This deep purple-blue easy blueberry compote recipe is simple to make and full of rich, natural flavor. Ripe blueberries and a little monk fruit or sugar keep it lightly sweet, while a splash of blueberry vinegar adds depth and a savory edge-a nod to a classic French sauce called a gastrique. This balance makes it just as good over ice cream and cheesecake as it is with goat cheese or grilled meats. Frozen blueberries make it doable anytime, and you only need three ingredients.
With its sweet-tart flavor and deep purple hue, this blueberry compote is as versatile as it is beautiful. It pairs just as easily with desserts and breakfast favorites as it does with savory dishes, making it a go-to recipe year-round. It's a simple way to enjoy blueberries anytime. If you've ever wondered how to make blueberry compote from scratch, here's how!
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Why You'll Love This Blueberry Compote
- Quick and simple: Ready in about 30 minutes.
- Super versatile: Enjoy with breakfast, desserts, appetizers, or savory mains.
- Blueberries: I make blueberry compote with frozen blueberries but fresh work too.
- Sweetener options: Use sugar or a monk fruit-allulose blend for sugar-free.
What You'll Need
- Blueberries - Frozen blueberries work best for making blueberry compote. They're affordable and available year-round. In summer blueberry season, freeze your own blueberries.
- Sweetener - A monk fruit-allulose blend keeps it sugar-free while still tasting naturally sweet, but of course sugar is fine.
- Vinegar - It might sound unusual, but vinegar adds bright acidity and deepens the flavor. Blueberry balsamic vinegar is what I use (it's delicious).
Please see the recipe card for measurements.
What else to do with blueberry vinegar? Make this rich purple blueberry vinaigrette for summer salads.
Substitutions and Variations
- Vinegar: Blueberry vinegar adds the best flavor, but a good balsamic vinegar works nicely too.
- Using Fresh Blueberries: Fresh blueberries work as well, but they don't release as much moisture as frozen berries, which thaw as they cook down. Start with ¼ cup of water to help them break down, and add more as needed to keep them juicy while they simmer. Just keep an eye on the pan and stir occasionally to prevent sticking.
Love blueberries? How about a chocolate blueberry smoothie for breakfast? Delicious and healthy!
How to Make Blueberry Compote
- Add frozen blueberries to a medium (3 qt) pan over medium-low heat.
- Add a lid to the pan and thaw the berries until juicy, about 15 minutes.
- Remove the lid and cook the blueberries down until thickened, add the sweetener.
- When juice is reduced and berries thickened, add the vinegar. If you get it too thick, add a little water.
Chef's note:
Compote is the classic French term for stewed fruit. It's simply fruit cooked gently with a little sweetener until it becomes a thick, chunky sauce. Unlike jam, a compote isn't meant to be fully set or firm-it stays loose and spoonable, perfect for topping desserts, breakfasts, or savory dishes. Another benefit, it uses a lot less sugar, and in this case, no sugar optionally, thanks to a monk fruit and allulose blend.
Serving Suggestions
One of my favorite ways to enjoy blueberry compote is as a blueberry topping for vanilla panna cotta or ice cream. But it's terrific in many other ways for:
- Breakfast - Use blueberry compote for pancakes (gluten-free), with these golden gluten-free waffles, chia overnight oats, or a Greek yogurt bowl.
- Appetizers - Over baked brie cheese or in place of nectarines with goat cheese crostini (which is what I did in the lead photo).
- Savory dishes - Such as seared pork tenderloin or seared duck breast where the sweet fruit and tangy vinegar balance the richness of the meat.
Leftovers and Storage
Store blueberry compote in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week. You can also freeze it for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator before using. For freezing in small portions, use these Super Cubes trays.
Recipe FAQs
Yes-while blueberry vinegar adds amazing depth, a good balsamic vinegar or red wine vinegar makes a great substitute. The blueberry vinegar is worth seeking out, buy it online, then use it to make blueberry vinaigrettes as well.
You can! If you prefer a smooth, sauce-like consistency, use an immersion blender or regular blender to puree the compote once it cools slightly. You can also make it more like a thick blueberry coulis.
This recipe uses a monk fruit-allulose blend as the sweetener, but you can use regular sugar or honey if preferred. Another option is a monk fruit-based simple syrup. Adjust the sweetness to your taste.
More Berry Recipes
From smoothies to sauces, muffins and desserts, how could we live without berries? Here are a few more berry recipes to try.
Did You Make This Recipe?
If you make this blueberry compote recipe, please add your comment and let me know how you liked it. I appreciate your feedback and enjoy hearing from you. If you loved it, please give it a 5-star rating! They really help other readers.
📖 Recipe
Blueberry Compote Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 pound frozen blueberries
- 1 ½ tablespoons monk fruit/allulose blend or sugar
- 1-2 tablespoons blueberry balsamic vinegar sub balsamic vinegar
Instructions
- Add frozen blueberries to a 3 quart pot or pan. Cover and cook over low heat about 15 minutes until the berries thaw and are juicy. Turn the heat up to medium and without the lid, cook the berries down until they are thickened adding the monk fruit, or sugar about another 10 minutes.
- Add the vinegar and cook until thickened and you can draw a line through the compote in the pan, about 5 minutes. If you over-thicken the compote, add a little water.
- Cool completely and taste. If you want it sweeter or more tangy, adjust with more sweetener or vinegar.
Notes
- At breakfast over oatmeal, yogurt, porridge, waffles, and pancakes.
- As an appetizer over crostini spread with goat cheese and a little compote.
- With dessert such as cheesecake, ice cream, frozen yogurt, and especially panna cotta (my favorite)
- With savory dishes like seared pork tenderloin or seared duck breast, classic combinations.
Nutrition
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Porsche Guy says
Really tasty, kind of surprising with that blueberry vinegar. I got some and thought what the heck it’ll be fun to play with, but it was really good in this compote. Adds kind of a nice tanginess that is hard to put your finger. Nice over my morning oatmeal and I’ll be trying it with other things especially ice cream.