Kompot

This Kompot recipe is a refreshing drink that has its roots in the traditional recipes of Eastern Europe. Made from a variety of fruit, this delicious homemade juice is sure to impress your taste buds with its sweet and tart combination of flavors. If you're from a Slavic background, this will take you back to your childhood (this version is berry heavy as we grew up with lots of berries).

Making Kompot (Компот) is super easy to make and has become a lost art. We live in a reconstituted juice heaven that's so easy to buy juices in supermarkets. It's healthier and tastier than store bought. Plus it's a great way to use up extra fruit from your garden (or even an impulse fruit tray purchase from the store). 

Why You'll Love This Recipe

• Easy - making juice at home is so easy to make, you'll wonder why you ever bought it
• Flexible - just throw your favorite berries into a pot and boil - use the fruit you have, soft apples no one wants to eat, add dried fruit like raisins or dried apples, or frozen raspberries or leftover cranberries you have in the back of the freezer
• Flavorful - using forest berries has the best flavors - cheaper and healthier juice compared to made from concentrate
• Different - tastes nothing like store-bought juice, all natural (and that's a good thing)!

What is Kompot

It's a popular homemade fruit juice; made in Russia, Ukraine, Poland and across Eastern Europe and the Baltics. There are many different ways to make it, but they all include boiling fruit in a pot of water, straining and sweetening. Sold in stores across Eastern Europe, however homemade always tastes better!

Ingredients

So many different fruit flavor combinations when making Kompot, make it your own. Here are are favorite berry combinations.

• Fruits - raspberries, blackberries, blueberries (optional: apples)
• Water
• Sugar

What Fruit Goes In Kompot?

Kompot is always made with fresh fruits and berries that grow in a northern climate. Always best picked from your garden or dacha. You can use any fruit combination you like.

• Cherries
• Plums
• Apricots / Peaches
• Strawberries
• Raspberries
• Blueberries
• Blackcurrants
• Apples
• Pears
• Cranberries or Lingonberries

How to make Kompot

This recipe is so easy to make. The sweetness of your juice depends on how sweet your fruit is, adjust sugar to taste.

1. Prepare Fruits - place fruits and sugar into large stockpot
2. Boil - fill with water and bring to a boil
3. Simmer - reduce heat to simmer and cook for 5 minutes. Remove from heat, cover with lid and allow to cool
4. Strain - place colander in a bowl, strain kompot and discard boiled fruit

Fresh or Frozen Fruit?

You can use fresh fruit or frozen fruit when making juice. Frozen fruit is cheaper to buy, and is easily found in supermarkets year round. Summer fruits grown in your garden is always the cheapest! I used frozen fruit for this recipe.

Winter Kompot

Another way to make Kompot is using dried fruit. This was a necessity before freezers in the old country. The recipe works the same way using dried fruit, you just need to let it simmer longer for flavors to release. Try using a combination of these dried fruits.

• Dried Apples
• Dried Pears
• Raisins
• Dried Apricots
• Prunes or Dried Plums
• Dried Cranberries

Recipe Tips and FAQs

• Use Raspberries - if you use light colored fruits like apples and peaches, it lacks flavor and depth, adding forest berries or a raspberry juice base adds color and flavor
• Heat It - enjoy Kompot warm or hot like tea. Microwave cup for 30 seconds to warm, for 60-90 seconds until hot.
• Honey - instead of sugar, sweeten with honey
• Soft Fruit - throw in apples, pears or grapes that are going soft, they're great to use in homemade Kompot
• Cool Overnight - bring fruit to a boil in the evening. Cove with lid and allow to slowly cool overnight, strain and place in fridge in the morning

Storage

• Fridge - place in juice jug or glass bottle and keep refrigerated, enjoy within 3-4 days.
• Freezer - fill up a soft drink bottle about ¾ of the way full, and place it in the freezer and enjoy within 3 months. Defrost in fridge before drinking.

Russian Drinks to Try!

• Cranberry Mors Juice (морс)
• Blackcurrant Juice
• Sweet Beet Kvass
• Rye Bread Kvass
• Blackcurrant Kvass
• Horseradish Vodka
• Blueberry Vodka
• Sea Buckthorn Tea
• Thyme Tea
• Medovukha (fermented Honey drink)

A perfect berry thirst quencher on a hot summer's day. Nothing tastes better a cold glass of homemade fruit juice, a tasty and healthy drink option. Bon Appetit! Приятного аппетита!

©PetersFoodAdventures.com *originally posted April 2016, updated May 2023