Turn strawberries into this luscious and easy Strawberry Compote. Only 4 ingredients are needed! So yum on ice cream, waffles & pancakes
Just like a strawberry sundae
Making compote at home, is it all too hard and shall we just leave it to experienced chefs? Absolutely not, I made this mistake thinking this, and I missed out! All those times when I ate my desserts with maple syrup, I could’ve had it with this gorgeous strawberry compote!
When I first made my first batch of strawberry compote, I didn’t expect it to turn out as delicious as it did. As my strawberry syrup thickened in the pot, I stuck my finger in it. Seriously, I never think before I do that. It’s like I have a ‘brain fart’ and forget that my fingers feel pain. Before I come to that realisation, I’ve already scalded myself. I just can’t help it! Whenever I’m cooking something new, curiosity and excitement take over me.
I love this compote because it’s not sickeningly sweet. The tartness from the strawberries and lemons balances the compote beautifully. It’s an amazing feeling seeing the strawberry soften and the sauce turn syrupy with a gorgeous shade of red.
I’ve served my strawberry compote with waffles, pancakes and plain yogurt but my absolute favourite way to eat it is with ice cream. Gosh thinking about this is making me crave a bowl so bad! We place a few generous scoops of good quality vanilla ice cream and place a few spoonfuls of the hot strawberry compote all over it. This melts the ice cream a little and makes it tastes just like McDonald’s strawberry sundae but better! Because it’s homemade and we know exactly what’s in it.
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Paying for nonseasonal fruits
It’s winter over here, so strawberries aren’t in season. This means a punnet of strawberries can cost us up to $7 (USD 5). That’s insane, I just can’t cough up that kind of money for strawberries! So imagine how excited I felt when I saw 2 punnets of strawberries on sale, two for the price of one. Being the sucker that I am, I always get drawn in!
When I got home, I roughly tore one punnet open as I have no time for peeling off stickers! Off-topic, but I hate it when I buy something and I can’t peel the sticker or label off. It’s like they’ve super glue it on just to get on my nerves! I’d attempt to peel it off once but if the sticker rips, I’ll leave it because I’ll be over it at that stage. First world problems, yes, I know! Anyway, I wanted to say that when I tasted the strawberries; they were so freaking tart. Extremely sour, with no trace of sweetness.
Has this happened to you? Have you bought berries that tasted amazing only to be disappointed that they lacked flavour, or were terribly sour that you couldn’t eat them?
I’ve experienced this so many times. So what am I supposed to do with these berries? Prior to knowing how to make fruit compote, I used to freeze the berries to blend in smoothies. That’s annoying because I paid more money for delicious fresh berries! I feel a little better knowing that I can turn these berries into a mouthwatering dessert.
That’s right, even the tartest or imperfect strawberries will shine in this compote. The sourness of the fruit is welcoming as it breaks down the sweetness from the sugar and makes the compote beautifully balanced.
Ingredients for Easy Strawberry Compote
Strawberries – I’ve always used fresh strawberries, but frozen ones will work too. Frozen strawberries contain more water so they may take longer to cook. It may also need a little more sugar to help the compote thicken, add the sugar near the end of the cooking time if needed. I haven’t tested out this recipe with other berries as yet but I’m sure it’ll work.
Vanilla paste – This compote only has 4 ingredients, so I splurged a little and used vanilla paste for extra flavour. Vanilla extract will work too, just substitute with the same amount needed.
Watch how to make Easy Strawberry Compote
Written step-by-step guide with photos
Wash the strawberries, remove the stems and slice them in half or if the strawberries are large slice them into 3 or 4 pieces.
In a medium-sized saucepan place in the strawberries, sugar, vanilla and lemon juice. Place the pan over low heat stirring occasionally for 20 minutes. The strawberries will slowly release their juices and the sauce should thicken. At the end of cooking time, if the sauce hasn’t thickened to the consistency of syrup, increase the heat to medium, stirring regularly until it thickens.
Leftovers – Allow the compote to cool completely at room temperature. Transfer the compote into a sealed container and refrigerate, it’ll be good for a week. Frozen compote will keep for up to 3 months.
Looking for some recipes to eat with this compote? why not make my fun Giant Pancake With Lemon or for something a little healthier Banana Oat Pancakes.
A Third-Party Application calculated the calories and nutritional information, so this is an approximate guide only.
Cooking measurements are in Australian standard spoon and cup measurements.
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Cheers (I’ll drink to that) – Cat Tre
Easy Strawberry Compote
Ingredients
- 500 gm strawberries (halved) (NOTE 1)
- ½ cup sugar (may need more)
- 1 tbsp lemon juice (fresh)
- 1 tbsp vanilla paste (NOTE 2)
Instructions
- Wash the strawberries, remove the stems and slice them in half or if the strawberries are large slice them into 3 or 4 pieces.
- In a medium-sized saucepan place the strawberries, sugar, vanilla and lemon juice. Place the pan over low heat stirring occasionally for 20 minutes. The strawberries will slowly release their juices and the sauce should thicken. At the end of cooking time, if the sauce hasn't thickened to the consistency of syrup, increase the heat to medium, stirring regularly until it thickens.
