Holiday Fruit Soup
This fruit soup is perfect for brunches, bridal/baby showers, holiday dinners and everything in between.
So this recipe definitely ranks up there in The List of Recipes I Wish I Could Force You to Make.
Not because I’m a big meanie authoritarian or control freak (ahem) but because I want everyone to experience the amazingness, and I have a feeling the idea of fruit soup may be a foreign one to many of you. I get it.
Before my sister-in-law, Erin, introduced this to me nearly a decade ago, I don’t think I ever once found myself craving soup filled with fruit. And now here I am. Craving soup filled with fruit.
It is so ridiculously yummy – not to mention unique and lovely (I’m warning you now to be prepared for the onslaught of recipe requests you’ll get when you make it; trust me on this one).
Served chilled, it’s perfect for brunches, bridal/baby showers, holiday dinners, and, well…you get the picture.
It’s also made mostly ahead of time which is perfect for when you’re running around with half your sanity trying to prep for your party or holiday dinner.
One experience with fruit soup and I think you’ll follow me willingly on board the fruit soup train. I’ve randomly served it over the years for this and that but this holiday season, I’ve decided to make it an official part of our Christmas Eve dinner.
It deserves a permanent place in our traditions, plus I just really want my kids to think I’m the best mom in the universe. Fruit soup will do those kinds of things for you.
Although the base of the soup is a sweet mixture of juice and tapioca, don’t be fooled in thinking it mimics thick, creamy tapioca pudding.
Instead, the little bits of tapioca help thicken the soup just slightly and enhance the texture while still allowing it to be fully classified as soup (read: you’ll want to serve it in small cups or bowls with a spoon).
Consider this a must-make sometime in your life. And then be prepared to sit down with your planner to figure out all the ways you can continue incorporating it into your food routine.
Fruit soup! It’s a thing. Don’t let yourself be the last one to this party.
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Holiday Fruit Soup
Ingredients
- ½ cup (106 g) granulated sugar
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup peach juice or nectar, like Kern’s brand
- 3 ½ tablespoons minute or quick-cooking tapioca, not large or small pearl
- 1 ½ cups orange juice
- 2 cans (11-ounces each) mandarin oranges, undrained
- 1 quart bottled or canned sliced peaches, drained (cut the peaches into smaller chunks, if needed)
- 2 cups sliced strawberries
- 1 cup fresh raspberries
- 1 cup blueberries
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan, combine the sugar, water, peach juice/nectar, and tapioca. Bring the mixture to a boil and cook for 12 minutes, stirring often. Remove from the heat and pour into a bowl or other container. Stir in the orange juice and cover the dish. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours until completely chilled or up to several days.
- Stir in the mandarin oranges, sliced peaches, strawberries, raspberries and blueberries. Chill until ready to serve (no longer than an hour or so once the fresh fruit has been added).
Notes
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Recipe Source: adapted a little from my sister-in-law, Erin (original version posted on The Sister’s Cafe – the Melanie referred to in that post isn’t me, BTW, it’s my sis-in-law’s sister; I know, confusing!)
I was thinking of bringing this to our monthly staff get together since our theme for the next one is “soup”. However, one of our number is allergic to citrus. I’m thinking I’ll use pineapple bits/juice to replace it. Any suggestions? Cranberries/juice?
You could probably widely adapt the ingredients/juice used. Cranberry might be a bit too tart, but worth a try? Maybe a mix of cranberry and white grape juice?
Hi Mel,
I took this to a work potluck when you first posted it. One of my coworkers still remembers and raves about how good it was. Think I’ll take it this year and surprise her! 🙂
I love this I would really wanna try this and make some
I love this
Trying to make this but my instant tapioca is not dissolving as it boils – does it dissolve more in the fridge?? help, potluck emergency 12 hours from now!
Hey Kendra, the tapioca won’t dissolve completely. But it should turn from white to clear. Does that make sense?
Yes! That’s what happened once I added the orange juice – they turned from white to clear (but were still mostly white at the end of the boiling). That’s reassuring. I brought everything to work anyways and figured if there was an emergency, at least I have a fruit salad 🙂
The little tapioca “jelly” beads were a little… offputting, but it was still good! Maybe my “instant” tapioca isn’t fine enough. I would try again but maybe with cornstarch.
I would like to know how many serving this will make. I plan to use it for a knitting group lunch. The dishes it will be served in will hold approximately one half cup. Thanks!
It makes about 14-15 cups total.
Not sure if this is the same recipe my mother-in-law used, but she made this every year for family gatherings and it was loved by all. I’m gonna try your recipe for our Christmas gathering this year to see if it’s a hit with our younger family members. Thanks so much for sharing this!
Do you know the country of origin for this fruit soup?
