This spiced quince compote recipe is one of the best ways there is to use this unusual pear-shaped fruit. If you're looking for an easy quince recipe to make then give this one a try.
What is quince?
A quince is a pear-shaped fruit that grows on a quince tree. Quince trees are part of the same family as apples and pears but quinces are quite distinct from their more common relatives.
The quince fruit is green while it's growing but turns a golden yellow colour when ripe. Its flesh is quite hard and it has quite large seeds inside. If eaten in large quantities these seeds can be toxic.
Read more about quinces on Wikipedia.
Quince are a historical ingredient
Quinces have been used historically in cooking for many years but you don't see them very much nowadays. I definitely get the sense that people don't really know what to cook with them any more and to be honest I don't remember ever seeing them for sale anywhere.
Just last week an email went out on our neighbourhood forum offering a large number of free quinces from someone's tree in their garden. I definitely got the feeling that they were keen to get rid of them!
I ended up with a batch of quinces when my husband's work colleague brought some in for me from her mother's garden. They sat looking at me in the fruit bowl for a few days while I decided what to make. I decided that an easy quince compote was a good idea for my first foray into cooking with quinces.
What can you cook with quince?
This is the first time I've cooked with quince - in fact I've always been a bit reluctant to eat it since trying membrillo in Argentina about a decade ago.
Membrillo is a hard paste, which is red in colour. It's sometimes called quince cheese and it is often served with a cheese course. I was not keen on the texture and it's not something I'm keen to try again!
Check out this quince cheese recipe by River Cottage if you're tempted.
Jamie Oliver has a few quince recipes online (not veggie) as does Nigel Slater in The Guardian. But on the whole the internet is fairly bereft of quince recipes - especially vegan and vegetarian ones.
More veggie quince recipes
- Quince and apple sponge crumble by Family Friends Food (vegetarian)
- Quince jelly by Honest Mum
- Vanilla poached quince by David Lebovitz (vegan)
- Pickled quinces by Diana Henry (vegan)
- Quince chutney by Seasonal Cook in Turkey (vegan)
- Quince jam by Abel and Cole (vegan)
Pin how to make easy spiced quince compote for later
How to make quince compote
It's quite simple to make quince compote and I found that it didn't need as much sugar or as long a cooking time as many recipes suggested. This will of course depend on how ripe your quinces are and how sweet you like your food so adjust sugar and cooking times accordingly.
One thing that it's worth noting about quince is that it browns very quickly so get your bowl of lemon water ready before you start peeling and chopping. I also found that the quince stained my chopping board so be aware of this and don't use your favourite brand new board!
Quince compote is really good with porridge (oatmeal) for breakfast. You can mix it with apples before cooking if you like.
Why not try this for breakfast with my vegan granola?
If you have made this recipe and loved it please consider leaving a comment and rating below.
Spiced quince compote
Ingredients
- 3 quinces peeled, cored and chopped
- 200 ml water
- 1 lemon
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 star anise
- 3 cardamon pods
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 1 tbsp maple syrup or more if you prefer a sweeter taste
- 100 ml water
Instructions
- Squeeze the lemon into the 200ml water and place the prepared quinces in the lemon water immediately to prevent them from browning.
- When ready to cook drain and rinse the quinces and place in a medium saucepan with the spices, maple syrup and 100ml water.
- Bring to the boil then cover and cook over a low heat for 20-30 minutes until the quince are soft.
- Remove the whole spices and serve warm either on their own, alongside a savoury dish or with porridge for breakfast.
Nutrition
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Helen @ family-friends-food.com
Looks gorgeous! I love quince compote and this sounds delicious with the added spices. It's yummy with ice-cream for a quick dessert too 🙂
Cook Veggielicious
That's a great idea Helen - I have been eating it for breakfast but it would be just as good for dessert.
Monika Dabrowski
This sounds really delicious, I love the spices you've used. must be fabulous with porridge!
Cook Veggielicious
Thanks Monika - it really is a good recipe and made a perfect breakfast with the porridge.
Rebecca
This is the perfect recipe for me, I've been looking for recipes to use up the huge harvest of quince from my grans bush, now I'm spoilt for choice!
Cook Veggielicious
Ah lovely - I'm so glad you have found it useful Rebecca x
Eb Gargano | Easy Peasy Foodie
Ah - this sounds like a brilliant recipe - love the idea of serving it with porridge. I was just thinking the other day, as I was eating a rather plain bowl of porridge, how it needed pepping up with a fruit compote - this would've been perfect! Eb x
Cook Veggielicious
I am so bored of plain porridge - it improves it so much to serve it with compote x
Balvinder
I have never tried quince but its compote sounds wonderful.
Cook Veggielicious
Thanks so much Balvinder - it's a really delicious recipe.
Ellie
Hi, I want to use up my quince harvest. This recipe looks really good. How do I make it last? Can it be frozen or can it be put into a jar? How long would it last in a jar?
Many thanks,
Ellie
Cook Veggielicious
Hi Ellie, you can definitely freeze it. I'm not sure about how long it would keep in a jar but if it's sterilised it should keep for a few months - but I haven't tested this so I can't say for sure.