Easy Stewed Prunes Recipe

Name: Easy Stewed Prunes Recipe
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 100 min
Ingredients: 20 pitted prunes (160 grams); 1 1/2 cups water; 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract; 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

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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.

Stewed prunes are served in a white bowl with a napkin and a spoon.

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

See the recipe card for exact measurements. Here are my comments on the ingredients.

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 use water. You can also cook them in water as I do and add orange or lemon zest. This adds a nice layer of flavor.
To flavor the dish: Vanilla extract and ground cinnamon. These greatly enhance the dish, so I wouldn't skip either of them.

Instructions

The detailed instructions and step-by-step photos are included in the recipe card. Here's a quick overview.

Place the ingredients 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 to allow it to thicken. But you can serve it warm if you wish.

Such a simple but delicious recipe! Thank you. We eat ours with tapioca. Love the orange juice idea. Will try that next!
Fibregirl
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Recipe FAQs

Are prunes the same as "dried plums?"

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, with 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 easy!

Should I add sugar?

Some recipes add sugar or honey. 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.

Should I serve the prunes warm or chilled?

Stewed prunes are wonderful when served warm, especially as a topping to Greek yogurt, 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.

How long can I keep the leftovers?

The leftovers keep well in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. If you'd like to reheat them, do so gently, covered, in the microwave at 50% power.

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 as a topping on any of the following:

Plain Greek yogurt
Homemade frozen yogurt
Cream cheese pancakes
Ricotta cheesecake
Ricotta dessert
Add them to a cheese board

Recipe Card

5 from 32 votes

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Stewed prunes are so delicious. Cooking softens them, and they end up swimming in the most delicious syrup.

Prep Time10

Cook Time15

Rest time1 15

Total Time1 40

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Servings: servings

Calories: 100kcal

Author: Vered DeLeeuw

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 an airtight container in the fridge for up to 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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Most recipes are low-carb and gluten-free, but some are not. Recommended and linked products are not guaranteed to be gluten-free. Nutrition info is approximate. Please verify it independently. The carb count excludes non-nutritive sweeteners. Please read these Terms of Use before using any of my recipes.

Stewed Prunes

Ingredients

Instructions

Recipe FAQs

Serving Suggestions

Recipe Card