Swimming in tomatoes? Here’s an easy and delicious way to use them up: a vibrant, sweet-sour-spicy tomato compote that can perk up any meal. Serve it at breakfast or brunch with a chunky sourdough bread, or use it to spice up veggie burgers for your cookout or vegan steaks for dinner.
This easy tomato compote is so versatile, you can make it with whatever tomato you have on hand, from cherry tomatoes to heirloom varieties or just your regular supermarket tomato. It’s a great way to enjoy one of summer’s most abundant offerings now but you’d be smart to make some extra and stash it away for the winter.
The compote is ridiculously easy to make: just gather your ingredients in a pot and let them cook over a low flame for several hours. You will need to stir the pot every now and then, but that’s all you need to do. This is also the perfect dish to make in a slow cooker, if you have one.
If you are looking for ways to use up or store a ton of tomatoes, try making this tomato onion masala sauce that you can also freeze and use to make quick, restaurant-style curries with. And if you have green tomatoes on hand, you can’t go wrong with this green tomato stew. Or just make amazing vegan fried green tomatoes!
Table of Contents
Why you will love this recipe
- It’s super easy and versatile. You don’t need to roast the tomatoes first as some recipes ask you to do, and if you use cherry tomatoes, like I did, you have barely any chopping to do (other than putting two garlic cloves through a press or mincing them real fine). You can use this compote sauce over just about any dish, including in pasta.
- It’s delicious! The spicy-sweet-tangy combo is absolutely mindblowing and works so well with a variety of dishes.
- It’s soy-free, nut-free, gluten-free and vegan. This tomato compote is everyone-friendly.
Ingredients
Check recipe card below for exact quantities of each ingredient.
- Tomatoes. I used cherry tomatoes because I have a steady crop coming in from my garden right now. You can use any tomatoes of your choice, preferably not roma tomatoes or plum tomatoes, which tend to have thicker skins. If you do use these varieties, peel them before using.
- Garlic. This adds a ton of complexity to the cherry tomato compote, so don’t skip!
- Spices: Curry powder and red pepper flakes (or paprika)
- Balsamic vinegar
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Maple syrup. Sugar is fine as a substitute. Use coconut sugar or turbinado sugar if possible.
Optional ingredients
- Basil or mint. I didn’t use any herbs this time but you can tear up a few fresh mint or fresh basil leaves and stir them into the compote after it has reached room temperature.
Recipe FAQs
Use any tomatoes of your choice. If you use tomatoes with thicker skins, like plum tomatoes or roma tomatoes, you might want to peel the skins off. To do this, make an X cut in the bottom of the tomatoes and place in boiling water for a couple of minutes. This should help make peeling a breeze!
Use garam masala, which will give a different but equally delicious and complex flavor. If you don’t have either, skip the spices and use a few sprigs of thyme or rosemary instead.
Basil or mint would be perfect in this cherry tomato compote recipe. Chop and stir them in once the compote has cooled to room temperature.
Serving suggestions
I love to smear the tomato compote on a crusty bread, like this Italian bread. You can also use it as a condiment to layer burgers or sandwiches or serve it alongside juicy vegan steaks, like these grilled tofu steaks in a Cajun sauce.
Storage instructions
- Refrigerate: The tomato compote can be stored in the fridge in an air-tight container for up to two weeks.
- Freeze: Freeze the compote for up to four months in a freezer-safe container.
- Thaw completely before serving.
More delicious tomato recipes
If you love this tomato compote, be sure to check out more recipes for vegan sauces and dressings on Holy Cow Vegan!
Easy Tomato Compote
A vibrant, sweet-sour-spicy tomato compote that can perk up any meal. Serve it at breakfast or brunch with a chunky sourdough bread, or use it to spice up veggie burgers for your cookout or vegan steaks for dinner.
Print Recipe
Pin Recipe
Review Recipe
Servings: 8 servings
Calories: 116kcal
Prevent your screen from going dark
Instructions
-
Place the tomatoes in a Dutch oven. Add the curry powder, garlic, red pepper flakes or paprika, maple syrup, balsamic vinegar, salt and ground black pepper to taste.
-
Place the pot over medium heat and mix all ingredients thoroughly with a spatula. Cook until the tomatoes start to express juices. Cover the Dutch oven with a tight lid, turn heat to low, and let the tomatoes cook down for four hours or until very jammy. Stir frequently to make sure nothing is sticking.
-
In the last half hour of cooking you can open the lid and increase the heat to medium to help the mixture thicken. Serve the compote warm or at room temperature.
Recipe notes
- To make this in a slow cooker, place all ingredients in the crockpot, mix, cover and cook six hours on low heat. If there’s too much liquid in the pan, leave the crockpot lid open in the last half hour of cooking.
- I like using just a little balsamic vinegar in this compote because the tomatoes are also quite tangy. If you want a more pronounced tang you can increase the quantity of balsamic vinegar to up to 1 tablespoon.
- I didn’t use any herbs this time but you can tear up a few leaves of mint or basil and stir them into the compote after it has reached room temperature for even more delicious flavor.
Storage instructions
- Refrigerate: The tomato compote can be stored in the fridge in an air-tight container for up to two weeks.
- Freeze: Freeze the compote for up to four months in a freezer-safe container.
- Thaw completely before serving.
Nutrition
Calories: 116kcal | Carbohydrates: 9g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Potassium: 229mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 748IU | Vitamin C: 12mg | Calcium: 20mg | Iron: 0.4mg
