Homemade Peach Compote

Jazz up plain French toast, pancakes or waffles this weekend by making this easy Peach Compote recipe! This sweet-tangy compote makes the perfect topping for your favorite breakfast or dessert. Makes 4 servings.

I’ve been thinking a lot about weekend traditions recently, mostly because my husband spent a month away from us, and he’s back again… so we’re back to our lazy weekend breakfasts.

Our laid back weekend morning tradition harkens back to the days when we were dating in college. I never knew being in the kitchen with someone could be so enjoyable, and it’s been our thing ever since.

This particular recipe came into being one of those lazy Saturday mornings. That morning, we were making waffles, and when Winston realized we had peaches in the freezer, he made a suggestion.

“Why don’t we just make some kind of compote and put it on top of our waffles?”

With that simple question, I immediately threw the frozen peaches into a sauce pan, adding a little sugar and water as I turned on the heat, smiling back at him.

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The rest, as they say, is history.

Why I love this recipe:

This peach compote was originally made with frozen peaches, but it can easily be made with ripe, juicy peaches during the height of peach season. I have instructions for how to make it using canned peaches, as well. These all live in the recipe card below.

This compote recipe comes together in about 15 minutes, so it’s quick and easy.

There is very little hands-on time, too.

The natural sweetness of the peaches sings when paired with a little balsamic vinegar and this is a perfect way to enjoy the produce of summer all year long. Also, peaches are my favorite fruit, so this simple peach compote recipe just inherently makes me happy.

Also, it’s excellent paired with breakfast, but I also urge you to try it on top of dessert, like a scoop of vanilla ice cream, a slice of cake or plain yogurt… or make it into a delicious dessert unto itself.

Other Breakfast Recipes we adore: Sweet Potato Pancakes | Yogurt French Toast | Vegan Banana Muffins | Double Chocolate Pancakes | Chocolate Raspberry Overnight French Toast Casserole

What you’ll need to make this recipe:

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• Saucepan
• 8 oz. mason jar

Here are the simple ingredients you need to make this quick peach compote:

• Frozen peaches — you want them to be sliced. I also have instructions below for how to use fresh and canned peaches if you have those on hand. However, unless you have extremely ripe peaches available to you, I do not recommend purchasing an out-of-season peach for this recipe since the natural sugars and sweetness will not be as intense.
• Granulated sugar — also known as white sugar, this is our sweetener for the compote. I do not recommend adding maple syrup or honey in place of the sugar, even though I’m sure it would be tasty. The amount of sugar is dependent on the sweetness of your peaches, so you will need to taste the compote and add more, if necessary.
• Water — this thins out our compote just a little bit!
• Balsamic vinegar — it sounds like an odd ingredient, but go with me here. The acidity of the vinegar pairs really nicely with the sweetness of the peaches, and it balances out the compote beautifully. Many compotes call for lemon juice. This one uses vinegar.

Please note that while you can use spices like ground cinnamon or fresh ginger to give some more flavor to this peach compote, we’re keeping it simple in this recipe.

That said, I always recommend trying the original first before making variations on the classic. As a professional recipe developer, I tinker all the time with recipes… but always encourage people to try the recipe before altering it.

How to Make Peach Compote

Place your medium saucepan on the stovetop, and warm it over medium-high heat.

Next, you’ll measure out the peaches. My recipe calls for frozen peaches, but you can use fresh or canned, too. If you have whole peaches, make sure their skins are removed and they have been sliced before you measure them out. You need TWO cups total.

Please note that depending on the sweetness of your peaches, you might need to add additional sugar. Give the compote a taste every so often to see how it’s coming together and don’t be afraid to add a little more sugar, if necessary.

Add the peaches to the saucepan with water and sugar, and bring ’em to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally. The peaches will release their natural juices and they’ll combine with the sugar, which will dissolve into them.

The goal is to heat and cook until the peaches begin to break apart and break down into smaller pieces.

When the peaches start falling apart, drizzle in the balsamic vinegar. 

Cook for an additional 5-10 minutes. This will ensure that the flavors really meld beautifully.

You can use a muddler or potato masher to smash up the peaches even more, though I appreciate the chunkiness of this final compote.

Serve the hot peach sauce over your favorite breakfast (like hot oatmeal, waffles or pancakes) or over dessert.

How to store:

Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. You can reheat in the microwave in 30-second bursts or enjoy it cold!

Erin’s Easy Entertaining Tips

We love, love, love to host friends for brunch. Whether it’s a holiday-centric brunch or a regular ‘ol weekend one, it’s a good time had by all.

The best way to do brunch at home is have it be low stakes but to have a plan to execute it since brunch happens earlier in the day than a dinner party. 

As someone who’s been known to scramble, I like to make things easy on myself, and to do this with brunch, I want to have a PLAN to stick to.

Here are some tricks for preparing for brunch with this versatile recipe:

• Make it in advance. The beauty in this compote is that it keeps in the fridge, so all you have to do when you’ve finished cooking it is to transfer it to a mason jar or another food-safe storage container. Let it cool, then transfer it to the fridge.
• If you’re hosting a lot of folks, make a double or triple batch of peach compote. It’s always a smash, so you’ll want to make sure to have enough.
• Reheat the compote in the microwave just before it’s time to eat.
• Give your brunch a theme! Since these peaches are summery and delicious, consider serving other summery foods to compliment the compote, like this Strawberry Melon Salad or Summer Fruit Salad.

Frequently Asked Questions

Quick Tips and Tricks for the BEST Homemade Peach Compote

• If you don’t have frozen peaches, you can use fresh or canned instead. If you’re using canned, make sure they’re no longer in the syrup because that will affect the texture.
• Don’t skip the balsamic vinegar. It really brings out the peachy flavors while balancing out the sweetness.
• Swap out the granulated sugar for brown sugar for a more molasses-y sweetness to this fresh fruit compote.

Love fruit sauces and compotes? Check out these…

• Orange Cranberry Compote
• Fresh Blueberry Sauce (AKA blueberry compote)
• Homemade Strawberry Syrup

Now who’s ready for some Balsamic Peach Compote?

I am, I am!

Scroll on down to learn how to make this goodness…

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The photos and recipe for this Peach Compote were originally published on March 21, 2012. The photographs, along with the text of this blog post, were updated on June 27, 2017.