Super-Easy Balsamic Roasted Strawberry

By
Elaine Lemm
Elaine Lemm
Elaine Lemm
Elaine Lemm is a renowned British food writer, classically trained chef, teacher, and author with over 25 years of experience writing about British food and cooking.
Learn about The Spruce Eats' Editorial Process
Updated on 09/11/21
Super-Easy Balsamic Roasted Strawberry

The Spruce / Preethi Venkatram
Prep: 5 mins
Cook: 20 mins
Total: 25 mins
Servings: 6 servings
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
51 Calories
0g Fat
12g Carbs
1g Protein
Show Full Nutrition Label Hide Full Nutrition Label
×
Nutrition Facts
Servings: 6
Amount per serving
Calories 51
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 0g 0%
Saturated Fat 0g 0%
Cholesterol 0mg 0%
Sodium 3mg 0%
Total Carbohydrate 12g 5%
Dietary Fiber 2g 5%
Total Sugars 10g
Protein 1g
Vitamin C 44mg 222%
Calcium 14mg 1%
Iron 0mg 2%
Potassium 125mg 3%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

Strawberries are the quintessential fruit of a British summer. They can be found from Wimbledon to a cricket tea and on every table through the land. That being said, what do you do though when they are getting just a touch past their best?

Roasting overripe strawberries with a little sugar and a few tablespoons of balsamic vinegar makes for the best compote you can imagine. Never was there a simpler recipe than this one.

The dish comes oozing with huge flavors, stores well and is versatile. The compote is utterly delicious on rich, good-quality vanilla ice cream, or for those with a less sweet tooth, pour over Greek yogurt. Use as a filling for tarts or cakes, and a layer of these roast strawberries in a Victoria sponge is sublime. The strawberries keep well in a jar in the fridge, so what's not to love?

The result from the brief marinating and then quick roasting is an intense strawberry flavor with a flash of acidity from the vinegar. If you want to up the flavors even further, then try a twist of black pepper before serving. 

Featured Video

Ingredients

  • 1 pound strawberries, hulled

  • 2 1/2 tablespoons sugar

  • 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

  • 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper, optional, for serving

  • 2 cups vanilla ice cream, optional, for serving

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    Super-Easy Balsamic Roasted Strawberry ingredients

    The Spruce / Preethi Venkatram

  2. Preheat oven to 300 F. Put washed strawberries in roasting tray, making sure they are in 1 layer. Dust with sugar and then sprinkle with vinegar.

    strawberries with sugar and vinegar in roasting pan

    The Spruce / Preethi Venkatram

  3. Roll strawberries around by tipping tray from side to side making sure that all berries are covered.   

    strawberries covered with the sugar and vinegar mixture in a roasting pan

    The Spruce / Preethi Venkatram

  4. Cover tray with a tea cloth and leave to marinate for 20 minutes.

    Cover the tray with strawberries with a tea cloth

    The Spruce / Preethi Venkatram

  5. Put tray into center of oven and roast for 20 minutes. The strawberries will soften but keep their shape. The vinegar and sugar will start to caramelize; make sure, though, that it does not burn.

    strawberries baked in a roasting pan

    The Spruce / Preethi Venkatram

  6. Take roasting tray from oven, leave to cool until cold. The syrup will thicken and become very tasty. Transfer strawberries to a jar and close. Store in fridge. They will keep for several weeks.

    strawberry mixture in a jar

    The Spruce / Preethi Venkatram

  7. Serve with vanilla ice cream, and a little sprinkling of black pepper, if desired.

    Super-Easy Balsamic Roasted Strawberry served with ice cream

    The Spruce / Preethi Venkatram

 

How to Use the Roast Balsamic Strawberries

  • Use the strawberries on ice cream, with yogurt or as a tart filling or anywhere suitable for soft, deliciously sweet strawberries.
  • Use a little black pepper when serving to lift what is already an incredible flavor. Perhaps not the best for children.
  • The roasted berries will not freeze well at all as the flavor is ruined and the strawberries will go mushy when defrosted.