I hosted a waffle brunch once. It’s true.
Have you ever attended a waffle brunch? It’s a breakfast party wherein the host provides hot, fresh waffles and the guests bring his or her favorite toppings. It’s like a waffle bar, and it’s quite lovely.
You know what? You should host one yourself. And if you do, be sure to have plenty of this simple, 2-ingredient compote on hand. It’s sure to be the most popular topping of all.
For my waffle brunch, my friend Lauren made a version of this compote, only she went with fresh ginger and blueberries she picked from her garden. Yes, she’s that cool.
Anyway, I’d never made compote before and she taught me how.
The concept is simple: Throw your favorite fresh or frozen fruit (berries and stone fruit work best) into a pot and add a little juice to get a sauce going. If your fruit is sour, add a little sugar. For more flavor, add ginger, cinnamon, or another spice of choice.
For this very summery version I went with half cherries, half strawberries and a splash of orange juice for a fresh citrus touch.
The best part? It comes together in just 15 minutes. And once it’s done, you can put it on everything:
Waffles
Pancakes
French toast
Coconut cream PIE french toast
Ice cream sundaes
Oatmeal
You get the drift. It’s so warm and fruity and delicious you’d never guess it was mega healthy for your bones.
You’re gonna love this compote. It’s
Warm
Fruity
Perfectly sweet
Subtly tart
Simple
Nutritious
Loaded with antioxidants
& Perfect for all your breakfast-topping needs
If you make this compote, let us know in the comments or by tagging a photo #minimalistbaker on Instagram. We love to see what you’re cooking up. Cheers!
- 3 cups fresh or frozen fruit (I used 1/2 strawberries, 1/2 bing cherries)
- 3 Tbsp orange juice
- 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp fresh or ground ginger
- 1 tsp raw sugar
- 1 tsp chia seeds (add after removing from heat)
- Place fruit and juice in a small saucepan and bring to medium heat.
- Once bubbling, reduce heat slightly and use a wooden spoon to muddle and mash the fruit.
- Continue cooking over medium-low heat for 10-12 minutes, occasionally mashing fruit to combine.
- Remove from heat and transfer to a clean jar or container to cool thoroughly. Store in the fridge and reheat to serve with french toast, waffles, pancakes, oatmeal, ice cream sundaes, and more.
I’ve been wondering about compotes! This sounds delightfully delicious; I’ll wonder no more!
I love compote. I’ve found sometimes the fruit has enough juice and no extra liquid is needed. Just fresh fruit! A fabulous way to use up the fresh summer berries. I love the waffle party idea. I’m filing that away for the future.
Wow I never heard to a compote before and now I need to try and make one. That would be great poured over my pancakes in the morning.
Oh, this looks fantastic! I am going to make it this weekend. Do you think it would work to add in some fresh basil or mint with with fruit or would the herbs get weird heated up?
Um YES. Do it! It will make this even more delicious. With the addition of herbs, however, add them at the very end of the cooking time, and the sooner you can use the compote up the better!
Love how simple this recipe is, and especially how you used orange juice as the sweetener. I find that nature’s candy (fruit) rarely needs added sugar! I bet this compote is wonderful on top of waffles.
Agreed! I have some waffles coming soon that you’ll want to cover with this compote!
Well now…I’ve hosted numerous waffle brunches, but was totally unaware of the tradition that guests bring toppings. I love this idea, and this topping sounds perfect. I am so emailing this to all my friends and telling them to bring it next time ;)
WOW this looks incredible! Photos are so gorgeous. I think I need to go dig through my freezer…
Do it! Rogue frozen berries are ideal for this!
A waffle brunch sounds like so much fun! This compote would make a delicious topping. I’ve made compotes before but only ever thought of using them on ice cream. Great idea!
Compotes have always been something that I was afraid of because of the big fancy name… I never knew that they were this easy to make! I seriously want to contribute to a waffle brunch now!
DO IT. Waffle brunch, for the WIN!
