This Simple Blueberry Sauce is a 10 minute one-pan wonder with a million uses. Thickened with cornflour, it’s an easy vegan, gluten and dairy free compote with no fancy ingredients which is perfect for pancakes, ice cream, trifles and cake fillings.
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When I decide that I like a new food, I like to use it in a million different ways just to try and make sure that I’m making the absolute most of that new flavour.
Blueberries are my current food obsession. I’ve already made Apple & Blueberry Crumble and Blueberry Curd. I suspect there will be more so watch this space.
Like many fruits that I will eat, I can only really eat them cooked down rather than raw. As Ginger & Bourbon Peach Compote is one of my favourite ways to use peaches, I wanted to try making a blueberry compote. Bingo – its delicious!
How Sweet Is Blueberry Sauce?
Importantly I wanted to make a compote that wasn’t overly sweet. Unlike a jam, the ratio of sugar to fruit is very small. There is less than 1 tbsp of sugar for every 100g of fruit.
This is no attempt at “healthy” or “low sugar”. I don’t go in for that sort of thing. But I did want to make sure that this was a compote that was equally as home swirled into yogurt for breakfast as it is piled on pancakes or waffles for dessert.
Blueberries have some natural sweetness and the added sugar enhances that as well as helping to form the glossy sauce which coats the burst berries. Please don’t be tempted to reduce the sugar even more, it will affect the final sauce.
How to Serve Blueberry Sauce
Compotes are super versatile. They can be served at room temperature or warm. I never recommend serving straight from the fridge as the cold dulls the flavour. But in this case, as it is great served with (or swirled into) ice cream, cold would be fine too.
Make Simple Blueberry Compote into a Feast
I truly believe that you can make any dish into a proper feast! Whether thats a feast for one after work on a Tuesday, a casual feast for four on a Friday evening or a feast for 12 for a special occasion!
I keep mentioning how versatile this sauce is. I served it this time as part of a breakfast board with waffles, Scotch Pancakes, fresh fruit, Blueberry Curd and fresh whipped cream. The mix of buttery smooth curd and tangy blueberry sauce was just perfect.
- Use it to fill Puff Pastry Pies instead of mincemeat, or make Fruit Turnovers.
- Top Scones or Pound Cake and add clotted cream for a fun twist on afternoon tea.
- Pile into Small Pastry Cases to make super quick and easy tarts.
- Replace the jam in Victoria Sandwich Cake or add to Vanilla Butterfly Fairy Cakes.
Don’t forget to head over to my Feast Collection pages to find all of my tips and tricks to help you host a fun and stress-free feast. Plus remember to check out my recipe index to create your own awesome Feast!
Ingredients for Simple Blueberry Sauce
Blueberries
You can use fresh or frozen blueberries in this sauce. Big ones, small ones or wonky ones. It really doesn’t matter.
I like to use fresh when they’re cheap and in season. And now I’m trying to grow my own, they will be ideal to use. The rest of the time, frozen blueberries are brilliant to use and generally a little less expensive than fresh.
However you buy them it is important to make sure to discard and that have turned and make sure there aren’t any little pieces of stalks that are hanging around. I find that there tends to be a couple in the fresh ones.
Lemon Juice
Freshly squeezed lemon juice is great to use if you can but otherwise bottled is ok in this recipe. The idea isn’t to give the compote a lemon flavour but to add a little bit of extra tang.
Sugar
I always make sure to use white sugar in this recipe. I find that brown sugar adds and extra flavour dimension that I don’t think is welcome – it muddies the flavour.
Use regular/granulated or caster/superfine sugar – either is fine. You can also use icing/powdered sugar if you prefer.
Cornflour
Cornflour thickens the sauce that is created from the blueberry juice, a touch of water and lemon juice. It forms the body of the sauce and keeps it from being dry and jammy.
The cornflour itself ensures that the sauce isn’t thin and runny.
Cornflour is also known as cornstarch and is usually mixed with water before being added to dishes. In this case, tossing the berries with the cornflour does a sufficient job of distributing it and making sure that it does not form lumps.
Be Flexible
I’ve kept this sauce purposefully simple. It celebrates the flavour of the blueberries in all their glory but also makes for a base to jazz it up.
Lemon is a really common addition. There is already lemon juice in the recipe but you can stir in the finely grated zest of a lemon once the sauce is cooked for a bigger flavour.
You can replace all or some of the water with alcohol for an adult treat or add a little flavour extract like vanilla.