I don’t, sorry.
I think it might be Norway? We are just studying it now with the kids and the assignment for food this week is fruit soup!
I know fruit soup is a Dutch tradition. It might be traditional in other countries as well.
I want to make this for Christmas and there’s no fresh fruit right now. Would I add in the frozen fruit thawed or still frozen?
I think you could add it frozen as long as it has time to thaw in the soup.
I make something almost like this recipe, put it on Dixie cups, and freeze. Great treat for the kids.
My 12 year old daughter and a friend made this for our church soup cook-off. They easily won first place! Totally blew the competition away!! (Including me. ) Looking forward to making it again for Christmas. They did use frozen fruit for some of the fruit, since December is not a good season to get good blueberries and strawberries. People were so impressed with this amazing soup. Thanks for the great recipe.
Serious?? That’s amazing! I’m so glad you took the time to let me know. I agree, it’s kind of a showstopper once people realize there is such a thing as fruit soup!
is it not too sweet if we use half cup granulated sugar?because i think basically fruits has their own sweetness
Made this for my mom yesterday for Mother’s Day. I had only used the 1/2 cup sugar. Maybe it was my peach nectar or my OJ but I could have done with probably a 1/4 cup or maybe even no sugar. Just thought I would mention it in case anyone wants to further cut your sugar but I think it would still be sweet enough between OJ, peach nectar, and fruit. Although I drink unsweetened tea so take that for what it’s worth 🙂
Well Mell, surprise surprise, another hit! I’ve been waiting to try this until fresh berries are in season and this has become a fresh, summer dessert hit at our house. I honestly can’t really imagine making it in the winter when fresh berries are not as good and cost a pretty penny. But we’ll be eating our fill in the spring/summer months! I must confess, we did find it to be much too sweet the first time with 1/2 c sugar, and still the second when I cut it to 1/3 c. So, I’ll likely omit the sugar altogether next time. I think that the OJ, peach nectar and canned mandarin juice have plenty of sugar. I’m thinking to freeze any leftovers in popsickle molds. My kiddos will flip!
Our family loves this unique twist on fruit salad so much that I’ve come up with a little trick we’ve used for a couple years. So, I thought I’d share… I make the base of the soup (without sugar) and keep it in a pitcher in our fridge. Then, when we’re ready to partake of the sweet nectar, we wash and slice up the fresh fruit and pour/spoon the soup base over it and dive in. It’s a really simple and easy way to enjoy this treat – fresh, all the time.
What a great idea! Thanks for sharing, Andrea!
I made this as a pretty side for our Christmas dinner. It was a hit and all of it was finished. I couldn’t find peach juice or nectar at my local grocery store so used mango nectar and it turned out great!
I have made this soup from my Taste of Home cookbook. My family is a big fan.
Mel, this recipe was amazing!!! I wanted to make sure I got on and told you so. My kids devoured it and ask for it every night now! I made it Christmas eve to go with our homemade Chimichangas and Mexican rice. It was the perfect side dish. I loved that I could make it ahead of time too. It is now part of our traditional menu. It really was perfect. Thank you for always sharing such great recipes. My husband and four boys thank you! Happy New Year.
Oh my gracious, this recipe is a keeper!!!! My kids were asking for this for dessert!!! Delicious!!
I’m a fruitoholic and decided I’d try this for a change instead of making regular fruit salad. I was very pleased with the result. My family loves it! The first time I made it as stated and while I enjoyed it I found it too sweet. The second time I omitted the sugar and made it with fresh mandarins given the season and will continue to omit the sugar from here on in. Great recipe, thanks for sharing! Haven’t tried it as a topping on oatmeal but looking forward to it!
I made this soup for my bridge group and it was a huge success. Every one of them wanted a copy of the recipe. I am so glad that I doubled the recipe so I could have another bowl tomorrow. Thank you for sharing this wonderful dish. Zena
I was wondering what a good substitute for the peach juice/nectar might be? I don’t like peach flavor but this looks like it would be good.
You could try subbing in another flavored juice, I suppose. I’ve never made it without the peach nectar so I don’t know how it would affect flavor and texture but I’m sure it would work fine.
It’s so fun to see this because my grandma makes it as the appetizer to Christmas dinner every single year, and has for at least 20 years I believe! Guests are always a little freaked out but I love it! Sadly the grandparents are on a mission in Nauvoo and won’t be here for Christmas this year. I might have to take on the tradition and make it myself!
My two year old and I would eat this up.
My husbands family has been making something like this for years, and I’m still not a 100% convert… But that’s most likely due to my MILs recipe. It’s got some weird fruit combinations. So I’ll give this a try. But I wondered if you have a stockpot recommendation. I have a stainless steel as part of a set, but it’s not big enough for doubling some soups. I looked on your favorites page… Also do you have a smaller skillet you love? I bought the 12″ one you recommended, but sometimes I just need a few eggs, so a 8″ size? Thanks Mel!
