecake, his favorite. <3
Heather
Yum, sounds great! Let us know how it goes 😀
Nina Shano
Made this but instead of lemon juice , I used orange juice and it came out wonderful !!...Thank you. !!
Heather
Thanks for sharing, Nina! That sounds like a great substitution.
Janette
How long will this recipe keep in refrigerator ?
Heather
It will keep for 3-4 days in the refrigerator before the strawberries start breaking down.
Rebecca
How early would you fill cupcakes before you serve them?
Heather
They are best the same day, but you can fill them the day before and they'd be just fine.
Denise clark
How can i make this keto friendly
Heather
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/
Marcia
Can you freeze the strawberry topping?
Heather
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.
Jenny Spillman
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.
Heather
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.
Daniel
Easy and delicious! Thank you!
Heather
Glad you enjoyed it Daniel!
Heather
Can I use lime in place of lemon? I also read orange liquor may work?
Heather
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!
Davina Hicks
Smells so good cooking and turned our perfect!
Heather
So glad you enjoyed it!
Sheena
Great receipe, tastes great. Easy to follow the instructions and super fast.
Mikayla Foster
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
Heather
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.
Olivia
If I used this to fill cupcakes would they need to be refrigerated?
Heather
The sugar should help to preserve the filling, but I'd still recommend refrigerating them to be safe.
Carol
Is this topping served warm or can it be made the day before and served chilled?
Heather
It can be made the day before and refrigerated. You can serve it warm, room temperature, or chilled!
Cynthia
Would this work with cherries instead of strawberries? Or other berries? If so, would I need to make any alterations?
Heather
You may want to adjust the sugar based on how sweet your fruit is, but otherwise the same process would work for any berries!
Lucy
Can we use frozen strawberries for this recipe?
Heather
Frozen strawberries will work as long as they've been thawed beforehand.
Dottie
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 🤩
Shawn Hasting
Is this firm enough to be used for a cake filling?
Heather
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/
Christy
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!