Cherry Compote
Cherry Compote is sweet, syrupy and one of the best fresh cherry recipes! It comes together in about 15 minutes and it's the perfect topping for cheesecake, yogurt, ice cream and more!
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 126kcal
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 lb. fresh cherries about 2 heaping cups; sub with frozen
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar sub with your favorite sweetener; see note 2
- 2 tablespoons water see note 3
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice sub with orange juice
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch combined with 1 teaspoon water; see note 4
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Remove the stems from the cherries and pit using a cherry pitter. Use one bowl for the pits, and place the cherries in a small to medium sized sauce pan. If you don't have a cherry pitter, cut around all sides of the pit with a paring knife.1 lb. fresh cherries
- Add the sugar, water and lemon juice to the pan with the cherries and stir well to combine. Cook over medium heat until the mixture comes to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium low and simmer until the cherries have softened and the liquid thickens, about 10 minutes. If you prefer a thicker sauce, combine the cornstarch with 1 teaspoon of water and stir to combine, then slowly add it to the compote as it cooks, stirring the entire time until the liquid comes to the desired consistency.1/4 cup granulated sugar, 2 tablespoons water, 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla extract. Cool and room temperature and store in the refrigerator. Enjoy!1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Notes
- Pro tip: Pit the cherries in advance with this handy cherry pitter, or use frozen cherries as a time saver!
- If your cherries are really sweet, try scaling the sweetener down to 2 tablespoons total. Taste while it cooks and add more as needed.
- Water is optional as the cherries will release their juices as they cook down. That said, adding water is beneficial to adjusting the consistency of the compote, and also helps prevent the compote from burning.
- Using cornstarch (or another thickener such as tapioca starch) is optional depending on how thick you'd like your sauce. It's really a personal preference!
- Store cherry compote in the refrigerator for up to weeks or freeze for up to 3 months.
Nutrition
Serving: 0.25cup | Calories: 126kcal | Carbohydrates: 32g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 0.3g | Saturated Fat: 0.05g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.1g | Sodium: 1mg | Potassium: 261mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 27g | Vitamin A: 73IU | Vitamin C: 11mg | Calcium: 16mg | Iron: 0.4mg