Strawberry Compote

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Make your own homemade strawberry compote from four simple ingredients in less than 15 minutes. Use this delicious strawberry sauce to in or on top of ice cream, pancakes, waffles, yogurt, cheesecakes, pies, or anything that pairs well with fruit. If strawberries aren’t in season, use frozen, or change it up and use any berries you love!

This Strawberry Compote Recipe is the best way to use up mushy strawberries

A good strawberry topping recipe is great to have in your back pocket. Not only is it a great way to use strawberries that may be past their munching prime, but also for those times you need a simple way to turn a dessert, breakfast, or snack into something a little more interesting.

The first time I made this deliciously thick strawberry compote was in summer 2020 when I took our boys strawberry picking at a local orchard.

We had so many strawberries, and while we live in a house full of strawberry monsters, even the 4 of us couldn’t keep up with how quickly they were deteriorating and losing their luster.

Rather than waste them, I chopped them up, mixed a few ingredients in a saucepan, and we had simple strawberry compote for several days longer than we’d have been able to enjoy the fresh strawberries from our haul.

You can also describe compote as a textured, chunky fruit sauce.

WHAT CONSTITUTES A COMPOTE?

Compote is a type of preserves made with fresh or frozen fruit that has been cooked in a sugar syrup just until the fruit pieces start to break down. It is not typically jarred for future use like other preserves are.

COULIS VS COMPOTE

A coulis is more like a thick and smooth sauce whereas a compote is a chunky consistency.

As mentioned, compote is a chunky fruit sauce. While it’s totally acceptable to put it on a sandwich or toast, the chunks of fruit make it quite difficult to spread.

Jam, on the other hand, involves more mashed and broken up pieces of fruit, which you can get by cooking it longer and at a higher temperature than you would compote.

A compote should also not be confused with a chutney, which is much like a compote but cooked with spices. See my homemade spiced cranberry sauce for one deeeeeelish chutney recipe!

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Of course, you’ll need strawberries. I use one whole pound of them to make just shy of two cups of compote.

While I do prefer using fresh strawberries, you can absolutely make strawberry compote with frozen strawberries.

You’ll also need some water to get the mixture boiling, sugar to sweeten the berries up a bit, some lemon juice to help keep the mixture from browning and also help the pectin relax to allow it to set, and cornstarch to thicken the mixture so it’s nice a gooey.

If you’re using frozen strawberries, you may not have to slice them into pieces, since they’re usually on the smaller size. When strawberries are in season, they can be pretty large, so use your best judgement on how to slice them.

I slice most of my larger strawberries into quarters but some need cut into eighths. Smaller ones may only need to be halved.

If you’re using other berries (like blackberries or blueberries), there may be no need to prepare them.

Place all of the ingredients in a saucepan together, then bring to a boil.

Once boiling, turn the mixture down to just a simmer, then allow it to cook while stirring occasionally for about 10-12 minutes.

You’ll know the compote is done when the liquid has thickened and can make a thick coating on the back of a spoon.

Your strawberry pieces will also be starting to fall apart a bit. Some of the larger pieces may be intact, and that’s when I just like to smash them with my spatula.

If you want to use it in ice cream, yogurt, on cheesecake, or other cold dessert, it’s best to let it chill in the refrigerator.

SHOULD COMPOTE BE SERVED WARM OR COLD?

You can serve this strawberry compote warm or cold, depending on what you’re using it for. Ideally, the compote would be served at the same temperature of the food you are putting it on or serving it with.

The good news is, you can make this easy strawberry compote recipe and keep it in the fridge for a few weeks in case you find yourself needing to use strawberries but don’t have an immediate use for them.

I will say, though, that once you get a taste of this strawberry sauce, you’ll want to top all the breakfast and brunch foods and desserts with strawberry compote. It probably won’t last long!

Storing Strawberry Compote

HOW LONG DOES STRAWBERRY COMPOTE LAST IN THE FRIDGE?

This strawberry compote should last in the refrigerator for about 2 weeks. It can also be frozen.

Again, consider changing up the fruit in your compote or make a frozen fruit compote full of anything you can find in your grocery store or home freezer if you’re feeling the desire for something fruity.