Mixed Berry Compote - made with fresh or frozen berries - this recipe takes minutes in the Instant Pot! Drizzle it over ice cream, pound cake, pancakes, oatmeal, and much more! This recipe makes about 3 cups. Recipe reprinted with permission from The Vegan Instant Pot Cookbook by Nisha Vora (Avery, 2019).
4cupsmixed fresh or frozen (unthawed) berriesdivided
3/4cuporganic cane sugarreduce by a few tablespoons if your berries are very sweet
2tablespoonscornstarch or arrowroot powder
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Instructions
Grate the lemon to get 1 teaspoon zest and set aside. Squeeze the lemon to get 2 1/2 tablespoons juice.
Add 3 1/2 cups of the berries to the Instant Pot, reserving the remaining 1/2 cup. Add the sugar and lemon juice and stir to combine the ingredients. There's no need to add water, as the berries will exude enough liquid for the Instant Pot to come to pressure.
Secure the lid and set the Pressure Release to Sealing. Select the Pressure Cook setting at high pressure and set the cook time to 3 minutes.
Once the 3-minute timer has completed and beeps, allow a natural pressure release for 10 minutes, and then switch the Pressure Release knob from Sealing to Venting to release any remaining steam.
In a small bowl, stir together the cornstarch or arrowroot and 2 tablespoons of water until dissolved into a slurry. Open the pot and add half of the slurry to the compote. Select the Sauté setting and bring the compote to a boil, stirring constantly. Once the compote has come to a boil, check to see if it is sufficiently thick enough. If not, add the remaining slurry and stir until thickened. The compote will thicken considerably as it cools to room temperature.
Select the Cancel setting and add the reserved 1/2 cup berries and the lemon zest, and stir to combine.
Once cool, transfer the compote to a glass jar or airtight container and store in the fridge for 1 to 2 weeks, or freeze for longer.
Notes
Recipe reprinted with permission from The Vegan Instant Pot Cookbook by Nisha Vora (Avery, 2019). Notes from LirenThis recipe yield 3 cups. Serving size and nutritional information depends on how much you serve; for calculation purposes, I used 1/2 cup serving sizes for a total of 6 servings.If you don’t have a pressure cooker like an Instant Pot, the compote is very simple to make on the stovetop. Combine the fruit, sugar, and lemon juice in a medium saucepan of low to medium heat. Bring to a boil, lower heat and stir constantly until the fruit breaks down, about 5 minutes. If you are using fresh fruit and finding it is not releasing enough juices, add a few water, a tablespoon at a time. Add the cornstarch or arrowroot slurry and lemon zest, and continue cooking per the recipe instructions.Notes from author Nisha Vora"Freeze leftover compote in an ice cube tray. Pop out as many cubes as needed (each cube will hold about 2 tablespoons) and quickly thaw."“Feel free to use your favorite berries. If you use strawberries, chop them roughly the same size as the other berries. You can use fresh or frozen berries, though frozen berries produce more liquid, so I usually add more of the cornstarch or arrowroot slurry to sufficiently thicken up the compote.”