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Raspberry Coulis – How To Make Raspberry Sauce

January 9, 2023 by Janice

This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

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Sweet and tangy Raspberry Coulis is a simple but exquisite sauce that adds a pop of color and flavor to a myriad of dishes and desserts. If you have never made a homemade raspberry sauce before, you are in the right place. In this post, you’ll learn what is a coulis and everything you need to know about how to make raspberry coulis and how to make our special raspberry sauce recipe — a Rosé Raspberry Coulis.

Raspberry Coulis - Raspberry Dessert Sauce on Ice Cream

There are some luxuries in life that most of us will never get to experience. Most of us will never dine at the top-rated restaurant in the world. We will never get to stay at the most exclusive resorts or sail on giant yachts owned by billionaires.

But there are some luxuries in which we common folk CAN indulge — and raspberry coulis is one of them. You don’t need to have a pastry chef on staff to treat yourself and your family to this luxurious dessert topping.

The particular version I created for this post, a Rosé Raspberry Coulis, tastes so incredible and feels so decadent, you will be shocked at how easy it is to make.

What is Coulis?

The word coulis comes from the French verb “couler” which means “to flow.”

A coulis, pronounced koo-LEE, is a smooth sauce made from pureed and strained fruit or vegetables.

Close up view of a spoonful of raspberry coulis above a small jar of the raspberry sauce.

Coulis can be used in different ways in order to offer a pop of flavor or color to a dish, such as a garnish, topping, or plate decoration. It can also be used as the base or sauce of a dish.

I spent several days researching the history and uses of coulis in the culinary world and learned that there are differing opinions on what defines a coulis, especially the debate over whether a cooked sauce can be classified as a coulis. (source: Culinary Lore)

An uncooked coulis is a puree of fresh fruit blended with icing sugar (or a simple syrup) and a small amount of water and/or lemon or orange juice and then pressed through a sieve to remove seeds.

For a cooked coulis, fruit is broken down over medium heat in a saucepan with sugar, water and/or lemon or orange juice, and then pressed through a sieve to remove seeds.

How to Make Raspberry Coulis or Raspberry Sauce

Raspberry coulis is as delightful to serve as it is simple to make.

Raspberry Sauce poured over vanilla ice cream with extra raspberries on the side. Text on image says Raspberry Sauce - How to make Raspberry Coulis

 

There are three different ways to make raspberry coulis:

  1. The first method is to use a food processor or blender and puree fresh raspberries with sugar, (icing sugar, super-fine sugar, or a simple syrup,) and a small amount of lemon/orange juice and/or water. After pureeing, the mixture is pushed through a sieve to remove seeds.
     
  2. The second method is to cook fresh or frozen raspberries in a saucepan with sugar and a small amount of lemon/orange juice and/or water until the berries have broken down but do not come to a boil. Then the mixture is pressed through a sieve to remove seeds.
     
  3. Finally, the third way to make a coulis is similar to the second method but the raspberry/sugar/liquid mixture is brought to the boil and cooked longer to evaporate the liquid and create a reduction sauce.

Our Rosé Raspberry Coulis recipe falls into the third method I listed above.

Rose wine next to dessert

Because I wanted to create an intense sauce with a greater depth of flavor, instead of adding water and lemon juice, I used a cup of rosé wine to make my coulis.

I then simmered the sauce until it had reduced by half to create the most delicious raspberry sauce I have ever tasted.

raspberry sauce thickened without cornstarch

I do want to emphasize how critical it is to STRAIN your sauce to remove the seeds from your berry coulis.

While some people might not mind raspberry seeds in their raspberry sauce, I imagine they are few and far between.

straining seeds through a sieve

A coulis should be smooth and melt-in-your-mouth-delicious. If you have to chew seeds, oh the horror!

Trust me. I know it is tempting to skip the step of straining, but it is the most important part of making a fabulous fruit coulis.

raspberry coulis after removing seeds

Whether you choose to make your coulis uncooked or cooked, whether you use lemon juice or wine, once you whip together your first raspberry coulis you will be hooked.

With this easy but elegant raspberry sauce, you can take basic dishes, desserts, and drinks to gourmet heights with a mere drizzling. Ice cream, cheesecake, oatmeal, waffles, chocolate cake, cocktails… You can never run out of ways to indulge in this sweet and tangy raspberry dessert sauce.

Raspberry Coulis

How Do You Thicken Raspberry Coulis?

YES, you can make a beautiful, thick raspberry sauce without cornstarch!

The ideal consistency of your coulis can depend both on personal preference and how you plan to use your coulis. But generally speaking, you will want your coulis to have a syrup-like consistency that is not too runny and not too thick.

