Jump to Recipe

Homemade Strawberry Compote is perfectly sweet, subtly tart, and SO incredibly delicious! This easy recipe for strawberry sauce is ready in less than 15 minutes and is the best topping for yogurt, ice cream, pancakes, and so much more. Whip this up to add a flavorful touch to any treat!

strawberry compote in a small glass jar this recipe

Strawberry season is here and I couldn’t be more happy about it! Strawberries are one of my favorite fruits and they really are so much better through the spring and summer. We try to pick or buy as much as we can when the time is right and this easy strawberry compote is one of the best ways we’re enjoying them!

Save This Recipe Form

Get This Recipe In Your Inbox

Share your email, and we'll send it straight to your inbox. Plus, enjoy weekly doses of recipe inspiration as a bonus!

Ready in less than 15 minutes, this recipe is great to whip up for breakfast or an easy dessert! I highly recommend keeping some prepared in the fridge to enjoy at a moment’s notice.

As an added plus, this strawberry sauce works wonderfully with frozen strawberries too, so you can easily satisfy your strawberry cravings through the winter!

using a spoon to serve strawberry compote

Strawberry compote ingredients:

This strawberry sauce is so easy and tastes wonderful on a variety of treats. Here’s what you need to make it:

  • Strawberries. The star of the show! Fresh, ripe, sweet, and juicy strawberries are readily available in the spring and summer. However, this recipe totally works with frozen berries too!
  • Sugar. Start with about 1/3 cup of sugar and then taste the sauce. If you like your compote sweeter, you can always add more sugar.
  • Lemon zest and lemon juice. Both are optional ingredients, so if you don’t have them available, no worries. However, they do add a brightness to the flavor that’s really delicious.

How to make strawberry compote:

This recipe could not be easier! There’s not much to it other than stirring several simple ingredients together over the stovetop.

  1. Combine & simmer ingredients. In a pot over medium heat, combine ingredients and bring them to a very gentle simmer.
  2. Cook. Stir frequently as the berries cook and break down a bit and they turn into a thick sauce. You can lightly mash the strawberries, if you don’t like the sauce as chunky. 
  3. Serve and enjoy. You can serve warm or let the sauce cool and store in an airtight container in the fridge for a couple of weeks. Enjoy!

Can you use frozen strawberries for compote?

Frozen strawberries totally work in this recipe, and you’ll want to make this compote all through the winter when fresh strawberries aren’t that tasty.

Thaw the frozen strawberries in a large bowl at room temperature. There will be some excess liquid in the bowl and you can add that to the pot with the strawberries. You’ll never guess that the compote isn’t made with fresh berries!

Ways to serve this strawberry sauce:

Strawberry compote is the perfect component or finishing touch for a number of foods. Here are some of our favorite ways to serve it:

strawberry compote in a jar near fresh strawberries

Variations and tips:

  • Use another berry, like blueberries to make this sauce or use a mix of berries.
  • Instead of lemon juice, use orange juice to make the compote.
  • Make the compote as thick and chunky as you like. You can lightly mash the strawberries, if you want them to be more broken down.
  • You can use this recipe to make a strawberry purée. Once the strawberries have cooked and cooled a bit, you can blend them to get a thinner puréed sauce.

How long does strawberry compote last?

Once completely cool, store compote in an airtight container in the fridge. It will keep well for a couple of weeks. You can also store the compote in the freezer for 6 months.

strawberry sauce in a small glass jar

More delicious strawberry recipes to try:

As usual, please let me know if you end up making this recipe and how you like it. You can come back here to leave a comment or snap a photo and tag me on Instagram @foodwithfeeling! I always love to see what y’all are making from the blog!

strawberry compote in a small glass jar

Strawberry Compote

Homemade strawberry compote is the perfect topping for yogurt, ice cream, pancakes and more. It’s easy to make and ready in less than 15 minutes!
5 from 1 vote
Print Pin Rate
Course: sauce
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes
Servings: 1 1/2 cups
Calories:
Author: Brita Britnell

Ingredients

  • 20 ounces of hulled strawberries fresh or frozen
  • ⅓ cup of sugar plus more to taste
  • 1 teaspoon of lemon zest optional*
  • 1 tablespoon of lemon juice optional

Instructions

  • Place all of the ingredients in a pot over medium heat and bring to a very gentle simmer.
  • Cook for about 8 minutes, stirring frequently until the berries break down a bit and the sauce thickens. I like mine quite thick and chunky but you can lightly mash the strawberries a bit if you want them to be more broken down. Add more sugar as desired and continue to cook long enough for the sugar to dissolve and mix in with the berries (usually about a minute).
  • Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a couple of weeks. You can also store the compote in the freezer for 6 months.

Notes

*If using frozen strawberries, place them in a large bowl and let them thaw completely at room temperature. There will be some excess liquid in the bowl and you can add that to the pot with the strawberries.
*As desired, you can swap the lemon juice for orange juice.
*Once the strawberries have cooked and cooled a bit, you can blend them to get a strawberry puree. Compote is traditionally chunky but you can easily turn it into puree as desired.

Nutrition

Serving: 6(1/4 cup servings)