This simple and quick homemade strawberry compote is all you need to elevate any dessert (or even breakfast). And who doesn’t love a quick recipe that tastes amazing. It’s great over cakes, cheesecakes, pancakes, waffles, crumpets, toast and so much more.

So much better than store-bought preserves, this homemade compote, also known as strawberry topping or chunky strawberry sauce, has the bonus of knowing exactly what went into it. If you’re lucky enough to come across some fat, plump strawberries at the peak of their season, other than devouring them straight from the punnet, this is a wonderful way to use them.

For an even quicker sauce, try these macerated strawberries or try my smooth strawberry sauce.

This recipe was first published here on August 7th, 2019 and has been updated with more detail.

A spoon taking some strawberry compote out of a glass jar.

Table of contents

Strawberry topping vs strawberry compote

The only difference between strawberry compote and strawberry topping is the name. It’s often called a chunky strawberry sauce too. Each one will have very slight variations, and of course the store-bought variety will have some quite different ingredients, but essentially they are just strawberries stewed with a little fruit juice and a little sugar until thick and syrupy.

Ingredients

Ingredients for strawberry compote on a marble surface.

Jump to the recipe for full ingredients and instructions.

  • Strawberries: You can use fresh strawberries or frozen strawberries but I find fresh, in season, tend to have the best flavour.
  • Sugar: You just need regular white granulated sugar here. I use caster sugar as it’s what I keep in my pantry. You can swap some or all of the sugar for maple syrup too. Use maple syrup or raw sugar if you want this to be vegan.
  • Lemon: A little lemon juice and lemon zest adds wonderful tang to the compote.
  • Balsamic vinegar: Balsamic and strawberries go wonderfully well together. The vinegar in this compote adds a little tang, much like the fresh lemon juice, but also adds depth and has a balancing effect. If you don’t want to use it, just add a little more lemon juice.

I often add 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract to this compote as well. It also adds depth and balance and a lovely flavour.

This recipe will work for most berries and even cherries like the topping on this easy baked cherry cheesecake though.

How to make fruit compote

This recipe uses fresh or frozen strawberries. If using fresh, make sure they’re nice and ripe but either way this is super simple to make.

Jump to the recipe for full ingredients and instructions.

1. Combine the ingredients

Simply place all the ingredients into a heavy-based medium saucepan over medium heat and give them a good mix around.

The ingredients combined in a pan.

2. Simmer

Bring the mixture to a simmer, stirring every so often. As it cooks, the strawberries release their own juices and will begin to cook in those juices. You don’t need a cornstarch slurry to thicken this strawberry topping, just 15 minutes for the sauce to naturally reduce.

The strawberries in a pan in their own juice, simmering.

3. Scoop some strawberries out

After about 15 minutes, the strawberry syrup will have thickened up a fair bit but there will still be quite a lot there. The strawberries will be soft but not falling apart. At this point, you can remove about half of the strawberries while you thicken up the syrup a little more, before adding them back. This step results in a nice thick syrup but also some good chunks of strawberries. If you leave the strawberries in the whole time, you’ll end up with mushier strawberries. Either way is perfectly fine and it’s all down to personal preference.

Some strawberries being removed from the pan with a wire scoop.

Continue cooking that syrup just for a few more minutes until thick. When you drag a spoon through to see the base of the pan, it will cover over again in just 1-2 seconds.

A wooden spatula being dragged through the cooked compote.

How to use compote

This homemade strawberry topping is perfect over cheesecake, ice cream, pancakes, waffles – you name it – see some ideas below:

Crumpets on a small plate topped with strawberry topping.

Substitutions

You can swap the strawberries for mixed berries, blackberries, blueberries, raspberries, cherries – the list goes on. Just note that some berries will break down more than others leaving you with a less chunky sauce.

Best picks if you like a chunky sauce would be strawberries, blueberries and cherries.

You can add spices too like a little pinch of cardamom or cinnamon.

Storage

If you sterilise your jars first, this strawberry compote can keep in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. It’s best to eat it within a week of opening though. You can also store it in an airtight container but it won’t last quite as long as the sterilised jar method.

If you want to store your compote for longer, freeze it in portions so it’s easy to defrost just what you need.

Top down view of a glass jar filled with strawberry compote.

More recipes you’ll love

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Did you try this strawberry compote recipe? Leaving a rating and comment below the recipe is so helpful!

Hungry for more?

A spoon digging into a jar filled with strawberry compote.

Strawberry Compote

Yield: 2 cups
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 18 minutes
0 minutes
Total Time: 23 minutes
4.7 from 17 ratings
Strawberry compote (aka strawberry topping), is sweet, tangy vibrant and delicious. And with just 4 ingredients and 15 minutes it's so easy to make.
Print Rate Pin

Ingredients

  • 4 cups hulled strawberries frozen or fresh, quartered
  • 1 medium lemon zest & juice, see step 1
  • 2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar or more lemon juice
  • ¼ cup white granulated sugar

For best results, always weigh ingredients where a weight is provided

Equipment

Instructions
 

  • Zest the lemon first to get 1 teaspoon of lemon zest (a microplane works best), then juice it to get 2 teaspoons of lemon juice (or 4 teaspoons if not using the vinegar).
  • Place all ingredients in a heavy based saucepan over medium heat. Heat gently, stirring occasionally while it simmers, for around 15 minutes until the strawberries are quite soft and the juice has thickened slightly.
  • At this point, you can scoop out half of the strawberries with a slotted spoon and set them aside while you thicken the syrup for another 3-5 minutes. This is up to your preference and depends on whether you like your compote with chunkier pieces of fruit or with more mushy pieces. It’s ready when you run a spoon through and you can see the bottom of the pan before it covers over again in a 1-2 seconds. Add back the strawberries and stir them through.
  • Allow to cool, then place in an airtight sterilised jar, in the fridge and use within 2 weeks.
  • Please take a moment to leave a comment & rating. It's appreciated and so helpful.

Notes

  1. Tablespoons: I use a standard Australian 20ml tablespoon (equal to 4 teaspoons). Check yours before measuring.
  2. Yield: 2 cups
  3. Homemade strawberry copping will keep in an airtight jar in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
  4. This recipe works with other types of berries too. Some will break down more than others.
  5. Nutrition details are approximate only – scroll below the recipe to find the full nutritional information.
MORE COMPOTE AND SWEET SAUCES!
Calories: 208kcal
Author: Marie Roffey
Course: Condiment, Dessert, Sweets
Cuisine: American, Australian, British, World
Love this recipe?Add Sugar Salt Magic as a preferred Google source.
Nutrition information is approximate only and derived from an online calculator. The brands you use and any changes you make may cause variations.
Nutrition Facts
Strawberry Compote
Amount Per Serving (95 g)
Calories 208 Calories from Fat 9
% Daily Value*
Fat 1g2%
Saturated Fat 0.1g1%
Polyunsaturated Fat 0.5g
Monounsaturated Fat 0.1g
Sodium 5mg0%
Potassium 521mg15%
Carbohydrates 53g18%
Fiber 7g29%
Sugar 41g46%
Protein 3g6%
Vitamin A 46IU1%
Vitamin C 198mg240%
Calcium 62mg6%
Iron 2mg11%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.