Stewed prunes are so delicious. Cooking softens them, and they end up swimming in the most delicious syrup. They keep well in the fridge for several days, so you can make a big batch and enjoy a few of them daily.
Fruits are wonderful in their raw state, but I also enjoy them cooked. Some of my favorite desserts are blueberry compote, strawberry compote, and fried bananas. Stewed prunes might be forever tied in our minds to constipation relief, but they are actually delicious. Sweet and flavorful, they make a wonderful dessert or snack.
Ingredients
You'll only need four simple ingredients to make this recipe. The exact measurements are included in the recipe card below. Here's an overview of what you'll need:
- Prunes: Obviously, you should use pitted ones in this recipe. I like to use fairly large ones, but any size should work.
- Water: Some people use orange juice, straight or diluted. But I like to simply use water.
- To flavor the dish: Vanilla extract and ground cinnamon. These really add a lot to the dish, so I wouldn't skip either of them.
Variations
One way to vary this recipe is to cook the prunes in orange juice, as mentioned above.
You can also cook them in water as I do and add orange or lemon zest to the water. This adds a nice layer of flavor.
Instructions
Scroll down to the recipe card for detailed instructions. Here are the basic steps for making this recipe:
Place the ingredients - dried plums, water, vanilla extract, and ground cinnamon - in a small saucepan. Gently stir. Bring the mixture to a boil.
Lower the heat to medium-low and gently stir again. Cover the saucepan and simmer the mixture for about 15 minutes.
The last step is refrigerating the dish. This allows it to thicken. But you can certainly serve it warm, especially if you'd like to pour it over Greek yogurt.
Expert Tip
Stewed prunes are wonderful when served warm, but you can also eat them cold after refrigerating them overnight (or longer). The advantage of refrigerating them is that it considerably thickens the cooking liquids and makes them more syrupy.
Recipe FAQs
They are. 20 years ago, there was a marketing effort to rebrand "prunes" and call them "dried plums." I don't know if it succeeded or not. The package I have says "California Pitted Prunes," so maybe they gave up.
The thing is, prunes are delicious! They are sweet but not cloyingly so (unlike dates, for example, which are VERY sweet). They have a deep, complex flavor, and they boast mild sour notes that balance their sweetness.
When cooked, they are especially delicious. Cooking softens them, and they end up swimming in the most delicious syrup. Just as important, making them is so easy.
Some recipes add sugar or honey to the dish. I find it unnecessary. Dried fruits are naturally very sweet, and cooking them brings out this sweetness and enhances it.
I do add vanilla and cinnamon, and those are indeed lovely additions. But I don't add any sweetener.
Both are good. I typically serve it cold because I like to let it thicken in the fridge. But it's also good warm, especially when spooned over Greek yogurt.
Serving Suggestions
You can simply eat these prunes on their own as a sweet homemade dessert, and that's how I usually serve them. You can also spoon them on top of plain Greek yogurt for a filling breakfast or snack. Sometimes, I spoon them over homemade frozen yogurt. Delicious!
Storing Leftovers
The leftovers keep well in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. If you'd like to reheat the leftovers, do so gently, covered, in the microwave at 50% power.
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Recipe Card
Easy Stewed Prunes Recipe
Video
Ingredients
- 20 pitted prunes - 160 grams
- 1 ½ cups water
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Place the prunes in a small saucepan.
- Add the water, vanilla, and cinnamon. Gently stir.
- Bring to a boil (this will likely take about 5 minutes). Gently stir again, then lower the heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes, until the prunes are soft and swimming in syrup.
- Transfer the prunes to a heat-proof glass storage container. Cool to room temperature, about 15 minutes, then cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. This allows the syrup to thicken and flavors to develop. Serve alone as dessert, or spoon on top of plain Greek yogurt.
Notes
- These prunes are wonderful when served warm, but you can also eat them cold after refrigerating them overnight (or longer). The advantage of refrigerating them is that it considerably thickens the cooking liquids and makes them more syrupy.
- The leftovers keep well in the fridge, in an airtight container, for 4-5 days. If you'd like to reheat them, do so very gently, covered, in the microwave at 50% power.
- This is not a low-carb recipe.
Nutrition per Serving
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Julie Hall says
I'm very glad you gave us the weight as well as the number you used and for your comment that yours were large prunes. My prunes must be quite diminutive compared to yours; it took me many more than your 20! I used water as my cooking liquid and added dried lemon zest. The result was delicious and I have just made my second batch. When I first saw this recipe, it reminded me of the ones my mother prepared many decades ago by simply soaking them in water, uncooked, at least overnight in the refrigerator with slices of lemon added for flavor. Back then, all our prunes came unpitted, so we just had to exercise caution when we tackled the finished product. Pitted prunes are a nice form of progress and stewing them gently, as you do, extracts much more flavor than just soaking. Thank you for sharing this.
Vered DeLeeuw says
You're very welcome, Julie! I'm so glad you enjoyed this recipe. Thank you for the detailed review.
Wendy Schultz says
Quick, easy and Delish !
Vered DeLeeuw says
Glad you liked this recipe, Wendy! Thank you very much for the review.
Sunil Sukumaran says
Superb
Vered DeLeeuw says
Glad you liked it, Sunil!
Fibregitl says
Such a simple but delicious recipe! Thank you. We eat ours with tapioca. Love the orange juice idea. Will try that next!
Vered DeLeeuw says
You're very welcome! 🙂
Shery Sullivan says
Good for my husband and me in many ways. Also simmered them in orange juice.
Vered DeLeeuw says
Glad you liked them, Shery!