How to Make Heart-Shaped Strawberries

Making Heart-Shaped Strawberries

Cute cut strawberries! Give your strawberries a heart-shaped appearance that puts even more love into the dishes you make. Whether you top pancakes or waffles with heart-shaped strawberries or put them in a fruit salad—or top a cake with them—there are simple ways that you can liven up the look of this very healthy fruit.

To start, look for strawberries that already have a heart shape. This can make it easier to create the heart shape, naturally. The goal in cutting heart-shaped strawberries is to use the natural shape of the strawberry. If you have others that don't look like hearts, you may want to put them aside for another or place them in a less prominent place on your cake. 

Then wash your strawberries, even if they are labeled as organic. You want to make sure to get rid of any pesticides or other substances on the strawberries. Strawberries are on the Dirty Dozen list, which means that they are often most at risk for pesticides. Because there is no skin to remove, the pesticides will go directly on to the fruit, so you should always be careful to clean these types of skinless fruits and vegetables.  

Removing the Leaves From the Strawberry

To remove the leaves from the strawberry, just grab the berry in one hand and the leaves in the other. Then just pull. If some are left, you can pluck them individually.

Holding a Knife to Hull a Strawberry

To get the base of the stem out, you will want to do what's called hulling the strawberry. When hulling a strawberry hold your knife at a slight angle and cut around the stem base (where you just pulled the strawberries out from).

A Hulled Strawberry

This is how the strawberry should look after hulling it. You should have removed the white part around the stem base, and it will appear to have a hole in it, kind of like a raspberry looks.

Slicing a Heart-Shaped Strawberry

Slice the strawberry straight from the top hole to the bottom. This will create a heart-shaped strawberry.

Strawberry Heart

Here is what your sliced strawberry looks like—a heart.

Finishing Up

Even though a strawberry may look like the perfect shape on the outside, it's hard to determine what the inside will look like. The best thing to do is to set aside the best slices. Use them on top and the others underneath.

Want more heart-shaped strawberry slices? You may be able to cut each half in half the same way so it creates thinner heart-shaped strawberries.

You don't just have to use these super cute strawberries on cakes, they're perfect for any other romantic dessert.