And the recipe base is simple to use with other fruit and berries. You could go 50/50 blueberries and raspberries or use a black forest fruit mix. Add in some cherries or even the more exotic loganberries or cloudberries. The base recipe is truly versatile.
Smooth Blueberry Sauce
This recipe makes a chunky sauce packed with burst berry fruits. To make a smooth version, simply blitz the finished sauce with a stick blender then pass it through a sieve. All chunks will be removed.
You may need to add some extra water if you find it is too thick for your purpose.
Make it Vegetarian or Vegan
This blueberry compote recipe does not include any animal products and is therefore suitable for both vegetarians and vegans.
Make it Allergy Friendly
This recipe is free from egg, dairy, gluten and nuts.
Please note that this recipe may contain other allergens not referred to above and any variations suggested have not been tested unless otherwise stated. For more information regarding any dietary information provided on this website, please refer to my Nutritional Disclaimer.
Equipment Notes for Easy Blueberry Sauce
You do not need anything other than the most basic kitchen equipment to make this compote.
A saucepan is needed as this recipe is made on the hob/stovetop. I always use silicone spatulas when cooking or baking as they are the most effective at scraping the food from the pan. Minimal wastage and minimal chance of whatever you are cooking catching and burning on the bottom.
Other than that you will simply need measuring scales (or a good eye for estimating) and a tablespoon measure.
A comprehensive list of the equipment used to make this recipe is included in the main recipe card below. Click on any item to see an example. There are no hard and fast rules so many items can be sensibly substituted to achieve the same results.
Get Ahead
It is important to note that this blueberry sauce is not a jam or a preserve. It is best stored in the fridge then served and used within a week of being made. There is simply not enough sugar in it to make it last a long time.
This does of course mean that you can prepare it several days in advance. It will also freeze but you may find that you need to reheat it and then cool the sauce before the correct texture is revived.
Blueberry Sauce Tips
I don’t like to walk away from the pan while this is cooking. I find stirring it rather soothing but it is also important to keep and eye on the heat and texture of the sauce.
You need to use your eyes and feel to know when it is ready. And don’t worry, you will.
For the same reason, you should be prepared to adjust the heat where necessary. The fruit needs to be simmering away gently in order to actually cook.
But it does not want to be boiling vigorously or the liquids will evaporate and the sauce will become too thick before the berries are fully soft.
Don’t forget to let me know in the comments if you try making this recipe – I want to know what you think and if you made any substitutions, how did it turn out?
Still Have Questions?
Simple! Just contact me and I will do my best to help as quickly as I am able. Head over to my Contact Me page, any of my social media channels or post a comment at the bottom of this page and I’ll see what I can do.
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More Ways to Use Blueberries
The Recipe
Simple Blueberry Sauce (Compote Recipe)
Ingredients
- 450 g Blueberries - fresh or frozen
- 1 tbsp Cornflour (Cornstarch)
- 4 tbsp Sugar
- 1 tbsp Lemon Juice
- 5 tbsp Water
Instructions
- Wash, dry and check 450g Blueberries and remove any dodgy ones and any rogue stalks. Put them into a saucepan or deep sided skillet.
- Sprinkle over 1 tbsp Cornflour and toss to coat the berries.
- Add 4 tbsp Sugar and 1 tbsp Lemon Juice along with 5 tbsp Water.
- Place over a medium heat and stirring well regularly until the berries start to release their juices and the sugar has all dissolved. At this point you can stop panicking that the blueberries are never going to be anything other than dry.
- Continue to cook the sauce over a medium-low heat until all of the berries have burst and the sauce is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. This should take no more than around 10 minutes in total.
- Move to a jar or bowl and allow to cool before serving or storing.
Sisley White says
I love blueberries! I cannot wait to try this.
Jo Keohane says
We make this all the time in our house – I don’t normally use anything to thicken mine so will give this a try for a more lustrous texture. Thanks Chloe!
Janice says
How delicious! I love the addition of cornflour to thicken the sauce and it looks very tempting with all those brunch favourites.
Lesley says
I love a blueberry compote, simple to make and so many options for using it too. I think I’ll start with pancakes.
Choclette says
I’m absolutely with you on using a current favourite ingredient everywhere. Your blueberry compote looks lush and I’d love a big scoop of it on my porridge.
Kate - Gluten Free Alchemist says
Absolutely love this. Beautiful, rich and chunky with berries…. Just pass me the ice cream… or pancakes… or waffles… or maybe just the bowl and a spoon 😂🤠x