You’re here to learn to make pate de fruits, right? I will teach you how to make them using raspberry as the example flavor, but first, I really want you to read this whole post (I promise it’s not too long).
In it, I’ll share some tips and tricks I learned while making these in a commercial kitchen, how to store them long term, and how to make them low-sugar.
You can also download my “cheat sheet” of 25 pate de fruit formulas optimized for Boiron purees while you’re here.
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Pate de Fruits, At a Glance
✅Skill Level: Intermediate
✅Skills: Cooking a sugar solution to temperature
✅Type: Jelly candies
✅Number of Ingredients: 5
✅Prep Time: 15 minutes
✅Cook Time: 30 minutes or until your mixture reaches 223F
✅Yield: One half-sheet pan of pate de fruits, or about 234 1″ square candies
Jump Straight to the Recipe
The Formula
The basic pate de fruit recipe is pretty straightforward.
The trick is in knowing the perfect amount of pectin to use for each kind of fruit. Since most fruit already contains pectin at different concentrations, the amount you must add differs for most types of fruit.
Professional pastry chefs have access to formulas that are specifically formulated for each type of fruit puree a particular manufacturer sells.
I have one of these formula sheets at my disposal, and I am going to share it with you now.
NOTE: Right click on the image below and choose “Open in a new tab.”
Tips and tricks for success
While pate de fruits are not hard to make, there are some tricks to being successful with them. And I want you to be successful!
They have a short list of ingredients, but the way you mix them together can have a big impact on your finished candies. Here are some of the points to keep in mind and what I will teach you:
- The correct proportions of puree, sugar, glucose, citric acid and pectin
- How to add the pectin so your guy stay nice and smooth
- What to expect when you’re heating the puree
- How to stay safe while making them
Stick with me, and when you make perfect “fruit paste,” you’ll be rewarded with simply beautiful
- texture
- flavor
- mouthfeel
The magic of making pate de fruits is making sure you have just the right amount of thickening power, in the form of pectin, to let them set up into slick, slice-able jewel-toned tiles of fruit flavor without overdoing it and ending up with something boingy. We are not going for boingy.
Okay, we’re getting to the recipe. But first, to address some possible issues before they come up:
How Hard is it to Make Pate de Fruits?
While it’s not hard to make these little candies, it’s not really easy, either.
Or rather, it’s a fussy process.
There is a lot of stirring and cooking of thick, viscous, bubbling molten fruit and sugar.
I’ve gotten some lovely burns from exuberantly burbling pre-pate-de-fruits, so if you’re going to make some, be careful and be prepared for it to take quite a while–maybe up to 45 minutes or so of stirring.
The time isn’t as important as the temperature, and the magic temp we’re shooting for is 223F.
Can I use my own fruit puree?
Yes, you can, although if you do, I cannot guarantee that you will get perfect results with this particular formula since it is optimized for use with Boiron puree.
Having said that, I know of some folks who have used homemade puree with good results.
Just know that you may have to tweak the amount of pectin and/or citric acid to get the perfect set and balance.
Equipment
As I have said, the equipment list is not very long.
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You’ll need a heavy bottomed saucepan, an accurate instant read thermometer, a Silpat for pouring and a half sheet pan.
This LavaTools instant-read is a great choice. It reaches temperature in a matter of seconds, is easy to read, and more important, it's accurate. An excellent thermometer for most home uses, from deep frying to candy making to checking doneness in meat, bread, and other baked goods.
I also like a pizza wheel for cutting your candies once they’ve set up, but you could also go for one of those fancy multi-wheel cutters if you know you’ll use it a lot.
I recommend storing pâte de fruits in an airtight container with a couple of desiccant packs in it to keep them nice and dry. Note that the desiccant packs I link to are rechargeable, meaning you can dry them out for repeated use.
I love this feature because you’re not just throwing them away after one use.
How Much Citric Acid?
In the formulas, the citric acid needs to be dissolved in an equal amount of water. So, if the formula calls for 15 grams of citric acid called for in the formula, dissolve 7.5 grams citric acid in 7.5 grams of water.
If the formula calls for 20 grams of citric acid, dissolve 10 grams citric acid in 10 grams of water before adding it when the formula specifies.
My favorite Boiron purees
I really recommend purchasing Boiron puree to make your pates de fruit, especially since the formulas come from Boiron and were optimized for their puree formula.
The pureee is pretty pricey, but it is fantastic. Plus, your results are all but guaranteed, as long as you follow the formulas exactly.
To begin with, I recommend just purchasing one flavor and making 1 tray of candies. If you cut them into small squares, you can easily get 400 candies, plenty for hooking up everyone on your gift list!
Start with the raspberry and then try passion fruit, strawberry, or mango. Those are some of my favorites!
These formulas also work very well with Perfect Puree and CapFruit brands.
I’d caution you about using homemade puree, since it’s not standardized. You run the risk of your pate de fruits setting up either too firmly or not firmly enough.
What kind of pectin to use
We always used powdered pectin from the “regular grocery store,” and never had any problems.
Do not purchase the low- or no-sugar needed pectin, and you should be fine. Ball and Sure-Jell are two trusted brand names that provide consistently good results.
I don’t know how to change the formula to use liquid pectin, so please stick with powdered to make your pate de fruit recipe.
