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"Home" » Traditional Danish

"Home" » Traditional Danish

Danish Cold Buttermilk Soup (Koldskål)

Published: Jun 1, 2019 · Modified: Feb 12, 2021 · About 3 minutes to read this article. · By Kim Nielsen

Old-fashioned and traditional recipe for Danish Koldskaal (Cold Bowl). This recipe is based on a few and simple ingredients just like it was made in the old days. Perfect for a hot sommer
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Recipe for Homemade Danish Cold Buttermilk Soup (Koldskål)

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.

Danish Buttermilk Soup served in the hot summer

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.

Read also: Traditional recipe for Danish Cocoa Oat Balls (Havregrynskugler)

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.

Recipe for Danish Koldskaal (Cold Bowl)

Koldskaal served with Danish Kammerjunker

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. You can find the recipe for kammerjunker here on my Nordic blog.

See also: Recipe for homemade Danish Kammerjunker

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)

Old-fashioned and traditional recipe for Danish Koldskaal (Cold Bowl). This recipe is based on a few and simple ingredients just like it was made in the old days. Perfect for a hot sommer
Print Recipe Rate Recipe
Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes minutes
Course: Soup
Cuisine: Danish
Keyword: Nordic food
Servings: 5 people
Author: NordicFoodLiving.com

Ingredients

Metric - US Customary
  • 4 egg yolks
  • 1 liter plain yogurt (~3.5% fat)
  • 1 liter buttermilk
  • 2 tbsp cane sugar
  • 1 vanilla bean
  • 1 tbsp sugar (mixed with the vanilla bean)
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice

Instructions

  • Use a hand mixer to whisk the egg yolks and sugar into a light and fluffy mixture.
  • 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.
  • Whisk the vanilla seed together with the egg yolks.
  • Whisk the yogurt with the egg yolks. Add the yogurt in 3-4 steps and whisk well in between each step.
  • Finally add the buttermilk and mix it well together. Flavor with lemon juice.
  • Keep the buttermilk soup/Koldskål in the fridge. You can leave the empty vanilla beans in the bowl - it still has much great flavor.

Notes

Serve the buttermilk soup with fresh strawberries or Danish Kammerjunker (Small cookies). You can find the original recipe for Kammerjunker on www.NordicFoodLiving.com

Recipe for Homemade Danish Cold Buttermilk Soup (Koldskål)

Recipe for Homemade Danish Cold Buttermilk Soup (Koldskål)

Recipe for Homemade Danish Cold Buttermilk Soup (Koldskål)

Recipe for Homemade Danish Cold Buttermilk Soup (Koldskål)

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Therese

    August 07, 2015 at 5:19 am

    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 :)

    Reply
    • Kim Nielsen

      August 11, 2015 at 7:58 am

      Hi Therese, Thanks for your nice words. You are absolutely welcome :-)

      Reply
      • Nancy Baylon Busby

        October 05, 2024 at 7:48 pm

        I would love to learn danish food . If anyone can share some recipes. I much appreciate it . Thanks a lot!

        Reply
    • Rose

      June 11, 2024 at 1:34 am

      My ex was from Copenhagen. was introduced to this delicious dish the summer of 83. We always had it on hand, at breakfast with cold cereal of choice or for dessert in the evenings. Thanks for sharing.

      Reply
  2. matt

    June 09, 2016 at 10:51 am

    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. :)

    Reply
    • Louise Dam

      June 12, 2016 at 6:41 pm

      Sounds great! Yes it can easily be contained in the fridge for a couple of days.

      Reply
  3. Flemming N Pedersen

    July 23, 2016 at 2:38 pm

    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

    Reply
    • Kim Nielsen

      August 03, 2016 at 12:43 pm

      Hi Flemming. Thanks for your comment. It's also a real favorite in this home. Regards Kim

      Reply
    • Irena

      February 05, 2022 at 8:11 am

      Hello! Thank you for the recipe. But I do not understand how the yogurt was made in the old days if it is a traditional recipe. Diary products differ considerably and a single bacteria can change taste of a product.
      Thank you very much in advance

      Reply
  4. Lise Rousseau Silva

    December 03, 2016 at 5:06 am

    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.

    Reply
    • Kim Nielsen

      December 04, 2016 at 4:47 pm

      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

      Reply
      • Kirsten

        June 30, 2019 at 9:26 am

        Some times - when we’d run out of ‘kammerjunkere’ or she just felt like it - my mother would whipe some eggwhite until it got stiff - and add some sugar to it. Then she would scoop a floating island of this on top of every serving of koldskål. It’s gooooood!

        Reply
        • Morgan

          February 12, 2022 at 3:57 am

          Hi, I grew up on Kold Skaal.
          Instead of using Lemmon juice we used lemon peel and the oil from the peel. This way the flavor of the Kold Skaal become much more rounded.
          Additionally, if you can't find any
          Kammer Junker make a cheat for that, try caramelized croutons, it was our favorite, the croutons should be a little soft in the middle.

          Reply
        • Vibeke

          June 22, 2022 at 9:48 pm

          Yes. As a dane, living in the us, I can attest to serving whipped egg whites with added sugar as a topping for koldskål. That is the way it was served in my house. I am just going to make it.

          Reply
  5. Sonja L

    November 07, 2017 at 9:52 pm

    Do you use cultured buttermilk for this?

    Reply
    • Kim Nielsen

      November 08, 2017 at 8:08 am

      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.

      Reply
    • Anja

      April 30, 2020 at 8:34 pm

      Thanks for a great recipe.
      You need a recipe for kammerjunkere as well; I am planning to try the one from Valdemarsro.dk :)

      Reply
      • Kim Nielsen

        May 01, 2020 at 6:45 am

        You are right! of course I need a recipe for Kammerjunker - I think that will be my weekend project :-)

        Reply
  6. Diane Stevenson

    February 22, 2018 at 11:48 am

    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!

