Kaltschale Recipe - Chilled Fruit Soup for Hot Days (2024)

Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

When I was growing up in Southern California, my mother would make a wonderful “beat the heat” meal…Chilled Fruit Soup also known as Kaltschale. This wasn’t dessert… it was the meal. And so refreshing. The past few days we’ve experienced a heat wave in my part of the world, and started craving this cold and satisfying meal. After digging through recipes for a few hours, I discovered that there is not one single Kaltschale Recipe. Everyone makes it slightly different depending on 1) how their Oma made it, and 2) what fruits they have on hand, and 3) whatever thickening agents they had in the pantry. My Mother made it differently depending on the season and what fruits she had. Sometimes there were apricots, sometimes apple, often cherries, and sometimes raisins (I hated the raisins!).

Kaltschale Recipe

I ended up making a Berry and Cherry Fruit Soup by taking bits and pieces from a few different recipes (and because I had berries), and my people really enjoyed it.

One thing about German Fruit Soup or Kaltschale, like German Cakes, it’s not super sweet (in fact, my older daughter suggested that next time I add Rhubarb to give it more bite. I used Lemon Juice, and not too much sugar. It’s not sour, but also not fruit topping sweet.

This recipe uses Tapioca as a thickener... mostly because my younger daughter loves Bubble Tea, and I thought I could convince to try if there were Tapioca balls inside. She ate a whole bowl with gusto. You can thicken with tapioca or corn starch… or even puree half of the fruit with a stick blender.

Kaltschale Recipe - Chilled Fruit Soup for Hot Days (1)

Fresh fruit is good, frozen fruit works well (I had a bag of frozen berries from Costco, and another bag of frozen pitted cherries from a different project) This is your chance to be creative. Use what fruit you have (except bananas…bananas are yucky).

Cook it up in the morning, then set the soup in the refrigerator to cool all day. Dinner is done.

Serve Chilled Fruit Soup

Serve Chilled fruit soup alone, or with some Vanilla Yogurt or Vanilla Sauce… maybe sprinkle on some toasted nuts. Kaltschale is a light and refreshing meal for those hot summer days.

(OK, yes, I realize that for many people, the thought of a cold fruit soup for dinner just isn’t enough. Maybe serve Schnitten or a Salad along with it… or some cheese and bread. Or just serve it for dessert)

Kaltschale Recipe - Chilled Fruit Soup for Hot Days (2)

Kaltschale Recipe - Cold Berry Fruit Soup

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 40 minutes mins

Total Time 40 minutes mins

Course Dessert

Cuisine German

Ingredients

  • 8 Cup Water
  • 3 Tbl. Tapioca pearls if you like it thicker, go up to 1/3 cup
  • 1/2 cup Sugar you may need to add more, depending on how sweet/ripe the fruit is
  • 2 tsp Vanilla extract
  • 1 Cinnamon Stick
  • 7 cups mixed Berries/ Cherries you can add chopped apples, apricot halves, raisins etc (I did notice that frozen berries are less sweet! Taste and add sugar if needed.)
  • 1-2 Tbl. Lemon Juice

Instructions

  • In a soup pot... combine water, sugar, vanilla extract (or split vanilla Bean), cinnamon stick and Tapioca pearls. Bring it to a boil over medium heat.

  • When it begins to boil, lower the heat to the lowest temperature.

  • Cook for 20 minutes, while stirring (if you don't stir, it can burn or get stuck to the bottom). The Tapioca will thicken.

  • (If you choose to work with cornstarch instead of Tapioca... Bring water/sugar/spices to a boil,. Combine 2 TBL corn starch with 1/3 cup cold water... stir into the boiling sugar water. Let cook 20 minutes.)

  • Add fruit to the simmering liquid.

  • Raise the heat, and bring back to a boil.

  • Simmer for another 5 to 10 minutes (longer if your fruit was frozen).

  • Add lemon juice.

  • Taste.

  • Sweeten if needed.

  • Let the soup cool, then store in the refrigerator until cold.

Notes

You will need to chill the soup for several hours to serve it cold. Best to make it in the morning, and store it in the refrigerator all day.

Keyword Kaltschale Recipe

Easy German Cookbook: 80 Classic Recipes Made Simple

My new cookbook is packed with great German recipes! Order it here!

Kaltschale Recipe - Chilled Fruit Soup for Hot Days (3)Easy German Cookbook: 80 Classic Recipes Made SimpleKaltschale Recipe - Chilled Fruit Soup for Hot Days (4)Signed Copy Easy German CookbookOrder A Signed Copy Here

More Cold Soups and German Summertime Meals

Keep the kitchen as cool as possible on hot days.

