Fruit soup

Fruit soup is a sweet and tangy summer soup of sour cherries, apples and plums, cooked briefly with cinnamon and cloves, lightly thickened and served very cold. In Hungarian and Ashkenazi cooking it opens a meal or closes it.

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VeganVegetarianGluten freeDairy freeParve

Updated

Fruit soupIllustration
Time4 h 35 minCook 20 min
Pot8 bowls2.4 litres
Per bowl154 kcal1 g protein · a 300 ml bowl
Cost of the pot₪33for the pot, about ₪4.1 a bowl

The story of Fruit soup

Cold fruit soups are known across Central and Eastern Europe, but Hungarians have a special fondness for them. Cold sour cherry soup is a fixture of summer there, and in the classic Hungarian version it gets sour cream and turns pink and velvety. It is spiced with cinnamon and cloves and sometimes a little red wine, and served at the start of the meal, before the main course.

In Ashkenazi homes and in the homes of immigrants from Central Europe and the former USSR, fruit soup is a way to use the fruit of the season, and in winter a hot version is made with dried fruit. In a kosher kitchen it has an advantage: the parve version, thickened with cornstarch instead of cream, can be served after a meat meal too. In Israel sour cherries are bought frozen in Russian shops and topped up with local plums and apples.

What makes Fruit soup itself

Fruit soup is where dessert meets soup. It is not as sweet as compote or as thick as jam: it has a clear sourness from the cherries, a round sweetness from the apples and plums, and a warm smell of cinnamon and cloves. The fruit cooks briefly so the pieces stay whole, and the liquid is thickened lightly, just enough to coat a spoon. It is served very cold, and in an Israeli summer that is the whole point.

Fruit soup for any number of people

Change the number of people and the bowl size, and every ingredient updates in grams, with the cost, calories and protein per bowl.

Bowl size
Units
2.4litres in the pot
3Pot to use, litres
₪33Cost of the pot
₪4.1per bowl
154kcal per bowl
1.0g protein per bowl
IngredientAmountCost
The fruit
Pitted sour cherries, fresh or frozen500 g₪23
Tart green apples300 g · 2 pcs₪3.0
Red plums300 g · 5 pcs₪4.5
The syrup
Water1.5 l
Sugar150 g₪0.8
Cinnamon stick3 g · 1 pcs₪0.4
Whole cloves1 g · 4 pcs₪0.3
Pinch of salt1 g
Thickening and finish
Cornstarch30 g₪0.5
Lemon juice, plus a strip of peel from the same lemon30 ml₪0.6
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Shelf prices at a large Israeli chain and specialty shops, October 2026. Nutrition from the ingredients in grams, before cooking.

How many calories in Fruit soup? Nutrition facts and calorie calculator

Change the amount of any ingredient, drop one, or pick a lighter version, and the numbers per serving update at once: calories, fat, carbs, protein, sodium and fibre.

Fruit soup has 51 calories per 100 ml. A 300 ml bowl made with our recipe has 154 calories: 1 g protein, 0.4 g fat and 37.1 g carbohydrates. A 250 ml cup has 128 calories.

Ingredients, for the whole recipe

  • 500 g31 kcal per serving
  • 2 pcs18 kcal per serving
  • 5 pcs16 kcal per serving
  • 150 g73 kcal per serving
  • 1 pcs1 kcal per serving
  • 4 pcs0 kcal per serving
  • 1 g0 kcal per serving
  • 30 g14 kcal per serving
  • 30 ml1 kcal per serving

What each add-on adds to Fruit soup

Values for the amount in the row, from the national food database.

Add-onCaloriesProtein, gFat, g
A tablespoon of oil122013.8
A slice of white bread792.50.5
A slice of challah12641.1

How to make Fruit soup

In cook mode the screen stays on, tap a step when it is done, and the timers run next to each step.
  1. Peel and core the apples and cut them into 1.5 cm cubes. Halve the plums, remove the stones and cut each half in two.
  2. Set aside 100 ml of the water, cold. Bring the rest to a boil with the sugar, cinnamon stick, cloves, a pinch of salt and a strip of lemon peel, and simmer for 5 minutes.
  3. Add the apples and cook for 5 minutes over medium heat.
  4. Add the plums and cook for 3 minutes, then the cherries, frozen is fine, and cook for 5 more minutes, until soft but whole.
  5. Dissolve the cornstarch in the cold water you set aside and pour it into the pot in a thin stream, stirring.
  6. Bring back to a boil and cook for one to two minutes, stirring gently, until the liquid is glossy and slightly thickened.
  7. Turn off the heat, remove the cinnamon stick, cloves and lemon peel, and add the lemon juice.
  8. Transfer to a wide container so it cools quickly, and after half an hour move it to the fridge for at least 4 hours.
  9. Taste once cold, adjust the sweetness or sourness, and serve in small bowls.

