Name: Simple Orange and Black Pepper Macerated Strawberries
Prep time: 15 min
Total time: 135 min
Ingredients: 2 pints fresh strawberries; 5 tablespoons orange liquor or orange juice ((or orange juice if preferred)); 2 tablespoons confectioners sugar; 1 1/2 teaspoons whole black peppercorns; 2 cups heavy cream or whipping cream; 2 teaspoons vanilla extract; 2 tablespoons sweetener of choice ((sugar, stevia or honey)); orange zest ((optional garnish))

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Strawberries soaked in orange liquor or orange juice with a smack of flavor from black peppercorns. These simple macerated strawberries are the perfect way to use up not-so-sweet strawberries or slightly under-ripe strawberries. They will also likely be one of the most simple desserts you will ever bring together! Serve with some sweetened whipped cream, or spoon the macerated strawberries on top of some ice cream, and you will be in strawberry heaven.

Front shot of macerated strawberries topped with whipped cream and served in a fancy glass — Serve macerated strawberries in a fancy glass with a dollop of whipped cream.

What Do You Need For Orange and Black Pepper Macerated Strawberries

This recipe uses just a handful of simple ingredients to create an intense strawberry dessert that will have your guests begging for the recipe.

Plus it can be made in advance!

Winning.

You will need:

Fresh strawberries (perfect for using up a lot of strawberries when they are in season and cheap, especially as we can store them for a while once macerated);
Orange liquor such as Grand Marnier, Contrieu. Or orange juice for a family-friendly, non-alcoholic version;
Sugar (you can get away with using no sugar if your strawberries are already sweet enough by themselves): you can always sub out the sugar for some splenda, stevia, honey or other natural sweetener of choice;
Freshly ground black pepper.

Although the black pepper does sound like a strange addition to a sweet recipe, I can assure you that it makes for an even more intense strawberry flavor, and works just wonderfully in this dish.

You might also want to make sure you have some thickened cream on hand, as this makes a wonderful pairing.

overhead ingredient shot of ingredients for grand marnier macerated strawberries — A handful of simple ingredients is all that's needed!

How To Make Macerated Strawberries: Grand Marnier Version

Don't worry, no special skills are needed for this easy dessert.

Simply:

Cut up the strawberries into bite-sized pieces and place them in a mixing bowl;
Mix the Grand Marnier and the sugar together until the sugar is completely dissolved;
Grind the black peppercorns using either a mortar and pestle, or a pepper grinder;
Toss the strawberries with the Grand Marnier mixture until the strawberries are evenly coated;
Add most of the crushed black pepper to the strawberry mixture, saving a little for the topping;
Chill for about 2 hours, or overnight for a more intense flavor.

I like to serve my macerated strawberries in a fancy glass, topped with some whipped cream and fresh orange zest. It makes a super simple dessert look that little bit fancy.

Collage showing the process steps for making strawberries marinated in grand marnier

How To Make Sweet Whipped Cream (The Perfect Accompaniment)

If you plan on serving your macerated strawberries with sweetened whipped cream to take them to the next level, then simply mix the heavy cream, sugar (or alternative sweetener of choice), and vanilla in a bowl with an electric mixer until soft stiff peaks form.

That's it.

If you are avoiding refined sugar, then simply replace it with one of the following:

stevia;
other natural granulated style sugar (I use Natvia);
monk fruit syrup;
maple syrup;
or honey.

The strawberries will be sweet enough, that you will not need to add a lot of sweetness to the whipped cream, or you could avoid the added sweetener altogether.

Pro Tip: serve the macerated strawberries at room temperature to further bring out the flavor of the strawberries.

Overhead shot of grand marnier macerated strawberries topped with sweetened whipped cream — The cream should be thick enough that it can be dolloped on top of the strawberry mixture.

Can Macerated Strawberries Be Made Without Alcohol?

Yes.

If you prefer not to use alcohol, simply replace the orange liquor in this recipe with orange juice.

Alternatively you can use some lemon juice if that is what you have.

Overhead shot of orange liquor macerated strawberries topped with shipped cream and served in a fancy glass. — Simply replace the orange liquor with some orange juice and allow it to soak for a little while longer.

Storing and Freezing Tips

The good news, macerated strawberries will last in the fridge for about 3 days.

Technically you can keep them for longer (about 5 days), but I find the texture becomes a bit too soggy after 3 days.

The longer you leave the strawberries soaking in the mixture, the more juice will be released by the strawberries, and the softer they will become.

