This quick and easy Raspberry Compote recipe is made with 3 simple ingredients only and ready in 15 minutes. It is the perfect thick raspberry sauce to use over cheesecakes, pancakes, french toast, ice cream or yogurt, as a cake filling or as any of your favourite desserts topping!
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Why we love this recipe
This Raspberry Compote is such an easy and versatile recipe. It is a delicious topping for your favourite breakfast, dessert or cake as well as a flavoured-packed pastry or cake filling. With a delicious light and fresh flavor, this raspberry sauce is always a great addition to your favourite sweets like this Raspberry Panna Cotta!
This recipe is great because:
- The fruit compote is made from 3 ingredients only.
- It will be ready in about 15 minutes.
- The sauce can be made from fresh or frozen raspberries.
- You can easily freeze the compote for later!
More Fruit Compotes:
Ingredients
The base of this recipe only requires 3 simple ingredients - but you can easily customise it with many other flavours!
(Scroll down to the recipe card below for all quantities)
- Raspberries: both fresh or frozen raspberries can be used here! If using fresh raspberries, I recommend adding a little bit of water to help the fruit start cooking.
- Sugar: Caster Sugar or Fine White Sugar. Brown Sugar will work fine here too. See FAQs section below if you would like to use a natural liquid sweetener instead.
- Lemon Juice: preferably fresh lemon juice. You can also use the lemon zest for a tangier compote, but since the raspberries tend to be a bit sour naturally, it is not always necessary. The lemon juice is used to both balance the flavours as well as help the juice thicken and set.
Variation & Optional Ingredients
Many other ingredients and flavours can be added to customise this compote:
- Fresh Herbs like Mint or Basil.
- Spices like Cinnamon, Star Anise or Ginger.
- Vanilla Extract or Paste.
- Lemon Zest or Orange Zest.
- A mix of different berries (check out my Mixed Berry Compote).
How to make Raspberry Compote
The instructions to make this recipe are seriously easy and straight forward. You will simply need one saucepan and a heat-proof spatula or wooden spoon.
- Photo 1: Place the washed Raspberries, Sugar and Lemon Juice in a medium size saucepan. Stir to combine then place on the stove and turn on low to medium low heat.
If using fresh raspberries, I recommend adding a little bit of water at the start to help the fruits start cooking.
Without the water, the raspberries could burn. With frozen raspberries, this is not necessary as the fruits will release a lot of water as they start to thaw.
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- Photo 2: Leave to simmer for 10 to 15 minutes, occasionally stirring, until the fruits start to break apart and the juices have thickened slightly. Taste the compote and adjust the sugar level to suit your taste if required.
The exact cooking time will depend on your fruits and the texture you are after. The more you cook it, the more the fruits will reduce, turn into a smooth sauce and eventually thicken.
- Remove from the stove and leave to cool down for about 30 minutes, then transfer into a clean jar or container and place in the fridge until ready to use.
Note that the raspberry compote will set and thicken slightly after it has chilled, but you can also use it straight away while still warm for more of a sauce consistency!
Recipe FAQs
A Compote is a thick, chunky fruit sauce made from cooking fruit. It is usually prepared by cooking the fruit, sugar and lemon juice on the stove until reduced into a thick sauce.
A coulis is basically a blended, smooth version of a compote. You can easily turn this raspberry compote into a raspberry coulis by simply using a blender or immersion blender, mixing until smooth then pouring the thin sauce through a thin mesh sieve to remove all the seeds. Check out my Raspberry Coulis recipe!
It is really up to you; it can be reduced a lot if you are after a smoother but thicker sauce, or cooked for less time for a chunkier but more liquid sauce. A compote is not meant to be as thick as a jam though.
If you are after a very thick sauce, you can add a small amount of cornstarch (no more than 1/2 tablespoon) to help the juice thicken more. I recommend cooking the compote until almost fully cooked, then mix the cornstarch with a little bit of water before adding it to the saucepan and whisking it in.
