Blueberry Compote

Blueberry Compote features frozen blueberries naturally sweetened with maple syrup and cooked down into a gorgeous, glossy sauce that's delicious over waffles, pancakes, oatmeal, yogurt, pound cake, cheesecake, ice cream, and so much more!

Who loves blueberries as much as I do? I mean, a plump, sweet, juicy blueberry is undoubtedly one of the simple pleasures in life. My family enjoys snacking on fresh blueberries, and I always keep a couple bags of frozen blueberries in the freezer for smoothies and muffins. I also enjoy incorporating blueberries into other recipes on a pretty regular basis.

So one morning, while cooking a batch of homemade waffles, I decided that I wanted to top them with something a tad more special than maple syrup. And it should come as no surprise that a quick survey of the fridge and freezer gave me the perfect answer...Blueberry Compote!

This recipe took me back to my childhood days of eating Smucker's fruit syrups on my pancakes and waffles. However, unlike the store-bought stuff, this Blueberry Compote recipe is all-natural and includes the texture of stewed blueberries in addition to a sticky, deep purple, blueberry syrup.

In other words? It's way better than my beloved fruit syrups of yesteryear.

Ingredients

With just a handful of ingredients and under 20 minutes, you'll be well on your way to having a delicious batch of glossy Blueberry Compote!

• Frozen blueberries. I always keep frozen blueberries on hand, so that's what I used to develop this recipe. However, you may certainly use fresh blueberries if you wish! You just might need to shave a few minutes off of the total cooking time.
• Water. Though not pictured above, a bit of water will help the blueberries cook down.
• Maple syrup. I decided to sweeten my Blueberry Compote with all-natural maple syrup in lieu of sugar. But feel free to substitute honey or agave syrup or your favorite sweetener instead. If your berries are particularly sour or sweet, you may increase or decrease the maple syrup accordingly.
• Lemon juice. Adds a bright punch. If you don't have a lemon to freshly squeeze, bottled juice works fine. Just make sure it's pure 100% lemon juice with no added ingredients.
• Cinnamon. A pinch of cinnamon adds depth of flavor, though you may opt to leave it out, if you wish.
• Pure vanilla extract. Be sure to stir it in after removing the pot from the heat so that it doesn't lose its potency.

How to Make Blueberry Compote

(The below photos are intended to be helpful, but please refer to the recipe card at the bottom of this post for FULL DIRECTIONS.)

You won't believe how simple this Blueberry Compote is to throw together!

You basically just cook and stir for awhile until your plump, frozen blueberries turn into a gorgeous, sticky-sweet compote of deliciousness. But just to prove how easy the recipe is, I'll lay it all out for your below... 🙂

1. In a medium saucepan set over medium heat, combine two-thirds of your blueberries with water, maple syrup, and lemon juice.

2. Stir in the cinnamon.

3. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to medium-low, add the remainder of the blueberries, and cook down for 5 to 8 more minutes, stirring frequently.

4. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla.

And that's it! Serve warm or allow to cool before enjoying.

It should also be noted that this Blueberry Compote is not intended to be overly thick. Rather, when it's finished cooking, it's a mixture of stewed berries with a bit of syrup.

Shelf-Life and Storage

Transfer any leftover Blueberry Compote to an airtight container and refrigerate for up to ten days.

This recipe may also be frozen for up to two months. You can transfer the compote to a freezer-thickness plastic baggie and freeze flat, then thaw the bag in the fridge overnight. It can be rewarmed in a small pot before serving, stirring frequently, if you wish.

Or if you'd like to freeze smaller portions to thaw individually as needed, spoon the compote into a silicone muffin pan or ice cube tray and freeze until solid. Then pop out the "cubes," store them in a baggie or tub in the freezer, and thaw your desired amount as needed.

Ways to Enjoy Blueberry Compote

As for how to enjoy your stewed blueberry goodness? Let me count the ways!

• If you're skilled at multi-tasking, you could certainly whip up a batch of Blueberry Compote while simultaneously manning the waffle iron.
• But if we're talking breakfast, this treat would also be fabulous over pancakes, French toast, or crepes, or stirred into warm oatmeal or overnight oats.
• Or (for the dessert-minded amongst you), use it to top pound cake, cheesecake, ice cream, or even pudding!

However, see below for perhaps my favorite way to enjoy this Blueberry Compote recipe... 🙂

Flavoring Yogurt

In the same way that I ingested mass quantities of fruit syrup as a child, I also have fond memories of a refrigerator bearing copious amounts of fruit-on-the-bottom yogurt.

For those of you who aren't familiar with it (or aren't skilled at deciphering complex context clues), fruit-on-the-bottom yogurt involves individual servings of plain yogurt with -- wait for it! -- fruit on the bottom! You simply mix the (questionably gelatinous) fruit into your plain yogurt for fruit-infused yogurt. I don't particularly understand why this would be considered appealing (can't you just buy fruity yogurt pre-mixed?), but clearly my mother thought it was, because I have vivid memories of regularly eating it in the 80s.

ANYWAY. If you like the idea of flavoring your yogurt with as much or as little fruit as you like, this Blueberry Compote is the right recipe for the job! And as a bonus, just look how pretty it is swirled into the yogurt...

So there you have it: a simple, scrumptious Blueberry Compote recipe with multiple applications, from breakfast to dessert!

What more can you ask of the humble blueberry than that? 😉

Recipes for Using Blueberry Compote

• Whole Wheat Pancake Mix
• Overnight Oats
• Lemon Pound Cake
• Dairy-Free Coconut Waffles

Post originally published on April 14, 2015, and updated on June 27, 2021, and April 11, 2022.