Blueberry Compote

This easy blueberry compote is sweet, jammy, and bursting with bright berry flavor. It's a perfect topping for pancakes, waffles, yogurt, and more.

Blueberry compote

I have a super simple recipe for you today: a 5-ingredient, 20-minute blueberry compote. It’s one of my favorite recipes to make when I have a surplus of fresh berries (or a big bag of frozen berries) on hand. It tastes so good that you could eat it with a spoon, but it’s really meant to be used as a topping. Drizzle it over pancakes, oatmeal, or a scoop of vanilla ice cream for a delicious pop of bright berry flavor.

Blueberry compote recipe ingredients

Blueberry Compote Recipe Ingredients

Here’s what you’ll need to make this easy blueberry compote recipe:

  • Blueberries, of course! Fresh or frozen blueberries work great here. To give the compote plenty of texture, I add half at the beginning of the cooking process and half partway through.
  • Maple syrup – For sweetness.
  • Vanilla extract – For warm depth of flavor.
  • Fresh lemon juice – I absolutely LOVE blueberry + lemon together. The lemon’s tang perfectly complements the berries’ sweetness.
  • And water – To help the berries and maple cook down without burning.

So simple!

Find the complete recipe with measurements below.

Blueberry sauce in small saucepan with spoon

Blueberry Compote Serving Suggestions

When you pull this blueberry compote off the stove, you’re going to want to dig in right away (at least I always do!). But if you can, I recommend waiting a few minutes before you serve it. The compote becomes thicker and jammier as it cools, which I think makes it all the more delicious. Once it thickens to your liking, serve it over…

Leftover compote will keep well in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. It also freezes well. Tip: I like to make a big batch and freeze it in ice cube trays. That way, I can thaw individual portions for a bowl of oatmeal or a stack of pancakes down the road.

How do you like to use blueberry compote? Let me know in the comments!

Blueberry compote recipe

More Favorite Blueberry Recipes

If you love this blueberry compote, try one of these yummy blueberry recipes next:

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Blueberry Compote

rate this recipe:
5 from 65 votes
Prep Time: 2 minutes
Cook Time: 18 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes
Serves 4
This easy blueberry compote is a delicious topping for pancakes, waffles, yogurt, ice cream, and more! I like to use fresh blueberries when they're in season, but frozen ones work well here too.

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Combine 1 cup of the blueberries, the maple syrup, water, lemon juice, and vanilla in a small saucepan. Simmer over medium heat for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  • Add the remaining 1 cup blueberries and cook for 8 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat. The mixture will become thick and jammy as it cools.

62 comments

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Rate this recipe (after making it)




  1. Katie
    07.26.2023

    5 stars
    Beautiful results! I feel like a home cook turned chef making a homemade compote! Can this same recipe be used for raspberries as well?

  2. Kathy @ Merriment Design
    07.18.2023

    5 stars
    I made this to go along with pork tenderloin and it tastes amazing! I’d recommend keeping an eye on it while it’s cooking; I had my heat up a bit too high at first so mine looks less liquid-ish than yours but still tastes great. I left out the vanilla to go with the pork but will add it for pancakes. Thanks for an easy recipe!

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      07.19.2023

      I’m so glad you loved it!

  3. Nicole M
    07.07.2023

    Should you preheat the saucepan?

    • Phoebe Moore (L&L Recipe Developer)
      07.07.2023

      Hi Nicole, it’s not necessary to preheat the pan for this recipe. Hope you enjoy!

  4. Patty Wenman
    06.30.2023

    5 stars
    I grow my own blueberries in my home garden. This compote is delicious just adding the maple syrup adds sweetness but not overdoing it. I will use this as my go to recipe . I plan to use it over bread pudding. Thanks for sharing great recipe!!

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      07.03.2023

      Hi Patty, I’m so glad you enjoyed it!

  5. Cory S.
    06.22.2023

    Do you think lime juice would be okay? Trying to use up things I already have

    • Phoebe Moore (L&L Recipe Developer)
      06.23.2023

      Hi Cory, Yes! I think lime juice would be great here.

  6. Lara
    04.20.2023

    5 stars
    Absolute delicious!!

