25-Minute Fresh Apple Compote

What is Compote?

Compote is essentially fruit that is cooked in sugar syrup made from water, sugar and spices. The word compôte is French for "stewed fruit."

Fruit compote can be made with different kinds of fruit such as blueberries, strawberries and even raspberries!

Ingredients

This is a pretty straightforward recipe, and I use simple ingredients that let the natural sweetness and nostalgic flavor of the apples shine in every single bite.

• Red sweet apples - I peel the apples since I prefer that for this recipe, but you can leave the skins on for added nutrition if you don't mind them!
• Water (or full-fat coconut milk) - Coconut milk will make it thicker and creamier, and as it cooks down will give it a caramel taste when combined with the maple sugar.
• Lemon - There's nothing like fresh lemon juice!
• Maple sugar - This keeps the recipe refined sugar-free (as opposed to using brown sugar). You can sub coconut sugar as well.
• Vegan butter - Coconut oil also works here!
• Cinnamon - The recipe calls for ¾ teaspoon, but you can bump it up a bit if you love ground cinnamon! If you have apple pie spice on hand a sprinkle of that would also be super tasty in here.
• Arrowroot starch - This will help thicken the sauce at the very end. I love the texture it gives!
• Vanilla - Use pure vanilla extract and high quality if you can!
• Salt

See the recipe card at the bottom of the post for quantities.

How to Make Homemade Apple Compote

Gather your ingredients and you're halfway there! This easy recipe only has a couple steps:

1. Add water (or coconut milk), lemon juice, maple sugar, vegan butter, cinnamon and salt to a large saucepan or skillet and whisk together over medium heat until incorporated (about 5 minutes).
2. Add the apples and cook on low to medium heat for 15 minutes, stirring every couple minutes. Once the apples are fork tender and the water has evaporated, pull them off the heat and sprinkle arrowroot starch and vanilla overtop.
3. Serve immediately while hot or let it cool to room temperature. You can also enjoy it cold!

Store apple compote in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

Recipe Tips

The cook time will depend on the thickness of the diced apples. The smaller the apple pieces, the quicker they will cook. Whether large or small, do your best to dice them into similar size chunks to allow for even cooking. I like dicing them into ½-inch chunks.

Add more liquid if necessary. If your apples aren't soft enough once the liquid evaporates, add a couple of tablespoons of water (or more coconut milk) and allow it to cook a little longer.

Health Benefits of Apples

Full disclosure: I LOVE apples. I honestly cannot get enough! I even wrote an article about the health benefits of apples in The Washington Post years ago.

Apples are full of powerful disease-fighting nutrients and health benefits. They keep you hydrated, they’re low in calories, fat-free, sodium-free, cholesterol-free, and full of fiber and immune-boosting vitamin C.

What are the Best Apples for Sautéing?

I love the combination of sweet red apples with warm spices. Gala, Honeycrisp, Ambrosia and Fuji apples are all perfect varieties to shop for. I often double the recipe and mix in a Granny Smith apple as well. Granny Smith apples add some tartness to balance the sweet and we absolutely love it!

How to Serve Apple Compote

My kids love these vegan cinnamon apples completely plain by the spoonful! I love how many delicious possibilities there are with this sweet dish, though. Make a batch and enjoy it in so many different ways - it's a really versatile recipe!

• Over your favorite vegan yogurt - I love the coconut yogurt from Culina (not sponsored) because it is refined sugar-free (vanilla-flavored is delish with this one)!
• With my Easy Granola Recipe - crumble it overtop for some crunch.
• Stirred into Creamy Vegan Oatmeal for a hearty breakfast.
• With dessert! It is the perfect topping over Vegan Vanilla Ice Cream. Add a dollop of Coconut Whipped Cream too!