Cherries, cherries everywhere!

The tart pie cherry trees at the back of the potager garden are in full force, so we’re taking advantage of every cherry we can harvest. We know if we don’t get out there to pick them now, the birds will take more than their fair share. So off we go each morning with a colander in hand. We return and start the somewhat mindless task of washing, pitting and sorting. The kids help out for short periods of time and think it’s a fun job. I mean, you do get to pull things apart and squish them a bit. Random squirts of cherry juice generate the best laughs!

To take advantage of the harvest we’re freezing half and using the other half in jams, syrups, cherry pie and most recently in cherry compote. I served this over mini cheesecakes tonight and they were a hit! It’s incredibly simple to make and can be customized based on what you have available and in season in your area. While I personally use an Instant Pot electric pressure cooker to make the compote (mainly so I can just set it and forget it while I’m finishing up other dishes), it can easily be made on the stove as well. It just means 15-20 minutes stirring on the stove, but you’ll get the same results…with a hotter kitchen.

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Easy Cherry Compote in the Instant Pot

Cherry compote sounds fancy, but is really quite easy to make. With just three simple ingredients, you can be serving cherry compote over pancakes, waffles, yogurt, ice cream, cheese cake, you name it.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword Cherry

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 3 minutes

Total Time 15 minutes

Servings 8

Ingredients

• 4 cups cherries I have used both fresh and frozen cherries
• 1 tbsp honey You can use more or less depending on the sweetness of your cherries
• 1/2 cup orange juice or lemon juice If I'm using tart pie cherries I'll use orange juice for some added sweetness, but if using sweet cherries I'll opt for the lemon juice

Instructions

1. Add pitted cherries, honey and citrus juice to the Instant Pot (or other electric pressure cooker) and stir to combine.

2. Lock the lid in place in the sealing position. Select Manual (high pressure) for 3 minutes cook time.

3. After the cook time has finished, wait for 10-15 minutes for the pressure to naturally release (otherwise you may end up with cherry juice squirting all over your kitchen).

4. If you feel it needs to thicken a bit more, feel free to turn it on Saute mode and stir constantly so it doesn't burn.

5. Serve alone, on top of pancakes, waffles, cheesecake, yogurt, you decide! It's also delicious mixed in with a big bowl of oatmeal.

Recipe Notes

You can customize this recipe in many different ways, so don't be afraid to experiment! In the winter I typically use frozen sweet cherries as those are most readily available, but right now we have tart pie cherry trees exploding on the farm, so we're using those in everything possible! This compote is also great for other berries or stone fruits, so have fun being creative!