Red Fruit Soup (!)
When I first heard about “red fruit soup,” it sounded — well, made up. Like one of those things you “eat” at a tea party with a three-year-old. Ooh, yes, this is delicious red fruit soup. Would Mr. Bear like some, too? I mean, it’s a lovely idea, but you can’t just make a big bowl of berry soup with cream on top…can you?
Turns out, the Danes have been doing it for 100 years. “Fruit porridges are common across Scandinavia,” says Nichole Accettola, chef and owner of Scandinavian-inspired restaurant, Kantine, in San Francisco. “In Danish, this dessert is called rødgrød med fløde, literally ‘red porridge with cream.’” And it’s as incredible as it sounds: a simple, tart-sweet blend of summer berries, simmered into a mush (her word, not mine!), and served with a pitcher of ice-cold cream. Plus, a bowl of sugar — “for those at the table who want more sweetness.” Nichole’s recipe appears in her new cookbook, Scandinavian Everyday, along with many other Northern European delights (Swedish Sandwich Cake?!), and today, she shares it with us. I can’t believe it took 100 years, but I’m glad someone finally did. Let’s grab all the red fruit we’ve got and do this…
Red Fruit Soup
from Scandinavian Everyday by Nichole Accettola
Serves 4
2 lbs (900 g) any combination of washed and hulled raspberries, strawberries, or red currants
4 ounces (112 g) rhubarb (cut into bite-sized pieces), blueberries, or black currants
1 vanilla bean [or 1 tbsp. vanilla extract]
Pinch of kosher salt
1 cup (240 g) water
1/2 cup (100 g) sugar, plus more as needed, and for serving
2 tbsp cornstarch
Up to 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup (120 g) ice-cold heavy cream (or whole milk, if preferred), for serving
1/2 cup (50 g) sliced almonds, toasted
Place the berries and rhubarb in a medium heavy-bottomed pot. Split the vanilla bean lengthwise and, using the back of a paring knife, scrape out the seeds. Add the pod and seeds, the salt, and water to the pot. Bring to a quick boil, then skim off and discard any lingering grit or impurities that float to the surface. Decrease the heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the berries have broken down to a mush (8-10 minutes). Remove the pot from the heat and discard the vanilla bean.
Some people (like my mother-in law) prefer their fruit porridges to be smooth. If you do, too, use an immersion blender to liquefy the fruit chunks at this point. Next, stir in 1/4 cup (50 g) of the sugar, give it a taste, and add more, if needed. (The amount needed depends on individual taste and the berries’ natural sweetness.)
In a small bowl, stir together the cornstarch and 2 tbsp of cold water, and whisk it into the hot fruit porridge. The consistency should be slightly thickened, just enough to coat the back of a spoon. Transfer the porridge to a heat-resistant container, sprinkle a little bit of sugar on top to prevent a skin from forming, and let it cool to room temperature. The porridge can be served at room temp, or chilled. If you prefer it cold, place it in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours (preferably overnight).
Before it’s served, I like to add a touch of lemon juice for extra zing. Ladle the soup into four shallow bowls and serve with the almonds, a pitcher of cream, and a bowl of sugar. Some people always add more, while others prefer a little pucker in their porridge. Enjoy!
Thank you so much for this treat, Nichole!
P.S. Five-ingredient strawberry crumble, and the best summer strawberry cake.
(Excerpted with permission from Scandinavian Everyday. Copyright © 2026 by Nichole Accettola. Food photographs copyright © 2026 by Molly DeCoudreau. Lifestyle photographs copyright © 2026 by Mikkel Vang. Published by Ten Speed Press, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Random House LLC.)
Comments
62 commentsLove boiling down fresh berries I’ve added to a blender until it turns syrupy. I put it on top of plain yogurt w granola and chia for breakfast- nothing better!!
My German husband grew up eating a similar dish called rote grütze. Delicious!
Yes, my German husband too! I lived in Germany for almost 8 years and I never tried it… it always reminded me of jam gone wrong, but no one wanted to waste it, so they ate it anyways, haha. But I’m sure it’s delicious as my husband can attest to.
Haha – Swede here and I am cracking up that you mentioned sandwich cake. It’s the worst! I have had long vegetarian phases in my life and the best part of being vegetarian is having an excuse not to have sandwich cake. Worked like a charm until the christening we went to where they had made a special vegetarian sandwich cake just for me and my family.
