Slow-Cooker Tomato Compote Recipe (2024)

By Sarah DiGregorio

Slow-Cooker Tomato Compote Recipe (1)

Total Time
6 hours and 10 minutes
Rating
4(1,098)
Notes
Read community notes

This savory compote — a typically sweet, slow-simmered fruit preserve — is a delicious way to eat cherry tomatoes, especially those that are on the verge of being too soft. But it’s also a great way to intensify the flavor of middling supermarket cherry tomatoes in the winter. Either way, the sweet-tart tomatoes can build super-quick meals: Put them on top of ricotta or avocado toast, or squish them into a grilled cheese. Toss them with hot or cold pasta. Use the oil and juices in salad dressings and the tomatoes in the salad itself. The compote can be used right away, but it’s best the next day and will keep in the fridge for at least a week. Feel free to throw in any hardy, woody herbs you like, but don’t add very delicate herbs like basil, chives or dill before cooking. You can add a handful of those softer herbs before serving, if you like.

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Ingredients

Yield:About 3 ½ cups

  • 2pounds cherry or grape tomatoes (about 4 pints)
  • 4garlic cloves, smashed
  • ½cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1tablespoon honey
  • 2tablespoons balsamic vinegar
  • 2bushy sprigs fresh herbs, such as rosemary, tarragon, thyme, sage, parsley or a mix
  • ½teaspoon red-pepper flakes (optional)
  • Kosher salt and black pepper
  • Juice of ¼ lemon (about 2 teaspoons)

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)

222 calories; 19 grams fat; 3 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 13 grams monounsaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 14 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams dietary fiber; 10 grams sugars; 2 grams protein; 616 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Slow-Cooker Tomato Compote Recipe (2)

Preparation

  1. In a 6- to 8-quart slow cooker, add the tomatoes, garlic, olive oil, honey, vinegar, herbs and red-pepper flakes (if using), and stir to combine. Season with 2 teaspoons salt and a few generous grinds of pepper. Cook on low for 6 hours, until the tomatoes are wrinkled, sweet and very soft, and some have burst. Remove the herb sprigs and squeeze in the lemon juice. Taste, and add more salt and pepper if necessary. Store in a covered container in the refrigerator.

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1,098

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Private Notes

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Cooking Notes

Janet

How would you adapt this to cooking without a slow cooker? perhaps roast in oven at low temperature--but how low, and for how long?

Tara

Can you freeze this to keep for use later on?

Joe

I roast them in the oven at 350° for about 45 min. I’ve tossed them with pasta and goat cheese

Kim

It freezes very well in a ziploc. Just freeze flat and break off what you need. I do several batches to tide me through winter.

Cathy

How long will this last in the fridge?

Mary N

If you use ripe sungolds you don't need to add any honey or sugar. I slow roast them in a 200 degree oven, a few hours, w/oo and salt and they caramelize like candy. I leave them somewhat moist, not too dry, so it isn't a loose compote as much as a goopy divine thing. It freezes beautifully, I eat it through the winter and it's like August in your mouth, lol

Mick Watson

I use a sheet pan with parchment paper. It works like a champ! Cook very low, 200 or so, for as many hours as you can spare (no fewer than three, no more than eight). Adjust the measurements in this recipe to fit your sheet pan. You can then lift and slightly fold the parchment to funnel off all that goodness into a bowl and store it right on your counter for quick access!

Colleen

Janet: I make something similar in my oven and it is to die for over grilled fleshy fish such as cod or halibut, mixed in with any pasta or risotto or spooned atop crostini.Try this as your base: https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/honey-roasted-cherry-tomatoes-51174600I've never added the balsamic vinegar or fresh herbs but will try in the future. The honey-garlic-olive-oil-salt recipe I use is simply delicious.

Gerry

No slow cooker? I roast in a 325 oven for about 2 hours. Been slow roasting cherry tomatoes this way for years. I didn't know to call it a compote. Do know there is usually a jar of it in my fridge. Occasionally add a few jalapeno to the tomatoes and very often add whole garlic cloves. Pour into sterilised jars right from the oven. Keeps for weeks in fridge. It's a great topping for everything from roasted cod to a slice of olive oil rubbed baguette.

JPP

I’ve roasted tomatoes every which way fir years, and while all good, I think they are best if you have the time at 325 degrees for 2-3 hours. For a pint of cherries I would add about 1/8 a cup of olive oil, about half that of basalmic vinegar, and some fresh - if you have it -thyme. Simple and delicious.

MCH

Like Colleen, I have been making the Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall version in the oven for years. I first saw it as an insert in the Sunday London paper. Fantastic. I use thyme, garlic and plenty of red pepper flakes. Great on a slice of toast. Yes, it freezes. Yes, it keeps in the fridge for a week or so, but it never lasts that long at my house. Also delicious as a modified tomato and mozzarella (or burrata) salad. I will likely prefer roasting to the crock pot, but I will try this method

Tobalah

Pizza topping!