    Reply
    • Kim Nielsen

      February 23, 2018 at 11:43 am

      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

      Reply
      • Diane Stevenson

        June 27, 2018 at 9:59 am

        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?

        Reply
        • Kim Nielsen

          June 27, 2018 at 12:58 pm

          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 :-)

          Reply
    • Janel

      June 27, 2020 at 12:15 am

      Absolutely love that you've done this up in English. While I can read Danish in a pinch this is much easier. And I love your additional information on the tradition for it.
      I do have a small problem I'm hoping you can help me with though. I live in Sweden and sadly Buttermilk if any variety is just not available here. Nor have I seen any premade Koldskål in the dairy aisle. =(
      I saw you mentioned making it with plain yoghurt and sour cream. Would you have any measurements for that or do you just wing it?
      I used to have this with my ex's family in Denmark and I miss it terribly. Especially since it's boiling outside this week!

      Reply
      • Kim Nielsen

        June 29, 2020 at 5:10 am

        Hi. It is sad that you can't buy buttermilk in sweden. Actually I have never tried the plain yogurt and sour cream method. But I would suggest a 2/3 yogurt and 1/3 sour cream. I understand that you have a product in Sweden called "filmjölk" it should be very similar to buttermilk. I believe that you can use that product. Regards Kim (NordicFoodLiving.com)

        Reply
  7. Angel Mathews

    March 05, 2018 at 3:25 am

    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

    Reply
    • Kim Nielsen

      March 11, 2018 at 4:05 pm

      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)

      Reply
  8. Tony Leisner

    July 02, 2018 at 6:47 pm

    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.

    Reply
    • Kim Nielsen

      July 03, 2018 at 12:08 pm

      You are welcome. I hope that you are going to enjoy this Nordic snack.

      Reply
  9. Ann. Arie

    July 24, 2018 at 2:53 pm

    What about raw eggs and salmonella in US eggs? I know in Denmark eggs are pasteurized, so are safe to eat raw.

    Reply
    • Kim Nielsen

      July 31, 2018 at 6:47 am

      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.

      Reply
  10. Tina

    October 14, 2018 at 7:18 pm

    Hej Kim, jeg har lige set din blog og jeg er super excited. Jeg er dansk men har boet i England siden 1999. Jeg har altid fandt det rigtig svært at finde traditionelle danske opskrifter da bringer de gode gamle dage tilbage.
    Så tusind tak for din blog som jeg vil nu følge som en bibel. :-)
    Tina

    Reply
    • Kim Nielsen

      October 16, 2018 at 6:03 am

      Hej Tina. Mange tak for dine fine ord. Jeg håber du vil kunne finde nogle opskrifter du kan lide :-)

      Reply
  11. Winter

    April 16, 2019 at 3:20 pm

    This sounds wonderful. Could you substitute Danish Ymer for the buttermilk? If so, can you buy Ymer or an equivalent here in the US?

    Reply
    • Kim Nielsen

      April 16, 2019 at 4:36 pm

      Yes you can use Ymer instead of the yoghurt. It's many years sense I lived in the US. I can't remember if you can get Ymer in the US supermarkets.

      Reply
  12. James C Long

    July 04, 2019 at 4:58 am

    I love your site. My mother (mor) is from DK and I am the halfdane (other half Texan). Grew up eating a lot of what I've seen here. Ate many of these dishes in Denmark!

    Reply
    • Kim Nielsen

      July 08, 2019 at 3:27 pm

      Thanks! I'm glad that you enjoy my site.

      Reply
  13. Pam

    August 08, 2019 at 10:38 pm

    5 stars
    This is delicious! We just went to Denmark and I had something like this at a restaurant-I think it had egg whites added? This is amazing!

    Reply
    • Kim Nielsen

      August 09, 2019 at 5:27 am

      I'm happy that you like the recipe. It has egg yolks added or sometimes just whole eggs. It's very popular during the summer time.

      Reply
  14. Amber

    December 04, 2020 at 12:01 am

    5 stars
    I just made this, 1/4 the size and loved it. I only had strawberry greek yogurt but followed otherwise. It reminds me of kefir. I am half Assyrian and grew up on duvie - yogurt, cucumber, mint or dill, salt and blended with water over ice. Totally refreshing in the summer and easy on the tummy.

    Reply
    • Kim Nielsen

      December 04, 2020 at 8:15 am

      I'm happy that you liked the recipe and the dish. I love that you have used strawberry greek yoghurt because the ingredients in this recipe can easily be changed with other dairy products. Simply just use local products and what you have in your fridge :-) Regards Kim (NordicFoodLiving.com)

      Reply
  15. Lene

    February 11, 2021 at 11:23 am

    What does the 1/4 gal mean?

    Reply
    • Kim Nielsen

      February 12, 2021 at 10:05 am

      1/4 gal means 1/4 gallons which is about the same as 1 liter. I can see that it can be confusing. So I have updated the recipe. Thanks for letting me know about this issue. Regards Kim (NordicFoodLiving.com)

      Reply
  16. Dawnzie

    June 01, 2021 at 1:05 am

    5 stars
    This is the best recipe! My husband was fondly describing this dish to me and saying how much he missed it, so I decided to surprise him. He loved it!

    Reply
    • Kim Nielsen

      June 01, 2021 at 8:25 am

      I'm happy that you like the recipe for Danish buttermilk soup. Regards Kim (NordciFoodLiving.com)

      Reply
4.48 from 19 votes (16 ratings without comment)

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