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Strawberry compote is jammy but not quite jam; saucy, but with a little more substance. It’s also an easy way to give ice cream, yogurt, and oatmeal an instant upgrade and transform them into something special!
I love making homemade strawberry compote because it’s a little less intense than making strawberry jam—and definitely less intense than canning strawberry jam.
This recipe is also a lot lower in sugar than your typical jam, which means that natural strawberry flavor—and just a little bit of tartness—really shines through.
Important Ingredient Notes
A complete ingredient list is in the recipe card below, but here are a few highlights:
- Strawberries – Farmstead, u-pick, or homegrown strawberries are always going to be a better choice than the gigantor grocery store berries that crunch when you bite into them. (Friends, berries should never crunch.) That said! You can use grocery store berries too. If they’re lacking in natural sweetness, bump up the sugar a bit or macerate the strawberries ahead of time.
- Lemon juice and zest – The lemon zest contains aromatic oil that gives this strawberry compote some lemony flavor, while the acid from the juice brightens things up.
- Vanilla extract – You could leave this out if you like, but I think vanilla has a nice way of rounding out the flavor of this compote.
How to Store
Storing leftovers: Once it has fully cooled, store leftover strawberry compote in an airtight container or jar in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Freezing leftovers: Allow the compote to fully cool before transferring to freezer-safe containers. I love using the 1/2 or 1-cup Souper Cube trays. Once frozen, I remove them from the trays and transfer them to freezer-safe bags.
My Favorite Ways to Use Strawberry Compote
Pro Tips/Recipe Notes
- If, during the simmering time, the mixture seems a little dry, add 1 tablespoon of water at a time to keep your strawberry compote from burning.
- You can infuse your compote with herbs for a different spin on this recipe. Bundle fresh (or frozen) mint, basil, or thyme sprigs in cheesecloth and simmer with the compote; remove them and discard before serving.
- Compote should have some substance to it rather than being smooth. That said, you can use the back of a wooden spoon or a potato masher to mash the fruit a bit to give your compote your desired consistency.
More Strawberry Recipes You’ll Love
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Slice strawberries in half.
4 cups strawberries, halved
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In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, add all ingredients. Stir to combine.
2 tbsp white sugar, 1 tbsp brown sugar, 1/4 cup water, 1 tsp lemon juice, 1 tsp vanilla extract, 2 tsp lemon zest
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Bring mixture to a boil over medium-high for 1 minute, stirring constantly.
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Reduce temperature to medium and allow the mixture to simmer until softened (~20-25 minutes), stirring often so that it doesn’t burn.
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Add additional water 1 tbsp at a time as needed to prevent mixture from burning.
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Cool and serve.
- If, during the simmering time, the mixture seems a little dry, add 1 tablespoon of water at a time to keep your strawberry compote from burning.
- Makes 2 cups.
Serving: 0.5cupCalories: 85kcalCarbohydrates: 21gProtein: 1gFat: 0.5gSaturated Fat: 0.02gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.2gMonounsaturated Fat: 0.1gSodium: 3mgPotassium: 230mgFiber: 3gSugar: 16gVitamin A: 19IUVitamin C: 86mgCalcium: 32mgIron: 1mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