I love how simple this compote is! I bet it would be amazing over a batch of fresh waffles. :)
Oh this sounds/looks amazing! I was just trying to figure out what to do with the last of a rather large batch of peaches. You may have just given me my solution!
ahh this looks so good! definitely have got to put some of this magic on ice cream on of these days…
I actually have hosted a waffle brunch! It was great fun, but would have been way better with this compote. So I guess that means I’ll have to host another!
Amazing recipe, thank you ! The problem is, I can’t find Chia seeds where I live. Can I use ground flaxseeds instead ?
Thank you ! :)
Yes! Or simply omit.
THE POWER OF THE COMPOTE. When it comes to waffles, kicks syrup in the face if you ask me. And if you’re always running out the door like moi, you do this entire thing in the microwave. I’ve never made it with orange juice though, always honey, great tip to mix it up!
I am brining my mini-waffle iron, waffle mix, and toppings for a work brunch tomorrow. I was just going to bring fresh strawberries an raspberries, but will have to try to make compote. Like the idea of using honey and the microwave too since I won’t really have time to make it on the stovetop.
Love the waffle bar idea… what a fun idea for a party!
Looks refreshing. Now Im going to have to make waffle cones… Thanks
Lovely! That’s such an awesome idea… I hope I get to host a “waffle bar” someday!
Just made a tasty batch of strawberry/blueberry. How long will it keep in the fridge?
Up to 4-5 days. Freeze after that (which you can do in an ice cube tray for more serving-size appropriate portions)!
That’s an excellent idea!! Thank you for posting this recipe…almost one year later! :-)
Just made this to go on waffles for breakfast. Delicious and so easy! I love that there’s no added sugar. There’s no need! I used blueberries and blackberries. Fabulous.
Yay! I have a waffle recipe coming soon, so stay tuned!
Omg. A waffle party. Of course. That sounds like so much fun!
Also I make this kind of sauce all the time for French toast! It’s my favourite sweet breakfast topping.
Mmmm I made this for a weekend brunch — from fresh fruit from our Farmer’s Market! It was a big hit.
Great and simple recipe! When using frozen fruit, do they need to be thawed first?
The perfect christmas breakfast – Panettone French Toast with fruit compote and whipped cream!
I cook mine with a little butter and coconut oil… I think it lets it caramelize a bit… sometimes I add a little sherry.
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I used this recipe with blueberries and raspberries to fill some chocolate cupcakes! SOOO good!
So excited! Making sugar free cheesecake for my hubby today & am going to make a strawberry compote to put on top
Thanks for making me look good!
Made this to go over Japanese hotcakes! Was superb. Used apricots and bananas. Super simple.
Great! Thanks for sharing, Kayla!
I made this lovely compote with red grapefruit juice because I had not one orange on the fridge, ginger n a little turbinado (bad spelling) sugar. I poured it over chia pudding. First time for both. My taste buds are happy this morning! Thanks so much
BERRY PIE CRAVING – compote to the rescue. I was desperate for some kind of berry pie quick. Having no pie crest ready and wanting a quick dessert, I made my first compote. I cooked mine in the microwave for 3-4 minutes, cooking the apple for 3 and added the blackberries in the last minute. this compote did not disappoint. One satisfied Mama here.
Recipe:
I used 1 fresh apple, 1/2 cup if blackberries, 2 tbls of brown sugar, cinnamon, and 1 tsp. vanilla.
Add apple, peeled, cored and sliced in 2 inch pieces in a microwavable bowl, add 2 tbls. of brown sugar, 1 or 2 tsp of vanilla and a generous sprinkling of cinnamon, 1/8 cubp of water (or any juice you have on hand). Cook on high for 3 minutes. Add blackberries for the last minute.
Happy, happy, happy!
Sorry, I forgot to rate your recipe!
Hey!
