Quick and easy homemade strawberry syrup, perfect for serving over waffles, pancakes, or ice cream.
Here on the blog, I have a recipe for (the best) homemade waffles and whipped cream (made three ways), and today I’m adding the recipe for strawberry syrup so you have all the tools needed to make the breakfast waffle stack of your dreams.
If you’ve never made strawberry syrup at home before, you’ll be shocked at how easy and good it is. The cooking process is mostly hands-off–you just need to slice some strawberries, let them simmer, and give them a stir every once in a while.
The end result is a sweet and tangy bright red syrup that you’ll want to drizzle over pretty much everything.
Ingredient & Equipment Notes
- Fresh strawberries: It’s okay to use strawberries that are a little past their prime for the syrup, but this will affect the cooking time. The time it takes for the syrup to thicken will vary depending on how much liquid was in your strawberries (old strawberries will produce significantly less liquid and therefore cook much faster). Keep this in mind if it seems like your syrup is thickening more quickly than expected.
- Fine-mesh strainer: A fine-mesh strainer is essential for getting a perfectly smooth and clear syrup. However, if you don’t own one, you can simply remove the cooked strawberries with a slotted spoon. You’ll have some seeds and a bit of strawberry pulp in your syrup, but it will still taste great.
How to Make Homemade Strawberry Syrup
- Roughly chop your strawberries, cover with water, and simmer for 15 minutes.
- Strain the juice from the strawberries.
- Wipe out the pot, return juice, and add your sugar.
- Stir and simmer for 12 to 15 minutes until mixture is thickened. Transfer from the pan and enjoy!
How easy was that!?
Where to Use Strawberry Syrup
- The Best Crispy Waffles
- Pancakes for One
- Buttermilk Pancakes for Two
- Blueberry Waffles
- Banana Pancakes
How much syrup will this make/how many will it serve?
This recipe will make between ½ to ⅔ cup of syrup. Depending on how much you use, that should serve 2 to 3 people.
Can I make a larger batch of this?
Yes. This recipe can be doubled or tripled without any preparation changes. You just might need to extend the second simmering time slightly.
To change the recipe yield, hover over the serving size in the recipe card below or click if you’re on mobile, and slide the slider.
Can I use this syrup in drinks?
This syrup is a little thick to stir into cold drinks. If you’d like a syrup for strawberry milk , milkshakes , or flavored sodas, go check out my strawberry milk recipe . The syrup in that recipe is cooked for less time so it’s thinner and better for stirring into cold liquids.
How do I store this syrup?
Store the syrup in an airtight container in your fridge for up to 2 weeks.
More Sauce & Syrup Recipes
- Strawberry Sauce
- Peanut Butter Sauce
- 30-second Chocolate Sauce
- Nutella Sauce
- Hot Fudge Sauce
Equipment
- Fine mesh strainer
Ingredients
- ▢ 1 cup hulled and chopped strawberries
- ▢ ½ cup water
- ▢ ¼ cup ( 50g ) granulated sugar
Instructions
- In a small pot, combine strawberries and the water and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes, until water is bright red and strawberries are dull.
- Strain the juice from the strawberries through a fine mesh strainer and discard the strawberries.
- Wipe out the pot, return juice, and add your sugar.
- Simmer, stirring occasionally, for 5 to 15 minutes*, until syrup is thickened and reduced to about ½ to ⅔ cup. Syrup will seem a bit runny at this point, but will thicken as it cools.
- Serve over waffles, pancakes, or ice cream, and enjoy!
Notes
This Asparagus-stuffed Chicken is a great, simple dinner that’s easy enough for weeknights, but looks good enough to serve for company when you need something foolproof and delicious.
Hey, it’s asparagus season ! Here in California, asparagus season runs about February through June, and in celebration of this happy time, I’m sharing one of my favorite easy asparagus recipes: Asparagus-stuffed Chicken Breasts.
This is a great, simple dinner that’s easy enough for weeknights, but looks good enough to serve for company when you need something foolproof and delicious.
It’s also one of those dishes that you have to work really hard to mess up.
As long as you have an instant-read thermometer and remember to check on your chicken so you don’t burn or over-cook it, dinner’s going to be great.
Ingredient Notes
- Small-to-medium boneless skinless chicken breasts: Stick with smaller chicken breasts for this recipe, about 8 ounces. If using large chicken breasts, your asparagus will burn before the chicken cooks all the way through.
