Fresh apples are easily cooked into a spiced Apple Compote that is delicious on everything from pancakes to ice cream. It takes less than 20 minutes to make this tasty apple topping that everyone will love.

Why This Apple Compote Recipe is So Good
- The perfect blend of spices. Apples are made to be blended with sweet, warm spices like cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves. This recipe cooks fresh apples with all of them, plus vanilla extract, lemon juice, and sugar to create a delicious apple compote with a beautifully balanced flavor.
- An Easy Apple Recipe. I love that you can make up this apple compote in less than a half-hour, and then use it to top vanilla ice cream, toast with cream cheese, or oatmeal. It's easier than making apple pie or applesauce for sure!
- Gluten-Free, Vegan, and Dairy Free. If you're cooking for food allergies, sensitivities, or preferences, you'll love that this recipe is TOP 8 allergy-free and made with all-natural ingredients too.
Tips and Tricks for Homemade Apple Compote
- Use firm apples to make apple compote. You want the apples to keep their shape after cooking, so be sure to choose baking apples. Here I'm using Honeycrisp and Granny Smith apples, both for their firm texture and their bright flavor.
- Using two different apples in this way gives the compote great flavor. One type of sweet apple and another more tart apple is ideal. Try crisp and flavorful Fuji, Cortland, Ida Red, or Jonathan apples too.
- There are only a few ingredients in this recipe, so be sure that they are all high-quality. Freshly squeezed lemon juice, pure vanilla extract, and the freshest apples you can find will all go a long way to making your compote perfect.
More Tasty Ways to Cook Apples
- Vegan Apple Crisp
- Apple Snickers Salad
- Air Fryer Apple Crisp
- Air Fryer Spiced Apples
- Instant Pot Apple Butter
- Gluten Free Apple Cake
- Apple Ring Pancakes
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Apple Compote
Equipment
- Saucepan
- Knife
Ingredients
- 4 cups (5-6 large apples) diced apples I used half honeycrisp and half granny smith
- ⅓ cup water
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Peel, core and chop your apples into ½ inch chunks.
- In a saucepan over medium heat, add the apples, water, brown sugar, lemon juice, vanilla extract, cinnamon, ground ginger, ground nutmeg, ground cloves and salt.
- Stirring occasionally, bring the mixture to a boil.
- Once boiling, return to a simmer and cook for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the apples are tender and the liquid has thickened.
- Remove from the heat. Serve warm, or transfer to a jar and store in the fridge.
Video
Notes
- For best results, use firm apples that will hold their shape while cooking. Soft apples will break down and be more like apple butter than apple compote!
- For flavor, choose a combination of apples that are sweet and tart. I like to combine sweet Honeycrisp apples with slightly sour Granny Smith.
- You can peel all of the apples, or leave some with the skin on for more texture. It's up to you!
- Store apple compote in a sealed jar or another airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week.
- You can also freeze this recipe for up to 2 months.
Nutrition
All though this website attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, the information should only be considered an estimate. Varying factors such as different product types, different brands, etc. can change nutritional information. It is your responsibility as a consumer to read all labels to make sure the ingredients fit your dietary needs as well as calculate your own nutritional information as a double check.
Thank you for this!
I had some leftover apples that had seen better days, and was looking for a way to use them up (or prolong their lifespan!). I have made lots of this apple compote and even had enough put in the freezer.
I poured some on sliced bananas tonight, and it was absolutely delicious!
Looking forward to your next masterpiece!