Macerated Strawberries

Macerated strawberries are sweet and tangy, with a pretty presentation, and they're so versatile as a dessert topper. They're also incredibly easy to make with just a few ingredients and five minutes of active prep time.

Macerated strawberries lend themselves to recipe variations. Naturally, strawberry is the predominant flavor, a taste like pure summertime. This recipe also calls for basil, which adds a nice herbal flavor and draws out the sweetness from the berries. And the lemon in the recipe further enhances the natural flavors without overpowering.

Learn how to make macerated strawberries, and make this dish with fresh, in-season berries for the best results. How you serve them is up to your imagination.

What Is Macerating?

Macerating fruit simply means to soften or steep it. It might sound fancy, but the process is really quite simple: Macerating typically involves adding sugar and often a liquid (like fruit juice or liquor) to fruit, and letting it all marinate until the fruit is soft or more tender.

Ingredients for Macerated Strawberries

This recipe requires just five ingredients, making it even easier to whip this up in minutes. Here's what you need to make macerated strawberries:

• Granulated sugar: Sugar adds sweetness to the berries, but it also helps to draw out a bit of the fruit's natural moisture, making the berries rich and juicy.
• Fresh basil: You don't have to use basil—you could use another herb—or skip this entirely and just toss the berries in sugar. But bail is a wonderful partner to the fruit.
• Ripe strawberries: Hull and quarter them so they're bite-sized.
• Lemon zest: This lends a floral sweetness to the topping.
• Lemon juice: Lemon juice helps prevent browning from the fruit and basil, but it also adds a much needed brightness to the mixture.
  

How To Make Macerated Strawberries

This is such a fast recipe, you will want to make it any time you have fresh fruit on hand. Here's a brief outline of the process:

• Step 1. Make the sugar mixture: Pulse the sugar and basil in a food processor.
• Step 2. Combine sugar mixture and other ingredients: Add the basil-sugar mixture to a bowl with strawberries and lemon zest, and stir.
• Step 3. Rest: Let the fruit stand at room temperature until the sugar dissolves and the strawberries are syrupy.

Can You Use Frozen Strawberries?

In lieu of fresh fruit, you can use frozen strawberries for macerated strawberries. But frozen berries will release more liquid as they thaw, so you may end up with a looser mixture.

How Long To Macerate Strawberries

Let the berries stand for at least 30 minutes or up to two hours at room temperature. The longer they sit, the juicer and softer they will become.

Ways To Use Macerated Strawberries 

Serve macerated strawberries as a sweet and colorful topping over ice cream. Or serve it with pound cake or even shortcake for a great-looking presentation and big flavor without fuss.

How To Store Macerated Strawberries

Store macerated strawberries in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours. The fruit becomes softer the longer the berries sit in the sugar mixture.

You can also freeze this mixture for future use, but the fruit will be very soft when thawed. Also, it may be produce more liquid than you want, so you can spoon some of it off.

Can You Macerate Other Fruits?

Beyond just strawberries, many fruits lend themselves to maceration. Use any kinds of berries (raspberries, blueberries, blackberries), stone fruits (peaches, plums, nectarines), tropical fruits (mangoes, pineapples). Get creative!

Editorial contributions by Alesandra Dubin.