Mick Watson

This should last a couple weeks in the fridge. You'll want to bring it to room temperature before using as the olive oil will congeal in the fridge. I leave this in a bowl on my kitchen counter for quick access. It lasts about a week there, if I don't use it all up first!

emil

Question--Can something similar be done with quartered or halved plum or other types of larger tomatoes? Please advise on adating this for other types of tomatoes.Comment--One advantage of a slow cooker--not heating up the kitchen with the oven on for such a long time. In cooler months I slow- bake, -roast many foods but not in the summer.

D. Ward

To reduce liquid in crockpot, bring to a boil with lid on, remove the lid and simmer until you like the consistency.

aehtorod

Wonderfully delicious!!I added tiny new potatoes and chunky slices of onion. Substituted two red peppers for pepper flakes. Cooked in a Dutch oven at 200C for 4.5 hours. For some reason that I don’t understand, the onion remained crunchy and the potatoes were not over cooked, while the tomatoes were “melted” as one would expect. Out of this world.

Fred

This recipe was a disaster. Don't know what made me think a slow cooker would do it. Slow cooker did not evaporate the liquid at all. After several hours I transfered this to the oven and cooked another 2 hours to get it jammy. Then had a pot full of great tasting cooked down tomatoes with too many tough skins. Yuk. I ended up with a great tasting sauce after straining the skins out.

Christina Shankar

Made this almost exactly as described, but accidentally used brown rice syrup instead of honey, and it was still good. I used the slow cooker setting on an Instant Pot and was pleased with the results. I can see using the juice as an ingredient in a vinaigrette. Put a few tomatoes on an English muffin with a scrambled egg and that was a fine little dinner. Used rosemary, sage and parsley from the deck garden before frost kills everything. Excellent!

Eileen

Love this recipe with 1/3 to 1/2 of the recommended olive oil.

consistency and other notes

The sauce was loose, but flavorful. Ended up using it in a cheese bake/ pasta dish. Read something that said oven roasting and crockpot are both good options. Not sure if shelf life but some ppl said they can leave it about a week on the counter, longer in fridge.

wingin' it

Started these today in the slow cooker and after at least six hours decided to put them in a sauce pan to finish otherwise would have been all night. Reduced to a nice jammy consistency and bonus - some roasted spots on the tomatoes. Tastes divine. An excellent use of the last of my garden's exuberant cherry tomatoes!

D. Marie

I suggest using less oil. Maybe 1/4 cup. Extra honey for my taste. Basil instead of rosemary. The skins were kind of unappealing--blending is a great idea.

Michael

Simply delicious. Much more flavourful than an oven version!

Susan

I made mine with Sungolds from my garden. It was soupy coming out of the slow cooker but okay once I simmered it for a while. I'm not really down with rosemary in this kind of sauce so will omit and add basil in at the last minute. Otherwise, it was good.

Raquel

Has anyone try to can them and process the jars in a hot water bath?

Dorothy

I was disappointed in my results. It’s too thin and filled with tomato skins. I’m going to put it in the blender and use it as a sauce.I have better luck roasting in the oven. Turn oven to 450 degrees. While it heats up, halve your cherry tomatoes and put in an oven safe baking dish. Drizzle with oil and sprinkle with salt. Add desired herbs. When the oven reaches 450, put in the tomatoes, turn off the oven, and leave them for 8 hours.

Kirby

Any suggested cooking temps and times for sous vide?

vger21

My result using tomatoes from my garden was a little watery. Next time, I'll salt and drain the tomatoes. I was still able to make a pretty good spaghetti sauce from my compote, cooking it down to thicken it.

Joanne

Had so many tomatoes (of all kinds, not just cherry) to deal with and this was the perfect solution. I went light on the honey (tomatoes didn't need it). Found that cooking covered on low it was still quite watery after 6 hours so did an additional 4 with lid off. Picked out the herbs, ran rest through a food mill, packed into plastic zip lock bags and froze. Really easy way to get a fantastic tomato sauce, and so efficient to use a slow cooker instead of running the stove or oven.

Andrea

Love the flavor! Question - i have lots of tom seeds, how did you get rid of some? i used an immersion blender for 1/2 the batch so there werent too many skins.After blending, mixed it with other half and continuing roasting in oven for luquid to evaporate a bit. Serving it over goat cheese tonight with crackers & glasses of white wine.

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Slow-Cooker Tomato Compote Recipe (2024)

FAQs

How to thicken up sauce in a slow cooker? ›

A cornstarch slurry is a mixture of a cold liquid with cornstarch. It is used as a thickening agent, and is particularly common in Asian sauces. As a rule of thumb, dissolve 2 parts cold water and 1 part cornstarch. Add the slurry to your sauce as it simmers in the slow cooker.

What enhances the flavor of tomatoes? ›

Well, if you really want to amp up the taste of your tomatoes, cream of tartar is your answer. Yes, there are other ways to make your tomatoes taste even better and increase the acidity. There is lemon, vinegar, or my personal favorite, balsamic.

