Raspberry sauce rewards a little know-how: how to choose it, cook it, store it, and substitute in a pinch. Browse 7 recipes to cook with it.

What is raspberry sauce?

Raspberry sauce is the bright magenta dessert sauce, often called a coulis, that you spoon or drizzle over sweets. At its simplest it is nothing more than raspberries pureed with a little sugar and lemon, then pushed through a sieve to leave the seeds behind.

The result is glossy and intensely fruity, tart enough to cut through rich desserts. That contrast is its job: a spoonful of tart fruit cuts the heaviness of cheesecake or chocolate cake and resets your palate between bites.

Unlike jam, it is not cooked down to a thick spread. A coulis stays loose and pourable, with fresh fruit flavor front and center.

How to Use It

A coulis is mostly a finishing touch. Drizzle it over a slice of Chocolate Truffle Cheesecake, pool it under a Falling Chocolate Cake with Raspberry Sauce, or spoon it alongside Ricotta Souffles with Raspberry Sauce so each bite gets a hit of tartness.

It also goes on panna cotta, over vanilla ice cream, and across a stack of pancakes. A thin stream squeezed from a bottle gives you clean plated lines; a spoonful gives you a rustic pool.

To make it, blend raspberries with sugar to taste and a squeeze of lemon, then strain. For a slightly thicker, more stable sauce, simmer it briefly to reduce, or whisk in a little cornstarch slurry.

Taste as you sweeten. Berries vary a lot, so start with less sugar than you think and adjust once it is blended.

Pairing and Common Mistakes

Raspberry's tartness is built for rich and creamy partners: dark chocolate, white chocolate, vanilla, lemon, and soft cheeses like mascarpone. It also flatters peaches and almonds, and lifts a glass of sparkling wine.

The most common mistake is skipping the strain. Raspberry seeds are hard and gritty, and a coulis meant for a smooth dessert turns unpleasant if you leave them in. Push the puree through a fine sieve and discard the seeds.

The second mistake is oversweetening. If you bury the tartness in sugar, the sauce reads flat and candy-like and stops doing its one job, which is to balance something rich. Sweeten with restraint.

If your sauce comes out too thin, simmer it a few minutes to reduce. Too thick, and a teaspoon of water or lemon juice loosens it.

Substitutes

Other berry coulis swap in directly. A strawberry or blackberry sauce behaves the same way, though strawberry is milder and blackberry is darker and more tannic.

Good seedless raspberry jam, thinned with a little warm water or lemon juice, makes a quick stand-in when you have no berries. It will taste sweeter and more cooked than a fresh coulis, so add extra lemon to sharpen it.

In a real pinch, warmed raspberry preserves whisked smooth will pool on a plate well enough, even if the fresh-fruit brightness is gone.

Buying and Storing

Both fresh and frozen raspberries make excellent sauce, and frozen are often the smarter buy. Picked ripe and cheaper, they break down fast in the blender, so unless you want whole fresh berries on top, reach for frozen.

If buying fresh, choose plump, dry, deeply colored berries and use them within a day or two, since raspberries mold quickly. Check the bottom of the container for crushed or fuzzy fruit.

Store finished coulis in a sealed jar in the fridge for up to five days. Stir before using, as it can separate slightly.

It also freezes well for up to three months. Freeze it in an ice cube tray for single-dessert portions and thaw only what you need.

Quick facts

In Chinese

覆盆子酱

British (UK) term

Raspberry sauce

en français

coulis de framboises

en español

salsa de frambuesas

Recipes using raspberry sauce

There are 7 recipes that contain this ingredient.

All 7 recipes