Yay, for strawberry season! It’s the perfect time to eat as many strawberries as you can and to make your favorite vegan strawberry desserts. I always loved this special season back in Germany because my mom, my sister, and I spent hours picking fresh organic strawberries at the nearby farmer. We ended up going home with buckets full of strawberries and therefore, tried out lots of different strawberry recipes. Of course, we made strawberry jam which tasted amazing, and we also baked many cakes like this Strawberry Crumb Cake.
What Is Strawberry Compote?
It’s a thickened fruit sauce or “stew” made from strawberries, a sweetener, and a few other ingredients which are cooked for some minutes on the stove. It is not as sweet as strawberry jam because it contains a lot less sugar. Therefore, it keeps in the refrigerator for just about 10 days (we always finish it within a few days though). I prefer using fresh strawberries but you can also use frozen strawberries. If using frozen berries, I would recommend cooking the compote a bit longer (or skipping the water) because frozen berries release more liquid. I love how versatile it is, as it complements almost all desserts like Cheesecakes, Brownies, etc. or breakfast treats like Waffles! The possibilities are endless! All ingredients including measurements and nutrition facts (calories, etc.) are listed in the printable recipe card below.
How To Thicken It?
Even though strawberries contain some natural pectin, I still like adding a tiny bit of cornstarch which helps to thicken the strawberry compote and make it more “jelly-like”. But you can leave it out if you increase the cooking time or reduce the amount of water. I will mention some cornstarch substitutes below under “Tips & Substitutes”.
How To Make This Recipe?
This recipe has only 3 simple steps and 5 minutes of prep time. STEP 1: Wash, hull, and chop the strawberries. You can quarter them or chop them into smaller pieces. STEP 2: Add all ingredients to a pan or saucepan and stir to combine until the cornstarch dissolves and no lumps remain. Then turn on the heat and bring the mixture to a simmer. Let it simmer over low to medium heat for about 6-8 minutes, stirring occasionally. STEP 3: Let the compote cool completely (it will thicken more) and transfer to clean (sterilized) glass jars.
If you prefer a strawberry sauce (perfect to drizzle over a Vegan Cheesecake), then simply use an immersion blender or regular blender and blend until the sauce reaches the desired consistency. My favorite combination is to drizzle the strawberry sauce over pancakes with peanut butter like these 3-Ingredient Oat Flour Pancakes:
Tips & Substitutes
How to store? Store the strawberry compote in the fridge for up to 10 days. It’s also possible to freeze it! Sweetener: Any granulated or liquid sweetener is fine. I used maple syrup which is refined sugar-free but you can also use other sweeteners like agave syrup, brown rice syrup, date syrup, regular sugar, or keto-friendly sweeteners like Erythritol. Water: Feel free to use orange juice instead of water but I would recommend skipping the lemon juice if using orange juice. Lemon juice: It’s totally fine to use lime juice. If you have organic lemons or limes, I recommend also adding a little of the zest (e.g. 1/2 tsp) to enhance the flavor of the compote! Cornstarch: You can use arrowroot flour, tapioca flour/starch, or potato starch instead of cornstarch. Vanilla: I like adding a little vanilla extract (about 1/2 teaspoon) for flavor but that’s totally optional. Canning: Due to the low amount of sugar, this compote is not appropriate for canning. Variation: Add other berries of choice, for example, blueberries, blackberries, currants, or raspberries to make a delicious fruit compote! Serving ideas: I linked a couple of recipes above. The compote/sauce is not only great as a drizzle over desserts/breakfast treats like Vegan Crepes or Banana Bread. It also makes a great filling for Sweet Dumplings (German Dampfnudel)! Or why not layer your Chia Pudding with a little compote/sauce. Spoon it over ice cream, stir it into yogurt or use it as a low-calorie toast spread. It’s so yummy!
Should you give this tasty strawberry compote a try, please leave a comment below, and don’t forget to tag me in your Instagram or Facebook post with @elavegan and #elavegan because I love to see your remakes!
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