This quick and easy Blueberry Compote with a hint of lemon is the perfect topping to stir into yogurt, drizzle on top of pancakes, or spoon onto ice cream. All you need are a few ingredients and less than 15 minutes to make this delicious blueberry sauce.
Blueberries seem to be available year-round where I live, but as always, they taste the best during peak season around summertime. You can enjoy them fresh or baked into scones, coffee cake, and pies. But they are even more delicious when cooked up into this easy blueberry compote recipe.
Table of Contents
Why you’ll love this recipe
- It’s incredibly easy – all you need to do is throw all of the ingredients in a large pot, bring it to a boil, and allow it to thicken and simmer on the stovetop.
- You have full control over the thickness – you can make your recipe for blueberry compote thicker and chunkier, or turn it into more of a blueberry sauce that you can pour over French toast instead of maple syrup.
- Use fresh or frozen berries – both will work. Now, I’m of the mind that fresh is always best, but also understand that you may not have fresh blueberries where you live. In that case, lean on frozen options.
- So delicious – this compote is sweet but not overly so, tart, refreshing, and of course full of concentrated blueberry flavor. It pairs well with a variety of different meals, from blueberry compote for pancakes and yogurt to ice cream and even some savory dishes. It’s so tasty with brie cheese and crackers too.
Tools you’ll need
You really don’t need anything special to make blueberry compote! But it’s important to check that you have the following on hand before getting started.
- A large strainer to wash and drain and berries.
- A medium saucepan to cook the compote.
Ingredients and Substitutions
As always, you’ll find the complete list of ingredients and quantities in the recipe card at the end of this post. Below are some notes and substitution tips:
- Fresh Blueberries – The main ingredient of this recipe, but frozen berries will work just as well.
- Lemon Zest – I like adding this to brighten the overall flavor of my blueberry compote.
- Lemon Juice – Also added for that bright flavor. It has natural pectin too, which will help thicken your compote.
- Sugar – I typically don’t use a lot of sugar to sweeten fruit compote — about 2 tablespoons per pound of fresh fruit is usually enough. But, since lemon juice adds a lot of tartness, I increased the amount of sugar in this recipe. I’ll increase it even more if the blueberries are off-season and not very sweet. Just a few things to keep in mind as you learn how to make blueberry compote yourself. You can use granulated sugar, brown sugar or any sugar substitute you choose in this recipe. We use maple syrup when making this blueberry compote for the little ones.
- Salt – Just a pinch is needed to enhance the flavor.
How to Make Blueberry Compote
The following instructions, step-by-step photos, and tips are here to help you visualize how to make the recipe. You can always skip straight to the printable recipe card at the end of this post.
- Add all the ingredients to a saucepan.
- Cook over medium heat for about 10 minutes until the fruit is softened and the mixture thickens slightly. The compote will continue to thicken as it cools.
More baker’s tips
- If you’re using frozen berries in this recipe for blueberry compote, the cooking time may need to be longer. Frozen varieties release more water and will take longer to reduce and thicken.
- It’s very important not to overcook the berries. Overcooked blueberries will become mushy and lose their bright color. Your goal should be a slightly softened texture with a few of the berries remaining whole. Your cooking time will depend on the amount of blueberries you use, and your specific stovetop!
- You can adjust the sweetness to your taste as you go. As mentioned, I use more sugar than usual in my blueberry compote recipe, but your tastes may be different than mine. Start with a smaller amount and taste as you go. And remember: you can always add more.
- For extra flavor or flavor variations, you can add some cinnamon to the compote or stir in vanilla extract at the end.
Storage
Store your cooled compote in an airtight container (I recommend something glass as the blueberries can stain plastic!) in the fridge. It will keep for up to 14 days.
You can also freeze this blueberry compote recipe for longer storage. When stored correctly in a freezer-safe, airtight container, it will last for up to 3 months. Let it thaw in the fridge overnight before using to get the best flavor and texture.
FAQs
Blueberries and lemon juice contain natural pectin, which helps things gel together in this recipe for blueberry compote. It also thickens naturally after it’s been reduced. You can control the thickness of the compote during the cooking process.
For a thicker and chunkier blueberry compote, almost like a pie filling texture, remove the fruit after about two thirds of the cooking time and allow the liquid to reduce by half. When you add the berries back in, take it off the heat and it will thicken up further as it cools.
For a thinner, pourable blueberry sauce, cook the entire mixture for the entire amount of time without removing the berries. As you cook, the juice will reduce but the fruit will also release more juice and keep the mixture thinner.