The science of Fruit soup

Kitchen science

Pectin and whole pieces

Apples and plums contain pectin, which holds their cell walls together. Heat gradually breaks the pectin down and the fruit softens, and long cooking turns it to purée. Sugar in the liquid slows this down and helps the pieces keep their shape, which is why the fruit cooks in a light syrup rather than plain water, and only briefly.

Kitchen science

Why fruit soup stays red

The red of the cherries and plum skins comes from anthocyanins, pigments whose colour depends on acidity. In acid they are bright red, and in neutral conditions they drift towards purple and grey. Lemon juice at the end keeps the red vivid. Long cooking breaks the pigments down, and an aluminium pot can dull the colour, so stainless steel or enamel is better.

Kitchen science

Starch that thickens and breaks

Cornstarch granules absorb water and swell as they heat, and at around 90 to 95 °C they release molecules that thicken the liquid and turn it clear and glossy. With long cooking, hard stirring or a lot of acid those chains break and the soup thins again. That is why it cooks only a minute or two after boiling, and the lemon goes in off the heat.

Kitchen science

Sour cream that does not curdle

In the dairy version, the proteins of sour cream, mostly casein, clump when they meet heat and acid together. Mix the cream first with a spoonful of flour and a little warm soup, and only then return it to the pot. The starch protects the proteins, the cream warms gradually, and higher-fat cream is more resistant. Once the cream is in, do not boil.

Kitchen science

Cold and sweetness

The tongue's sensitivity to sweetness drops at low temperatures. A soup that tastes too sweet while hot comes out balanced when cold, and one that tastes balanced while hot can taste flat from the fridge. That is why sugar and lemon are adjusted only after chilling.

Fruit soup in every kitchen

Hungarian with sour cream

At the end, mix 200 g of sour cream with a spoonful of flour and a little of the warm soup, then stir it back into the pot without boiling. The soup turns pink, velvety and dairy.

With red wine

A glass of dry red wine replaces some of the water. The wine deepens the colour and adds depth; cook it for at least 10 minutes with the syrup.

Hot, with dried fruit

In winter, prunes, dried apricots and raisins are cooked with cinnamon and served hot. This is the version that recalls grandmother's compote.

Cherries only

The pure Hungarian version, with 800 g of sour cherries and no other fruit. It is more sour, redder and more intense.

Summer fruit

Apricots, peaches and nectarines instead of the apples, in high summer. They cook faster, so they go in last.

Common Fruit soup problems and how to fix them

Fruit soup came out thin

The starch never reached a boil, or the soup cooked with it too long and thinned. Dissolve another spoonful of cornstarch in cold water, add it and bring to a boil for a minute. Remember the soup thickens further in the fridge.

Fruit soup set like thick jelly

Too much starch went in. Thin it with fruit juice or cold water with a little sugar and stir well. Next time stay at 25 to 30 g of starch per litre and a half of liquid.

The fruit in the soup fell apart

It cooked too long, or all the fruit went in at once. Add the fruit in stages, from firm to soft, and count the minutes.

Fruit soup turned greyish brown

It cooked too long, lacked acid, or was cooked in an aluminium pot. Add lemon juice and the colour brightens a little. Next time cook briefly in a stainless steel pot.

The sour cream curdled in the fruit soup

In the dairy version the cream went straight into boiling, acidic liquid. Mix it first with flour and a little warm soup, and do not boil once it is in. If it has already happened, a quick blitz with a blender smooths the texture.

Storing, freezing and reheating

4 days

In the fridge

Not recommended; soup thickened with cornstarch separates and turns watery when thawed

In the freezer

2+4

To cool

Bring it from 60 to 21 °C within two hours and down to 5 °C within four more. Split a big pot into shallow boxes.

