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    Home » Recipes » Condiments & Dips

    Simple Berry Compote

    September 19, 2022 • Updated: September 19, 2022 • by Renée B. • This post may contain affiliate links.

    Jump to Recipe   Print Recipe
    Overhead shot of vanilla ice cream in a small dish, with berry compote poured over the top. Pin text reads: Simple Berry Compote.

    This simple berry compote is a rich, sweet, jammy condiment made with fresh or frozen berries. Easy to make, it comes together so quickly it'll be ready before your pancakes are done.

    Overhead shot of vanilla ice cream in a small dish, with berry compote poured over the top.
    Jump to:
    • Why You Will Love this Recipe
    • What Goes into this Recipe
    • How to Make this Recipe
    • FAQs & Expert Tips
    • More Fresh Berry Recipes
    • Simple Berry Compote

    Why You Will Love this Recipe

    Compote is a simple, saucy, whole-fruit marriage of syrup and jam. This sweet, rich condiment can be made with fresh or frozen fruit, has a multitude of uses, and takes just minutes to make.

    This berry compote recipe can be made with whatever berries you have on hand: blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, etc. You can make it all with one kind of berry, like the Marionberry compote on the waffle above, or make a mixed berry compote, as shown in the process photos below.

    One of the things we love most about berry compote is how fast it comes together. This is what I make when we want a little last-minute something to pour on our ice cream or waffles.

    Two stacked plates with a waffle topped with blackberry compote.

    Berry compote isn't just for ice cream and waffles, either. This versatile condiment is delicious over pound cake, ice cream, and so much more!

    What Goes into this Recipe

    Fresh raspberries, blackberries, and strawberries in a glass mixing bowl.

    Raspberries, blackberries, and strawberries ready to go into a triple-berry compote. ↑

    Ingredient Notes & Substitutions

    ★ Berries: Use any combination of fresh or frozen berries that appeals to you.

    Suggestions: Blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, boysenberries, loganberries, Marion berries, etc., of any variety.

    ★ Sugar: The amount of sugar you need to dependent upon how sweet your berries are, and you personal tastes. Start with ¼ cup of sugar, and taste the compote about halfway through the cooking process. (Use a wooden spoon and be careful not to burn your tongue!) Add more sugar to taste.

    ★ Lemon juice: Use fresh lemon juice. Bottled lemon juice may be substituted int his recipe.

    ★ Butter: We tend to use salted butter, but unsalted butter works just as well.

    ★ Salt: If you use salted butter, hold off on adding more until the compote has cooked some. Season to taste at the same time you adjust the sweetness level.

    How to Make this Recipe

    Put berries, sugar, water, and lemon juice in a medium saucepan over medium-low. Stir with a wooden spoon to mix.

    Berries in a saucepan, with sugar added on top.

    Mash the berries as desired with the back of the spoon or with a potato masher. Compote is meant to be chunky, so don't go crazy with the masher.

    We like our compote to be chunky, but not too chunky, so we mash the berries a little in the process. This is totally optional. If you want the berries to maintain their shape more, skip the mashing step.

    Berries in a saucepan, being mashed with a potato masher.

    Bring the mixture to a low simmer over medium-low heat. Once the mixture is simmering, reduce the heat to low-low.

    Continue to barely simmer, stirring frequently, until the berries release their juices: for 8-10 minutes.

    Remove from heat and add the butter, stirring the berry mixture until it has completely melted.

    Cooked compote, with three pats of butter on top.

    Serve warm.

    Refrigerate in an air-tight container for up to two weeks. Serve cold, or reheat to serve on warm foods.

    FAQs & Expert Tips

    Ways to Use Berry Compote

    Compote isn't just for waffles and ice cream! Try it on:

    • Yogurt
    • Pancakes
    • Pound cake
    • Cheesecake
    • Oatmeal
    • Cake
    • Tarts
    • French toast
    • Baked chicken (Try a raspberry chipotle compote. Yum!)
    • Pork chops (Try a blueberry compote!)

    You get the idea. Use compote as you would any other sweet condiment.

    Easy Dipping sauce: Mix spicy BBQ sauce and raspberry compote 50/50, and use it as a dip for jalapeño poppers or chicken strips.

    Make a Fruit Coulis

    A fruit coulis is a thin sauce made from puréed, strained fruits. With just two more steps, you can have a simple berry coulis using this recipe. (Tip: Raspberry coulis is amazing over cheesecake!)

    1. Pure the prepared fruit compote into a blender and blend until smooth.
    2. Pour the puree through a fine-mesh strainer over a medium mixing bowl. Stir the mixture, working it slowly with a rubber spatula, until until all of the thick berry liquid has been extracted. Discard seeds.

    Berry coulis can be refrigerated for up to a week. Freeze for 3-6 months.

    Ice cream and berry compote!
    Marion berry compote over vanilla ice cream.

    More Fresh Berry Recipes

    • Fresh Strawberry Cream Pie
    • Blueberry Banana Muffins
    • Classic Fresh Blueberry Pie
    • Creamy Fresh Strawberry Crêpes

    For more recipes and cozy living tips, subscribe to our newsletter and follow us on Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook for all of the latest updates.

