This strawberry top syrup is a zero-waste recipe that turns the part of the strawberry that usually goes straight in the bin into something genuinely extraordinary. Equal weights of strawberry tops and caster sugar (superfine sugar) are combined in a jar, left to sit in the fridge for two days, then strained through a sieve into an airtight container. The result is a sweet, deeply flavoured, intensely strawberry syrup — more fragrant and more concentrated in flavour than a syrup made from the fruit itself — that keeps in the fridge for up to a week and can be used in drinks, desserts and everything in between. It requires no cooking, no specialist equipment and almost no effort. It is one of those recipes that makes you wonder why you have been throwing strawberry tops away your entire life.

Why I Created This Recipe

I cannot believe it has taken me thirty years to discover that you can make the most delicious, intensely strawberry-flavoured syrup from strawberry tops that would usually go straight in the bin.

The principle is simple: sugar draws moisture and flavour out of the strawberry tops through osmosis, creating a syrup that is sweet, fruity and deeply fragrant without any heat involved at all. The tops — which still have a little flesh attached, which is important — do all the work over two days in the fridge, and what comes out when you strain them is something that smells and tastes like the very best version of strawberry you have ever encountered.

I will be making this every summer from now on! Once you try it, I think you will too.

The Science Behind It — How the Syrup Forms

This syrup is made using a process called osmosis — and understanding it makes the recipe feel even more clever than it already is.

When sugar is combined with a fruit or vegetable that contains moisture, it draws that liquid out through the cell walls of the plant by osmosis. The sugar dissolves into the extracted liquid, creating a naturally sweet, intensely flavoured syrup without any heat required. It is the same principle behind macerating fruit — strawberries left with sugar for an hour will release a pool of sweet, fragrant juice — but taken further. Over two days in the fridge, the strawberry tops release almost all of their moisture and flavour into the surrounding sugar, which dissolves completely and transforms into a liquid syrup of remarkable intensity.

The reason strawberry tops work so well for this is that they contain all of the same flavour compounds as the fruit itself — the aromatic esters, the natural sugars, the acidity — concentrated into a smaller, denser package. Some people find the tops more fragrant than the berries themselves, which is why this syrup often tastes more intensely of strawberry than one made from the fruit.

Leaving a little flesh on the tops when you hull the strawberries is important — it provides the moisture that gets the process started. If the mixture looks very dry after the first day, a small splash of water will help things along.

Why You'll Want to Make This Recipe

Zero Food Waste

This recipe uses the part of the strawberry that most people throw away — the tops, the hulls, the little green-capped offcuts that go straight in the bin after hulling. Turning them into a syrup means using every part of the fruit and getting something genuinely delicious in return. It is one of the most satisfying zero-waste recipes on the blog.

No Cooking Required

There is no heat involved at all — no saucepan, no stirring over the hob, no risk of burning or overcooking. The sugar and the strawberry tops do everything themselves over two days in the fridge. It is about as hands-off as a recipe can get.

Intensely Flavoured

Because the syrup is made from the concentrated flavour of the tops rather than the diluted juice of the whole fruit, the finished result is extraordinarily fragrant and deeply flavoured — more so, in many cases, than a syrup made from the strawberries themselves. A little goes a long way.

Endlessly Versatile

This syrup is one of the most useful things you can have in the fridge during strawberry season. See the section below for all the ways to use it — but the short version is: anything that benefits from a hit of sweet, fresh strawberry flavour is a candidate.

Ways to Use Strawberry Top Syrup

Once you have a jar of this syrup in the fridge, you will find yourself reaching for it constantly. Here are some of the best ways to use it:

Drinks

The most obvious and most brilliant use — a spoonful of this syrup transforms any cold drink into something special. Stir into sparkling water for an instant strawberry soda; add to lemonade for a fruity twist; use as the base for a cocktail or mocktail; or try it in the sparkling strawberry iced green tea, which is the recipe this syrup was made for and one of the most refreshing drinks of the summer.

Breakfast

Drizzle over Greek yoghurt and granola for an instantly elevated breakfast — try it alongside the maple nut granola for a particularly good combination. Stir into porridge in the final minutes of cooking for a naturally sweetened, fruity bowl. Pour over pancakes or waffles instead of maple syrup for something a little more summery.

Desserts

Spoon over vanilla ice cream — particularly good alongside the 2 ingredient ice cream from the Small Batch Bakes series. Use as a soaking syrup for a simple sponge cake. Drizzle over the perfect apple crumble alongside the custard for a fruity contrast. Stir through whipped cream before serving with meringues or a pavlova.

Baking

Use in place of simple syrup in any recipe that calls for it. Brush over a freshly baked sponge to keep it moist and add a subtle strawberry flavour. Stir a spoonful into buttercream for a naturally flavoured, lightly pink cake frosting.

Savoury

A small drizzle of strawberry syrup over a cheese board — particularly alongside something tangy like goats' cheese or a sharp cheddar — is a very good idea. It also works as a dressing component alongside red wine vinegar and olive oil for a fruity summer salad vinaigrette — try it in the spirit of the strawberry and feta salad with candied pecans.

