Once you see how it easy it is to make strawberry compote and all the uses for it, it may just be a new staple in your refrigerator. This strawberry compote recipe comes together in less than 20 minutes with minimal ingredients of fresh strawberries, your sweetener of choice, a bit of water, and lemon zest and juice to add a bit of zing at the end.
Jump to Recipe
If this is your first time making a compote recipe, you'll be pleasantly surprised how easy it is to make and how tasty it will turn out. Berry compote recipes are a great addition to any breakfast or brunch to use as a topping over parfaits and pancakes or to spread on toast as a jam replacement.
Strawberry season is one of my favorite times of the year. Being such a versatile fruit, there are so many ways to enjoy strawberries in recipes. If you're looking for additional recipes to use up your bounty of strawberries, try a recipe or two below!
- Strawberry Peach Smoothies
- Strawberry Cucumber Mojitos
- Frozen Strawberry Daiquiris
- Strawberry Cream Cheese Danishes
Jump to:
What is a Fruit Compote?
Compôte is French for mixture. A fruit compote is simply fruit that has been cooked in syrup for preservation, creating a chunky fruit sauce. A compote can be made of fresh or frozen fruit, a sweetener and water on the stove top. Additional spices can easily be added to enhance the flavor.
What is the difference between Compote and Jam?
The difference between a compote and jam is the fruit in jam is well blended, creating a smoother texture that is easy to spread on foods. The fruit in a compote is lightly mashed rather than blended, allowing the fruits to remain whole to create a textured fruity sauce.
Equipment Needed
Basic kitchen equipment is used to make a berry compote. All that is needed is a medium sauce pan, a knife for cutting the strawberries, small bowls and a measuring cup to portion out the ingredients, and a small grater for zesting the lemon.
Strawberry Compote Ingredients
- Fresh Strawberries: For best results, fresh strawberries are ideal in this recipe. However, frozen strawberries can be used when in a pinch. Just note, frozen strawberries will release more liquid than fresh strawberries and may take a longer to cook.
- Sweetener: In this recipe, I am using coconut sugar since I have it on hand. Use whatever type of sugar you desire. You can even use maple syrup or honey.
- Water: A splash of water will be used to help cook down the strawberries and create the sauce.
- Lemon Zest and Lemon Juice: The lemon elements add a bit of acidity to the compote to help balance the flavors properly.
See recipe card for quantities.
Note: Some compote recipes call for a cornstarch slurry to thicken the sauce. I found the slurry wasn't needed. If your sauce is too thin, feel free to add a cornstarch slurry (1 tablespoon cornstarch with 2 tablespoons cold water) as thickening agent. Keep in mind, the sauce will thicken as it cools and is not supposed to be as thick as jam. Compotes are supposed to be more of a sauce that is spooned over foods and used as a topping.
How to Make Strawberry Compote
- Gather all the ingredients and equipment needed.
- Rinse and dry the strawberries. Cut the strawberries into thick slices and discard the leaves as pictured.
- Place the berries, water and sugar into a saucepan. Grate the lemon zest from half a lemon over the other ingredients. Cut the lemon in half and add juice from half a lemon. Stir to combine.
- Cook over medium heat for 5 to 10 minutes until the berries are soft. Stir occasionally to ensure all the ingredients are melding together.
- Taste the compote to see if the sweetness level is to your liking. Add additional sugar if needed.
- Remove the compote from the stove burner. Lightly mash the strawberries with a wooden spoon or potato masher.
- Allow the compote to cool for 10 minutes. It will thicken as it cools.
- Transfer the compote to a clean jar with a lid. Store in the refrigerator for up to two weeks and enjoy as needed.
How to Use Strawberry Compote
Now to the good part! What can strawberry compote be used for?
- Spoon the compote over pancakes, french toast and even vanilla ice cream.
- Use it in parfaits, such as this strawberry shortcake parfait recipe.
- Spread it over toast, scones and biscuits.
- Use it as filling for pies, hand pies and crêpes.
- Mix it with cottage cheese or yogurt.
How to Store Strawberry Compote
Keep the strawberry compote in a clean glass container with a lid for up to two weeks.
You can freeze the compote in freezer safe bags or containers if you don't plan to use it within the next few weeks.
Strawberry Compote Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cups strawberries thickly sliced
- ¼ cup sugar or your sweetener of choice
- ¼ cup water
- lemon juice and zest from half a lemon
Instructions
- Rinse and dry the strawberries. Cut the strawberries into thick slices and discard the leaves as pictured.
- Place the berries, water and sugar into a saucepan. Grate the lemon zest from half a lemon over the other ingredients. Cut the lemon in half and add juice from half a lemon. Stir to combine.
- Cook over medium heat for 5 to 10 minutes until the berries are soft. Stir occasionally to ensure all the ingredients are melding together.
- Taste the compote to see if the sweetness level is to your liking. Add additional sugar if needed.
- Remove the compote from the stove burner. Lightly mash the strawberries with a wooden spoon or potato masher.
- Allow the compote to cool for 10 minutes. It will thicken as it cools.
- Transfer the compote to a clean jar with a lid. Store in the refrigerator for up to two weeks and enjoy as needed.
Notes
Did you enjoy this strawberry compote recipe? Your feedback in the comments takes just a minute to contribute and helps other brunchers find their next favorite recipe! Thank you for your time in trying out a new recipe and sharing your thoughts. For more recipes, visit the Brunch Recipes tab.
Tag your dish on Instagram @thebookishbruncher so I can be sure to see what you’ve cooked up!
Leave a Reply