Easy Stewed Plums

Stewed plums in a bowl and small bowl with sticky syrup behind.

5 from 1 vote

An easy stewed plums recipe flavoured with cardamom, cinnamon and a touch of thick, sweet and tangy balsamic vinegar. Perfect for breakfast or as an indulgent dessert!

Course Breakfast, Dessert

Cuisine British, International

Keyword stewed plums

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 10

Total Time 20

Servings servings

Calories 96kcal

Author Jo Allison

Equipment

Medium saucepan*

Ingredients

400 g plums washed, halved and de-stoned
40 g brown sugar see notes
50 ml water
4 cardamom pods gently bashed with rolling pin to slightly open, see notes
1 cinnamon stick see notes
1 tablespoon good quality balsamic vinegar I like Belazu

Instructions

Prepare the plums by washing, halving and de-stoning them.
400 g plums
Take cardamom pods and bash them gently using a rolling pin so that they just open. You can also do it in pestle and mortar if you own one.
4 cardamom pods
Next put water, vinegar, sugar and spices into a medium saucepan and place it on a medium heat.
Simmer for couple of minutes stirring from time to time until sugar has fully dissolved.
40 g brown sugar, 50 ml water, 1 cinnamon stick, 1 tablespoon good quality balsamic vinegar, 4 cardamom pods
Add prepared plums, stir them in gently, cover and let simmer for 5 minutes.
Take the lid off the pan, check plums for doneness and either take them off the heat or continue simmering (without the lid) until they're soft to your liking.
400 g plums
Discard the cinnamon stick and cardamom pods, serve and enjoy!
4 cardamom pods, 1 cinnamon stick

Once the plums are done, you can serve them as they are with a drizzle of their stewing syrup or you can remove them from the pan and continue reducing the syrup until dark, thick and treacle like.

Notes

Nutritional information is approximate, per serving (based on 4 servings) and should be treated as a rough guideline only.
I like using brown sugar but caster or granulated sugar will be fine too.
Both cardamom pods and cinnamon stick can be substituted with their ground equivalents. For details see Ingredients and substitutes.
Store in the fridge for up to a week or freeze for up to 3 months.

TIPS:

Make sure to keep an eye on the plums as they cook as they can go from not ready to mushy very quickly.

The riper the plums the quicker they'll cook. If you'd like to ensure that stewed plums keep their shape well, go for slightly firmer ones.

Feel free to adjust the sugar accordingly and as per your taste. The sweetness and ripeness of the plums will be an important factor to bear in mind here.

If you're going for a showstopper dessert, choose Victoria plums for their stunning purple skin.

Nutrition