My Top Tips for the Perfect Strawberry Top Syrup

• Leave a little flesh on the tops when you hull the strawberries. The flesh is what provides the moisture that gets the osmosis process started — tops that are cut too cleanly, with no fruit attached, will release very little liquid. A few millimetres of strawberry flesh on each top is ideal.
• Use a jar that is small enough for the sugar to cover the tops completely. If there is too much air space in the jar, the tops at the top of the pile will not be in contact with the sugar and will not release their liquid properly. Pack them in snugly.
• Stir or shake the jar once a day. This ensures the tops are evenly coated in sugar as the syrup begins to form and prevents any dry patches from developing at the top of the jar.
• If the mixture looks very dry after the first day, add a very small splash of cold water — no more than a tablespoon — and stir to combine. This gives the osmosis process a little help without diluting the finished syrup significantly.
• Leave for the full two days. After one day the syrup will be forming but will not have reached its full flavour potential — the second day makes a noticeable difference to the depth and intensity of the finished syrup. Be patient.
• Strain through a fine sieve rather than a coarse one. A fine sieve removes all the pulp and gives a clean, clear syrup. Press the tops gently against the sieve with the back of a spoon to extract every last drop of liquid — but do not press too hard or you will push pulp through with it.
• Store in a clean, airtight container in the fridge and use within a week. The syrup is a preserve of sorts — the high sugar content helps it keep — but it is best used fresh when the flavour is at its most vibrant.
• This recipe scales freely — the ratio is always one part strawberry tops to one part sugar by weight. Save your tops in a bag in the fridge over the course of a week of strawberry eating and make one large batch rather than lots of small ones.

Ingredients and Tools You'll Need

Essential Ingredients

• Strawberry tops — hulled with a little flesh left on; save them in the fridge as you hull strawberries throughout the week and make the syrup in one batch when you have enough
• Caster sugar (superfine sugar) — equal weight to the strawberry tops; caster sugar dissolves more readily than granulated and gives a cleaner, smoother syrup

The Ratio

• Equal weights of strawberry tops and caster sugar (superfine sugar) — for example, 200g strawberry tops and 200g caster sugar. Scale up or down depending on how many tops you have.

Essential Tools

• A sealable jar — small enough that the sugar covers the tops completely; a standard jam jar or a clip-top jar works perfectly
• Fine sieve — for straining the finished syrup
• Airtight container or bottle — for storing the strained syrup in the fridge

Storage

Strain the finished syrup through a fine sieve into a clean, airtight container or bottle. Store in the fridge for up to one week. The high sugar content helps preserve it, but the fresh strawberry flavour is at its most vibrant in the first few days — use it generously and use it soon.

Dietary Variations

Vegan

This recipe is naturally vegan as written — no adaptations needed.

Gluten-Free

Naturally gluten-free — no adaptations needed.

Reducing the Sugar

The sugar is not purely for sweetness here — it is the mechanism that draws the flavour and moisture out of the strawberry tops, so it cannot be reduced significantly without affecting the yield and flavour of the syrup. A ratio of less than 1:1 will produce a thinner, less flavourful syrup. If you want a less sweet result, dilute the finished syrup with a little cold water rather than reducing the sugar in the recipe itself.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are strawberry tops?

Strawberry tops are the hulls — the leafy green cap and the small amount of white or pink flesh immediately beneath it that is removed when you hull a strawberry before eating. They are the part that most people discard, but they contain all the same flavour compounds as the fruit and are perfectly safe to eat. This syrup turns them into something genuinely delicious rather than sending them to the bin.

How long does it take to make strawberry top syrup?

Two days in the fridge is the recommended time — long enough for the sugar to fully draw out the liquid and flavour from the tops and dissolve into a proper syrup. After one day you will have a good amount of syrup forming, but the second day adds noticeably more depth and intensity to the finished flavour.

Do I need to cook the syrup?

No — this syrup requires no cooking at all. The osmosis process does everything without any heat. This is one of its great advantages — no risk of burning, no monitoring, no equipment beyond a jar and a sieve.

Can I use the strawberry tops straight away or do I need to save them up?

You can make this syrup with as many or as few tops as you have — the recipe scales freely to whatever quantity you have saved. If you are hulling a large punnet of strawberries in one go, you will have enough tops to start immediately. If you are eating strawberries across several days, save the tops in a sealed bag or container in the fridge and start the syrup when you have a useful quantity.

What can I do with the strawberry tops after straining?

The strained tops have given most of their flavour and moisture to the syrup by this point, but they are not completely without use — they can be added to a compost bin, blended into a smoothie for a subtle background flavour, or stirred into porridge during cooking. They are not particularly pleasant to eat on their own at this stage, but composting them is the most fitting end for a zero-waste recipe.

Can I use this syrup in cocktails?

Absolutely — it makes an outstanding cocktail ingredient. It works particularly well in a strawberry gin and tonic, a strawberry daiquiri, a Hugo spritz variation or stirred into Prosecco for an instant summer aperitivo. Use it anywhere a simple syrup or fruit syrup is called for and adjust the quantity to taste.