So I plan on making a black-forest cake for my dad’s birthday using a recipe that I tried back in November for mom’s birthday. Everyone LOVED it, so am pulling it out again. This time, I would like to use a compote/jam instead of Ed’s pie filling. Based on the recipe, how much compote do you think I should make? Plus, is there anything else that I could use instead of orange juice?
You can sub any other juice. As for the amount, it’s hard to advise because I’m not sure what size of cake you’re making. But the good news is, if you make extra you can use it on waffles and everything else breakfast related! It’s kind of a win win. Best of luck Laura.
This sounds amazing and super simple! I have a family member that has a lot of cherries to get rid of, would this be able to be canned?
I’ve never canned, but I would think so, yes!
was just wondering how long this is good for kept in the fridge?
I’d say up to 1 week, often times more!
Excellent, simple recipe! I used fresh-picked blueberries and some cherries and the optional cinnamon add-in for our pancake topping this morning and it was a hit! So delicious and easy to make! Thanks for sharing this recipe–we will be using it a lot, I suspect, with the 18 lbs of blueberries we picked yesterday!
This looks perfect to pair with my morning oatmeal! How long will it last in the refrigerator?
Up to 1 week!
I love compotes, and I try to make them whenever I make pancakes, waffles, or french toast. My problem is that I live in a place where we don’t easily get the traditionally “compote-able” fruits, like berries, cherries, peaches, etc. (I live in India)
Are there any tropical fruits that you recommend for use in compotes? Can bananas go into compotes?
Hi Dana. As an acupuncturist I often recommend clients to make chunky compote and eat with a spoon as a dairy free alternative to yoghurt. This is such a lovely recipe thank you for sharing. I live in Kenya and with ref to a previous post on your site, pineapple and ginger compote or tree tomato and passion fruit compote (I think you guys call tree tomatoes tamarillos) are great tropical alternatives to berries.
I remember my mom doing compote and she would just keep it going, adding fruit now and then. I have her recipe and it clearly said to NOT refreidge and hers is a no cook. Mix a canned fruit (drained apricots) and almost 2 cps sugar and let sit 2 weeks, then add next one ( peaches) and sugar, wait 2 weeks, then repeat with pineapple and then maraschino cherries and wait 2 weeks each, then can use and keep it going adding fruit as like. I did the 1st step, and 1 week in it is molded. I was worried about fermenting causing too much gas and popping lid so had a container with an air escape. Really bummed about the mold. Has anyone ever done a no cook, fermented one like this? I had wondered about mold happening. I would love to do this version from my childhood. Suggestions??.
I think your mum made rumtopf. Topping up with dark rum after each addition of fruit. That would prevent it molding. Hoefully im right.
Thanks for replying. No I am sure there was no rum as we had no alcohol in the house and the recipe was very clear. Sigh, still looking….
I really like the fruit compote what I used for my compote was diced strawberries ,persimmon fruit and for the liquid I squeezed some juice from two oranges i added some cinnamon alil sugar and butter and I topped over my cinnamon pancakes with cheese eggs and turkey bacon❤❤ !
This looks so awesome, but I doubt much that my two little guys would warm up to the texture of cooked fruit. I suspect that I might whiz the whole business in a food processor and pour over pancakes or waffles.
So thanks for that.
PS – I like your writing style.
We hosted a waffle brunch for our family on Christmas Day yesterday and made your compote as a topping option. It was a huge hit! I used fresh strawberries and cherries (both in peak season here in Australia) and added 200 grams of fresh blueberries along with one teaspoon of demerara sugar and 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger. An instant family favourite. Thank you for the recipe.
Just made this and added a splash of rum. Mmmmmmm!
Love love this compote recipe.
I pour this compote on top of whole milk plain greek yogurt. Mmm mmm such bliss! Even my 8 month old baby enjoys his yogurt with this compote!
How is this best stored and how long does it last for?
I made this recipe using cherries and blueberries. I don’t really like orange juice, so I used peach concentrate (no sugar) and it came out great!
I’m excited to try this after watching the kids on master chef junior out me to shameeeeee. I never knew it was this easy! I went to go make some and saw my OJ box in the recycling. Can OJ concentrate be used and how much would you suggest? Thanks!
