Easy Chilled Strawberry Soup Recipe

Every once in a while my husband and I go to a restaurant and have something that makes us say, “wow.” Back before we had kids, we went out to eat more often and one of our favorite places was Jaleo in Washington DC. We still talk about the tapas on the regular. But it was the chilled strawberry soup for dessert that made me crave Jaleo on a regular basis. The strawberry soup was unlike anything I’d ever had, ever on my Alaskan cruise where chilled soups for dinner were a staple. Our server brought out this large glass bowl with just some cut up fruit – blackberries, kiwis, maybe something else – inside. Then he pulled out a glass jar of the soup and poured it all around the fruit in the glass bowl and topped it with some sort of fresh cream topping. The combination of the sweet strawberry soup with the cut up fruit and the sweet cream is still one of the best desserts I’ve ever had. They’ve since removed the strawberry soup from the menu (I mean it was like 10 years ago) but we recreated the recipe as best we could at home. So here you go – a chilled strawberry soup recipe inspired by Jaleo’s. The only other strawberry soup I’ve loved almost as much is the strawberry soup at Disney World’s Grand Floridian – one of my favorite Disney World restaurants!

Strawberry Soup Ingredients

This soup really only takes three ingredients – strawberries, water, and sugar. That’s it. But it’s so much better if you add in a couple of additional optional toppings. So with that in mind, here’s my recommended ingredient list for enjoying this soup!

4 cups strawberries 1 cup water 1 cup sugar 1 green apple – chopped into tiny cubes 1 kiwi – chopped into tiny cubes 4 blackberries – cut into little caviar size bites Fruit dip – I love to put dollops of this fruit dip on top but it could be any sweet cream or fruit dip you’d like

You could also top it with any other fresh fruit you’d like, chopped into small pieces, but those are my recommendations. The kiwi, blackberries, and green apple were chosen specifically to add tartness, texture, and creaminess to the soup.

How to Make Strawberry Soup

You’re never going to believe how easy this strawberry soup is to make. Okay you might believe it, but once you figure out how easy it is – you’re going to want to make it all the time! I’ve included step by step instructions below but make sure to read the recipe card at the bottom of this post for all measurements, times, and details!

1 – Make a simple syrup

Just like with this strawberry mocktail, you need to start by making a simple syrup. Combine the water and sugar in a saucepan over medium heat and heat the two together until the sugar is completely dissolved, typically 3-5 minutes.

2 – Blend syrup and strawberries

Combine your simple syrup and strawberries together in a blender. Blend on liquid setting (or high) until totally liquified. Put in the refrigerator to allow the soup to chill (since you’ll likely be using warm simple syrup).

3 – Serve chilled with toppings

If you want to get fancy, you can put all the toppings in glass bowls and pour the soup around the toppings like they did at Jaleo. If not, keep it simple and just serve bowls of the chilled strawberry soup topped with the fruit dip and chopped up fruit mentioned above. Or if you’re serving this at something like a baby shower, put out a big bowl of the soup and let people ladle and top their own. It’s perfect for a spring baby shower or summer birthday party.

What Goes with Strawberry Soup?

This strawberry soup is best served as a refreshing dessert (or side dish) on a warm spring or summer day. Dishes that would be great to serve with or before the serve include:

Southwestern chicken salad Balsamic grilled chicken BBQ pulled pork sliders Hawaiian pork and pineapple shish kebabs Shredded pork tacos Grilled eggplant rolls

Can You Freeze Strawberry Soup?

So I personally have never tried to freeze strawberry soup (we always eat it pretty quickly). If you do try to freeze it, I recommend letting it thaw in the refrigerator until no longer frozen and then tossing it into the blender again in case it separates. That’ll give you the soup consistency you’re looking for.