Easy Homemade Strawberry Sauce Water Bath Canning Recipe
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Homemade strawberry sauce is one of the easiest things you’ll make. And the best part is, you don’t gotta worry about it setting up (or gelling) like jam. Runny is what you want! It’s really my favorite way to preserve strawberries, as frozen strawberries are deeessscccuusttiinggguhhhhh, I don’t need gallons of jam, and strawberries canned in syrup (or without) are pretty lackluster as well. So, if I’m not dehydrating them, I can sauce. It works amazing to drizzle over a poke cake, angel food cake, strawberry shortcake, and to churn into homemade goat milk ice cream. Pour over french toast. Smother pancakes. On and on and on and on. And you can make it and have it canned in under 45 minutes. Boom. This strawberry season, can you some strawberry sauce, you won’t regret it!
I do about 6 pounds of strawberries at a time and get 7 pints. For the recipe, I’m going to give you it per pound of strawberries for you to size and resize from there. One pound of strawberries will give you approximately 1 pint and a snack. You can do half pints or even quart pint jars as well and the processing time does not change. This recipe calls for three simple ingredients: strawberries, lemon juice, and sugar. That’s it.
This recipe doesn’t just work for strawberries either. Use any fresh fruit, mainly berries, in this recipe and have all kinds of thick sauce on hand to make ice cream sundaes, flavor ice cream, or eat with your spoon!
Grab some fresh strawberries and let’s get to work!
Equipment You Might Want:
- Medium Saucepan
- Immersion Blender
- Pint (or smaller) Canning Jars
- Canning Lids & Screw Bands
- Jar Funnel
- Jar Lifter
- Steam Canner
- Water Bath Canning Pot
Ingredients:
- 1 pounds fresh strawberries
- 1 Tbs lemon juice
- 1 cup sugar
Step 1: Prep
Weigh out the strawberries you want to use and resize this recipe as needed!
Start by washing the strawberries and removing the green tops. Slice strawberries in half. Save the tops to make a strawberry syrup recipe or vinegar or feed to your chickens or goats. They’ll love you forever!
Add the strawberries to a stock pot.
Measure out and add in lemon juice and sugar. Stir and let sit about 10 minutes, or until the juices start flowing.
Step 2: Cook
Place the pot over medium heat and bring to a gentle boil, stirring frequently. Cook until strawberries have softened, about 10 minutes.
Using an immersion blender (or a potato masher, back of your spoon, or blender) pulse to blend and break up the strawberries a bit. I don’t blend it completely smooth because I like chunks, but you can blend to whatever texture you want!
Continue cooking, while stirring, until the sauce has thickened. You want it to drip from your spoon slowly from 2 places.
​Keep an eye on it as it cooks because it will foam and cook over, I promise you. You can skim the foam or just stir it back in. That’s up to you.
When the final consistency is to your liking, shut off heat.
Step 3: Canning
Ladle the finished sauce into prepared pint (or smaller) jars to 1/2 inch headspace.
​Remove any air bubbles and add more if needed to maintain headspace.
Wipe the rim of each jar and add a lid and secure with a screw band according to manufacturer’s instruction.
Place jars in your steam canner or water bath canner and process at a full rolling boil for 10 minutes, adjusting time for your elevation if needed.
Once processing time is complete, remove jars from canner to a heat proof surface lined with a towel to cool undisturbed for 18-24 hours.
Step 4: Storage
Once cooled, remove bands, test seals, wash jars, label, and store in a cool dark place away from direct sunlight. Ideal storage temperature is 50-75F.
Shelf life is ’til you eat it. If the seal is good, the food is good. Aim to use canned foods within 2 years for best flavor and nutritional benefit, but they will last far longer if needed. You may notice a change in the color of the strawberries from bright red to a duller pink or even brownish after about 12-18 months and that is completely normal and due to normal enzyme activity. It doesn’t affect the taste whatsoever.
Any jars that did not seal may be refrigerated and used soon or reprocessed.
To Use:
Churn into ice cream replacing some of the milk and sugar content with this strawberry sauce for that fresh strawberry flavor even when it isn’t strawberry season.
Recipe Notes:
You can can strawberry sauce with less sugar, all honey, or no sugar at all, but expect them to discolor pretty quickly. The sugar does act as a preservative to help with the color of the strawberries and does also help them retain the best flavor, as I’ve tried both and don’t really care for using honey with them. Your choice though!
I hope you enjoy this delicious topping!
Equipment
- Medium saucepan
- pint or smaller canning jars
- Canning lids & screw bands
- jar lifter
Ingredients
- 1 pounds fresh strawberries
- 1 Tbs lemon juice
- 1 cup sugar
Instructions
- Weigh out the strawberries you want to use and resize this recipe as needed!
- Start by washing the strawberries and removing the green tops. Slice strawberries in half. Save the tops to make a strawberry syrup recipe or vinegar or feed to your chickens or goats. They’ll love you forever!
- Add the strawberries to a stock pot.
- Measure out and add in lemon juice and sugar. Stir and let sit about 10 minutes, or until the juices start flowing.
- Place the pot over medium heat and bring to a gentle boil, stirring frequently. Cook until strawberries have softened, about 10 minutes.
- Using an immersion blender (or a potato masher, back of your spoon, or blender) pulse to blend and break up the strawberries a bit. I don’t blend it completely smooth because I like chunks, but you can blend to whatever texture you want!
- Continue cooking, while stirring, until the sauce has thickened. You want it to drip from your spoon slowly from 2 places.
- ​Keep an eye on it as it cooks because it will foam and cook over, I promise you. You can skim the foam or just stir it back in. That’s up to you.
- When the final consistency is to your liking, shut off heat.
- Ladle the finished sauce into prepared pint (or smaller) jars to 1/2 inch headspace.
- ​Remove any air bubbles and add more if needed to maintain headspace.
- Wipe the rim of each jar and add a lid and secure with a screw band according to manufacturer’s instruction.
- Place jars in your steam canner or water bath canner and process at a full rolling boil for 10 minutes, adjusting time for your elevation if needed.
- Once processing time is complete, remove jars from canner to a heat proof surface lined with a towel to cool undisturbed for 18-24 hours.
- Once cooled, remove bands, test seals, wash jars, label, and store in a cool dark place away from direct sunlight. Ideal storage temperature is 50-75F.
- Shelf life is ’til you eat it. If the seal is good, the food is good. Aim to use canned foods within 2 years for best flavor and nutritional benefit, but they will last far longer if needed. You may notice a change in the color of the strawberries from bright red to a duller pink or even brownish after about 12-18 months and that is completely normal and due to normal enzyme activity. It doesn’t affect the taste whatsoever.
- Any jars that did not seal may be refrigerated and used soon or reprocessed.
