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Dreamy over cake, ice cream, brownies, or straight from the spoon, Raspberry Coulis is a fruit sauce recipe bursting with fresh summer flavor. Discover how to make this easy dessert topping with just 3 ingredients.
I know it might sound silly, but my heart still skips a beat each time I take a bite of this Raspberry Coulis recipe. That’s because I originally whipped it up to garnish my best Flourless Chocolate Cake in hopes that the dessert would make my sweetie swoon on Valentine’s Day.
Thankfully, after testing and perfecting the dessert sauce recipe, I’ve come to realize that it’s the perfect example that sometimes the little things can make a big difference. Short on ingredients and prep time, yet full of flavor, this Raspberry Coulis is a mainstay on not just holiday menus anymore. I now make this fruit coulis (pronounced COO-lee, a French culinary term that refers to any sweetened fruit purée) to spoon over nearly every chocolate dessert, Pound Cake, Angel Food Cake, and Cheesecake, that graces my table.
But you need not bake anything from scratch to put this Raspberry Coulis recipe to great use. Pile it over ice cream or store-bought pound cake or a luscious restaurant-quality dessert that you can totally take all the credit for. What’s not to love?
Table of Contents
Recipe ingredients
At a Glance: Here is a quick snapshot of what ingredients are in this recipe.
Please see the recipe card below for specific quantities.
Ingredient notes
- Raspberries: This Raspberry Coulis begins with 3 cups of fruit, or about 1 ½ pints of fresh raspberries. See “Recipe FAQ” below for the scoop about frozen berries.
- Powdered sugar: Since you can always add but can’t take it away, start with ¼ cup. Blend, strain, mix with lemon juice, and add more powdered sugar to taste.
Step-by-step instructions
- In a food processor or blender, add raspberries and powdered sugar. Pulse until raspberries are puréed.
- Set a fine-mesh sieve over a small bowl and pour purée through, pressing on the mixture to extract as much juice as possible. Discard the pulp.
- Stir in the lemon juice and add more powdered sugar to taste, then serve on all your favorite desserts.
Recipe tips and variations
- Yield: This recipe makes 1 cup of Raspberry Coulis, or enough 2-tablespoon servings to jazz up about eight servings of dessert.
- Make ahead: Transfer cooled Raspberry Coulis to an airtight container and refrigerate for up to one week.
Recipe FAQs
You sure can, just be sure to allow the frozen berries to come to room temperature before proceeding with Step 1. Transfer the frozen fruit to a bowl as they thaw to catch all of the juices; you’ll want to incorporate the fruit and that juice into the mixture.
A coulis is simply a strained fruit or vegetable puree, so, you can certainly use other fruits (such as strawberry or mango). Fruit coulis is commonly served with dessert but could also sweeten a cocktail.
Unlike my Strawberry Topping which includes pieces of fruit, coulis involves cooking and then straining the fruit with a fine-mesh sieve to yield a silky sauce.
Flourless Chocolate Cake
This Flourless Chocolate Cake has a gorgeous chocolate glaze and makes a stunning finale to any meal. And if that’s not enough, a vibrant raspberry sauce takes this decadent chocolate dessert over the top.
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Raspberry Coulis
Ingredients
- 12 ounces raspberries (about 3 cups. see note 1)
- 1/4 cup powdered sugar plus more to taste (see note 2)
- 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
Instructions
- In a food processor or blender, add raspberries and powdered sugar. Pulse until raspberries are puréed.
- Set a fine-mesh sieve over a small bowl and pour purée through, pressing on the mixture to extract as much juice as possible. Discard the pulp.
- Stir in the lemon juice and add more powdered sugar to taste, if desired.
Notes
- Raspberries: This Raspberry Coulis begins with 3 cups of fruit, or about 1 ½ pints of fresh raspberries. See “Recipe FAQ” below for the scoop about frozen berries.
- Powdered sugar: Since you can always add but can’t take away, start with ¼ cup. Blend, strain, mix with lemon juice and add more powdered sugar to taste.
- Yield: This recipe makes 1 cup of Raspberry Coulis, or enough 2-tablespoon servings to jazz up about eight servings of dessert.
- Make ahead: Transfer Raspberry Coulis to an airtight container and refrigerate for up to one week.
Nutrition
Meggan Hill is a classically-trained chef and professional writer. Her meticulously-tested recipes and detailed tutorials bring confidence and success to home cooks everywhere. Meggan has been featured on NPR, HuffPost, FoxNews, LA Times, and more.
I am looking for your “tip” on using frozen berries, but can’t find it. Could you share your experience with use of frozen berries for this please and thank you!
I want to use on top of a cream pie.
*See “Recipe FAQ” below for the scoop about frozen berries.
Hi Connie! Absolutely! (And apologies, I updated the site so now FAQs have a small drop-down menu, accessible by clicking the “+” next to the question. Sorry about that!) This would be amazing on top of a cream pie! First, allow the frozen berries to come to room temperature before proceeding with Step 1. Transfer the frozen berries to a bowl as they thaw to catch all of the juices. Then incorporate the fruit and that juice into the mixture. Take care! – Meggan
The recipe says “cook time: 5 mins: which may be causing some of the confusion —perhaps change that to “Preparation time”.?
Hi MajB, thank you for the feedback. Take care and I hope you love this coulis! – Meggan
I still dont see where you added the heating instructions
Hi Brandi, this does not require heating because it is a coulis. If you would like it warm, I would recommend heating gently over a double broiler. – Meggan
I don’t get it. I haven’t made this, but the recipe doesn’t say anything about heating anything, but #4 in the “notes” says you wait for it to cool before refrigerating. What am I missing?
Hi Lisa, thank you for pointing out the error. I’ve fixed it! Take care! – Meggan
This was a very special treat I made for my in laws and it turned out beautifully!