Strawberries with Balsamic Vinegar are a delicious and easy way to jazz up strawberries and go so well with desserts, crostini or on their own. Many people might not think of balsamic and strawberries together but believe me, it really sweetens them up beautifully. These balsamic strawberries are the Italian way to make macerated strawberries and they are so delicious.
Balsamic strawberries are such an easy and delicious dessert. It takes only a few minutes to assemble and another 10 minutes to rest. It is an easy dessert on its own or a great addition to cakes, pancakes or even cocktails.
My favorite part about this balsamic strawberries recipe is I get to take the strawberries that I left in the fridge for too long and that are just not looking great and bring them back to life. By adding the balsamic and some sugar to the strawberries, it totally hides all of the imperfections.
Ingredients you will need to make these Balsamic Strawberries
- Fresh strawberries
- Sugar
- Balsamic vinegar
All the same ingredients of macerated strawberries but with the addition of some balsamic vinegar. I prefer these balsamic strawberries to regular macerated strawberries because the delicious balsamic syrup that is made is so good drizzled over desserts!
How to make balsamic strawberries
If you are familiar with macerated strawberries, this is the same process you use to make these balsamic strawberries but we are going to add some sweet balsamic vinegar as well.
To start you want to prep your strawberries by hulling the tops or cutting off the tops as I did. I make a strawberry top simple syrup with the cut strawberry tops so there is no waste.
You can choose either method. Once you have prepped the strawberries, just gather the other ingredients (balsamic vinegar and sugar).
Now you add the balsamic vinegar and sugar to the strawberries and gently mixed until combined. At this point, you will still see the sugar granules on the strawberries.
Over a few minutes time, the sugar will dissolve into the balsamic vinegar and form an amazing sweet syrup. It is so good!
Very manageable and a great unexpected way to serve strawberries to guests! I love waiting to see how pleasantly surprised people are when they first try this combo of favors and love it. It really is delicious.
These strawberries go so well so many things. I love making a simple dessert with balsamic strawberries over store bought ice cream but below I have listed some more ideas for how to use them.
Ideas for how to use balsamic strawberries:
- On top of goat cheese crostini with an extra drizzle of honey (my favorite!)- Steps to make this is in the recipe below.
- As a topping for ice cream (my second favorite)
- As a topping to Panna cotta (another really easy Italian dessert you should try!)
- As an add in to lemonade. A spoonful of these berries with some of the balsamic in your lemonade is amazing!
- In my strawberry and basil mocktail! So good.
- To serve alongside cake (my favorite cake for this is angel food cake).
- This recipe for a no bake Balsamic strawberry tiramisu from the Seaside Baker.
- As an add in for cocktails.
- On it's own!
- Add them on top of a classic Philadelphia cheesecake, cheesecake bites, Ricotta pancakes or Brioche French toast.
- Or any recipe that calls for strawberries.
Tips for making these Balsamic Strawberries
Sugar in the balsamic strawberries
The balsamic vinegar actually helps make the strawberries sweeter so you will not need as much sugar when you are macerating them. You will notice that the recipe calls for only 3 tablespoon for an entire pint of strawberries.
This makes the strawberries plenty sweet when combined with the vinegar. If you decide you want even more sugar after tasting them, just add 1 extra tablespoon, mix well and wait 5 more minutes.
Alternately, if you decide you want to use less, start out with 2 tablespoons with the vinegar and strawberries and let it sit for a bit. Taste to see if it is sweet enough for your taste. If you need more sugar just add 1 more tablespoon, mix well and let it sit for 5 more minutes.
Variations
These balsamic strawberries are amazing just the way they are but you can certainly change things up a bit. Here are some suggestions:
- Add Fresh Herbs: You can also add fresh basil, thyme or mint and they would taste wonderful. About 1 tablespoon for the entire recipe is all you need. If I can, I lover making a simple basil simple syrup to add to the strawberries instead of sugar for that basil flavor.
- Black Pepper: Adding a touch of freshly cracked black pepper actually tastes amazing. It may seem like an unexpected ingredient with strawberries but it is really good.
- Use Honey: You can substitute honey for the sugar in this recipe if you prefer. It comes out amazing.
Faqs
I always make these macerated balsamic strawberries a few hours before I need them and leave them out on the counter covered in plastic wrap until I am ready to use them.
If I have any leftover after using them on the first day, I do store them in the fridge covered for up to 2 days.
Strawberries are hands down the best fruit to combine with balsamic vinegar. The tart notes of the balsamic combined with sweet strawberries is a great pairing. The balsamic vinegar also imparts some sweetness to the strawberries so you end up using less sugar.
More Classic Italian Recipes
If you want some more Italian recipe inspiration, here are some ideas:
More Like This
If you love this recipe for strawberries with balsamic vinegar, you may also like these easy recipes:
Strawberries with Balsamic Vinegar
Tried the Recipe? We Would Love To Hear From You In The Comments Below!
Ingredients
- 1 pint Fresh strawberries cleaned and dried preferably organic
- 3 tablespoon sugar
- 2 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
Instructions
- Grab a medium bowl and set aside
- Prepare your cleaned strawberries by cutting the tops off and cutting them into quarters
- Add your quartered strawberries to your bowl
- Now add your balsamic vinegar and sugar to the bowl
- Gently mix your strawberries, balsamic and sugar together
- Let the mixture sit for 15 minutes on the counter or up to 4 hours in the refrigerator.
- Give it another good mix and serve on it's own or over your favorite dessert or drink.
Nutrition
Nutrition Values are estimates only.
See full nutrition disclaimer here
Michelle Jaquez says
I mix not only strawberries, but a mixture of any & all berries…black berries, raspberries or blueberries; any or all. Such a great & unexpected dessert year round. Always a great hit!
Melissa says
That sounds delicious!
Jessica B says
We made these balsamic strawberries and they were a hit. We took your suggestion and served them over some vanilla ice cream and everyone loved them.
Melissa says
I'm so glad you enjoyed them 🙂 I love adding them to ice cream!
Ann says
I find that adding some lime juice really perks up the flavor. It may sound counter-intuitive to use lime juice with balsamic, but trust me, it works! I prefer to use golden balsamic vinegar because of it's lighter color. This morning's batch before I even read your post, was made with a rose wine balsamic I found on sale at a great price so picked up 3 bottles. It's delicious and works really great for macerating the strawberries. I've also used raspberry wine vinegar whose raspberry flavor really compliments the strawberries. So many different kinds of vinegar out there! I use stevia and I tell my friends to feel free to use their favorite sweetener. Just start with a small amount and add until the desired sweetness is achieved. So easy.
Thanks for sharing!
Hmmm...I'm thinking of making a vinaigrette for a baby greens salad later...
Melissa says
I love all of these tips! Thanks so much for sharing 🙂
Jen says
These are so good!