75 °C

Reheating

Serve cold, straight from the fridge. If it has thickened too much, stir in a little cold water or fruit juice. Warm the hot dried-fruit version over low heat.

Nutrition of Fruit soup

From our recipe, per bowl and per 100 g, next to the national food database.

ServingkcalProtein, gFat, gCarbs, gFibre, g
Our recipe, a 300 ml bowl1541.00.437.12.6
Our recipe, 100 ml510.30.112.40.9

What the ingredients of Fruit soup cost

What each ingredient costs in one pot, and where to buy it.

IngredientPriceIn this potWhere to buy
Pitted sour cherries, fresh or frozen₪45 per kg₪22Supermarket
Red plums₪15 per kg₪4.5Greengrocer
Tart green apples₪9.9 per kg₪3Greengrocer
Sugar₪5.5 per kg₪0.8Supermarket
Lemon juice, plus a strip of peel from the same lemon₪20 per litre₪0.6Supermarket
Cornstarch₪16 per kg₪0.5Supermarket
Cinnamon stick₪140 per kg₪0.4Supermarket
Whole cloves₪280 per kg₪0.3Spice shop
Pinch of salt₪2.1 per kg₪0Supermarket

Shelf prices at a large Israeli chain and specialty shops, October 2026, VAT included. Vegetable prices change with the season.

Make Fruit soup a meal

Shabbat

Ready Shabbat food

Soup, hamin, mains and sides, with a quantity calculator and prices.

Plan Shabbat
Hosting

Hosting trays

9 trays to go with the soup, with a planner by number of guests.

Tray planner
Events

Catering

A whole menu in grams per guest, with a reheating table.

Menus

What to serve with Fruit soup

Serve very cold in small bowls or glasses, as a summer starter or a dessert. Top the dairy version with a spoonful of sour cream, and the parve one with a mint leaf.

Fruit soup in large quantities: events, offices and communities

How much of everything by number of guests, at a 300 ml bowl. For institutional pots, catering and community kitchens.

GuestsLitres30 l potsCost of ingredients
257.51₪102
50151₪203
100302₪407
200603₪814
5001506₪2,034

Every ingredient for any number of guests is in the calculator above: type the number of people.

Order Fruit soup

A ready pot for Shabbat, an event or the office, ordered ahead.

  • Cooked to order, for Shabbat, an event or the office.
  • Tell us how many people and when, and we send a quote.
  • Delivery in Tel Aviv from ₪35, free over ₪750.
Ask for a quote for Fruit soup

Order Fruit soup for a large event

Large orders in Israel and abroad: events, offices, synagogues, communities and institutions.

  • In Israel: cooked in Tel Aviv and delivered to events in the area, and to large events anywhere in the country on a quote.
  • Abroad: for communities, events and restaurants. Tell us where, how many and when, and we come back with a quote and options.
  • Institutional quantities and a shopping list for any number of guests, in the calculator above.
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Frequently asked questions

Is fruit soup served cold or hot?

Usually very cold, as a summer soup. In winter a version with dried fruit is cooked and served hot.

Can I make fruit soup with frozen cherries?

Yes, and that is the usual way in Israel. Add them frozen to the pot with their juice and cook for 5 to 6 minutes.

How do I make a dairy fruit soup with sour cream?

Mix 200 g of sour cream with a spoonful of flour and a little warm soup, then stir it into the pot off the heat. Do not boil once the cream is in.

Can fruit soup be served after a meat meal?

The parve version in this recipe, thickened with cornstarch, can. The version with sour cream is dairy.

What can replace the sour cherries?

Sweet cherries with extra lemon juice, or tart red plums with raspberries. The colour and sourness will shift a little, but the soup keeps its structure.

How long does fruit soup keep in the fridge?

Up to 4 days in a closed container. It thickens slightly and can be thinned with a little cold water.

Can I make fruit soup with less sugar?

Yes. Cut it to about 100 g and use more plums and sweet apples. Taste after chilling, since cold weakens sweetness.

How many calories are in Fruit soup?

A 300 ml bowl of Fruit soup made with our recipe has about 154 calories and 1 g of protein. Per 100 ml: 51 calories.

How much does it cost to make Fruit soup at home?

A pot of 8 bowls costs about ₪33 at Israeli shelf prices in October 2026, about ₪4.1 a bowl. The calculator above works it out for any number of people.

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