Hey Ashlee – the 9- or 10-inch skillets I use are these white ones. I LOVE them (I’ve also seen them at Target).
http://www.amazon.com/WearEver-Nonstick-Ceramic-Cookware-10-5-Inch/dp/B008A5DMNO/ref=sr_1_26?ie=UTF8&qid=1449171907&sr=8-26&keywords=10-inch+nonstick+skillet
For stockpot, I have a really old set of Farberware pots that I use and the large pot I have is part of that set.
Does this soup freeze well?
I’ve never tried freezing it so I don’t know, sorry!
Looks delicious and brings back memories. My mom made Swedish Fruit Soup at Christmastime when I was young, with dried fruit and cinnamon. We ate it either hot or cold, both ways were good. I preferred it hot since we live in MN. 😉 I can’t wait to try this!
I have made a recipe very similar to this and have served it for brunch. Always a favorite with my family.
If you were making this for dinner what would you serve it with?
You could really serve it as a side dish to most any meal just like you would a fruit salad.
We often start with any kind of canned fruit – home canned peaches & pears, or the large can of tropical fruit from store – then add all kinds of fresh fruit – apples (chopped up), grapes, bananas, pineapple, strawberries, blackberries, blueberries, etc, etc
Served at our school for dessert on the monthly hot dog lunch day. All the fresh fruit helps make it not so liquidy or messy and sure is tasty!
Oh, my gosh…I can’t wait to make this!!!!!
Hi Mel!
My mom is German and I grew up eating fruit soup and loving it! We serve it warm – in the winter, my mom often had some made and waiting on the stove as an after school snack that really hit the spot and warmed us up! We never made it with chunks of fruit, instead we would puree a bottle of homemade canned peaches (liquid and all) and sometimes add some orange juice concentrate and thicken with tapioca.
I think we even had it occasionally as dessert after dinner with a scoop of vanilla ice cream!
Does this soup make good leftovers? I’m trying to decide how much to make. 🙂 Looks delicious!
Yes, it makes great leftovers! The fresh fruit gets a little softer but we eat the leftovers for days (if there is any!). I prefer adding the fresh fruit right before serving (or to chill just for a few hours) when serving to company but the leftovers are still tasty.
Plan on making this today for Christmas. I’m going to use frozen fruit and canned apricots and peaches. I’m not sure why it should taste so much different than a regular fruit salad, but I’m going to try anyway.
This looks delicious!!!! My 8 year old
will go nuts for this and I have to admit, it’s right up my alley too! 🙂 can’t wait to make this and i will report back to you!! 🙂
Thanks Mel for posting the Fruit Soup recipe. Being Swedish we served up fruit soup at Christmas (served warm), though a bit different the idea is the same. And yes, I hope your readers will give it a try, it is delicious! Try it with dried apricots.
Mel, thanks for soup recipe. I make a similar mixed fruit dessert/soup. Mine calls for Chunk pineapple. Mix a box of instant pudding & pie filling (vanilla or pineapple or your choice of flavor) with pineapple liquid. Fruits of your choice to fill a bowl (I use pineapple, sliced bananas, sliced strawberries, maraschino cherries). Add pudding mix and let set for several hours. Delicious!
We host a Christmas Eve brunch. I am adding this to the list of recipes to try. You have yet to steer me wrong on a recipe so I will try this!
This is so perfect for a brunch, especially on Christmas Eve!
Well, this is sure something I have never made nor have I eaten. Looks yummy though. I am not much for blueberries or raspberries, but love peaches, strawberries and bananas.
Hi Charlotte – you could take out the blueberries and raspberries and just add more of the others or choose other fruits you like. It’s super adaptable!
Yes! My parents make this recipe quite a bit for special occasions. Except we add some orange sherbet to make it a bit more like a dessert. It’s a yummy addition 🙂
so sorry mel, but you lost me at tapioca.
Rhonda, you don’t even taste the tapioca in this recipe. It’s used as a thickener. Please try it before you write it off! This is a really delicious recipe!
Goodness, this sounds like the perfect recipe. You can make it ahead of time and it’s chilled. I, more times than not, take fruit salad to covered dishes or as a dessert when invited to dinner. There is always so many “heavy” dishes that a light, refreshing option is generally very well received. And, besides, I would like to change my kids’ sometimes attitudes of mom’s a meanie to my mom’s the best mom in the universe. 🙂 Who knew I could do this through fruit soup? 🙂
Haha, I know right? It’s a Christmas miracle. 🙂