- Thin asparagus spears: This recipe calls for thin asparagus spears, as that’s my personal preference. You can use medium/average size spears if that’s what you can find, but stay away from the really thick spears. They make the chicken awkward to cut and eat and don’t have the best texture.
- Panko: If you don’t usually cook with panko, you can typically find it at the grocery store near the breadcrumbs. It has a fantastic crispy crunchy texture that is so good on chicken, but if you want to use regular bread crumbs, you can substitute them here.
How to Make Asparagus Stuffed Chicken
- This recipe starts with butterflied chicken breasts ( watch this video if you’ve never butterflied chicken breasts before) dipped in whisked egg to act as a binder and rolled in a combination of toasted panko, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper. In the oven, it will crisp up and form a crispy, crunchy coating on the chicken.
- Place chicken on a baking sheet and stuff each breast with thin asparagus spears and mozzarella.
- Bake until cooked through, and enjoy! (Scroll down for the full, printable recipe.)
Asparagus-stuffed Chicken Recipe Notes
- Toasting the panko in this recipe is optional. It produces a nicer golden-colored crust, and the flavor is a little toastier, but the chicken still tastes great with untoasted panko. To be honest, I usually do this step for guests but skip it when I’m making it on a busy weeknight.
Can I make this recipe in advance and bake it later?
I don’t recommend it, as the panko will get soggy. Instead, you can prep all the ingredients in advance (toast the panko, shred the cheese, trim the asparagus, butterfly the chicken, etc.) and then assemble everything right before baking.
If all your ingredients are prepped, the chicken can be assembled and oven-ready in about 10 minutes.
What to Serve with Asparagus-stuffed Chicken Breasts
Asparagus chicken goes very well with orzo (I always serve it with my fav Parmesan Orzo ) or rice. You can roast additional asparagus and serve alongside or pair with a different green veggie like Roasted Broccoli , Roasted Green Beans , or Butter and Garlic Green Beans .
My panko keeps burning when I try to toast it. Help!
Don’t worry, you’ve got this. There are a couple tricks to toasting panko without burning it. One, toast it over just medium heat (any higher, and it will burn fast), and once it starts to look like it’s toasting, watch it like a hawk and stir it to keep it moving. Two, cook it only until about 70% of the panko looks toasted and then remove it from heat and transfer it immediately to a bowl.
If you wait for every single piece to look perfectly toasted or leave it in a hot pan for too long before pouring it out, it will burn on you. The panko will continue to brown in the oven, so don’t worry too much about getting every single piece golden brown.
Can I halve/double this recipe?
Absolutely. To change the recipe yield, hover over the number of servings in the recipe card (or click if you are on mobile) and slide the slider.
More Easy Chicken Recipes
- Salsa Chicken
- The Perfect Roast Chicken
- Chicken Francaise
- BBQ Baked Chicken Thighs
- Pesto Chicken Pasta
- Creamy Asparagus Chicken Pasta
Ingredients
Special Equipment
- ▢ Instant-read thermometer
Asparagus-stuffed Chicken Breasts
- ▢ Cooking spray or cooking oil
- ▢ 1 cup panko *
- ▢ 4 small to medium (about 8-ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- ▢ 1 to 2 eggs *
- ▢ 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ▢ ½ teaspoon salt
- ▢ ½ teaspoon pepper
- ▢ 16 thin asparagus spears washed and trimmed
- ▢ 1 cup ( 4oz ) shredded mozzarella cheese
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 375°F and lightly grease a baking sheet.
Toast Panko (Optional)
- Heat a medium skillet over medium heat. Lightly grease with cooking spray or a couple teaspoons of cooking oil. Add panko and toast, stirring almost constantly once it begins to brown, until about 70% of the pieces are lightly golden in color, about 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer panko to a medium container large enough to dip a chicken breast into and set aside.
Prepare Chicken
- Butterfly each chicken breast by placing one hand flat on the top of the breast and slicing horizontally almost all the way through, so you have thin, even pieces on the top and bottom and you can open it like a book.
- In a medium container, large enough to dip a chicken breast, crack and whisk egg, set aside.
- Into the panko, stir Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper.
- Dip closed chicken breasts first in the egg then in the panko, coating the top and bottom, and place on prepared baking sheet. Don’t discard any extra panko.
- Open chicken breasts and place 4 spears of asparagus inside of each and top each with ¼ cup of cheese. Close chicken breasts and sprinkle any remaining panko over the top.
- Bake for 25 to 35 minutes, until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the breast reads 165°F. Allow chicken to rest for at least 5 minutes before serving. Enjoy!