For example, you may want to put your coulis in a squeeze bottle to drizzle over your dessert or plate before serving. You will want the sauce to hold its shape and not spread. But you also do not want your coulis to be too thick. It should coat the back of a spoon and pour nicely.

Raspberry coulis drizzled on ice cream

So what do you do if your coulis is too thin?

Many recipes will suggest adding cornstarch.

But I do NOT recommend using cornstarch to thicken your raspberry coulis.

While the cornstarch will definitely thicken your sauce, it will also alter its taste, texture, and color. With cornstarch, your sauce will be gummier, darker, and duller.

INSTEAD of adding cornstarch, you can thicken your coulis by cooking it and reducing the liquid — essentially making a reduction sauce.

Reducing the liquid in your sauce by simmering will produce a more intense sauce.

reduce liquid in Raspberry Coulis by simmering

As I noted earlier, a coulis is traditionally made by pureeing uncooked fruit with icing sugar and then pressing through a sieve. While you might be straying from the conventional definition of a coulis, cooking your berries releases their juices and creates a more flavorful sauce.

In my research, I noticed that many chefs and food bloggers, including Gordon Ramsay, also cook their raspberry coulis to break down the berries and simmer to reduce the liquid. I would say those of us who are in the cooked coulis camp are in good company.

So if you want a rich, fabulous raspberry sauce, put down that cornstarch and let your sauce simmer instead.

Can You Make Raspberry Coulis from Frozen Raspberries?

You can make raspberry coulis from fresh or frozen raspberries.

Bowl of Fresh Raspberries

Some people insist that fresh raspberries make the best raspberry sauce, while others always make their raspberry sauce with frozen raspberries.

Whether your berries are fresh or frozen is not actually the most important factor in an excellent coulis. The key to a fabulous coulis is the quality of your berries.

In many cases, the best quality berries you have might be fresh berries.

I am blessed to live in the suburbs of Vancouver BC, where we have incredible berries in the summer. I freeze over two hundred pounds of blueberries, raspberries, and strawberries to keep us berry-rich all winter long.

In my recipe, I have used frozen organic, local BC raspberries that I froze from our local raspberry fields during the summer. However, the berries I have pictured as garnish are fresh organic raspberries I bought at Costco.

Jar of homemade Raspberry Coulis next to a bowl of fresh raspberries

Before I use my frozen berries, I rinse them thoroughly to remove any ice crystals and to partially thaw them. Then, I add the raspberries directly to my pot and continue thawing on the stovetop while I make the sauce.

Some recipes may instruct you to thaw your berries overnight and then to discard some of the juice so that your sauce is not too thin. Personally, I don’t recommend throwing out any of your raspberry juice as you want to keep all that flavorful (and expensive) juice to make your sauce.

Since we are cooking our coulis and allowing extra moisture to evaporate, you do not need to worry about the additional liquid. So you can thaw your berries ahead of time or rinse your frozen berries and then cook from frozen. Either way will work. Just don’t throw out any of the raspberry juice.

Rosé Raspberry Coulis Recipe

Raspberry Coulis next to a rose wine bottle

Raspberry Coulis dessert with Rose wine.

Easy Raspberry Sauce - How to make Raspberry Coulis

Rose Raspberry Coulis Recipe

Sweet and tangy Raspberry Coulis is a simple but exquisite sauce that adds color and flavor to various dishes and desserts.
4.56 from 25 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: French
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Servings: 8 Servings (2 Tablespoons Each)
Calories: 71kcal

Video

Ingredients

  • 12 ounces raspberries fresh or frozen
  • 1/4 cup sugar or more to taste
  • 1 cup rose wine OR substitute wine with 1/2 cup water + 2 tablespoons lemon juice

Instructions

  • Wash fresh berries or rinse frozen berries to remove excess ice crystals and partially thaw.
  • Combine berries, wine, and sugar in a saucepan and, while stirring, bring to a boil on medium-high heat.
  • Reduce heat to medium and simmer, stirring frequently for ten to fifteen minutes or until sauce reduces by half. The sauce will resemble syrupy jam but it will thicken as it cools.
  • Allow sauce to cool for about a few minutes and then press through a sieve to remove seeds.
  • Using a mesh strainer over a bowl with a wooden spoon or spatula works fine. You may want to also use a second spoon or spatula to scrape the outside of the strainer to collect the pulpy part of the sauce which doesn't fall into the bowl on its own.
  • Once you have collected as much of the sauce as possible, discard leftover seeds and cool sauce in fridge before serving. Drizzle over desserts, ice cream, yogurt, oatmeal, waffles, chocolate cake, etc.

