There’s something magical about Danish summers. The air turns soft, the days out just a little longer, and suddenly. It’s Koldskål season. You’ll find cartons of it flying off grocery shelves, people eating it on sunny balconies, and children giggling as they fish cookies out of their bowls with sticky fingers.
Koldskål — literally meaning “cold bowl” — is a sweet, tangy buttermilk dessert soup, served chilled with crisp vanilla biscuits known as kammerjunker. It’s light, it’s refreshing, and it’s one of those things that instantly takes Danes back to their childhood summers
If you’ve never had cold buttermilk for dessert, I get it — it sounds odd. But one spoonful, and you’ll understand. It’s creamy, citrusy, just sweet enough, and when those crunchy cookies soften ever so slightly… oh, it’s pure Danish nostalgia in a bowl
A Little Story Behind It – A Tradition That’s Fresh as Ever
Koldskål has been around since the 1800s, but back then, it wasn’t quite what we know today. Originally, it was a warm spiced beer soup. Over time, as refrigeration became common and tastes evolved, the cold buttermilk version took over — especially with the rise of yoghurt and other dairy products in Danish homes
By the mid-1900s, Koldskål became a summer staple — especially when kammerjunker (those crisp, buttery vanilla cookies) began to be mass-produced. Since then, it’s been a warm-weather favourite, and it is something every Dane has a memory of, like when it is store-bought and when it is made at home, eaten with strawberries, cookies, or just out of the fridge when hot outside.
Ingredients
For the base:
- 500ml buttermilk (chilled)
- 250ml plain yoghurt or yammer
(You can also use skyr or Greek yoghurt — just thin it slightly with milk)
- 2 egg yolks (for richness — optional)
- 3–4 tbsp sugar, adjust to taste
- 1 tsp vanilla extract or fresh vanilla seeds
- Juice of ½ a lemon
(Or try zest for fragrance and less tartness)
For the topping:
Substitutes: Vanilla wafers, shortbread cookies or homemade biscotti
Other ingredients: fresh strawberries or fresh raspberries
Instructions
Step 1: Sugar and whisked egg yolks in a bowl until airy and fluffy. Don’t take this step and make egg-free Koldskal instead; it is going to be delicious
Step 2: Whisk lightly the yoghurt and vanilla extract. Blend well.
Step 3: Stir in the chilled buttermilk bit by bit, slowly
Step 4: Squeeze some lemon. Add sugar or acidity, and taste
Step 5: Cover and refrigerate 1 or 2 hours. The colder the better
Step 6: Pour into individual bowls. Top generously with kammerjunker and fresh berries if using. Best enjoyed outside, under the sun, preferably barefoot
Serving Tips
- Top with kammerjunker just before you serve it so that the different kammers bunkers will be crispy
- It can be augmented by adding fresh sliced strawberries or a couple of blueberries to have a fruity touch
- Leftovers? remain covered in the fridge up to 2 days -stir then re-serve
Precautions
- Too tart? Add a bit more sugar or use honey
- Too thick? Thin with a splash of milk
- No buttermilk? Combine a cup of milk, 1 tablespoon of lemon juice, and allow it to sit for 10 minutes
- Don’t add cookies too early – they’ll get soggy fast
- Avoid flavoured yoghurts – they overpower the delicate lemon-vanilla vibe
More About Koldskål
Koldskal is not sweet alone. It is that sense of freedom of summertime when shoes come off, windows are left open, and the meals are less about a schedule and more about comfort. It is the type of food that does not make an effort consciously, but makes one feel nurtured
In the way that growing up with something (or trying it for the first time) catches you in something warm and cosy, Koldskal hushes you in something soft and familiar. Mix it in a bowl, or draw a chair away to a window and spoon some of it into a teaspoonful of quiet cream
Simple. Sweet. Danish. Just right.