Does taking the lid off a slow cooker thicken the sauce? ›

Take the lid off

Place the cooker on a high setting, and open the lid for 30-45 minutes to let excess moisture cook off. The liquid will reduce, leaving you with a thick and delicious gravy or sauce. (Tip: This trick can also be applied for thickening stews, or when you've accidentally added too much liquid.)

How to make tomatoes taste more tomatoey? ›

Chris's solution is to use salt to lose the excess liquid; draining the bland water leaves you with concentrated tomatoey flavors.

How long does it take to thicken sauce in a slow cooker? ›

A slurry is a mixture of flour and water, whisked together until smooth and added towards the end of cooking; it's a super-simple way to thicken any soup. For slow cooker soups, add your slurry with at least 30 minutes of cook time left so that the raw flour can cook and thicken the soup.

Why does sauce go watery in slow cooker? ›

This moist environment allows you to leave food to cook for hours without risking it drying out. But because there is no evaporation, the liquid isn't able to reduce and thicken naturally in a slow cooker, often resulting in watery sauces and loose gravies. The common solution? Using a thickener.

What flavor cancels out tomato? ›

Cinnamon and nutmeg to eliminate tomato sourness

If you use canned or bottled peeled tomatoes, you can "soften" the sourness by adding half a teaspoon of cinnamon or nutmeg while cooking.

Does Epsom salt make tomatoes taste better? ›

Fact! Adding Epsom salts to your plant either through foliar spray or direct watering is a great way of boosting micronutrient absorption. This helps your tomato plant produce large, juicy, and very sweet fruits. Remember that a little bit goes a long way and too much can cause more problem than it fixes.

What Flavour balances tomato? ›

add a little sugar to balance the acid in the tomato. Add a little lemon juice, vinegar or hot sauce and just go with a sour stew.

What cannot be cooked in a slow cooker? ›

10 Foods You Should Never Make in a Slow Cooker
  1. Raw Meat.
  2. Seafood.
  3. Pasta.
  4. Rice.
  5. Delicate Vegetables.
  6. Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts.
  7. Dairy.
  8. Wine and Other Liquor.
Jan 19, 2024

Is 4 hours on high the same as 8 hours on low in a slow cooker? ›

The difference between the two settings isn't a higher temperature, it's the time it takes for the slow cooker to reach the simmer point. On high, that's around three to four hours, and on low, it's seven to eight, according to Crock-Pot. So imagine if your dinner is cooking away on high all day while you're at work.

Can I leave food in a slow cooker overnight off? ›

On some occasions, you'll want to leave food in the slow cooker to keep warm, during Thanksgiving or Christmas Dinner, for example, or any other event or holiday. While it's perfectly ok to use your crock pot in this way, try to avoid leaving food on the warming setting for more than four hours.

How do you fix tasteless tomatoes? ›

It's simple: Slow-roast them. Give these tomatoes some time to slow-roast at a low temperature in the oven and you'll taste an unbelievable and delicious transformation. The oven pulls out the tomato's natural sugars, concentrating them over time, ultimately rewarding you with a sweeter and much more flavorful version.

Why are my tomatoes not tasty? ›

When a plant starts fruiting, it starts looking yellow and tired. That's when we often rush out and water the plant to help perk it up. This is the wrong thing to do. In the simplest terms, all of that water ends up in your fruit, compromising its flavor and texture.

Should you salt tomatoes before cooking? ›

Salting tomatoes not only brings out the best flavor, but also makes for the best texture. It does so by separating the flesh from the water, so you end up with firm, concentrated tomato pieces. You also end up with well-seasoned tomato water, which is endlessly versatile in the kitchen.

What to do if a slow cooker is too watery? ›

Use cornstarch at the end of the cooking time. In a little bowl stir together a couple of tablespoons of cornstarch and a couple tablespoons water. Turn the slow cooker to high and stir in the cornstarch mixture. Keep the lid off and let the sauce get thickened up.

How do you thicken a sauce that's too watery? ›

Use Flour and Water

Combine 2 tablespoons flour with every 1/4 cup cold water and whisk until smooth. Add the mixture to your sauce over medium heat, and continue to stir and cook until you've reached your desired consistency.

How do you get rid of excess liquid in a slow cooker? ›

If it comes to serving and you open your slow cooker to find a watery sauce, never fear we have an easy answer. Take the lid off, turn the machine up to high heat and leave it for 30-45 minutes to let excess moisture cook off. The liquid will reduce, leaving you with a thick and delicious gravy or sauce.

How do you thicken a sauce that is too thin? ›

7 Ways to Thicken up a Sauce
  1. Flour. If being gluten-free isn't a concern, adding flour is a fantastic way to thicken dairy-based sauces, thick soups and gravies. ...
  2. Cornstarch or arrowroot. ...
  3. Tomato paste. ...
  4. Reduce the liquid. ...
  5. Swirl in a pat of butter. ...
  6. Add an egg yolk. ...
  7. Puree some vegetables.
Apr 9, 2019

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