    • Phoebe Moore (L&L Recipe Developer)
      04.21.2023

      So glad you loved it!

  7. oliver
    04.16.2023

    5 stars
    my god this is fantastic. i added lemon zest and some bourbon aged maple syrup i had on hand and woah, the flavor was incredible. scraped the pot clean. will def be making and freezing more of this goodness

    • Phoebe Moore (L&L Recipe Developer)
      04.20.2023

      I’m so glad you loved the compote! I bet the lemon zest was delicious 🙂

  8. Jess
    01.23.2023

    Hello! Can this be made ahead and stored in the fridge?

    • Phoebe Moore (L&L Recipe Developer)
      01.26.2023

      Yes! It keeps well for up to 5 days.

  9. Phillip Minyard
    11.21.2022

    Should the blueberries be added whole or crushed?

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      11.22.2022

      Hi Phillip, you can add them whole, they’ll burst as they cook.

  10. Rachel
    08.10.2022

    I loved this! I was looking for a syrup recipe, and I converted this one by crushing the cooked blueberries and then running it all through a sieve. I needed it to set up a little more than it was doing, so I added a little ClearGel to it (my problem, not this recipe’s). I used the syrup in a coffee cake I put into the county fair — and it won! Absolutely perfect.

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      08.12.2022

      I’m so glad you enjoyed it!

    • Jilli
      08.17.2022

      That is absolutely awesome! Congratulations!

  11. Deborah
    08.07.2022

    5 stars
    Thank you for sharing this awesome blueberry compote. It is not too sweet which my husband just loves we had it with angel food cake and whipped cream! I will definitely make this for my go to blueberry sauce to top everything! It’s so nice not to have to add a thickener. Thank you again I love it! I will do the same with cranberry sauce for a seasonal change!

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      08.10.2022

      Hi Deborah, I’m so glad you loved it as much as we do!

  12. Deborah
    08.07.2022

    5 stars
    Thank you for sharing this awesome blueberry composite. It is not too sweet which my husband just loves we had it with angel food cake and whipped cream! I will definitely make this for my go to blueberry sauce to top everything! It’s so nice not to have to add a thickener. Thank you again I love it! I will do the same with cranberry sauce for a seasonal change!

  13. Judy
    07.19.2022

    5 stars
    I’m so happy to have found this recipe to put my frozen blueberries to good use. Absolutely delicious! Easy, too!

  14. Lynn
    07.14.2022

    5 stars
    It was wonderful over cheese danish.

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      07.16.2022

      I’m glad you enjoyed it!

  15. Bill
    06.15.2022

    5 stars
    Market had blueberries on sale so I overbought. Froze haf, made the other half into a double batch of this. It was DELICIOUS!!!!

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      06.18.2022

      I’m so glad you loved it like we do 🙂

  16. Kelly
    05.21.2022

    Do you think I could use Swerve in place of the maple syrup?

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      05.23.2022

      Hi Kelly, I’ve never had Swerve so I’m not sure.

  17. marilyn
    05.18.2022

    if using frozen berries- should they be thawed first or used frozen?

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      05.19.2022

      Hi Marilyn, I’d add them frozen and just cook them a little longer if necessary.

  18. carol
    05.18.2022

    i personally love this compote with french toast that crunchy bread and this yum blueberry flavour yum

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      05.18.2022

      Me too! I just had it on french toast the other day 🙂

  19. Ann Sellers
    05.17.2022

    Can this be frozen?

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      05.18.2022

      Yep! It freezes very well. I like to freeze it in ice cube trays for individual servings.

  20. Ms. Havisham
    05.17.2022

    5 stars
    This recipe made a great compote! I drizzled it (well, more like “spooned” it) over both fresh mozzarella and grilled polenta rounds. Excellent! Thanks for posting it!

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      05.18.2022

      I’m so glad you enjoyed it!

A food blog with fresh, zesty recipes.
Photograph of Jeanine Donofrio and Jack Mathews in their kitchen

Hello, we're Jeanine and Jack.

We love to eat, travel, cook, and eat some more! We create & photograph vegetarian recipes from our home in Chicago, while our shiba pups eat the kale stems that fall on the kitchen floor.