Kaltschale Recipe - Chilled Fruit Soup for Hot Days (6)Natürlich Süßes im Glas: Neue Desserts und KuchenKaltschale Recipe - Chilled Fruit Soup for Hot Days (7)Kaltschale Recipe - Chilled Fruit Soup for Hot Days (8)Sommerküche von A – ZKaltschale Recipe - Chilled Fruit Soup for Hot Days (9)


Kaltschale Recipe - Chilled Fruit Soup for Hot Days (10)
Kaltschale Recipe - Chilled Fruit Soup for Hot Days (11)
Kaltschale Recipe - Chilled Fruit Soup for Hot Days (2024)

FAQs

What country does fruit soup come from? ›

Swedish fruit soup is a food staple in Scandinavian countries, and has been prepared from dried fruit during winter months. Consumption of cold fruit soups is also a tradition in the cuisine of Scandinavia.

What type of soup is served cold? ›

Cold soups
NameOrigin country
GazpachoSpain
NaengmyeonKorea
NaenggukKorea
OkroshkaRussia
9 more rows

What is dessert soup made of? ›

A popular dessert soup is one made with cooked taro, mini tapioca pearls, coconut milk, evaporated milk, and sweetened with rock sugar. Make no mistake, the consistency is definitely closer to soupy than pudding. The pale purple colour is quite attractive.

Is fruit soup served hot or cold in Scandinavia? ›

The soup may be served hot or cold. The soup can be made with one fruit or with multiple fruits; a soup which is made with multiple fruits may be called blandad fruktsoppa, which is Swedish for "mixed fruit soup". Fruktsoppa is a staple food in Scandinavian countries.

Which country eat the most soup? ›

Russians consume the most soup on average in the world, with approximately 32 kg per person per year. The statistic states that, on average, Russians consume the highest amount of soup compared to any other country in the world. This is quantified by an approximate consumption rate of 32 kilograms per person per year.

What type of soup can be served either hot or cold answer? ›

Expert-Verified Answer

Fruit soup is a kind of soup that can be served either hot or cold.

What is the national soup of USA? ›

In the U.S., gumbo is the top national soup, a thick spicy soup from Louisiana. Clam chowder is another.

Why is cold soup so good? ›

Why cold soup is s(o)uper. As well as tasting delicious, cold soup is very refreshing, easily digestible and low in calories. It is also quick and easy to prepare – you can either cook it and leave it to cool down or blend the raw vegetables.

Why does soup turn into Jello? ›

Ever simmer bones and notice that the broth had a gelatinous consistency once cold? This texture is due to a natural process whereby gelatin is released with gentle cooking over long periods of time. Prolonged simmering coaxes the collagen from the bones and cartilidge of beef or pork into the broth.

Why is Chinese soup like jelly? ›

The ingredient that makes it gelatinous is cornstarch (aka corn flour). There are two things you have to do to keep it from being gelatinous, first is not to mix the cornstarch directly into the soup as a dry powder.

Why is cold soup like jelly? ›

This collagen in the bones is what is causing your soup to gel. It's completely natural, and it only happens in rich, well-made chicken stock. It can be a little freaky, though, if you're not expecting it! The good news is that this thick, gelled stock is extra-rich.

Where does cold fruit soup come from? ›

Kaltschale, also known as "Kaltschale Suppe" or "Cold Soup," is a traditional German dish enjoyed during the summer. It is a chilled fruit soup made with fresh fruits, liquid, sweetener, and sometimes spices or herbs.

Where is soup made from? ›

Soup is a primarily liquid food, generally served warm or hot (but may be cool or cold), that is made by combining ingredients of meat or vegetables with stock, milk, or water. Hot soups are additionally characterized by boiling solid ingredients in liquids in a pot until the flavors are extracted, forming a broth.

Who made the first soup in the world? ›

Who boiled the first soup? The exact time period that soup was invented remains debatable. However according to archaeologist John Speth, our ancient Neanderthal relatives were likely to have begun boiling meat to render fat from animal bones – resulting in a meat broth that they would have drunk as soup.

References

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Article information

Author: Cheryll Lueilwitz

Last Updated:

Views: 6353

Rating: 4.3 / 5 (74 voted)

Reviews: 81% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Cheryll Lueilwitz

Birthday: 1997-12-23

Address: 4653 O'Kon Hill, Lake Juanstad, AR 65469

Phone: +494124489301

Job: Marketing Representative

Hobby: Reading, Ice skating, Foraging, BASE jumping, Hiking, Skateboarding, Kayaking

Introduction: My name is Cheryll Lueilwitz, I am a sparkling, clean, super, lucky, joyous, outstanding, lucky person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.