Notes

In this recipe, rose wine adds extra richness and depth to this raspberry coulis, but the wine may be easily substituted with 1/2 cup of water + 2 Tbsp lemon juice or orange juice.

Nutrition

Calories: 71kcal | Carbohydrates: 12g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 2mg | Potassium: 94mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 14IU | Vitamin C: 11mg | Calcium: 13mg | Iron: 1mg

Pin This Raspberry Coulis Recipe for Later

Raspberry coulis drizzled over ice cream with fresh raspberries in a bowl and a jar of raspberry sauce. Text says Raspberry Coulis - Print the Recipe

 

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About Janice

Janice is co-founder of 5 Minutes For Mom. She's been working online since 2003 and is thankful her days are full of social media, writing and photography.

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19 Comments

  1. Alene says

    June 19, 2022 at 4:28 pm

    5 stars
    Perfect! And delish! Thank you.

    Reply
  2. Rita Zelig says

    May 25, 2022 at 8:04 am

    5 stars
    I made this a lot thicker & richer to use as a spread on middle layer of a 3 layer chocolate cake then spread peanut buttercream over it which, created peanut butter/jelly swirls on that layer! Bottom & top layers were frosted with just peanut buttercream. It makes for a different& flavourful addition in a very unique way! I used up the balance to thin out enough to pour through squeeze bottle to make a few swirls along top of decorated cake. Sheer PERFECTION!

    Reply
    • Janice says

      August 19, 2022 at 3:49 pm

      Oh wonderful!!! That sounds incredible! Thanks so much for sharing your ideas!

      Reply
  3. Abirra Nartel says

    May 23, 2022 at 12:03 am

    5 stars
    I’m excited to try this dish because I want my mother to try it. I recently gave her a selection of berry treats and she enjoyed them!

    Reply
    • Janice says

      August 19, 2022 at 3:50 pm

      I hope your mother loved it! 🙂

      Reply
  4. Flora says

    March 30, 2022 at 1:45 am

    Hmmmm how do you thicken it without using heat? I’ve tried both but personally I prefer the saucepan method. Especially with the rose. Just adds that bit of pizzazz! Thanks moms

    Reply
    • Janice says

      August 19, 2022 at 3:51 pm

      If you don’t use heat, you wouldn’t be able to use as much liquid – so the rose wouldn’t work. I prefer the saucepan method too!

      Reply
  5. Joanna Brady says

    November 25, 2021 at 11:39 am

    5 stars
    I’ve been making raspberry coulis for years, and I use your first method. Why dirty a saucepan? I thaw two packages of frozen raspberries, throw them in the food processor with a couple of tablespoons of lemon juice and 1/4 cup of sugar (or to taste. I like it tart). Blend for a couple of minutes and strain. (Yes, the straining is the only tedious part). It’s great over cut up strawberries and topped with whipped cream. Or as a colorful topping over key lime mousse–my other ‘go to’ favorite.

    Reply
    • Janice says

      August 19, 2022 at 3:54 pm

      Yes, Joanna, the uncooked method definitely works too! It is just a matter of preference and of course, if doing the uncooked method, one can’t add the wine or too much liquid. But both methods work! 🙂

      Reply
  6. Meagen Brosius says

    January 2, 2020 at 10:35 am

    5 stars
    Made this for on pancakes and it was so delicious! Definitely keeping some on hand for desserts, breakfasts, and maybe just to eat right out of the jar. YUM!

    Reply
  7. Jenn says

    January 2, 2020 at 10:13 am

    5 stars
    LOVE THIS! I want to drizzle this vibrant raspberry sauce on everything in sight!

    Reply
  8. Melissa Storms says

    March 18, 2019 at 9:50 pm

    I am pinning this for our summer berries. This really looks fabulous.

    Reply
  9. Rose Mary George says

    February 26, 2019 at 6:10 am

    5 stars
    Looks yum. Love the color!

    Reply
  10. Sara Smith says

    February 25, 2019 at 11:59 pm

    5 stars
    Excellent presentation and explanation. Very clear diction and of course easy technique.

    Reply
  11. Carole D says

    February 24, 2019 at 10:14 pm

    My husband makes strawberry sauce for the pancake! We will have to try raspberries!

    Reply
    • Janice says

      February 26, 2019 at 12:13 am

      Yumm – I love strawberry sauce on pancakes. My kids favorite is blueberry sauce so we make that all the time. The great thing about blueberry sauce is there are no seeds to worry about so we don’t have to strain it!

      Reply

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