In this quick and easy red fruit jelly recipe I show you how to make the popular North German dessert “Rote Grütze” with vegan vanilla sauce! Made with all kinds of berries and cherries, this red fruit jelly is perfect as a healthy dessert or fruity topping for waffles, semolina pudding, rice pudding & more!

Homemade Red Fruit Jelly with Vanilla Sauce
If you’re ever in the mood for a quick dessert, red fruit jelly with vanilla sauce is just perfect! All you need to do is to open a package of frozen berry blend and heat it in a pot with some fruit juice. Then thicken it with some cornstarch and sweeten with sugar or syrup to taste. Et voila – the delicious, fruity dessert is ready!
But I also like to enjoy the fruit compote as a topping on other treats or simply on bread, toast or vegan croissants as a healthier alternative to jam for breakfast. Since it’s so versatile, it’s good to have a simple red fruit compote recipe on hand that you can easily make at home in no time. I hope you enjoy the berry compote as much as I do! 🙂


Use any fruit for your compote
Of course, you can also use other frozen or fresh fruits as you like. Whether berries, cherries, apples or an exotic fruit mixture with mango – you can really get creative here!
This recipe is also perfect for using up leftover fruit! Just throw anything you can find in a pot and make a colorful fruit compote. Depending on the sugar content, it keeps for a few days in the fridge and can also be boiled down or frozen.

Ingredients for this recipe
Red fruit jelly
- Frozen berry blend: e.g. with blackberries, blueberries, raspberries, red currants and cherries.
- Fruit juice: e.g. cranberry, red currant, or cherry juice.
- Cornstarch: or vanilla pudding powder.
- Raw cane sugar: or other sugar or syrup to taste.

Vanilla sauce
- Plant milk: such as soy, coconut, or almond milk.
- Cornstarch: or vanilla pudding powder.
- Raw cane sugar: or other sugar or syrup to taste.
- Vanilla extract: or ground bourbon vanilla or the pith of a vanilla bean.
- Pinch of turmeric: optional for a yellow color.

How to make red fruit jelly with vanilla sauce
As always, I recommend checking out the recipe video and these step-by-step instructions first. Then you’ll find the full recipe with exact measurements in the recipe card below!
Step 1: Cook the red fruit jelly
First, pour about 3 tablespoons of the fruit juice into a small cup. Add the cornstarch and whisk to combine. Bring the frozen berry mixture and the remaining fruit juice to a boil in a saucepan. Then stir in the cornstarch mixture and sugar. Bring the mixture to a boil again and cook until thickened, about 1-2 minutes. Then remove from heat and allow to cool.

Step 2: Make the vegan vanilla sauce
For the sauce, first pour 3 tablespoons of the plant milk in a small cup and dissolve the cornstarch with optional turmeric in it. Bring the remaining plant milk to a boil in a saucepan. Then stir in the cornstarch mixture, sugar and vanilla and bring to a boil again while stirring. Then remove from heat and let cool as well.
Tip: If you want to prevent a skin from forming on top of the vanilla sauce, you can cover the surface with plastic wrap.

Step 3: Serve
Divide the red fruit jelly into dessert glasses and pour the vegan vanilla sauce on top. Garnish with fresh berries, pomegranate seeds, mint and desiccated coconut if desired and enjoy!

How can I store red fruit jelly?
Leftover red fruit jelly and vanilla sauce will keep in the refrigerator for about 3-4 days. For longer storage, pour the red fruit jelly into clean preserving jars while it is still hot and seal tightly. If stored in a cool, dark place, the preserved red jelly will keep for 1 month. However, it is also freezer-friendly so feel free to freeze it for even longer!

This red fruit jelly with vanilla sauce recipe is:
- Quick and easy to make
- Vegan
- Dairy-free, Eggless
- Gluten-free
- Versatile
- Fruity
- Low-sugar
- Low-fat
- Rich in vitamins
- Perfect for dessert or as a topping
- So delicious!

More quick vegan dessert recipes to try
- Chocolate Mousse
- Bliss Balls
- Coconut Balls (Raffaello)
- Tiramisu
- Mango Mousse
- Caramel Cheesecake Mousse
- Lemon Tart
- Blackberry Mousse Tart
- Chocolate Mousse Pie
- Peanut Butter Pie
- Vanilla Custard Tart
If you try this recipe for red fruit jelly with vegan vanilla sauce, feel free to leave me a comment and a star rating! And if you take a picture of it, feel free to tag me on Instagram @biancazapatka and use the hashtag #biancazapatka so I don’t miss your post! Enjoy! 🙂

Red Berry Jelly with Vanilla Sauce (Vegan)
Author:Ingredients
Red fruit jelly
- ¾ cup (180 ml) red fruit juice e.g. cranberry, red currant or cherry juice
- 2 tbsp (15 g) cornstarch or vanilla pudding powder
- 17.6 oz (500 g) frozen berry blend
- 2 tbsp raw cane sugar or other sugar or syrup to taste
Vanilla sauce
- 2 cups (500 ml) plant milk e.g. soy, coconut, or almond milk
- 2 ½ tbsp (20 g) cornstarch or vanilla pudding powder
- 3 tbsp raw cane sugar or other sugar or syrup to taste
- 1-2 tsp vanilla extract or ground bourbon vanilla or the pulp of a vanilla bean
- pinch of turmeric optional for color
For garnish (optional)
- fresh berries e.g. raspberries, blueberries, blackberries
- pomegranate seeds
- mint
- desiccated coconut
Instructions
*Note: Feel free to check out the recipe video + step-by-step pictures above!
Red fruit jelly
- Pour 3 tablespoons of the fruit juice in a small cup. Add the cornstarch and whisk to dissolve.
- Add the frozen berry blend and the rest of the fruit juice in a pot and bring to a boil. Then add the cornstarch mixture and sugar and stir to combine. Bring the mixture to a boil again and cook for about 1-2 minutes until it thickens. Then remove from heat and let cool.
Vanilla sauce
- Pour 3 tablespoons of the plant milk in a small cup and whisk in the cornstarch with optional turmeric.
- Bring the remaining plant milk to a boil in a saucepan. Then stir in the cornstarch mixture, sugar and vanilla and bring to a boil again while stirring. Then remove from heat and let cool (if you want to prevent a skin from forming on top, cover the surface with plastic wrap).
- Add the red fruit jelly into dessert glasses and pour the vanilla sauce on top. Garnish with fresh berries, pomegranate seeds, mint and desiccated coconut as desired and enjoy!
Notes
- Serving suggestion: You can also serve this as a topping for cakes, waffles, pancakes, crêpes, semolina pudding, rice pudding and sweet buns!
- Storage: Leftover red fruit jelly and vanilla sauce will keep in the refrigerator for about 3-4 days. For longer storage, pour the red fruit jelly into clean preserving jars while it is still hot and seal tightly. If stored in a cool, dark place, the preserved red jelly will keep for at least 1 month.
- More information and helpful tips are mentioned in the blog post above!
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