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This Strawberry Cheong (Korean Syrup) is my favorite sweetener for matcha lattes! You can also use it in desserts, savory dishes, salad dressings, and other drinks- including cocktails.
Strawberry cheong always reminds me of when I lived in Korea as a young child during peak strawberry season. Everywhere I turned, I saw vendors selling the most vibrant, juicy strawberries I’d ever seen — and I always begged my mom to buy some for me and my sister.
Now I’m reminded of this time in my life almost every day! Strawberry cheong holds a special place in my kitchen, and it’s one of those ingredients I find myself constantly reaching for (even more than my beloved Blueberry Cheong)! I gave up coffee last year and switched to matcha, and this cheong is my go-to sweetener. The strawberry + matcha combo is so delicious!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Easy to make- You only need 3 ingredients to make it, and there is no cooking involved!
- Perfect for matcha lattes- Strawberry and matcha are a perfect pair, with the sweet, fruity flavor of strawberry balancing the earthy bitterness of matcha.
- Versatile- Use it as a sweetener in pretty much anything- one of my favorite unexpected ways to use it is for salad dressings.
What is Cheong?
Cheong (청) is a traditional Korean syrup made by soaking fruits, flowers, herbs, and sometimes vegetables, in sugar. This process allows the natural flavors of the ingredients to infuse into the syrup, creating a rich & sweet base for various dishes and drinks.
Strawberry cheong specifically takes fresh strawberries, letting them mingle with sugar until they release their juices and turn into the most fragrant, tangy-sweet syrup. It’s like summer in a bottle!
This is exactly how plum syrup (maesil) is made, which is an ingredient I use in a lot of my cooking. Plum syrup takes about 3 months (or 100 days to be more traditional), but this strawberry syrup only takes a couple days!
Strawberry Cheong Ingredients:
You only need 3 ingredients to make strawberry cheong!
- Strawberries– this recipe is written for ½ lb of strawberries, but you can adjust this amount to your liking and even use other fruits. The conversion is easy- 1:1 ratio of fruit to sugar.
- Sugar- any sugar is fine. I prefer to use turbinado sugar for cheongs because it has a bit more depth in flavor, and it’s what is traditionally used.
- Baking soda- this is for cleaning the strawberries. Soaking them in water with a little baking soda is great for cleaning them of any dirt and/or pesticides. You can also use vinegar (but not both).
How to Make Strawberry Cheong:
- Soak the strawberries in water mixed with a little baking soda for 10 minutes.
- Dry off the strawberries with clean paper towels.
- Cut the strawberries into whatever shape and size you desire.
- Mix or layer with sugar in a glass jar with an air tight lid.
- Store in the refrigerator.
Recipe Tips
- Use Clean, Dry Strawberries. Wash your strawberries thoroughly and let them dry completely before starting. Any excess moisture can dilute the syrup and increase the risk of mold.
- Chop the Strawberries. Finely chopping or slicing the strawberries ensures they release their juices more efficiently, speeding up the process.
- Layer the Ingredients. For even sugar distribution, alternate layers of strawberries and sugar rather than mixing everything at once.
- Stir Occasionally. Stir with clean utensils once a day during the first couple days to help the sugar dissolve evenly.
- Refrigerate Immediately. Keeping it in the refrigerator will prevent fermentation from happening, which preserves the fresh flavor.
- Strain After 2 Weeks. If you plan to keep the strawberry chunks, make sure you strain and remove them after 2 weeks. This will extend the shelf life of the syrup for up to 6 months if stored properly.
- Pro tip: Save the leftover chunks to make jam! One of my FAVORITE sweet indulgences is toasted milk bread with butter & jam. These leftover strawberry chunks are perfect for that!
Serving Suggestions
There are SO many uses for cheong! Here are just a few examples below:
Drinks
- Matcha Latte – Add a spoonful of syrup (and some strawberry chunks!) to your matcha for a sweet, fruity twist.
- Strawberry Milk – Mix with cold milk for a refreshing, creamy drink.
- Cocktails & Mocktails – Use it as a syrup for drinks like strawberry lemonade, spritzers, or even Coconut Mojitos.
- Iced Tea – Stir into black or green tea for a sweet, berry-infused flavor.
Breakfast & Snacks
- Pancakes & Waffles – Drizzle over Fluffy Blueberry Pancakes or waffles instead of maple syrup.
- Yogurt or Cottage Cheese – Add syrup and strawberry chunks for a delicious topping.
- Toast or Biscuits – Spread the strawberry chunks on toast with butter or cream cheese.
Desserts
- Ice Cream Topping – Pour it over vanilla ice cream or frozen yogurt.
- Strawberry Paletas – Use the syrup to replace the sugar in my water-based Strawberry Paletas recipe.
- Shaved Ice (Bingsu) – Drizzle over Patbingsoo (Korean Shaved Ice) with sweetened condensed milk.
Savory Ideas
- Salad Dressing – Mix with olive oil, vinegar, and herbs for a sweet vinaigrette.
- Glaze for Meats – Use as a glaze for grilled chicken, pork, or even roasted veggies.
It’s incredibly versatile — whether you’re sweetening drinks, elevating desserts, or adding a creative touch to savory dishes.
More Cheong Recipes
If you’re interested in other types of cheong, you must try my Apple-Lemon Cheong recipe! It’s probably my favorite cheong ever. My mom asks me to make her a big batch every couple of months. It’s especially delicious in drinks!
Another easy cheong that is great for matcha lattes, is my Blueberry Cheong recipe. This was my favorite for my daily lattes last year, but right now I’m really on a strawberry kick!
For all the grapefruit lovers- my Grapefruit Honey Cheong recipe is SO good as a sweetener for iced teas! I use it to make my Iced Shaken Honey Ruby Grapefruit Black Tea copycat recipe from Starbucks Asia.
More Syrup Recipes
If you tried this Strawberry Cheong recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below!
Strawberry Cheong (Syrup)
Ingredients
- 1/2 lb fresh strawberries
- 1/2 lb turbinado sugar, or white sugar
- 1 tbsp baking soda, for cleaning the strawberries
Instructions
- Rinse the strawberries and soak them in cold water with baking soda (or vinegar) for 10 minutes to remove any dirt and/or pesticides. Do not remove the green stems yet.
- After soaking, rinse the strawberries under cold water and let them dry completely. You can use paper towels to speed up this process.*It's important that the strawberries are dry, because excess water can increase the risk of mold.
- Remove the stems and cut the strawberries in whatever shape and size you prefer. The smaller they are cut, the faster the cheong will be ready.
- In a clean & air tight glass jar, layer the strawberries and sugar evenly, pushing down to minimize air pockets. You can also just mix the strawberries and sugar together, but I recommend the first way.
- Close the lid, then set in the refrigerator for a couple days, stirring once a day with a clean spoon to distribute the sugar evenly.
- The cheong should be ready to use by day 2. The longer the strawberries sit in the sugar, the more flavor they will extract. Remove the chunks if there are any left, after 2 weeks.
Notes
- Refrigerate immediately to prevent fermentation.
- Strained strawberry cheong can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 6 months in a clean, air tight container. Unstrained, it can last up to 2 weeks. If you still have any strawberry chunks left after 2 weeks, it’s best to strain it to extend the shelf life of the syrup.
- Store in a bottle so you can easily pour it out, instead of needing to use a spoon in a jar.
- Never use dirty utensils when mixing or scooping the cheong if you are storing it in a jar. Licking a spoon and putting it back into the jar will cause it to form bacteria, mold, and it will spoil.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
