Raspberry Coulis is an easy French raspberry sauce made with fresh or frozen raspberries, lemon juice and a touch of sugar. Smooth, bright and naturally tart, it's delicious with desserts, breakfast and even savoury recipes.
What Exactly is a Coulis?
A coulis (pronounced 'Koo-lee') is a smooth sauce made from puréed fruit or vegetables or even seafood. According to Larousse Gastronomique, cooks traditionally make fruit coulis by blending raw fruit or lightly cooking frozen fruit, before straining it into a silky sauce.
Raspberry coulis, or coulis de framboises, is one of the easiest French dessert sauces. Because raspberries have so much flavour naturally, you need only a little sugar - or none at all if the fruit is sweet enough.
Spoon it over desserts, breakfast dishes and even savoury dishes such as duck.
Raspberry Coulis vs Raspberry Purée
Raspberry purée is simply blended raspberries, often with the seeds left in.
Raspberry coulis is usually strained to remove the seeds, creating a smooth sauce that's ideal for desserts such as cheesecake, ice cream, panna cotta and Peach Melba.
In many French kitchens, however, cooks use the two terms interchangeably.
How to Make a Simple Raspberry Coulis
This easy raspberry coulis takes less than 15 minutes and works with either fresh or frozen raspberries.
- Fresh raspberries: Mash the fruit with the lemon juice and sugar, then push it through a fine sieve to remove the seeds.
- Frozen raspberries: Gently warm the berries with the lemon juice and sugar for about 5 minutes. Blend until smooth, then pass through a fine-mesh sieve.
Enjoy immediately or chill until needed.
Mixed Berry Coulis
The same method works with strawberries, cherries, blackberries, blueberries and redcurrants.
For a mixed berry coulis, replace the raspberries with an equal weight of mixed berries. Frozen fruit works particularly well and creates an easy year-round sauce for desserts, pancakes and yogurt.
Raspberry Coulis Without Sugar
Yes. If the raspberries are naturally sweet, simply omit the sugar. You can also add a little honey if preferred.
How Long Will it Keep?
Store the coulis in a sealed jar or airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
When using fresh raspberries, you can also freeze it for up to 3 months.
Raspberry Coulis Uses
Raspberry coulis shines far beyond dessert.
With Desserts: The natural tartness balances creamy vanilla desserts beautifully, from vanilla ice cream and lemon verbena ice cream, to pistachio panna cotta, and the classic French Peach Melba.
With cake: spoon it over semolina cake or this rhubarb and custard cheesecake.
With breakfast or brunch: drizzle it over French pancakes (crêpes), French toast (pain perdu), homemade granola with yogurt or fromage blanc - or a creamy riz au lait.
With savoury dishes: Many Paris restaurants add a small spoonful of raspberry coulis alongside duck, veal or steak. Try splattering it on the plate like an artist. The bright acidity cuts through richer meats and instantly elevates a simple dish.
If you enjoy fruity sauces with plenty of flavour and very little sugar, try my cherry sauce for duck or my tropical mango coulis.
Simple Raspberry Coulis
Equipment
- blender optional
Ingredients
- 200 g (7oz) raspberries fresh or frozen
- 20 g (1½ tbps) sugar or honey
- ½ lemon, juice only
Instructions
- Place the frozen raspberries, lemon juice and sugar (or honey) in a small saucepan. Cook gently over medium heat for about 5 minutes until the fruit softens and releases its juices. Using fresh raspberries? No need to cook: simply mash the raspberries with the lemon juice and sugar (or honey).
- Blend until smooth using a blender or stick blender.
- Press through a fine sieve into a bowl, using the back of a spoon to remove the seeds (optional)
