Strawberry Compote
Strawberry compote is a versatile sweet-tart sauce made with only 3 ingredients. This delicious topping can be used on everything from ice cream to oatmeal, cake, and beyond.
Looking for more compote recipes? Try my mango compote, cherry compote, or raspberry compote.
What You’ll Love About This Recipe
Ingredients
Here’s what you’ll need to make this delicious strawberry sauce:
- Frozen or fresh strawberries – Both frozen and fresh berries will work. What you choose will depend on whether it’s strawberry season and what’s available to you where you live.
- Maple syrup
- Lemon zest and fresh lemon juice – add brightness, flavor, and tang to round out the sweetness of the strawberries and the sweetener.
- Pinch of salt
How to Make Strawberry Compote: Step By Step
Here are some quick visual instructions. The full instructions and ingredient list will be in the printable recipe card below!
- Bring to a boil. Combine strawberries, maple syrup, lemon zest, lemon juice, and a pinch of salt in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
- Cook until soft. Once boiling, reduce to medium heat and continue to simmer, stirring occasionally until the berries are soft and starting to fall apart.
- Add texture. After about 5 minutes, lightly mash your strawberries with a fork or a potato masher. Cook for another 2-3 minutes.
- Let cool. Remove from the heat and let cool to room temperature before storing.
Helpful Tips
- Cooking time may vary. It’ll be shorter with fresh strawberries and take a couple more minutes with frozen strawberries.
- Balance with acid. The lemon juice isn’t just for flavor. It helps balance the sweetness and brings out the natural strawberry flavor.
- Let it cool. The compote will thicken as it cools.
Quick Tip: Taste your strawberries first! If they’re naturally sweet, you may need less sweetener. If they’re tart, you might want to add a bit more.
Storage
Refrigerator: Store in an airtight container for up to 10 days. The compote will continue to thicken when chilled.
Freezer: Freeze in small portions (silicone ice cube trays work great!) for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator.
Make It Your Way: Substitutions & Variations
Please remember that recipes are just a starting point.
How can you make this easy strawberry compote recipe using what you already have? Here are some ideas…
- No maple syrup? – you can also use coconut sugar, organic cane sugar, brown sugar, or honey.
- Make a mixed berry compote – replace half the strawberries with raspberries, blueberries, or blackberries.
- No lemons? – use lime zest and lime juice instead.
- Make it thicker – for a thicker compote without cooking longer, stir in 1 tablespoon of chia seeds.
- Add-ins – vanilla extract or a sprig of fresh mint or basil to infuse more flavor (remove herbs before mashing).
Serving Ideas
In less than 10 minutes, you’ll have a delicious strawberry compote that you can:
- smother on oat flour crepes
- make a healthier PB&J with it and homemade peanut butter
- drizzle it over brown sugar cinnamon oatmeal, yogurt with maple tahini nut free granola, or your favorite vanilla ice cream
- add a spoonful to matcha chia pudding or a strawberry matcha latte
Frequently Asked Questions
The compote is ready when the strawberries have broken down and the mixture can easily coat the back of a spoon.
Yes. The amount of sugar you add will depend on the sweetness of your strawberry. I suggest using a small amount. It’ll help bring out the natural sweetness of the strawberries for a better-tasting compote.
Although they’re made with similar ingredients, the texture is the main difference. Compote has a syrupy consistency with soft pieces of stewed fruit whereas jam is more cohesive, thick, and spreadable.
More Homemade Compote
I hope you love this Strawberry Compote! If you make this recipe, please leave a comment & a star rating below. Thank you!
Strawberry Compote
Ingredients
- 1.5 pounds fresh or frozen strawberries hulled if using fresh
- 3 tablespoons maple syrup, to taste or sweetener of choice, see notes below
- zest of 1 small lemon
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- pinch of salt
Instructions
- Combine strawberries, maple syrup, lemon zest, lemon juice, and a pinch of salt in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
- Once boiling, reduce to medium heat and continue to simmer, stirring occasionally until the berries are soft and starting to fall apart.
- After about 5 minutes, lightly mash your strawberries with a fork or a potato masher. Cook for another 2-3 minutes if using frozen strawberries.
- Remove from the heat and let cool to room temperature before storing.