What Goes With Strawberries?
Wondering what goes with strawberries? Learn the best ingredient pairings, meal ideas, popular flavor combinations, and other helpful tips.
Knowing what goes well with strawberries gives you a starting point for putting meals together using the ingredients you already have on hand.
Whether you want to reduce food waste, get more creative in the kitchen, or improve your cooking skills, it starts with understanding what flavors pair well together.
What Are Strawberries?
Strawberries are a group of fruits in the rose plant family. This juicy red, heart-shaped, fruit studded with tiny seeds is grown all over the world, with the U.S., Mexico, and China leading production.
They require little preparation and can be eaten straight out of your hand. However, if they aren’t as sweet as you’d like, you can enhance their flavor by adding sugar or an acid such as citrus juice or vinegar.
Helpful Tips
When to buy
Strawberries are in season from May through September. Look at the seasonal produce guide to see what’s in season right now.
what to look for
Choose brightly colored berries that are dry, firm, plump, and with fresh-looking green caps. Because they don’t continue to ripen once picked, avoid partially white berries as this indicates they are unripe. And avoid buying berries that are shriveled with dull-looking green caps.
how to store
Strawberries are very susceptible to water, so don’t wash or hull them until you’re ready to use eat or cook with them.
Line a shallow bowl or rimmed plate with paper towel or a clean kitchen towel. Arrange the unwashed strawberries in a single layer, cover them, and place them in the fridge where they’ll keep for several days.
What Goes Well With Strawberries?
vegetables
Ginger and rhubarb.
fruit
Apricots, bananas, blackberries, blueberries, boysenberries, gooseberries, grapefruit, grapes, guava, kumquats, lemon, lime, loquats, mango, melon, orange, papaya, passion fruit, peaches, pineapple, plums, pomegranates, and raspberries.
spices
Cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, coriander, and nutmeg.
herbs
Mint.
nuts & seeds
Almonds, hazelnuts, peanuts, pecans, pine nuts, pistachios, and walnuts.
non-dairy/dairy
Buttermilk, ricotta, cream: coconut cream or cashew cream for dairy-free, cream cheese, ice cream, mascarpone, sour cream, and yogurt.
pantry items
Balsamic vinegar, Champagne, caramel, chocolate: dark and white, cognac, elderflower syrup, gelatin, honey, maple syrup, oatmeal, orange liqueurs, rum, sugar, vanilla, and wine: red or rosé.
Popular Strawberry Pairings
- almonds + cream
- olive oil + balsamic vinegar + almonds
- rhubarb + almonds
- balsamic vinegar + black pepper
- ricotta cheese + black pepper + red wine
- Champagne + Grand Marnier
- rhubarb + sugar
What To Make With Strawberries
Strawberries can be eaten raw or sautéed and are typically used for sweet dishes over savory ones.
However, sliced strawberries are delicious in a spinach salad with chopped nuts and a poppy seed dressing or balsamic vinaigrette.
You’ll often see them used in baked goods and desserts such as biscuits, chocolate-covered strawberries, cream cheese, custard, ice cream, meringue, pie, popsicles, or shortcakes.
They’re also commonly used in drinks such as smoothies, lattes, infused simple syrups for mocktails and cocktails, and Italian cream sodas. They’re a great fruit for making compote or jam for crepes, banana bread, or waffles.