Easy Blueberry Compote with Frozen Blueberries

If you love blueberries as much as I do, then you’re going to love this recipe for blueberry compote with frozen blueberries.

You can easily whip up a batch with blueberries straight from the freezer. This means you can enjoy sweet blueberry compote even when fresh blueberries aren’t available.

And who doesn’t love a spoonful of gooey blueberries over a stack of warm pancakes or a scoop of vanilla ice cream?

What is Blueberry Compote?

Blueberry compote is a sweet fruit sauce that has whole blueberries in it. The berries are cooked down in sugar, creating a fruity topping, most commonly served over pancakes or desserts.

Unlike a spreadable jam, blueberry compote is spooned on. In fact, there’s no need to crush the blueberries or add thickeners to the compote.

How to Make Blueberry Compote with Frozen Blueberries

You can make blueberry compote with fresh or frozen blueberries.

The advantage of using frozen blueberries is that they’re always available.

Since they’re frozen at peak freshness, they are also packed with lots of wonderful blueberry flavor and all the nutrients blueberries have to offer.

Ingredients

Making blueberry compote with frozen blueberries is as simple as combining three ingredients plus water: frozen blueberries, sugar and lemon juice.

• blueberries (frozen or fresh)
• sugar
• lemon juice (bottled or fresh)
• water (preferably filtered)

If you’re wondering if you should use bottled lemon juice or freshly squeezed, a case can be made for each.

The flavor in fresh lemon juice is often more pronounced than bottled and adds a level of brightness to the compote.

But it’s the acidity in lemons that causes the pectins in the blueberries to thicken.

According to epicurious, the level of acidity in bottled lemon juice is regulated and therefore consistent from bottle to bottle.

Obviously, it varies between fresh lemons.

If you rarely make compote, then I say, use whichever you have.

However, if you regularly make compote, go with bottled lemon juice.

A bottle lasts a long time in the fridge, and the taste and thickness of your blueberry compote will be more consistent from batch to batch.

Steps to Make

It only takes 10-15 minutes to cook a batch of blueberry compote which means it’s ready to use in no time at all.

1. Rinse frozen blueberries in cold water until it runs clear.
2. Add blueberries and the rest of the ingredients to a small saucepan.
3. Simmer on stove for 10 minutes.
4. Let blueberry compote cool.

Rinsing the frozen blueberries isn’t 100% necessary.

However, it is recommended since it rinses away some of the blue dye that stains teeth. (Your guests will appreciate the few minutes effort!)

Make note, if you’re baking with frozen blueberries, you should always thaw and rinse them first.

When the compote is finished simmering, let it cool for a few minutes to thicken a little more.

Blueberry Compote Uses

Blueberry compote is extremely versatile. The number of ways to use this fruit-filled sauce seems limitless.

Think about it. Blueberry compote is delicious served over breakfast foods like pancakes, waffles, French toast, biscuits or oatmeal.

And a spoonful (or more) of blueberry compote can transform a bowl of ice cream, or a slice of cheesecake, pound cake or angel food cake into a decadent blueberry treat.

It’s even delicious with yogurt and granola.

For a bit more lemon flavor garnish the compote with lemon zest.

If you’re looking for more ways to use frozen blueberries, take a look at this delicious recipe for Blueberry Crisp with Frozen Blueberries. And for a fun dessert dip, top cherry cheesecake dip with blueberry compote instead of cherries.

How to Thicken Blueberry Compote

By no means should blueberry compote be as thick as jam or jelly. But it shouldn’t be too watery either.

This means, there’s no need to add a thickening agent like a cornstarch slurry to the blueberry compote recipe.

Four ways to thicken blueberry compote are:

1. Use lemon juice. The acidity affects the ability of the naturally-occurring pectins in the blueberries to thicken.
2. Use less water. Less liquids makes a thicker compote. If you’re using frozen blueberries, rinse off ice crystals first to better control the amount of water in the recipe.
3. Simmer longer. Cooking the compote low and slower, reduces it further.
4. Let it cool. The compote will continue to thicken as it cools.

Sugar-free Blueberry Compote

If you’re trying to reduce your sugar intake, you can make blueberry compote without cane sugar.

The fruit itself has naturally occurring sugars, but the compote will be free of added sugars.

For a more complex flavor, add in vanilla syrup or a dash of cinnamon.

If you want to use a sweetener besides cane sugar, honey or a preferred artificial sweetener are options.

How long does blueberry compote last?

Blueberry compote is not not a preserve.

In fact, it contains significantly less sugar (which is a preservative) than canned jams or jellies.

Compote is usually made in small batches so it gets eaten right away. If you do have leftovers, they last about five days in the refrigerator.

For safe storage, be sure to put it in a sterilized (boiled) glass container.

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