I think I once had something similar in Budapest. A soup, but sweet and cold. Looked and tasted more like a dessert than a starter.
Its fruit soup, very Hungarian :-) We eat it in the summer. You cook mainly cherries but you can add a little apple or other red berries to it as well. You can use fresh or frozen fruits. https://budapestcookingclass.com/hungarian-chilled-sour-cherry-soup-recipe-hideg-meggyleves/
In Minnesota where many of us have Scandinavian heritage, fruit soup is common but t more as a dessert than meal. My mom just called it strawberry-rhubarb sauce when she made it, but I’ve also had Rodgrod many times served with heavy cream or ice cream. It’s delicious! And just the thing when berries are abundant in the Northern climates in summer.
My Finnish Great Grandmother made fruit soup and (as a kid) I was always so turned off by it. One day in elementary school, my lunch was switched with my younger sister’s and I opened to find a jar fruit soup in my lunchbox. I was mortified. Today, I would delighted to learn how to make it the way my great grandmother did, and would very much enjoy this special treat. Thanks for sharing!
My grandmother of Swedish descent used to make fruit soup when I was growing up. It had apricots, raisins, prunes and other fruits in a syrupy sweet sauce. She canned it and would serve it cold for dessert. I might have been the only grandchild who loved her fruit soup! Sadly, she died before I could get her to write the recipe down. If anyone has ever made something similar, I’d love to see a recipe!
Hi Julie, a Swede here who grew up eating this. It is certainly one of those dishes that has gone out of fashion, but my mother made it often when I was a child. We would eat it warm with milk for dinner, with bread and butter on the side. It is very very easy. Boil dried fruits (usually the mix you mention) in water for approx 10-15 minutes until they turn soft. Add a little bit of sugar to taste. Dissolve some potato flour in a little bit of cold water in a cup, pull the pot of fruit of the stove and stir as you pour the potato flour/water mix in. Then bring to a boil until it thickens. Done. The proportions would be approx 250 g dried fruit, 7-8 dl water with one table spoon of potato flour. I’ve never had it canned so no idea how that is done. Enjoy!
Some like to add a bit of cinnamon stick as well so you might want to try that in case the taste isn’t quite right.
This looks like a very decadent smoothie bowl!
Indonesian here, we literally have dessert called fruit soup, it is a coconut milk based with a lot of tropical fruit inside: red dragonfruit and jackfruit cubes, shredded coconut flesh, melon and squash, scooped watermelon, avocado chunks, fruit flavored jelly and black grass jelly, selasih seeds, topped with banana or cocopandan flavored smooth crushed ice. It is delish and refreshing. We have so many kind of sweet soupy desserts since we have summer all year long. I literally have one at least twice a week.
Yum. I will definitely be making this when my rhubarb plants give me more than I know what to do with! A wonderful problem to have. Hoping my strawberry plants do the same this summer. Thanks for sharing this delicious-looking recipe!
German here, we serve a hot variation in winter: elderberry soup with little clouds of whipped, sugared egg-whites (“Eischneewölkchen”). Elderberries are very high in Vitamin C, a bit tart, a bit fruity, not too sweet and it’s usually thickened with starch. A very hot bowl of it is just the ticket for cold season! (Go forage for the berries in summer! Don’t pick them one by one but cut and freeze the whole cluster. The frozen berries are easy to separate from the stalks, then cook them with a bit of water and sugar, maybe thicken with starch and prepare the egg whites.)
Sally, isn’t this recipe a version of Rote Grütze?
Yes, another German here and this is what we call Rote Grütze. I grew up just south of the Danish border and it’s a common dessert there too. There sometimes would be a vat of it at big family summer parties. In terms of fruit, rhubarb for me is very optional (though I love it on its own) but black currant is non-negotiable. I also like a green version with gooseberries. If we went to Denmark on a cross border shopping trip, we would bring back packs of vanilla sauce to have with it (maybe the brand was called Matilde?) but I am not saying no to (whipped) cream either. Another great version is to have this hot over vanilla ice cream, you can get this in many cafe’s or ice cream parlors and it will be called “Eis und heiss” = “Ice and hot”. Often the hot fruit compote is served in a little jug on the side for you to pour over yourself. Ideal on a cold Northern German summer day when you still want ice cream because the calendar says it’s summer!
