Ingredients
Units
- 1 pound mixed berries, fresh or frozen without thawing (I use blackberries, blueberries, and raspberries)
- 3 tablespoons sugar (see Notes if you like it sweeter)
- 3 tablespoons water (see Notes if you want to add lemon juice)
Instructions
- Wash the fresh berries if using and reserve, no need to dry them. Have ready frozen berries if using.
- Put the sugar and water in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Stir until sugar dissolves, and lower the heat.
- Add the mixed berry mix and stir lightly to coat in the syrup.
- Cook on low heat until it comes to a slow simmer stirring a few times until the liquid starts to thicken and the berries soften slightly. You can cook them more or less depending on how soft or not you want the berries. Being small and watery, they do soften quickly.
- Transfer the fruit to a bowl leaving the syrup in the saucepan. Using a skimmer or fine mesh colander for this step makes it very easy.
- Cook the juice a minute or two more so it thickens further and add it to the fruit.Â
- Let the mixture cool down completely and then cover the bowl with plastic wrap or put it in an airtight container or glass jar before refrigerating it. It lasts a couple of weeks in the refrigerator and a month in the freezer.
- Use it cold, at room temperature, or warm, it's really up to you depending on what you serve it with.
Notes
- Amount of sugar:Â it can be adjusted depending on how sweet you want the finished sauce by adding a few extra tablespoons of sugar. But a fruit compote recipe uses less sugar than a jam or thick topping with cornstarch.
- Amount of liquid: if you find that after a stay in the fridge or freezer the liquid in the compote is less than you want, simply add a bit of water at a time until you have the desired consistency. Keep in mind that the sweetness will be diluted a little with each addition. Another way of adding extra liquid is to make a simple syrup with half a cup of water and 2 tablespoons of sugar (cook over medium heat until it boils) and add it to the compote you already made.
- Lemon juice: most compotes use lemon juice as part of the liquid, in addition to the water. I don't use it for this one because I find that the mix of berries creates a great flavor, both sweet and acidic. But you can add 1 tablespoon when adding the berries. You might want an extra tablespoon of sugar also to balance it out.
- Storing: keep the compote refrigerated in an airtight container or a bowl covered tightly with plastic wrap. You can also freeze it for a month (in a safe container) and let it come to room temperature before using it.
- Uses: this simple mixed berry compote recipe is lighter than a regular sauce. And one of those easy recipes that's the perfect topping for breakfast food like waffles, pancakes, porridge or baked oatmeal (my favorite way), chia pudding, french toast, granola and plain yogurt, and also for desserts like vanilla ice cream, pound cake or angel food cake slice with a dollop of whipped cream, or even cheesecake.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 5 minutes
- Category: Sauces
- Method: Cooking
- Cuisine: International
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/6
- Calories: 62
- Sugar: 11.1 g
- Sodium: 0.8 mg
- Fat: 0.4 g
- Carbohydrates: 15.3 g
- Protein: 0.8 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg