This delicious blackcurrant compote is a great way to use up all those fruits your blackcurrant bush grows. This easy compote only needs three ingredients and about 10 minutes and you have a perfect topping for pancakes, waffles, ice cream, or anything else you want!

Blackcurrants are one of my favorite fruits. They have a great balance between tart and sweet so I use them for a huge variety of dishes. They are exceptional in savory dishes like my duck with blackcurrants, but they are also great in things like salad dressings, preserves, and cocktails!
A compote is one of the easiest fruit toppings to make; I find it much simpler than jams or preserves. Essentially a compote is just simmered fruit with sugar, and left chunky. No need to break out that stick blender or strainer! This blackcurrant compote adds one extra complementary ingredient to better balance the flavors.
What Are Blackcurrants?
A blackcurrant is a type of shrub that grows small edible berries, also called blackcurrants. They are sweet and tart, and used in a huge variety of dishes. Blackcurrants are less tart than redcurrants, which make them optimal for desserts as you don’t need to add as much sugar.
Blackcurrants are slowly regaining popularity in America after being banned for decades. This was due to the fact some strains of the shrub brought disease to the the ubiquitous North American white pine.
How To Make A Quick And Easy Blackcurrant Compote

A wonderful thing about this blackcurrant compote recipe is that you can use both fresh or frozen berries. Thus making this fruit topping a year round treat, instead of just early summer when they are picked.
Ingredients
- 450 grams Blackcurrants (1 pound) – fresh or frozen. Make sure they are washed and cleaned of any leaves or debris before cooking.
- 3 tbsp Sugar – You can always add more after cooking if you do not find it sweet enough to your liking.
- 2 tbsp Lemon Juice – normally I would recommend fresh squeezed, but I’ve made this recipe with both and I can’t tell the difference so now I just use store-bought lemon juice. Do try to use 100% lemon juice and not a fake citric acid version.

Place all the ingredients in a pan on medium high heat. Stir around with a wooden spoon for about 10 minutes, or until the mixture looks like a compote. The blackcurrant berries should all release their juice, but you don’t want to mash them into a paste. The final consistency should be a runny, gloopy sauce. This easy blackcurrant compote recipe is very forgiving, so if you start to overcook it just add a quick splash of water to loosen it back up.

You can serve the blackcurrant compote warm or cold. I especially like it warm over breakfast foods like pancakes or waffles. Cold compote is great spread on toast or on ice cream!

How To Use Blackcurrant Compote
- Spread on toast similar to a jam or other preserve.
- Poured on some ice cream for an elegant dessert.
- Served on pancakes or waffles for a fruity breakfast topping. (Also a great topping for syrnyky!)
- Layered between cake or mixed into chantilly cream to flavor baked goods.
- Spooned on top of a French blackcurrant tart for double the blackcurrant flavor!
How Long Does Blackcurrant Compote Last
If you properly clean and sterilize your jars, a homemade blackcurrant compote will last at least a month in the fridge. You can make it last longer by adding preservatives, or by pasteurizing the jar after sealing. I love using swing top jars for everything from compotes, jams, spreads – pretty much any condiment you can imagine.

Blackcurrant Compote
Equipment
- 1 Pan
Ingredients
- 450 grams Blackcurrants fresh or frozen, cleaned and washed
- 3 tbsp Sugar white, granulated
- 2 tbsp Lemon Juice
Instructions
- Add all the ingredients to a pan on medium high heat. Stir around with a wooden spoon for about 10 minutes, or until all the berries have released their juice and the consistency is that of a gloopy, chunky sauce.
- Spoon immediately over pancakes, waffles, game meats, or ice cream. Or, jar or can to preserve for later usage.
