Quick Raspberry Compote
This easy raspberry compote recipe is made with fresh or frozen raspberries. It’s a homemade raspberry sauce, perfect to swirl into yogurt, add on top of a cheesecake, ice cream, or dollop on pancakes.
A fruit compote is a term for a chunky fruit sauce. It’s made traditionally without added thickeners and has much less sugar than jam. Cook it until the excess liquid evaporates, and the sauce thickens naturally.
The compote has raspberry seeds in it too. If you want a smoother sauce, you could make a coulis instead. Coulis is a smooth sauce and is essentially a seedless compote. It’s made from pureed or strained fruit. You can push the sauce through a fine mesh sieve to remove the seeds. Here’s my raspberry coulis recipe.
If you make a big batch of this delicious compote, you can freeze it for future recipes too!
Ingredients
The simple ingredients for this homemade raspberry compote recipe are so simple. The ingredient quantities are written in the recipe card below, but here is a rundown.
- Frozen or fresh raspberries
- Granulated white sugar or use maple syrup or honey for a natural sweetener. Adjust the amount of sugar depending on your tastes.
- Fresh lemon juice
- Pinch of salt
The best raspberries to use are ripe raspberries when they are the most flavorful. I usually use frozen berries in this tasty raspberry compote! Frozen raspberries are usually frozen at their peak ripeness and sweetness, so, they will be extra sweet and tasty. And, you can make it in the middle of winter!
Method
Here’s how to make this raspberry compote.
Combine the raspberries, lemon juice, and a pinch of salt in a medium saucepan over low-medium heat.
Cook over low-medium heat while the juices of the raspberries start to release. Stir at regular intervals as they come to a simmer.
Once simmering, cook the raspberries for around 10 minutes, stirring regularly with a wooden spoon until the sauce has thickened. Run your finger along the back of a spoon dipped in the compote; it should leave a line. Frozen raspberries will take a little longer as they have extra moisture.
Remove the raspberry mixture from the heat. It will thicken more as it cools.
Let it cool down to room temperature, pour it into a clean glass jar, and store it in the refrigerator until needed.
Storing
Cooled raspberry compote will store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Alternatively, it can be frozen for up to 3 months or canned for long-term storage. You can freeze it in small batches, in ice cube molds or small containers for single servings.
Extra thick raspberry sauce
There is no cornstarch in this easy recipe. The compote thickens more as it cools but stays a pourable sauce consistency. You can stir through a cornstarch slurry if you want a thicker sauce for a cake filling. This can help when using it to fill very soft cake layers (like the sponge in this lemon curd cake) so the raspberry filling doesn’t seep.
A cornstarch slurry is a mixture of cornstarch mixed with cold water. Mixing it with cold water stops the cornstarch from becoming lumpy. Mix well ½ tablespoon cornstarch with 2 tablespoons of cold water.
Add this to the raspberries, sugar, lemon juice, and salt. Stir and cook over low heat while the juices of the raspberries start to release. Turn the heat up to medium-low and bring the mixture to a boil. Let it boil for around 4-5 minutes, stirring regularly until glossy and thick.
Additions and variations
Fruit compote can be made with all sorts of fruits and flavors
- Try blueberry compote or strawberry compote
- Add in a little lemon zest for extra flavor, or vanilla extract
- Use lime juice or orange juice instead of lemon
- Use a different sweetener like honey or pure maple syrup.
Uses for Raspberry Compote
This versatile and delicious topping can be used in many dishes.
- Dollop it into yogurt or over overnight oats.
- Spoon it on vanilla ice cream
- Use it as a cake filling (like this raspberry mascarpone cake) and sandwich it between vanilla or chocolate cake layers.
- It’s the perfect topping for no bake raspberry cheesecake bars or angel food cake
- Add to a smoothie
- Eat it with french toast or on sweet cream pancakes or waffles.
- Perfect to Swirl into a chocolate mousse
FAQS
Jam is cooked longer, with more sugar, and often with pectin. It results in a thicker, smoother consistency suitable for spreading. Compote is chunkier, cooked for a shorter time.
Absolutely! Frozen raspberries work very well for making compote.
Yes, you can reduce the sugar in a raspberry compote, but remember that sugar helps balance the tartness of the raspberries.
Definitely! You can also add vanilla extract, fresh ginger, orange zest, mint, basil, or a splash of liqueur.
It’s not strictly essential, but lemon juice is there to balance the sweetness of the compote and brighten the raspberry flavor.
Yes, compote can be made with a variety of fruits. You can mix raspberries with other berries like strawberries, blackberries, and blueberries, or even fruits like peaches or rhubarb. Just keep in mind cooking times may vary depending on the fruit used.
Raspberry Compote
This raspberry compote recipe is made with fresh or frozen raspberries. Swirl into a chocolate mousse or yogurt, add on top of a cheesecake, ice cream, or dollop on pancakes.
Ingredients
- 370g (3 cups) raspberries, fresh or frozen
- 65g (1/3 cup) granulated sugar
- ½ Tablespoon lemon juice
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Combine the raspberries, sugar, lemon juice, and a pinch of salt in a medium saucepan over low-medium heat.
- Cook over low-medium heat while the juices of the raspberries start to release. Stir at regular intervals as they come to a simmer.
- Once simmering, cook the raspberries for around 10-15 minutes, stirring regularly with a wooden spoon until the sauce has thickened.
- Run your finger along the back of a spoon dipped in the compote, it should leave a line. Frozen raspberries will take a little longer as they have extra moisture.
- Remove the raspberry mixture from the heat. It will thicken more as it cools.
- Let it cool down to room temperature, pour it into a clean glass jar, and store it in the refrigerator until needed.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 10 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 58Total Fat: 0gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 26mgCarbohydrates: 14gFiber: 2gSugar: 12gProtein: 0g
This is an informational estimate only. I am not a certified Dietitian or Nutritionist
