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Learning how to macerate strawberries is easy and the perfect way to sweeten berries that aren’t as sweet as you’d like.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe!
Nothing is worse than buying a container of beautiful red strawberries at the store, getting home and discovering that they look better than they taste. Using this recipe, you can learn how to macerate strawberries and make them as sweet as you want.
What does Macerated Mean?
Macerated means to soften or sweeten by soaking in a liquid. It is the perfect way to sweeten strawberries that aren’t as sweet or ripe as you would like them. Fruit can be macerated in a liquid such as balsamic vinegar or liquor but it can also be macerated in sugar. The sugar pulls out the juices of the fruit forming a syrup and turns a tasteless berry into a sweet one.
How to Macerate Strawberries
- Place your clean, hulled, sliced fruit into a bowl.
- Sprinkle with sugar. Use 2 Tbsp of sugar per cup of fruit. The amount of sugar can vary depending on how ripe your fruit is and how sweet you want your fruit.
- Stir in the sugar and then cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator.
How Long Should I Macerate Fruit?
The macerating process will start right away and you will see the syrup begin to form. I like to allow them to macerate for at least 30 minutes but you can also do it overnight in the refrigerator. The longer they macerate, the softer the fruit will become and the more syrup will form.
Frequently Asked Questions
You can but the process is a bit different – defrost the strawberries first by leaving them in the refrigerator for at least four hours.
You’ll see that the defrosted strawberries have much more liquid than fresh strawberries. Once they are thawed, remove the berries from the liquid, add in the sugar to the juice and stir to dissolve, mix the berries back into the liquid.
You can begin macerating fruit up to 48 hours before you will be using it. Keep it stored in the refrigerator. But I find the best results are from 30 minutes before up to 24 hours.
Other fruits that macerate well are blueberries, raspberries and cherries.
They can be frozen in an airtight container for up to six months. Remove as much air as possible from the container.
Flavor Variations
In addition to the sugar you can add in:
- Balsamic Vinegars
- Honey, maple syrup or agave nectar (instead of sugar)
- Cinnamon
- Citrus juice and zest
- Fresh, chopped herbs such as rosemary
- Dried Ginger
- Extracts like vanilla or almond
A few recipes to serve with macerated strawberries:
More delicious strawberry recipes:
Be sure and follow me over on You Tube for weekly cooking demos.
How to Macerate Strawberries
Ingredients
- 1 cup strawberries sliced
- 2-4 Tbsp sugar will vary according to sweetness of strawberries
Instructions
- Combine 2-4 Tbsp of sugar to every cup of fruit. Stir to combine, cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes to overnight
Tips & Notes:
Nutrition Facts:
Jean says
Can you freeze the strawberries after they have been sweetened? Thank you so much for the post and for the reply.
Leigh Anne Wilkes says
Yes you can freeze them in an airtight container for up to six months.
Patricia Gregory says
I found this a clear and concise description of how to macerate strawberries. I will be linking this in my next monthly newsletter.