As mentioned, you can store your homemade compote in a clean jar in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.
Don’t forget that you can also make a larger batch and freeze it. I usually divide the sauce into smaller portions using ice cube trays and freeze solid. This way, I only need to defrost as much as I’m going to use.
No. This recipe uses a very small amount of sugar and is not made for canning.
What to do with blueberry compote
- Use blueberry compote for pancakes, waffles, or French toast
- Add it on top of oatmeal or granola with yogurt
- Drizzle over ice cream
- Top a cheesecake, pound cake, or angel food cake
- Incorporate it into a smoothie or milkshake
More fruit compotes and sauces
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📖 Recipe card
Blueberry Compote
Ingredients
- 1 lb fresh blueberry (454 g)
- Zest of 1 lemon
- 2 tablespoon lemon juice (from about 1 lemon)
- 3 – 4 tablespoon granulated sugar (34 g to 45 g)
- A pinch of kosher salt
Instructions
- Wash and dry the blueberries.
- Add blueberries, sugar, salt, lemon zest and lemon juice in a medium sauce pan and cook over medium heat for 5 to 6 minutes until blueberries are wilted and soft.
To get thick compote
- Remove blueberries with a slotted spoon and cook the liquid for 2 – 3 more minutes until reduced in half and thickened.
- Add blueberries back into the pot and stir to combined.
- Remove from heat and transfer to a jar. As the compote cool, it will thicken almost to pie filling consistency.
To get pourable compote
- Continue cooking without removing the blueberries for the next 2 – 3 minutes, reduce the heat slightly so the mixture doesn’t boil over.
- Remove from heat and transfer to a jar. As the compote cool, it will continue to thicken but will still be slightly thinner and pourable.
Video
Notes
- Frozen blueberries can be used instead of fresh blueberries.
- Increase cooking time if using frozen berries since they will release extra liquid.
- Adjust the amount of sugar to your taste if the lemon juice is too tart or the berries are not sweet enough.
- This recipe yields about 1 cup of thick compote or 1 ½ cup of the thinner one.
Nutrition
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I used brown sugar instead of white, but otherwise followed the recipe. I also used frozen instead of fresh. Turned out fine, terrific on French toast and cheesecake. Good recipe!
I love this compote! It’s my go-to. I use it on vanilla ice cream. Delicious! Thank you for sharing.
Thank you Tina!
Omg Great recipe but even better was the “jump to recipe” button haha
I can’t wait to make this Blueberry Compote recipe to top off Instant Pot Cheesecake #17.
Also, will the Blueberry Compote work well in a coffee cake? Thanks so much!
You can serve the compote with coffee cake but I’ve never use it in the batter, it may add too much liquid unless you reduce it and make it more jammy.
I made Instant Pot Cheesecake #17 and I can’t wait to try your Blueberry Compote tomorrow afternoon!
Awesome 👏❤️. So quick and easy to make . Just the light sweetness. Thank You 🙏
Delicious & easy!
Hi, may I know the weight yield of this recipe? Also, is it possible to replace the blueberries with raspberries?
Hi Lavender, sorry I did not measure the weight yield, never really thought to do so. You can replace raspberries but they won’t hold their shape after cooking since raspberries are a lot more fragile.
wonderful recipe, thank you
Love this recipe. So delicious. The lemon gives the perfect tang and it’s wonderful with pancakes.
So easy and delicious! I put it on some cottage cheese for a healthy snack that tastes indulgent.
Oh I do love fruit with cottage cheese, great choice for serving!
Easy to make and excellent on pancakes! Thanks!
Thanks for sharing the compote recipe. Used blueberries with my daughter’s nee waffle iron.. Was super.
Thank you for trying! Sounds amazing with waffles 🙂
Can I use frozen blueberries?
Yes, you can!
This recipe is good but i cut the lemon juice ammnt.
In half. Other than that love it its so simple and tasty
( summer in a jar )
I’m glad you enjoyed it!
Love this recipe! Second time I’ve made it! So very easy and it tastes wonderful. My family loves it!!
Thanks Pam! Have you tried the other compote recipes on the site? They’re just as easy 🙂
Tasted delicious on top of Italian cheesecake, excellent recipe!
Thank you so much for your feedback!
I wanted to k ow if this could be used to top a cheesecake,thanks for posting how well it works as a cheesecake topping
perfect treat in this warm weather