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Akin to this – we know a family that just spent a couple of weeks in Spain. We were chatting about what they ate there and I was surprised to hear that a really common street food they came across everywhere they went was strawberries in a cup or bowl, and then you piled on toppings like at a frozen yogurt shop. Can someone tell me more about this? We were wondering if it was a traditional Spanish snack or a trendy treat. What I love about the idea and this red soup recipe is that it reverses my usual ratio – fruit as a topping or spread on something cakey or creamy- and makes the fruit the main thing.
Whaaaat? I love this idea — will investigate! And totally agree about the ratio reversal with this recipe. It’s all “topping,” which is exactly what you want sometimes!
It’s a trend, common also in some other European cities, but as far as I know not traditional to any of them, at least not in Spain. We don’t really have a lot of street food in Spain outside of fairs and carnivals. Some traditional street food would be roasted chestnuts in autumn and winter which is still very popular. It also used to be common to see wafer sellers around the cities although not anymore.
Not sure if this was also just a trend but when I lived in Spain in 2014 we often ate pomegranate seeds in a bowl of orange juice :)
Same in Lisbon, Portugal. Just a trend, a tourist oriented thing.
Love seasonal fruit as much as the next person, but it’d be really cool to see a recipe this AAPI month that highlights a dish/cuisine from any of those cultures of the world!
Komali, I’m not sure if you are looking for any specific recipes, but I came across this site, and the spring rolls look delicious. It all does, actually: https://www.savoryonline.com/articles/recipes-to-celebrate-aapi-month/ Report back if you make anything tasty!
The Hungarians have been doing it as well -although more sour cherry than strawberry -but definitely raspberry -yum!
Plumi moos! IYKYK
I know! And are you also looking forward to rollkuchen and watermelon this summer?
In my family (not Scandinavian) I grew up with rhubarb compote as an official summer dessert. More of a stew than a soup, though. Served plain or with icecream for dessert, or on yogurt for breakfast.
Credit to my mother: I have to point out an important substitution option. For a very special treat on school days, my mother would put a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top of warm oatmeal. The only time I ever felt so smug as having ice cream as part of my school breakfast was when my birthday fell on the last day of school. Anyway, a scoop of vanilla ice cream/frozen yogurt seems like it would work great with red fruit soup.
In Finland, you can buy a multitude of berry or fruit soups in any supermarket -blueberry, strawberry, raspberry, apple, rhubarb, lingonberry… :) There are two types, thinner and thicker. Thinner soups are called soup (keitto) and thicker have their own name (kiisseli). The most common one is blueberry soup – I always give small cartons for my son to drink as a snack for soccer tournaments etc (like boxed juice, but, well, boxed berry soup). The thicker variety is often eaten as described here, with whipped cream, or as a dessert as is. Thinner soups are often poured over oatmeal for breakfast. Both are usually thickened with potato starch in Finland, very similar to corn starch. Such a fun part of Finnish culinary culture (that can otherwise be quite boring)! I had never really given much thought to berry or fruit soups before reading this article, but now they do feel special. :) Thank you so much!
Thus reminds me that I watched a movie about the Swedish? vasaloppet ski race and blueberry soup featured prominently… apparently they get through thousands and thousands of litres of it for each race!
Yes to fruit soup! As an Austrian I am partial to sweet stuff as a main course anyway but my partner‘s family is from hungary and they introduced me to their version of fruit soup which blew me away. It‘s a bit more work than your recipe and usually done with cherries or plums but one can use any fruits. You simmer water, heavy cream, fruit of choice, cinnamon, cloves and lemon zest and then chill it. Its silky, delicious and the best thing on hot days!
This is soo evocative of my childhood, Kelsey!! Thank you for excavating these amazing culinary memories for me! My grandmother, raised in Prague, made a cold strawberry soup, Jahodová Polévka, every summer.
I love jahodová polévka! haven’t thought of it in years: https://www.klasicke-recepty.cz/jahodova-polevka/
This feels like social validation at long last for the way I eat flaky-crusted pie, which is to eviscerate its delectable fruity guts and leave the dough behind (not unlike a grizzly bear that eats a salmon’s head and tosses the rest). I don’t have time for pie crust, boys.
This is how my dogs and I have always eaten fruit pies. Filling for mama, Crusts for pups. Vanilla ice cream for both.
