Instant Pot Strawberry Sauce

Instant Pot Strawberry Sauce is perfect for everything from pancakes and yogurt to Angel Food Cake and ice cream.  This recipe is simple, quick, and naturally sweetened with maple syrup or honey.

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I feel so blessed that before my brother sold me his home, he planted more strawberry plants than I could ever possibly need.  Every day they need to be picked and it's enough to keep my family, the birds, and the deer all very happy.    

With buckets of strawberries that needed to be used ASAP, I decided it was time to nail down a minimally sweetened, silky sauce/jam that I could spoon on everything from breakfast to dessert, and every biscuit/roll in between.

My sister Maegan actually created this recipe and uses it as a pie filling – which you absolutely must try ASAP!

Whether you've got your own strawberry patch flourishing outside your window, or you just scored a pallet of strawberries for super cheap at your grocery store, you are going to want to try this recipe!  

WHY YOU WILL LOVE INSTANT POT STRAWBERRY SAUCE

• You know how most jam recipes are more sugar than actual fruit and end up tasting more like a jolly rancher than fruit?  This is not that recipe!  I'm keeping this sauce minimally sweetened and slightly tart to make sure each bite is bursting with real strawberry flavor.
• So fast!  No mashing, blending, or dealing with pectin here.  Just slice your strawberries, throw them in the pot, and let the pressure cooker do all the work.
• TEXTURE!  I prefer my Strawberry Sauce to have different textures going on to keep it saucy and fresh-tasting at the same time.  Some of the strawberries get pressure cooked while the other half get stirred in at the end.  Trust me on this one, it creates a magnificently interesting sauce!
• It freezes perfectly, just like a freezer jam.  The uncooked strawberries will be a tad softer than when it was made fresh, which only means it becomes more jam-like – which is most definitely not a bad thing.

HOW TO MAKE STRAWBERRY SAUCE IN THE PRESSURE COOKER

1. Throw the strawberries, lemon zest, sweetener of choice, and vanilla extract in the pot and pressure cook
2. Use a cornstarch slurry to thicken
3. Stir in fresh strawberries right at the end

SEE RECIPE CARD BELOW FOR DETAILED COOKING INSTRUCTIONS

TIPS FOR MAKING THE BEST STRAWBERRY SAUCE

• Instead of using lemon juice that will make the sauce more sour, just use the lemon zest.  This will give it the bright flavor of lemon without the tang.
• If you would rather not use cornstarch to thicken, stir 1/4 cup of chia seeds in while the mixture is hot, set the lid on for about 5 minutes, then give it another stir.
• The sauce will thicken considerably as it chills so don't stress if it seems a touch thin.  Once it's cold it will be perfect.
• 1/4 cup of sweetener is just right if your strawberries are sweet and flavorful.  If your strawberries are sour and bland, you may need the 1/3 cup.
• This recipe can easily be doubled or tripled.  The only catch is that it might foam more.  If foam spurts from the valve while you're releasing the pressure, simply flip it back to the sealed position and wait a few minutes before trying again.

HOW TO STORE, REHEAT, AND FREEZE STRAWBERRY SAUCE

• Store:  Cool the sauce to room temperature then scoop into an airtight container in the fridge for up to 7 days.
• Reheat:  If you want the sauce hot to serve over cake or ice cream, simply reheat in a saucepan on the stovetop or in the microwave for a minute or two.
• Freeze:  Place sauce in an airtight container or freezer-safe ziptop bag and freeze for up to 3 months.  When ready to eat, let it defrost in the fridge overnight.  It can also be submerged in hot water until thawed.

MAKE AHEAD TIPS FOR STRAWBERRY SAUCE

If I want to serve the sauce hot with a meal or dessert, I like to prep the strawberries beforehand.  Simply wash and slice strawberries and store in the fridge until it's time to pressure cook them.

WHAT TO SERVE WITH STRAWBERRY SAUCE

• Multigrain Pancakes, Homemade Yogurt, Oatmeal, and basically any other breakfast recipe.
• Piping hot Whole Grain No Knead Bread would be an absolutely divine combo.
• Dessert!  Try it on Angel Food Cake, Lemon Cheesecake, or on Coconut Tres Leches Cake.
• Bake up this Whole Wheat Pie Crust and heap it full with the strawberry sauce.  Serve with ice cream or whipped cream.
• Keep it simple by dolloping the strawberry sauce with some fresh whipped cream and a sprinkle of chopped nuts or granola.  This is quite possibly my most favorite of all.

VARIATIONS OF STRAWBERRY SAUCE

• Triple Berry Sauce:  Similar to this Berry Chia Jam, you can add blueberries, raspberries, and/or blackberries to the sauce.
• Balsamic Strawberry Sauce:  Add a tablespoon of sweet balsamic vinegar at the end to give the sauce an interesting punch of flavor.
• Strawberry Mint Sauce:  Stir in a couple of tablespoons of minced mint leaves at the end for a refreshing, unique sauce.

HOW TO USE FROZEN STRAWBERRIES TO MAKE JAM OR SAUCE

If fresh strawberries are expensive or out of season, grab a bag of frozen strawberries.  If you're using frozen strawberries, skip the step where you stir in fresh strawberries.  Instead, add the full 6 cups of strawberries into the pot to cook.  Cook time and other ingredient amounts will remain the same.

I get so very excited about simple recipes like this one!  Nothing is quite as satisfying as creating a masterpiece with a few ingredients and minimal effort. 

Get some strawberry sauce in your fridge ASAP!  If you have any tips on how to keep critters out of my strawberry patch, I'd love to hear your tips!  Aside from getting a dog, I'm not going there, thank you very much.

Enjoy!

MORE INSTANT POT FRUIT RECIPES

• Instant Pot Apple Sauce
• Instant Pot Apple Fig Compote
• Instant Pot Peach Compote
• Instant Pot Triple Berry Chia Jam

TOOLS/INGREDIENTS USED TO MAKE INSTANT POT STRAWBERRY SAUCE

• Instant Pot
• My favorite Cutco Knives

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