I am planning on making this tomorrow for breakfast however, I am wondering if I I could pour the compote directly onto the pancakes shortly after it has been made? Or do it have to be cooled in the fridge before to get a certain consistency?
Thanks!
I bought strawberries on sale 9 months ago. I trim the green leaves and stem, and simply purée them in a 1980s blender. I don’t blend it into water, but a little chunky. I add 4-5 packets of Splenda and I put them in a clean Ball jar and freeze them. I defrost a jar and have been enjoying them over the winter and I’m just finishing my last one from August. Now that’s it’s spring, I’m gonna do it all over.
I am currently on the Whole 30 program and wanted something different to serve with my banana pancakes (bananas, coconut flour, eggs, cinnamon–that’s it!). I found this and used what I had in my fridge–blueberries and peaches. Loved it! So simple and tasty! Didn’t miss the sugar at all. This is a great way to use an overabundance of fruit, I am sure, and I will definitely make this again. Cheers!
I made it with Lakewoo Organic Pure Cranberry Juice. It had no sugar, whatsoever, but I added extra sugar in my compote. I also put in some Lemon Extract, about 1/2 tablespoon. It came out delicious. I love finding recipes and experimenting with them. This is an awesome recipe!
Oh my goodness so good and so easy! Made peach compote for pancakes. My, my, my!
Made peach compote for pancakes using this recipe. So so very good!
Never knew it was this easy! Tastes great. Thank you!
Just made it with peach nectarines blueberries and mix of frozen fruit and 3 tablespoons of pineapple juice
Deliciou just sampling it
Love gluten free and used minimal sugar
I need to make cherry cake with strawberry compote do you have a recipie for a strawberry and cherry cake?
Hi Carin, we have a Strawberry Beet Cupcake that we love, have you tried it?
I just discovered strawberry compote and made my easy version using only strawberries and some spices. So yumms! Thanks for the ideas for how to use it. I think they will taste so yummy on waffles and maybe even on banana nice cream!!
I’m very late to this party, but fruit compote is so delicious I couldn’t help but comment: I live in cranberry country, and since fresh cranberries are so tart they’re near unpalatable, I’ve found they turn out best cooked like this. Pair them with strawberries and honey, raspberries and maple syrup, or my recent favorite, red grapes and apple cider!
Hi, looks fab! How long do you think this could last in the fridge in a sealed container? Thanks!
Hi! You can store leftovers in a sealed bag or container at room temperature for 1 week, or in the freezer for up to 1 month. Happy cooking!
Hi…. This looks super simple and yummy!! If we want to make it in a good season..how long will it last in the refrigerator??
Hi! Up to 4-5 days. Freeze after that (which you can do in an ice cube tray for more serving-size appropriate portions)!
Compotes are so yummy!! My boss makes them around holidays and gives them as gifts. these are really similar to the recipe, minus the additional optional ingredients, but just as healthy and with no weird name preservatives
Such an easy recipe to follow, although I didn’t have orange juice so I used a couple teaspoons of lemon juice. I used some fresh strawberries and blueberries and put the compote in the bottom of half pint jars. Next I’ll add the creamy honey yogurt to the jars that I have incubating in my Instant Pot!! Can’t wait!!
Thank you for posting your recipes!!
I cobbled together equal parts strawberries, raspberries, and apple chunks (note to self: peel the apples next time before cooking [I know, rookie mistake]) to come up with enough fruit for this compote and it is DELICIOUS. Sweet but not too sweet, a little bit of a kick, the perfect topping for chocolate pie!
Great recipe! I made my compote in the rice cooker with some peaches and plums that are in season along with a half cup of orange juice and a banana. The best yogurt topping ever!
Enjoyed strawberry compote on my french toast this morning. Recipe was so easy to follow. All I used was o j and brown sugar ( about 1/4 c). Easy! Easy! Delicious! No need for syrup.