    Overhead shot of vanilla ice cream in a small dish, with berry compote poured over the top.

    Simple Berry Compote

    This rich, sweet, jammy condiment, made with fresh or frozen berries, comes together so quickly it'll be ready before your pancakes are done.
    Print Pin Add to Shopping List Go to Shopping List
    Course: Condiment
    Cuisine: American
    Diet: Gluten Free, Low Lactose, Vegetarian
    Prep Time:3 minutes
    Cook Time:7 minutes
    Total Time:10 minutes
    Servings: 12 servings
    Calories: 60kcal
    Author: Renee
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Equipment

    • 1 medium saucepan
    • 1 Wooden Spoon
    • 1 Potato Masher 

    Ingredients

    US Customary - Metric
    • 1 pound berries fresh or frozen
    • ¼ cup sugar or more, to taste
    • 2 tablespoons water
    • 1 teaspoon lemon juice
    • 1 pinch salt
    • 3 tablespoons butter or coconut oil

    Instructions

    • Put berries, sugar, water, and lemon juice in a medium saucepan over medium-low. Stir with a wooden spoon to mix.
    • Mash the berries as desired with the back of the spoon or with a potato masher. Compote is meant to be chunky, so don't go crazy with the masher.
      We like our compote to be chunky, but not too chunky, so we mash the berries a little in the process. This is totally optional. If you want the berries to maintain their shape more, skip the mashing step.
    • Bring the mixture to a low simmer over medium-low heat. Once the mixture is simmering, reduce the heat to low-low.
      Continue to barely simmer, stirring frequently, until the berries release their juices: for 8-10 minutes.
      Remove from heat and add butter, stirring the berry mixture until the butter has completely melted.
    • Refrigerate in an air-tight container for up to two weeks. Serve cold, or reheat to serve on warm foods.

    Notes

    Berries: Use any combination of fresh or frozen berries that appeals to you.
    Suggestions: Blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, boysenberries, loganberries, Marion berries, etc., of any variety.

    Make a Fruit Coulis

    A fruit coulis is a thin sauce made from puréed, strained fruits. With just two more steps, you can have a simple berry coulis using this recipe. (Tip: Raspberry coulis is amazing over cheesecake!)
    1. Pure the prepared fruit compote into a blender and blend until smooth.
    2. Pour the puree through a fine-mesh strainer over a medium mixing bowl. Stir the mixture, working it slowly with a rubber spatula, until until all of the thick berry liquid has been extracted. Discard seeds.
    Berry coulis can be refrigerated for up to a week. Freeze for 3-6 months.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1serving | Calories: 60kcal | Carbohydrates: 9g | Protein: 0.2g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 8mg | Sodium: 26mg | Potassium: 22mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 105IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 4mg | Iron: 0.1mg
    This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. You are solely responsible for ensuring that any nutritional information provided is accurate, complete, and useful.
    Have you tried this recipe?Mention @TheGoodHeartedWoman or tag #thegoodheartedwoman!

    Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, including Amazon affiliate links, which means we may receive a commission if you click a link and purchase something that we have recommended. Please check out our disclosure policy for more details.

    Originally published June 4, 2015. Post updated with new content, images, and recipe instructions to improve reader experience.

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    About Renée B.

    Renée is writer, music maker, artist, and storyteller. In her spare time, you can find her writing love songs about cowboys, exploring the moss-covered nooks and crannies of the Pacific Northwest, and making music with her talented singer-husband.

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    1. Geoff (Steep Stories) says

      June 06, 2015 at 12:53 am

      MARIONBERRURRRRRRSSSS! (That is all.)

      Reply
    2. Tracy says

      June 05, 2015 at 11:54 am

      I love everything berry! This looks very good. Do you think honey or maple syrup would work as a substitute for sugar? Maybe I'll try it.

      Reply
      • Renée ♥ says

        June 05, 2015 at 12:02 pm

        I'm sure they would, although they will both impart their own flavor into the berries. Also, I'm not sure it would thicken the same way. (It gets almost as thick as jam after being refrigerated.) Please let me know how it turns out!

        Reply
    3. Rachel Lloyd says

      June 04, 2015 at 5:17 pm

      Congrats to you and your daughter! What an accomplishment.

      Reply
    4. Kristi says

      June 04, 2015 at 11:59 am

      Such a great recipe to have on hand for summer. When those berries start to turn, compote them!

      Reply
    5. Meredith {MarthaChartreuse} says

      June 04, 2015 at 10:40 am

      Yum! Love berry season!

      Reply
    6. Erin says

      June 04, 2015 at 10:34 am

      Yes! How I LOVE berries especially when atop a delicious waffle! This makes me love summer. Congrats to your daughter!!

      Reply
    7. Erin @ Platings and Pairings says

      June 04, 2015 at 10:01 am

      YUM - How good does this look?! Perfect for all of those berries that are popping up in the Farmer's Market - Going to make this as soon as I get my hands on some, and don't eat them all....

      Reply
      • Renée ♥ says

        June 04, 2015 at 10:13 am

        Not eating them all first is definitely the hard part!

        Reply

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