Store the whipped cream separately in an airtight container.

To get the best texture from your macerated strawberries, I would suggest eating them within one day. This prevents them from getting too soft and becoming mushy.

If you would like to freeze the macerated strawberries, remove all of the liquid first, place them into a Ziploc bag, or a vacuum seal bag, and try to remove as much air as possible before placing them into the freezer.

Side view of black pepper macerated strawberries topped with whipped cream and orange zest

How To Serve Macerated Strawberries

These strawberries macerated in orange liquor, or orange juice, can be served in so many ways.

Put the desired amount of strawberries into the glass of your choice (the fancier the glass the better);
Top with whipped cream;
Garnish the whipped cream topping with the rest of the black pepper and a sprinkle of orange zest (optional).

You can also try serving them:

Spooned on top of some vanilla ice cream;
In cakes and cupcakes;
Spooned on top of pancakes or waffles for a fancy adults-only breakfast (if you want to serve to the whole family, remember to swap the liquor for some orange juice instead)

Experiment and find your favorite way to serve this simple and delicious treat.

orange macerated strawberries served with whipped cream

Need More Strawberry Recipes

I love using strawberries in both sweet and savory recipes, they are so versatile!

Try them out in these equally easy recipes:

The tops of hulled strawberries gathered in a jug and topped with filtered water to make strawberry infused water — Use the chopped-off strawberry tops to make some strawberry water!

Happy Eating.

Simple Orange and Black Pepper Macerated Strawberries

Strawberries soaked in orange liquor (or orange juice) with a smack of flavor from black peppercorns. These simple macerated strawberries are the perfect way to use up not-so-sweet strawberries or slightly under-ripe strawberries. They will also likely be one of the most simple desserts you will ever bring together! Serve with some sweetened whipped cream, or spoon the macerated strawberries on top of some ice cream, and you will be in strawberry heaven.

5 from 3 votes

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Prep Time 15 mins

Resting Time 2 hrs

Total Time 2 hrs 15 mins

Course Dessert

Cuisine Anytime

Servings serves

Calories 348 kcal

Ingredients

For Macerated Strawberries

2 pints fresh strawberries
5 tablespoons orange liquor or orange juice (or orange juice if preferred)
2 tablespoons confectioners sugar
1 ½ teaspoons whole black peppercorns

For Whipped Cream

2 cups heavy cream or whipping cream
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 tablespoons sweetener of choice (sugar, stevia or honey)
orange zest (optional garnish)

Instructions

Macerated Strawberries

Wash the strawberries, remove the green stem, and cut them into bite-sized pieces, place them into a mixing bowl.
Meanwhile, mix the orange liquor (or orange juice) and the confectioner's sugar together until the sugar has completely dissolved.
Use a mortar and pestle, or a pepper grinder to crack the black peppercorns.
Toss the strawberries with the orange mixture until they are evenly coated. Add ¾ of the crushed black pepper, saving the remainder for sprinkling on top when serving.
Chill for about 2 hours, or up to overnight for a more intense flavor.

Whipped Cream

Mix the heavy cream, sweetener of choice, and vanilla in a bowl with an electric mixer until soft stiff peaks form.

To Serve

Place the desired amount of strawberries into the glass of your choice.
Top with whipped cream.
Garnish the whipped cream topping with a small sprinkle of black pepper and some orange zest (optional).

Notes

Simply replace the orange liquor with orange juice for a family-friendly version.

For a more intense flavor, serve the macerated strawberries at room temperature.

Sweetener Of Choice

Use the sweetener of your choice.

For the orange liquid mixture, you can sub out confectioners sugar or stevia, honey, or maple syrup.

With the whipped cream you can use regular granulated sugar, stevia, honey or maple syrup. You can also leave the sweetener out altogether depending on your preferences.

Storing and Freezing

Macerated strawberries can be stored in the fridge for up to 3 days.

However the longer they are left in the macerating liquid, the softer they will become.

They can also be frozen by draining the liquid and storing them in a vacuum seal bag, or a Ziploc bag, with as much liquid removed as possible.

Nutrition

Calories: 348kcalCarbohydrates: 19gProtein: 3gFat: 30gSaturated Fat: 18gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 9gCholesterol: 109mgSodium: 32mgPotassium: 346mgFiber: 3gSugar: 12gVitamin A: 1219IUVitamin C: 100mgCalcium: 83mgIron: 1mg

Keyword macerated strawberries, orange liquor strawberries

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The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.