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Pasteurized Homemade Fruit Drink Recipe [Safe To Drink For 12 Months]

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Pasteurizing fruit is a common tradition in Poland. This recipe will show you how to pasteurize your favorite soft or hard fruits so you can eat them all through winter!

At home in Poland, we only get fresh fruits during the late spring, summer, and early autumn seasons. That’s why we need to find a method of storing fruits so that we can eat them in the wintertime too!

The answer is a drink that is basically kompot, but made in a slightly different way. There’s even a version of Christmas kompot drink called kompot z suszu!

What Is Kompot?

Polish kompot in jars.
Cherry kompot is delicious!

Kompot is a non-alcoholic fruit drink made by cooking fresh fruits with sugar and water. This fruity drink can be ready in minutes and takes on the flavor of the fruit you choose.

Fruit kompot lasts for a few months or a year. Although it has the same name as the French fruit compote dessert, it’s very different!  

How Does Pasteurisation Make A Difference?

Pasteurization helps to store the fruit mixture for a lot longer than normally possible. Normal kompot lasts for a week, but pasteurized kompot can last for around a year.

If you live in a place where you only have access to your favorite fruit for a season, turning them into a kompot is a brilliant idea!

The benefit here is that the quantity is reduced. So you store it in 1 bottle instead of 3 and add water right before serving the pasteurized fruit drink. 

How Is Fruit Pasteurized?

It’s really easy, cook the fruit with sugar and water. Then add the fruit mix to sterilized jars and cook in hot water for about an hour till it’s pasteurized. 

Sugar water.
Sugar and water mix
Cherries and glass jars.
Cherries and the glass jars ready!
Add cherries to glass jars with water.
Add cherries to glass jars with water!
Cherry kompot.
Cherry kompot!
Cherry kompot in glass jars.
Pasteurized fruit drink will last for a year!

Which Fruits Can I Save By Pasteurization?

This homemade fruit drink aka kompot can be made with almost any fruit. We make it with cherries, sweet cherries, plums, apples, pears, and more.

You can use: 

  • apples
  • cherries
  • pears
  • plums
  • pears
  • peaches
  • apricots
  • and more!

For the smaller fruits, you don’t need to remove the seeds from the fruits. Everyone will just discard them while drinking the Kompot. Bigger fruits such as pears and apples need to be cored and cut into smaller pieces before turning into a kompot.

What Do You Do With The Leftover Fruits From The Drink?

The fruits that are left over after pasteurization don’t need to be thrown away. They are actually quite delicious!

Eat them plain or add them to cake batter. You can also puree them and add as a topping to your favorite yogurt or muesli.

This kompot-style fruit drink also makes a great chaser. Back when I was a kid, I remember going to parties where it was served. The adults would drink vodka and then follow it with fruit kompot to dampen the strong taste of the Polish vodka.

Tips For Making Pasteurized Homemade Fruit Drink

  • If you can’t eat sugar, xylitol will work fine for this recipe.
  • Remember to take the jars out of the pot after pasteurizing.
  • This pasteurized drink is VERY sweet, that’s why you need to dilute it with water before serving.
  • You can use a mix of different fruits – for example, apples, cherries, and strawberries go well together. 
  • Add herbs such as rosemary or mint if necessary. 
  • Add cinnamon or vanilla for flavor if you want to!
  • Kompot tastes best cold!

FAQs About Pasteurized Homemade Fruit Drink That Will Last For 12 Months

Polish kompot in a glass bottle.
Polish kompot ca last a year in glass jars!

What Types Of Jars Can I Use?

It’s important to use glass jars for better pasteurization.

Where Did Kompot Originate?

Kompot originated in Eastern Europe in the 15th century. 

Is This How Polish Wigilia Kompot Is Made?

No. Polish Wigilia kompot or kompot wigilijny is more of dessert.

It uses 12 different dried fruits including figs, apricots, plums, pears, figs, peaches, prunes, cranberries, raisins, currants, orange peel, and more. It also includes brandy and spices. This Kompot is popular for Polish Wigilia or Christmas dinner!

How To Serve This Pasteurized Drink?

This pasteurized drink is more of concentrate than the regular Polish compote. Enjoy it by adding 70% to 80% water or soda. 

Pasteurized Homemade Fruit Drink Recipe

Yield: 15 jars

Pasteurized Homemade Fruit Drink Recipe

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Pasteurizing fruit is a common tradition in Poland. This recipe will show you how to pasteurize your favorite soft or hard fruits so you can eat them any time of the year!

Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes

Ingredients

  • 11 lbs / 5kg of fresh fruits
  • 2.2 lbs / 1kg of sugar 
  • water

Instructions

Hard Fruits Pasteurized Homemade Fruit Drink Recipe

  1. Wash the fruits and remove the stems.
  2. Pasteurize the jars (you'll need 15 large 23oz jars).
  3. Place the fruits onto the jars evenly.
  4. Cook the fruits with 4 cups of sugar until it's completely dissolved.
  5. Pour the sugar water onto the jars (they should cover the fruits and reach ¾ of the jar's height).
  6. Twist off the jars.
  7. Pasteurize the jars (see the instruction below).

Soft Fruits Pasteurized Homemade Fruit Drink Recipe

  1. Wash the fruits and remove the stems.
  2. Cook the fruits with 4 cups of sugar. Bring to boil then cook for max 5 minutes.
  3. In the meantime, pasteurize the jars(you'll need 15 large 23oz jars).
  4. Place the fruit mixture into the jars.
  5. Twist off the jars.

How To Pasteurize The Jars?

  1. Put the dishcloth on the bottom of the pot.
  2. Put the jars into the pot. The jars cannot touch each other and the sides of the pot.
  3. Pour the water until it covers 3/4 of the jars. The temperature of the water should match the temperature of the jars. If they are cold, the water should be cold as well.
  4. Boil the water with jars for 15 minutes. Be sure that the temperature is not too high, jars can't jump or touch each other.
  5. Carefully take the jars out of the pot using oven mitts or canning jar lifter.
  6. Put them upside down and wait until they cool off. If you want to make sure the pasteurization process went right, you can cover the jars with blankets to enhance the effect.
  7. Pasteurized food and drink can be stored in a dark, cold place for up to a year.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

15

Serving Size:

1

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 456Total Fat: 1gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 7mgCarbohydrates: 117gFiber: 7gSugar: 100gProtein: 3g

These data are indicative and calculated by Nutritionix

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