Classic Swedish Rosehip Soup Recipe (Nyponsoppa)
As autumn rolls in you can often find lots of rosehips around, both in the wild and in the garden. These little gems are fruity with a slightly sweet flavor and make the most delicious soup!
In this post I’ll share a traditional Swedish rosehip soup recipe as well as some tips for serving it hot or chilled.
Rosehip Soup, or Nyponsoppa as we call it here in Sweden, is a tried and true Swedish classic that is often sold premade on supermarket shelves. But often it contains citric acid which affects the delicate flavors.
(There’s even a dried version where you add water to make the soup). But the thing is it’s so easy to make your own from fresh rosehips! Which are, by the way, packed with Vitamin C!
Can't get your hands on fresh hips? You can substitute with organic dried rosehips which you can find online(1 cup dried hips usually equals roughly 2 cups fresh).
Tips for making Rosehip Soup – Nyponsoppa
- Ripe rosehips are mostly filled with seeds, which makes measuring by weight tricky. Aim to pick about 4 cups/ 2 quarts of fresh rosehips as some may need to be discarded.
- Dried rosehips may require longer cooking time on low heat until softened. Pre-soak the hips in a little cold water for a few hours before making the soup. You can add that water to the soup so no nutrients are wasted. Be prepared to add a little extra water to the recipe.
- Some traditional recipes call for leaving the seeds in for added vanilla flavor, they will be strained out at the end regardless. Cutting each rosehip in half or quarters is still recommended to ensure it is not inhabited….
- The seeds will float to the top and are easily scooped off after adding water.
How to thicken Rosehip soup
Though it’s not essential, I prefer a thick and creamy rose hip soup. To thicken your soup, you can use potato starch or cornstarch.
How to thicken soup with potato starch ( potato flour):
- Mix 3 tablespoons of potato starch into a paste with a splash of water.
Add to the soup after it has finished cooking and has been strained. - You can add more if you prefer but adding too much can create a starchy texture and flavor.
How to thicken soup with cornstarch:
- Start by making a paste using 2 tablespoons of cornstarch and a splash of water. Add to the soup after straining and bring to a boil until it thickens, about 1 minute.
- You can add more as needed, but adding too much creates a gelatinous texture.
Swedish Rosehip Soup Recipe
Equipment:
- Immersion blender ( stick blender) or food processor
- Fine sieve or muslin cloth
Ingredients
- 4 Cups Fresh rosehips
- 6.5 Cups Cold water
- 0.5 Cups Sugar – It can be sweetened with honey but I find that the floral flavors int he rosehip are best enhanced by using plain white sugar.
- Optional: 3 tbsp Potato starch or 2 tbsp cornstarch.
Instructions
- Using a sharp knife, remove the green tops of the rose hips and divide the hips into halves or quarters. If you prefer, you can remove some of the seeds at this stage; removing them later is also not a problem.
2. Add the rose hips and water to a pot and bring to a boil. Simmer for 15 minutes. Remove any foam that forms at the top; most of the seeds will follow too.
3. Use an immersion blender to whiz the mixture for a few moments and simmer for 2 minutes.
4. Seeds and pulp are strained before adding sugar and thickening the soup.
4. Pour the mixture through a sieve and rinse the pot.
5. Return the hot soup to the pot together with 0.5 cup of sugar and stir until the sugar has dissolved.
If you prefer a thicker soup: Mix 3 tbsp potato starch with a little cold water and add it to the soup before bringing it to a boil briefly.
Serving suggestions
Nyponsoppa can be served hot or cold! It’s a light soup that is not intended as a main course but can be served as a dessert or nice snack.
- Traditionally it’s served simply with almond macaroons (tiny almond biscuits )or almond slivers for a little crunch and a splash of cream or a dollop of crème fraîche.
- We like to bring it along in a thermos when we go hiking as it makes a delicious alternative to hot chocolate.
- Our family also enjoys it served with a little Greek yogurt, some homemade cinnamon granola, and a drizzle of honey.
- It’s wonderful served hot from a thermos as an alternative to hot chocolate.
Serve with buttered sourdough toast and cottage cheese for a light lunch . - For dessert, serve with vanilla ice cream and crumbled biscotti or small almond biscuits and a little orange zest.
Variations to try
I find the Nyponsoppa that you can buy in the store in Sweden to be quite sweet. The great thing about making your own is that you can adjust the sugar content to your taste and experiment with adding some sweetness using various toppings instead.
Classic additions to the basic recipe include lemon peel or orange peel, added to the pot at the start of cooking time. You can also add some vanilla or cinnamon.
Tips for foraging rosehips
Wild rose hips are particularly rich in Vitamin C, containing 426 mg per 100g, far surpassing oranges! (Source: Wikepedia)
They're also fantastic berries to forage as they can be added to herbal teas, or dried and ground using a food mill to make rosehip flour which can be added to baked goods.
Rosa Canina
- All rose leaves, petals, and hips (fruit of the rose plant) are edible: But some taste better than others… You can taste them raw, using your teeth to remove the outer flesh and leaving the inside untouched (the small hairs inside are sometimes said to cause itching).
- Choose hips that are ripe: about the consistency of a ripe apple – really hard means unripe, soft and squishy means overripe.
- Learn to identify the wild roses in your area: If this is your first time foraging rose hips, do some reading on wild roses in your local area so you can identify them correctly. Though they are edible, some may be protected!
- Avoid roses sprayed with pesticides; forage wild roses or pick from your own garden.
- Time it right: Rose hips may ripen in late summer in warmer climates. In the Nordic countries, you can usually find lots of ripe hips around the beginning of October and I can often pick them into early winter. It’s said that they are sweetened by the first frost.
- Do a taste test: Taste some hips from a variety of rose bushes to find your favorites! I used Beach Rose ( Rosa Rugosa) for this recipe but you can use any variety that you prefer!
Rosa rugosa (Beach Rose)
Classic Swedish Rosehip Soup – Nyponsoppa
Equipment
- Immersion blender or food processor
- Fine sieve or muslin cloth
Ingredients
- 4 Cups Fresh rosehips
- 6.5 Cups Cold water
- 0.5 Cups Sugar
- 3 tbsp Potato starch optional
Instructions
- Using a sharp knife, remove the green tops of the rose hips and divide the hips into halves or quarters. If you prefer, you can remove some of the seeds at this stage; removing them later is also not a problem.
- Add the rose hips and water to a pot and bring to the boil. Simmer for 15 minutes. Remove any foam that forms at the top; most of the seeds will follow too.
- Use an immersion blender to whiz the mixture for a few moments and simmer for 2 minutes.
- Pour the mixture through a sieve and rinse the pot.
- Return the hot soup to the pot together with 0.5 cup of sugar and stir until the sugar has dissolved. If you prefer a thicker soup, mix 3 tbsp potato starch with a little cold water and add it to the soup and bring to the boil briefly.
Notes
Traditionally, it’s served with a splash of cream and almond slivers or almond biscotti (small almond biscuits). It can be served as a light lunch with buttered sourdough toast and cottage cheese or a delicious dessert with vanilla ice cream.
You can adjust the sugar content based on your preferences and experiment with different toppings!
Nutrition
Please note:
This nutritional information is an estimate and values may vary. It is for guidance only and should not be considered dietary advice.
Hej. It’s foam not scum 🙂
Thanks for the recipe! I will try it this summer.
Thanks so much for highlighting this; I’ll correct it right away! In Swedish, we say scum, and I sometimes struggle to flip between the two languages. I hope you enjoy the recipe!
Tastes much better than the ready made stuff! We’ll worth the effort!
I agree! And it’s really fun to make your own!