20-Minute Strawberry Compote (Naturally Sweetened)

What is Compote?

Compôte is a French word that translates to "stewed fruit." In a nutshell, it is fruit that is cooked in water, sugar and spices to create a sugary syrup. Compote can be made using a single fruit (i.e., strawberries, raspberries, blueberries) or by combining multiple fruit pieces together for more of a medley.

Fruit compotes are like fruit jams - the main difference being that compotes are more of a chunky fruit sauce, oftentimes with whole pieces of fruit. Compotes are therefore used more as dessert toppings whereas jams are generally more spreadable.

Why You'll Love this Homemade Strawberry Compote

• Insanely delicious with fresh strawberry flavor
• Simple wholesome ingredients
• Quick and easy recipe - ready in 20 minutes
• Gourmet topping to elevate desserts, smoothies or breakfast
• Naturally vegan and refined sugar-free

Ingredients

The beauty of strawberry compote is that you really only need strawberries, maple syrup and a little salt. It's that simple.

However, for best results I highly recommend creating a slurry by mixing water and tapioca starch (for more thickness) and adding lemon juice and vanilla for more flavor.

• Strawberries: You can use either fresh or frozen strawberries as both options work perfectly. I prefer using fresh strawberries during strawberry season when they're at peak flavor. To hull a strawberry (remove the stem), use a paring knife to cut around the stem or stick a straw up from the bottom all the way through to the top.
• Maple syrup: This cooks down completely. I only use 3 tablespoons because the strawberries are naturally sweet already. Feel free to adjust based on your preferred level of sweetness.
• Tapioca starch + water: Whisking these together creates a thickening agent that distributes evenly across the entire dish (as opposed to having clumps of tapioca starch in certain spots). You can substitute arrowroot starch or cornstarch if desired.
• Fresh lemon juice: This enhances the natural tartness of the berries. Feel free to use fresh-squeezed orange juice instead if desired.
• Vanilla extract: This enhances the natural sweetness of the berries.
• Fine salt: This is the secret ingredient! A little salt brings out the flavors of the strawberries, the sweetness of the maple syrup and the tartness of the lemon juice. Don't skip!

How to Make Strawberry Compote

1. Add chopped strawberries to a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add maple syrup and stir.

2. In a separate small bowl, whisk together the tapioca starch with the water to create a slurry.

3. Add the slurry to the saucepan along with the lemon juice, vanilla and salt. Stir well to combine.

4. Cook the strawberries over medium heat for 15 minutes, stirring every couple minutes to prevent sticking (I use a non-stick, non-toxic saucepan). The berries will start to break down, releasing their juices as they cook which will evaporate. The flavor will concentrate during this time as the liquid reduces.  

5. During the last 5 minutes, use a potato masher to mash up the berries to your desired consistency. I like to mash the majority of the compote but leave some chunks of strawberries. 

6. Serve immediately while hot or allow it to cool to room temperature (it will thicken as it cools).

Recipe Tips

Chop the strawberries into even sizes for more even cooking. You can chop finely for more of a purée or you can quarter them for more chunkiness. I typically chop them into ½-inch chunks and mash all but a few towards the end to leave a couple chunks. This gives it a smoother texture with the slightest chunky consistency. It's all a matter of personal preference!

The compote will thicken as it cools. If you plan to refrigerate the compote for later use, know that the natural pectin in the strawberries will thicken it. Therefore, it may not be necessary to use the slurry - but if you don't it will initially be more liquidy and saucy off the stove. I love a thicker compote and definitely recommend the slurry!

Add chia seeds for a thicker sauce (and to provide a nutritional boost). This is definitely not typical of traditional compote but it works really well! Allow the compote to sit in the fridge for a couple hours if adding to allow for the chia seeds to congeal.

Serving Suggestions

There is no shortage of ideas for this homemade strawberry sauce! It makes for a delicious topping for breakfast, snacks and dessert.

• Breakfast: Enjoy over pancakes, waffles or French toast. I love it over my oatmeal bake, quinoa breakfast bowls or oatmeal.
• Snacktime: Spoon it over yogurt or chia seed pudding, or add a lit bit overtop scones or muffins. You can even stir it into smoothies!
• Dessert: My favorite way to enjoy it! Add it to a bowl of vegan vanilla ice cream, use overtop no-bake vegan cheesecake or feature it in this vegan strawberry shortcake.

Storage

Once it cools, store the compote an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

It can also be frozen for up to 3 months. For freezing, leave 1 inch of room at the top of the jar to allow for expansion.

More Sweet Strawberry Treats

Still have more strawberries from the grocery store or farmer's market? Try any of these delicious recipes:

• 2-Ingredient Strawberry Sorbet
• Vegan Strawberry Yogurt Parfaits (and swap the raspberry chia jam for this compote as another great way to use it!)
• Homemade Dye-Free Strawberry Snow Cones
• 4-Ingredient Strawberry Blackberry Smoothie