Rose hips embody the summer holidays to me. Especially in the late days of summer, the smell of rose hips is prominent at the North Sea costs and the first fruits are available as a little snack along the way. With the hope that a rose hip soup could bring holiday memories back even in wet, windy, cold, lousy times, I decided to harvest and freeze some for back home, which was a good idea.
The soup tastes delicious, floral, so uniquely fruity and special! Rose hips have a high content of vitamin C (more than lemons!) and antioxidants, so the soup is also healthy. It’s a traditional starter or dessert in Sweden, called nyponsoppa. The sweet soup can be eaten hot or cold. For some reason, it left a funny, slightly numb feeling on my tongue that other family members didn’t feel. If you don’t want to pick the rose hips yourself, it is also possible to buy rose hip powder to make these soups. But that’s not an option for me. It is the journey of collecting, preparing and cooking that brings me back to that summer vacation feeling. Also, the powdered version I tried tasted way worse than this homemade recipe. Let’s make ourselves a delicious rose hip soup!
Ingredients for making Rose Hip Soup:
- Fresh rose hips
- Water
- Sugar
- Potato starch
- Salt
Needed Equipment:
- Immersion blender
- Sieve
- Pot
If you want the soup to have more substance or an updated kick, try it with the delicious little semolina dumplings rolled in roasted hazelnuts!
How to make Rose Hip Soup:
The road to rose hip soup was tough, I can tell you! The first try didn’t feel like a vacation, to be honest. Firstly, I tried coring the fruit because I was afraid of the seeds, known as “itching powder” here in Germany. I also wanted to check for bugs or maggots (I did not find any!). It was such a horrible job!
I thought to take a second route to make rose hip soup, which was much easier! When I investigated, I learned that Swedish people apparently cook the fruits whole and sieve out the seeds. Luckily this recipe works much better, tastes the same, and is so much more convenient!
If you pick the fruits yourself, I can recommend the large rose hip bushes called the beach rose (Rosa rugosa) that you see in our photos. There is a lot of flesh on them. You should be careful when picking because the rose has large thorns!
Rose Hip Soup Recipe:
We start by washing the collected fruits and then cutting off the old remains of the flower.
Next, add all the rose hips in a large pan, followed by the water. Now let everything simmer for 25 minutes until the fruits are soft. Then, we take a hand blender and puree all.
After that, gradually pour the soup into a fine sieve, using a large spoon to pass the fruit pulp through. This is how we remove the peel, itchy hair, and the seeds. Now, we have a pot with the smooth rose hip soup. Start heating the soup again, then add the sugar and a pinch of salt.
Dissolve the starch in 3 tbsp of cold water until it is lump-free, then stir the mixture into the soup to thicken it up.
Serving Suggestions for Rose Hip Soup:
In Sweden, macaroons or almond cookies are added to the soup. I made semolina dumplings rolled in roasted hazelnuts to add to the soup, which paired fantastically. It’s nice to have an addition with some bite to the otherwise rather light soup.
If you like the rose hip taste, try our rose hip jam recipe. And the rose hip tea made from dried rose hips is also delicious.
FAQ:
Rose hip fruit pulp contain a source of vitamins and contain a wide range of nutrients. Rose hips have a very high content of vitamin C (more than lemons!) and antioxidants. The antioxidants contained have a proven anti-inflammatory effect. They also help to lower cholesterol, high blood pressure, and cardiovascular diseases. Other vitamins the red fruits contain are pro-vitamin A (beta-carotene), B1, B2, and minerals such as iron and magnesium. They also include secondary plant substances such as polyphenols and tannins (Source).
Wash the seeds and allow them to dry thoroughly. Leave the seeds to dry on parchment paper in a sunny place for a few days. The quicker option is to place the rose hip seeds on a baking tray and place them in the oven on low heat for several hours. Or, to save energy, use the residual heat when you have baked something in the oven! You can make a detoxifying tea from them to help with bladder, kidney, and stone problems. To do this, take two teaspoons of dried rose hip seeds, crush them in a mortar, and boil them in 250ml water for about 10 minutes, then pour the tea through a tea filter into your cup.
I hope you enjoyed this rose hip soup recipe. Let me know what you think in the comments below!
Some Recipe Suggestions:
- Semolina Dumplings With Roasted Hazelnut
- Rose Hip Tea
- Rose Hip Jam Recipe
- Pappa al Pomodoro
- Vegan Beet Soup
- Vegan Tom Kha Soup Recipe
- Vegan Peppery Parsnip Soup
- Roasted Garlic Soup
- Chestnut Soup
Rose Hip Soup
Rose Hip Soup can bring back summer memories even in wet, windy, cold, lausy times. The soup tastes delicious and so uniquely fruity! In Sweden, it’s a traditional dessert. The soup is cooked quickly, collecting the rosehips probably takes longer…
- Total Time: 50 Minutes
- Yield: 4 Servings 1x
Ingredients
550g fresh rose hips
800ml water
50g sugar
1,5 tbsp potato starch
pinch of salt
Instructions
We start by washing the fruits and cutting off the old remains of the flower.
Add all the rose hips in a large pan, followed by the water.
Let everything simmer for 25 minutes until the fruits are soft.
Take a hand blender and puree all.
Pour the soup into a sieve, using a large spoon to pass the fruit pulp through.
Reheat the soup, add the sugar and a pinch of salt.
Dissolve the starch in 3 tbsp cold water until lump-free, then stir into the soup to thicken it up.
Notes
You can freeze the collected rose hip fruits if you want to have some rose hips in stock to make this soup while they are out of season.
- Prep Time: 20 Minutes
- Cook Time: 30 Minutes
- Category: Soup
- Method: Cooking
- Cuisine: Swedish
- Diet: Vegan