I don't recommend using no sweetener at all because the combination of just raspberries and lemon juice will be quite sour. You can use a liquid sweetener like Maple Syrup or Honey instead of Caster Sugar, but note that you will need to cook the compote for longer since you are adding a liquid to it.
No, this raspberry compote is not meant to be used as a preserve. There is not enough sugar in it to help it preserve for long periods of time.
Tips & Troubleshooting
- If using Fresh Raspberries, make sure to add a little bit of water to help the raspberries start cooking. It is not necessary with frozen raspberries are they will release the frozen moisture when cooked.
- Taste the raspberry compote while it is cooking and adjust the amount of sugar to your liking. Some raspberries are more tart than others, so you might need to add a little more sugar to balance their tanginess.
- For a very smooth sauce, press the compote through a thin mesh sieve once it is cooked.
- For a chunkier sauce, keep about 1/3 of the raspberries and add them in the last 5 minutes of the cooking time. This will give you a thick sauce that contains larger chunks of fruits.
How to use this raspberry sauce
This recipe can be used in so many different ways, either as a raspberry topping or raspberry filling!
- As a breakfast topping, over Pancakes, Waffles or French Toasts.
- Over Yogurt, Granola, Chia Pudding or Vanilla Ice Cream.
- As a topping for desserts like Raspberry Panna Cotta or inside the Raspberries in this Chocolate Raspberry Tart or Raspberry Tart.
- As a Cake Filling (I recommend adding cornstarch if using this recipe for as a filling), Cake Sauce or Cheesecake Topping. It would be amazing on my Chocolate Fondant Cake, Ricotta Cheesecake, Pistachio Raspberry Loaf Cake or a simple Yogurt Cake for example!
Storing & Freezing
How to store the sauce: this compote should be kept in the fridge in an air-tight container or jar. It is best used within a week.
Can Raspberry Compote be frozen: absolutely - if using fresh raspberries to make it. You can freeze the whole batch (in a freezing bag for example) or freeze individual portions / servings by using an ice tray! Simply leave it at room temperature to thaw, or in the microwave for a few seconds.
Note that freezing this sauce might make it more liquid (or less thick). You might need to re-cook it for a couple of minutes just to thicken it a bit.
Made this recipe?
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Recipe
Raspberry Compote
Ingredients
- 400 gr (14 oz) Raspberries - fresh or frozen (see note 1)
- 30 ml (2 tablespoons) Water - if using fresh raspberries
- 15 ml (1 tablespoon) Lemon Juice
- 75 gr (1/3 cup) Caster Sugar
Disclaimer
I highly recommend using the measurements in grams & ml (instead of cups & spoons) for more accuracy and better results.
Instructions
- Place the washed Raspberries (see note 1), Sugar and Lemon Juice in a medium size saucepan. Stir to combine then place on the stove and turn on low to medium low heat.
- Leave to simmer for 10 to 15 minutes (see note 2), occasionally stirring, until the fruits start to break apart and the juices have thickened slightly. Taste the compote and adjust the sugar level to suit your taste if required (see note 3).
- Remove from the stove and leave to cool down for about 30 minutes, then transfer into a clean jar or container and place in the fridge for at least 1 hour, or until it has fully cooled down and set slightly (see note 4).
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Notes
- If using Fresh Raspberries, I recommend adding a little bit of water to help the fruits start cooking and avoid burning the fruits at the start. If using frozen raspberries, it is not necessary to add the water as the fruits will release water while thaw.
- The exact cooking time will depend on your fruits and the texture you are after. The more you cook it, the more the fruits will reduce, turn into a smooth sauce and eventually thicken.
- Some raspberries are more tart than others, so you might need to add a little more sugar to balance their tanginess and suit your taste.
- The raspberry compote will set and thicken slightly after it has chilled, but you can also use it straight away while still warm for more of a sauce consistency!
- For a very smooth sauce, you can also press the compote through a thin mesh sieve once it is cooked.
- For a chunkier sauce, keep about 1/3 of the raspberries and add them in the last 5 minutes of the cooking time. This will give you a thick sauce that contains larger chunks of fruits.
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