Notes
This ultra rich and creamy peanut butter milkshake is quick and easy to make and packed with peanut butter flavor.
Have you ever had a peanut butter milkshake before? I think most of us have at least tried the classics, your chocolate milkshakes , strawberry shakes , Oreo milkshakes , etc. But I feel like peanut butter’s not a super common milkshake flavor, at least not here in Southern California.
But it totally should be.
Not only are peanut butter milkshakes super easy to make (just add a couple scoops of PB to a vanilla shake), but they are incredibly good. Peanut butter obviously adds a ton of PB flavor to a milkshake, but also a totally irresistible creamy texture.
If you love a really rich and creamy milkshake, a peanut butter shake is definitely the one for you.
Ingredient Notes
- Peanut Butter: I like to use a creamy, processed brand of peanut butter like Jif or Skippy because they’ll give you the smoothest finished shake, but you can use natural or chunky peanut butter if that’s what you have on hand.
- Vanilla Extract: Vanilla extract is optional, but the extra pop of vanilla flavor pairs extremely well with the peanut butter.
- Milk: Any percentage or type of milk will work, but the higher fat milk you use, the richer/creamier your shake will be.
Ingredient tip: Because peanut butter is sticky and can be annoying to accurately measure, don’t worry too much about getting the exact correct amount of peanut butter. Just use a tablespoon to add 2 lightly heaping spoonfuls to your shake. A little over on the peanut butter is not going to hurt anything.
If you need exact measurements because you’re keeping track of the nutritional information, I recommend measuring the PB by weight since it’s much easier and more accurate.
How to Make a Peanut Butter Milkshake
- In a blender, combine ice cream, milk, peanut butter, and optional vanilla and blend until well-combined and pourable.
- Pour into glass(es). Top with whipped cream and peanut butter sauce if desired and enjoy.
Variations
- Chocolate peanut butter milkshake: Add 2 to 3 tablespoons of chocolate fudge sauce or syrup or 2 tablespoons of cocoa powder to the shake before blending.
- Banana peanut butter milkshake: Add 1 fresh or frozen banana , broken into pieces, before blending.
- Nutella milkshake: Replace the peanut butter with the same amount of Nutella.
Can I use almond butter instead of peanut butter in this shake?
Yes! You can use any type of nut butter in place of the peanut butter here.
Can I make a peanut butter milkshake without ice cream?
You can’t make this PB milkshake without ice cream, but if you’d like a PB-flavored milkshake without ice cream, go make my Banana Milkshake Without Ice Cream and make the peanut butter variation listed in the recipe. It’s super good and creamy and can be made with just milk, ice, and a frozen banana.
Can I make my milkshake ahead of time?
No. Shakes are always best right after they’ve been blended. Even when stored in the refrigerator, they will slowly begin to melt and become less thick and frosty the longer they sit.
More Peanut Butter Recipes
- Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies
- Small-batch Peanut Butter Cookies
- Peanut Butter Hot Chocolate
More Milkshake Recipes
- Caramel Milkshake
- Coffee Milkshake
- Banana Milkshake
Ingredients
- ▢ 1½ cups vanilla ice cream about 3 scoops
- ▢ ½ to ¾ cup milk* any percentage
- ▢ 2 lightly heaping tablespoons ( 41g ) peanut butter
- ▢ ½ teaspoon vanilla extract optional
- ▢ Whipped cream optional for topping
- ▢ Peanut butter sauce optional for topping
- ▢ Chopped candies optional for topping
Instructions
- In a blender, combine ice cream, milk, peanut butter, and optional vanilla extract, and blend until well-combined and pourable.
- Pour into glass(es). Top with whipped cream and additional toppings if desired and enjoy.
Notes
Homemade Strawberry Syrup
Equipment
- Fine mesh strainer
Ingredients
- 1 cup hulled and chopped strawberries
- ½ cup water
- ¼ cup ( 50g ) granulated sugar
Instructions
- In a small pot, combine strawberries and the water and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes, until water is bright red and strawberries are dull.
- Strain the juice from the strawberries through a fine mesh strainer and discard the strawberries.
- Wipe out the pot, return juice, and add your sugar.
- Simmer, stirring occasionally, for 5 to 15 minutes*, until syrup is thickened and reduced to about ½ to ⅔ cup. Syrup will seem a bit runny at this point, but will thicken as it cools.
- Serve over waffles, pancakes, or ice cream, and enjoy!
