This easy strawberry compote recipe brings out the sweet fragrant flavour of strawberries, even those berries that aren’t at their best. Enjoy it for breakfast or dessert; on waffles or cheesecake, or freeze for using later on.
Jump to:
- Why we love this recipe
- Ingredient notes and substitutions
- How to make this simple strawberry compote
- FAQ
- My recipe tips
- This is a useful recipe to make with marked down strawberries or fruit that needs using up. I love to make this and freeze them and then we can enjoy strawberries out of season.
- Serving Ideas
- Make ahead/storage
- Why not try…
- Strawberry Compote
Why we love this recipe
- This fruit compote is made with just 5 ingredients and takes minutes to make.
- It’s a delicious recipe for over ripe strawberries, or strawberries with little flavour or pale and underripe.
- If you have strawberries in the fridge looking past their best, make them in to this compote and then store in the fridge or freeze for later so avoid throwing them away and reduce food waste (and save you money!)
- It is so versatile – this compote can be served with yogurt and muesli or on pancakes or waffles for breakfast, or spooned over ice cream for dessert.
- It is a reduced sugar compote – this recipe uses less sugar than many other strawberry compote recipes. For a completely sugar free compote recipe, check out this easy berry compote.
- It makes the kitchen smell amazing!
Ingredient notes and substitutions
- Strawberries – fresh strawberries or frozen strawberries – no need to defrost them first.
- Sugar – white sugar / granulated sugar.
- Lemon juice – brings out the flavour from the strawberries. You can use fresh orange juice instead.
- Water – because I don’t add much sugar to the compote, this helps to keep the compote from tasting too sour from the lemon juice.
- Vanilla – I love the extra flavour vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract adds to the cooked strawberries, but you can leave the vanilla out if you prefer.
How to make this simple strawberry compote
- Prepare the strawberries: Hull the strawberries (chop the green tops off). Chop large strawberries into quarters and smaller strawberries in half.
- Add the chopped strawberries to a medium sized saucepan and add the sugar, lemon juice, water and the vanilla.
- Place on a low heat and stir until the sugar has dissolved.
- Once the sugar has dissolved, turn the heat up slightly and simmer for 5 – 6 minutes until the berries are tender.
- Leave to cool completely either in the saucepan or pour in to a heatproof bowl.
FAQ
Is strawberry compote the same as jam?
No, in strawberry compote the fruit is left in larger pieces. In jam the fruit is chopped or crushed and broken down. Compote is less easy to spread than jam.
What is the difference between a compote and a coulis?
A coulis is smooth, whereas a compote still has chunks of fruit in it.
My recipe tips
- Don’t cook the compote on too high a heat, at first you need a low heat to dissolve the sugar, otherwise the finished compote can be grainy. If you leave the compote to boil it can burn.
- If you don’t want to use lemon juice you can leave out the water too – it is quite sharp with lemon juice and no water.
- This coulis can be on the tart side, especially if made with underripe strawberries (which does especially well on ice cream and cheesecake!). If you find it too sharp add another 1-2 tablespoons of sugar to sweeten it.
- If using frozen strawberries, no need to defrost them first. Don’t add the water to the compote, as frozen fruit can make it more watery. If the compote is looking too thick once the fruit has defrosted, then add a little water.
- If the strawberries are very ripe and a little mushy, they will probably need less cooking time – around 3-4 minutes.
This is a useful recipe to make with marked down strawberries or fruit that needs using up. I love to make this and freeze them and then we can enjoy strawberries out of season.
Serving Ideas
- On cheesecake – I love to serve it with this Basque cheesecake especially (you will see it on the photos!) or it also adds a lovely tart contrast against the sweetness in this Biscoff cheesecake.
- Over ice cream or meringues for dessert.
- For a healthy breakfast with granola, muesli and yogurt, or on porridge.
- If you have a slightly dry cake, you can make it into a delicious dessert: spoon some of this compote over and leave for 10-15 minutes to soak in, then serve, either on its own or with cream or ice cream.
Make ahead/storage
- Fridge: The compote will keep in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- Freezer: It freezes well! Cool completely then place in a container with a lid or plastic bad and freeze for up to 2 months.
Why not try…
You may also like these other family friendly recipes with fruit:
Strawberry Compote
Author: Robyn
This easy strawberry compote recipe brings out the sweet fragrant flavour of strawberries, even those berries that aren't at their best. Enjoy it for breakfast or dessert, on waffles or cheesecake, or freeze for using later on.
Equipment
- 1 medium saucepan
Ingredients
- 500g (17 ½ oz) strawberries, cut into halves or quarters
- 2 tablespoons caster sugar
- ½ tablespoon water
- ½ tablespoon lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
Instructions
- Prepare the strawberries: Hull the strawberries / chop the top off the berries, and chop larger strawberries into quarters and smaller ones in to halves.
- Combine the chopped strawberries with caster sugar, water, lemon juice and vanilla in a medium saucepan and heat on a low heat, stirring until the sugar has dissolved.
- Once the sugar has dissolved, turn up the heat to medium and simmer gently for 5-6 minutes until the strawberries are tender and the liquid has reduced slightly and is syrupy.
- Cool completely – either in the pan or tip in to a heatproof bowl.
- Once cold, store in the fridge covered, for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 2 months.
Video
Notes
Strawberries – fresh strawberries or frozen strawberries – no need to defrost them first.
Sugar – white sugar / granulated sugar.
Lemon juice – brings out the flavour from the strawberries. You can use fresh orange juice instead.
Water – because I don’t add much sugar to the compote, this helps to keep the compote from tasting too sour from the lemon juice.
Vanilla – I love the extra flavour vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract adds to the cooked strawberries, but you can leave the vanilla out if you prefer.
Don’t cook the compote on too high a heat, at first you need a low heat to dissolve the sugar, otherwise the finished compote can be grainy. If you leave the compote to boil it can burn.
If you don’t want to use lemon juice you can leave out the water too – it can be quite sharp with lemon juice and no water.
This coulis can be on the tart side, especially if made with underripe strawberries (which does especially well on ice cream and cheesecake!). Carefully taste the coulis – it will be very hot and can burn your mouth – if you find it too sharp add another 1-2 tablespoons of sugar to sweeten it.
If using frozen strawberries, no need to defrost them first. Don’t add the water to the compote, as frozen fruit can make it more watery. If the compote is looking too thick once the fruit has defrosted, then add a little water.
If the strawberries are very ripe and a little mushy, they will probably need less cooking time – around 3-4 minutes.
Nutrition
Calories: 65kcalCarbohydrates: 16gProtein: 1gFat: 0.4gSaturated Fat: 0.02gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.2gMonounsaturated Fat: 0.1gSodium: 1mgPotassium: 194mgFiber: 3gSugar: 12gVitamin A: 15IUVitamin C: 74mgCalcium: 20mgIron: 1mg
HAVE YOU MADE THIS RECIPE?
I’d love to see your creation!
Tag me! #atmrsjoneskitchen
Tag me! @atmrsjoneskitchen
Or just leave a comment below!
Let me know your thoughts!