This recipe for Danish buttermilk soup is probably the most traditional Danish summer dish you have. In Denmark we call this dish Koldskål, which translated means cold bowl. Koldskål is based on buttermilk and plain yogurt and sweetened by sugar and vanilla. Koldskål is almost only served in the summer time and especially in the periods with hot weather. Most of the Koldskål consumed in Denmark is processed and the sale rates are highly dependent on the weather and the temperature – the higher temperature the higher is the sale rates. The reason why this dish is so popular in the hot summer period is because it’s very refreshing and cooling which is great when your body feels like it’s going to boil.
For many Danes it’s a tradition to eat this dish in the summer where it’s mainly served as a snack in the afternoon or in the evening. Even though it’s mostly served as a snack, we also sometimes just have this for dinner when we are not in the mood for normal dinner.
The dairies are selling a lot of this buttermilk soup because the easiest way of getting this dish is just to buy it. We never buy processed Koldskål – it’s just so easy to make yourselves and we believe it has a much better taste. To make your own Koldskål you basically just need to whisk together egg yolks, sugar, vanilla with some buttermilk and plain yogurt – it’s that simple and it only takes about 15 minutes to prepare.
There a several different ways of making this dish but this is the recipe we always use and we believe it’s the most traditional one. Koldskål is normally served with Kammerjunker, which is a small and crisp Danish biscuits typically flavored with lemon and cardamom. However, we normally serve this dish with fresh strawberries and blueberries as topping – it’s just wonderful. The strawberries just make this dish even more summerly. You can basically use any topping you think is great. If you want to make this dish more filling, you can consider oats, which is rich on dietary fibers, or maybe this chocolate-coconut granola.
Danish Cold Buttermilk Soup (Koldskål)
2 liter (1/2 gal)
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Danish title: Koldskål
Cuisine: Danish
Ingredients:
4 egg yolks
1 liter (1/4 gal) plain yogurt (~3.5% fat)
1 liter (1/4) buttermilk
2 tbsp cane sugar
1 vanilla bean + 1 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp lemon juice
Instructions:
Step 1: Use a hand mixer to whisk the egg yolks and sugar into a light and fluffy mixture.
Step 2: Scrape out the vanilla seeds from the vanilla bean. We have made a simple step-by-step guide how to do this. Mix the vanilla seeds with one tablespoon of sugar.
Step 3: Whisk the vanilla seed together with the egg yolks.
Step 4: Whisk the yogurt with the egg yolks. Add the yogurt in 3-4 steps and whisk well in between each step.
Step 5: Finally add the buttermilk and mix it well together. Flavor with lemon juice.
Step 6: Keep the buttermilk soup/Koldskål in the fridge. You can leave the empty vanilla beans in the bowl – it still has much great flavor.
Tip: Serve the buttermilk soup with fresh strawberries or other delicious toppings of your choice.
This looks like a lovely dish and something that I would like to try! I am very happy I found your blog as I want to deepen my knowledge around scandinavian food outside Norway! You will be seeing more of me :)
Hi Therese, Thanks for your nice words. You are absolutely welcome :-)
hi Kim. will be trying this out this weekend when my girlfriend visits from DK, since you can’t buy koldskål in Germany.
question for you: what about storage? will it last OK for 2-3 days in an airtight container in the fridge?
ps – try a little fresh mint with the strawberries and kammerjunker. :)
Sounds great! Yes it can easily be contained in the fridge for a couple of days.
it never last more than 1 maybe 2 days at our house , we eat it ,I live in the US but grew up on this in Denmark
Hi Flemming. Thanks for your comment. It’s also a real favorite in this home. Regards Kim
I spent a year in DK as a foreign exchange student many years ago. I remember this, I think, but that my Mor served it with a meringue? Or is that a different treat. Is there any chance you have a recipe for ollebrod? It wouldn’t be authentic since we can’t get real Danish rye bread in the US, but I’d love to try to duplicate it. Thanks for all the lovely recipes. They remind me of some happy times.
Hi Lisa. Thanks for your comment. I have never tried this Koldskaal with Meringue and actually I have never heard of this topping before – are you sure it was meringue? I have a recipe for Ollebrod but it’s not on my blog. I will add it to my to-do-list and post it when it’s ready. It is actually possible to get ‘real’ Danish Rye Bread in the US. I have lived there for some time and you can find it in some bakeries. Regards Kim
Do you use cultured buttermilk for this?
Hi. It’s hard to say as we only have one type of buttermilk in Denmark. However, from what I can find on the internet I would suggest the cultured buttermilk. But, I don’t think it matters that much. Sometimes, I make this recipe from other diary product like yogurt, little sour cream and so on. So it is not that critical what you use.
Hi Kim, thank you for this recipe, in English. We live in Denmark now and I am completely addicted to Koldskål. I have it every morning with fresh fruit and seeds or Bran Flakes. I have been able to find it in a few stores, thankfully, in the cold months, but wouldn’t mind making it myself. Can you tell me how fattening it is? I’m thinking it’s not too bad, but I’d like to know how it breaks down.
Thanks again for this!
Hi Diane. You are very welcome. I’m also very happy about this dish. Normally I eat it everyday during the summer time. This dish is actually not that fattening as the two main ingredients are ‘Kærnemælk’ and ‘tykmælk’ which are both quite good. I’m not sure about the specific figures but you can take a look at the two products the next time you are in a danish supermarket. Regards Kim
Hi again, Kim! I’m still eating my daily dose of koldskål and loving every mouthful. I haven’t yet tried to make my own because I can’t consume it all, in just a few days. Is it possible to freeze koldskål?
Hi. If you make your own batch of Koldskål you would get around 2 liter (1/2 gal) which can be kept in the fridge for about 4-5 days. Personally, I eat around 1/2 liter/day :-)
Hi, I read about this in a book and was considering making it. Do you know how long it keeps in a fridge? And if it isn’t too much trouble could you tell me what the ratio of fruit to buttermilk soup you use? Thank you
Hi Angel. I normally keep this buttermilk soup in the fridge for about 3-5 days. For a normal sized-bowl I typically use about a handful of fruits (my guess is about 100 grams / 4 oz)
We just had a family reunion in Denmark and my cousin served this along with many other traditional dishes. We got the first strawberries of the season and now, back in Florida, we finally have your recipe and instructions. Thanks so much.
You are welcome. I hope that you are going to enjoy this Nordic snack.
What about raw eggs and salmonella in US eggs? I know in Denmark eggs are pasteurized, so are safe to eat raw.
No all eggs in denmark are not pasteurized. However, eggs in Denmark are said to be safe to use. I’m not sure if raw eggs from the US are safe to use. In the case that you are in doubt, then always use pasteurized eggs.