Pressure Cooker Cherry Compote
A quick, easy-to-make, delicious Pressure Cooker Cherry Compote made with frozen cherries so you can enjoy it any time of year.
Recently, I decided to create a new cheesecake recipe with a cherry topping. Since I’m in love with my Pressure Cooker Blueberry Compote and my Pressure Cooker Triple Berry Compote, I decided to use my pressure cooker to make the cherry topping – and it couldn’t have been easier.
Making Cherry Compote in an Instant Pot
An Instant Pot is one of the most popular brands of electric pressure cookers. They are easy to use and your Instant Pot can help you create this Cherry Compote!
I bought a package of frozen dark cherries at the supermarket. I didn’t bother to thaw the cherries before I used them. I just put a few ingredients in the pressure cooker and minutes later had a fabulous cherry sauce.
By dividing the cherries in half and pressure cooking just half of the cherries for a few minutes, the cherries breakdown and release their juices, so the sauce is flavorful and turns a pretty deep red color. Then I stir in the remaining cherries, so the sauce has pretty whole cherries as well.
The finishing touch is a little bit of almond extract which gives the sauce that little extra oh wow factor.
Speaking of oh wow, be sure and stop by next week. Next Sunday, I’ll share the pressure cooker cheesecake recipe I used this luscious sauce on!
Pressure Cooker Cherry Compote
Ingredients
- 1 (16 ounce) package frozen dark cherries
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons water
- 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
Instructions
- Add 8 ounces of cherries, sugar, and lemon juice to pressure cooking pot; stir to combine. Lock the lid in place and select High Pressure and 3 minutes cook time. When beep sounds turn off pressure cooker and use a natural pressure release for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, release any remaining pressure with a quick pressure release.
- In a small bowl, whisk together cornstarch and water. Add to compote in pressure cooking pot. Bring to a boil using the saute function, stirring constantly, until sauce thickens. Stir in remaining cherries and almond extract.
- Put in a storage container and cool to room temperature. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
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I have a question. I couldn’t find frozen cherries (the Covid-19 frozen fruit shortage) so I got a can of tart cherries in water. Would you prepare them the same way? I’m using them with the Black Forest cheesecake.
HI Melissa – there’s probably no need to pressure cook the cherries. I would drain the water into a saucepan or the inner pot, sweeten it to taste and then proceed with step 2.
Of course it can be canned! Put the compot in sterilized jars an process as you would any canned goods.
Hi Judith – here’s a good post on hot water bath canning in the electric pressure cooker https://www.friedalovesbread.com/2017/09/steam-canning-in-your-instant-pot-part.html
Hi Barbara, do you have any suggestions on how to make this recipe with fresh cherries?
Thanks in advance.
Hi Sydney – I haven’t tried it with fresh cherries, but perhaps the only thing I would change is add a little more liquid since the fresh cherries may not break down quickly enough to release liquid to come to pressure. Maybe 1/4 cup – half water and half lemon juice? Let me know if you give it a try.
I couldn’t find frozen cherries at the grocery but did find a bag of froz mixed berries and sour cherries that I used in this recipe and it was terrific! Loved the almond extract addition, though next time will try a hit of grand marnier or amaretto… Yum. Thanks!
I thought you always had to have at least a cup of liquid in the pressure cooker. Confused on this one…is it ok to pressurize these ingredients without any liquid?
Hi Kelly – if you have ingredients that release a lot of liquid when they cook, then you don’t need to use 1 cup of liquid.
Kelly, yes. There is enough water solube juices geberated between the frozen cherries and the lemon juice.
The fresh cherry season is so short here during the summer that we take advantage of eating each and every one of them when I buy them. I seldom think of buying frozen cherries-that won’t be the case now. That compote looks so good….and I can’t wait to see the cheesecake that goes with it. 🙂
Sounds delicious and I will try it soon. Is that a Candlewick glass dish in the photo??
This looks delicious! I’m curious – I’ve been looking for something like this that can be canned for longer shelf life. How long does this keep?
Hi Mary – sorry, I don’t have any experience canning. You’ll want to use it within about a week. Here’s a good post from Frieda on hot water bath canning in the electric pressure cooker https://www.friedalovesbread.com/2017/09/steam-canning-in-your-instant-pot-part.html