Oh you regular commenters Lauren O and Sasha from Montana, you just broke my heart! Hahahah Pie pastry is a labor of love and the tastiest thing on the planet with that ratio of butter to flour (aside from shortbread, maybe)! I thought I knew you 😂😂😂
Abesha1 I concur! For me, a bite of warm fruity middle alongside flaky crust (sans ice cream) is last meal material. Dang it, I haven’t eaten a fruit pie in too long!
I am the opposite! I love the pie crust most of all and would prefer for just the merest smear of filling! Still with vanilla ice cream, naturally
I somehow accidentally made a version of this yesterday for breakfast?! I microwaved my frozen berries for too long and they were steaming hot and soupy. I didn’t have the time or patience for it to cool so I spooned the last spoonful of yogurt right in and ate it hot. I was expecting to endure it (“wrong” ratio and temperature and texture), but I actually was sad when it was gone! Now I want to try the real version!
This sounds very similar to a German dessert I grew up loving called Rote Grūtze (red grits). I believe that one is thickened with tapioca starch and served with vanilla custard sauce. My Oma always made it when we visited. Also, don’t waste your vanilla bean pods, people! After you scrape the seeds, rinse & dry the pod then store it in your sugar or steep in vodka for homemade vanilla extract!
Yes, I also had do think about “Rote Grütze”. In Austria they sell it in little jars as a snack. It’s so tasty.
awww, German Oma-haver over here too and this was one of the only things she ever made (her fridge was mostly for batteries and film, haha) and it was so good and tasted like summer. also agree, re: vanilla pods, so useful!
Genau! Rote Grütze it is. I didn’t know it was a Scandinavian thing. Still so much to learn! I’m one of those who would definitely reach for the sugar bowl but it is delicious.
Yes! I was about to write about this as well. I make this in summer, with all kinds of red fruits – cherries, strawberries, raspberries, whatever is available, and you use Tapioca to thicken (or don’t thicken, that’s fine as well). Also, we eat a lot of fruit salad year round as a dessert or treat, no cake needed. Sometimes with a bit of vanilla joghurt or whipped cream (not out of a can).
Karen, hahaha your Oma sounds wonderful!
Yes! I came looking for the Rote Grutze comments from my other Germans. It’s the bestttt dessert time of year.
As a Dane I can confirm that this is the ultimate summer dessert. So delicious! And so difficult to pronouns…
100% would tear this up! I would put a big old biscuit (crouton?) in the middle too becasue why not?
For those of us with invasive Japanese Knotweed: that’s a great sub for rhubarb! Tart and cooks down well. Just peel the tough outer membranes.
Love this! My Finnish grandmothers would serve fruit soups like this over oatmeal or rice pudding, and they also made a blueberry version that was excellent sipped hot or cold.
Yes! My beloved Finnish grandma made her’s with tapioca
Mr. Bear and I would be delighted to have some, thank you for asking.
:)
Thank you! This brings comfort food memories. My Norwegian relatives would make something similar. I also had German relatives who made a fruit soup which I seem to recall being more savory.
My mom has made similar things forever. Sour cherry….. and served with sweet dumplings and cream or ice cream or vanilla sauce. And she makes it with just rhubarb too, and a boatload of rhubarb, served on vanilla pound cake and ice cream, or just ice cream, or even pancakes. Also, all strawberries and served on homemade rice pudding (my mom’s is more like a custard, really delicious cold on a hot summer day). My family is Scandinavian but many dishes were just what I thought every family ate!! Only as an adult did i figure out all this food was Scandi. I’m thinking huckleberries out of my freezer stash would be so delicious in this porridge (calling it soup turns my stomach for some reason). Kelley, you are sick a great food editor! You come up with so many unusual (to me) recipes, I love it.
Aw, thanks so much Sasha! I genuinely love finding stuff to share with you all!
Sorry, KELSEY. Darn autocorrect!!!
Aha! I have huckleberries in my freezer and now I know what to do with them! I’ll use vegan yogurt and stir that in. MMM!
This reminds me of when my sister made us strawberry soup when we were younger. She spent the entire day pureeing, chilling, and doing all kinds of fancy prep, then plated it beautifully for us… only for it to taste like…mashed-up strawberries. We still laugh about it to this day. I’m sure this soup tastes much better though!