Other candy recipes to try
Here are some other candy recipes you might enjoy–either for eating yourself or for gifting. Enjoy!
- Butter Mints are on the opposite end of the candy spectrum from Pate de Fruit. No cooking at all. This easy version of butter mints is really just a stiff American buttercream that you can shape into mints
- Crunchy Butterfinger Candy Bars This is another pretty exacting recipe, but the result is a crispy, crunchy, layered candy bar, much like store-bought Butterfingers. But better because you can use better chocolate!
- Bourbon Honeycomb Candy Made using Bourbon honey, this is classic “sponge” candy.
- Old-Fashioned Creamy Cocoa Fudge About as old-fashioned as you can get, this cocoa fudge was from a reader’s grandmother. All she had was the ingredient list, so I worked with it to give her the instructions. Et voila!
- Chewy Butterscotch Candy Traditional butterscotch from a very, very old recipe, I cook this only high enough so it sets into a chewy candy. If you’re interested in crunchy butterscotch, this butterscotch hard candy is right up your alley.
Questions?
If you have any questions about this post or recipe, I am happy to help.
Simply leave a comment here and I will get back to you soon. I also invite you to ask question in my Facebook group, Fearless Kitchen Fun.
If your question is more pressing, please feel free to email me. I should be back in touch ASAP, as long as I’m not asleep.
A Note About Measurements
My recipes are almost all written by weight, including liquids, unless otherwise specified.
For accuracy and consistency of results, I encourage you to buy–and use–a kitchen scale.
I promise that baking and cleanup will be so much quicker and easier.
This is the scale that I recommend for home use. I have owned and used one for years.
Don't let its small price and small size fool you. The Escali Primo is an accurate and easy-to-use food scale that I have used for years. It's easy to store, easy to use, has a tare function, and easily switches between grams and ounces/pounds for accurate measurements.
Love Pate de Fruits? Please Rate and Review the Recipe. Thanks!
It will help me and other readers so much if you take a moment to rate and leave a review for this recipe.
You can use the stars to rate 1-5 (5 is best), and leave a review in the comments. It helps me make adjustments if any are needed, and comments help others decide whether the recipe is worth making.
Other ways to share include pinning, and/or sharing on your favorite social media platform.
Thank you so much for taking the time!
NOTE: I have had good luck using these formulas with both Perfect Puree and Cap Fruit. Note that perfect puree comes in 30 oz containers, so you will need to Do Math to scale the recipe from 1000 grams of puree to 850 grams.
NOTE ABOUT CITRIC ACID: Either use lemon juice in the same amount as called for in citric acid (for example, 15 grams citric acid = 15 grams lemon juice). If using citric acid, dissolve it in an equal amount of water before adding it to your candy (for example, 15 grams citric acid = 7.5 grams citric acid dissolved in 7.5 grams of water).
Raspberry Pate de Fruits
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Equipment
Ingredients
- 1000 grams Boiron raspberry puree (1 container)
- 1140 grams sugar
- 200 grams corn syrup
- 7.5 grams citric acid diluted in 7.5 g. water (or 15 g. lemon juice)
- 20 grams powdered pectin
Instructions
- Mix about 100 g. of sugar with the pectin. Whisk them together really well. This helps keep your pate de fruits from having pectin globs in it. So do it.
- Heat the puree to 120 degrees. F.
- Whisk and whisk, and add the pectin/sugar mixture. Bring to a boil and let boil one minute.
- Add the corn syrup and the rest of the sugar. Cook to 223 degrees, F. This could take a very long time. Your thermometer will read 218, and you'll think, "Oh, I'm almost there!" Wipe that grin off your face; this is going to take some time, so settle in and make sure you're wearing long sleeves.
- Once the mixture reaches 223F, stir in the citric acid/water mixture or the lemon juice. Cook one more minute.
- Pour the molten pate de fruits mixture into a half-sheet pan which you have lined with heavy duty plastic wrap or Silpat. Let set up at room temperature until cool and sliceable. This could take a few hours.
- Once firm, slice them into small squares, or cut out fun shapes with tiny cookie cutters. Roll them in granulated sugar. For "Sourpatch" pate de fruits, mix a little citric acid in with the sugar (to taste) and roll them in that mixture.
Did You Make Any Changes?
Notes
General Notes
Generalizable to 25 formulas in the downloadable list. To be clear, each formula requires slightly different amounts of sugar, citric acid, and pectin, so please refer to the chart. All formulas are based on 1 kg or 1000 grams of Boiron puree.Storing
Make sure to store your pate de fruits in airtight containers. For storage of more than a day or two, I recommend getting some disposable or rechargeable desiccant packs. DO NOT USE A SHARP KNIFE TO CUT THESE IF YOU POURED YOUR MIXTURE ONTO SILPAT. You will end up with 1″ squares of Silpat which are good for absolutely nothing.Clarification on Citric Acid
If the formula calls for 15 grams citric acid, you can use EITHER 7.5 grams citric acid dissolved in 7.5 grams water OR 15 grams of lemon juice. If the formula calls for 25 grams citric acid, you’ll need 12.5 citric acid dissolved in 12.5 grams water OR 25 grams lemon juice.Nutrition
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Hi Jennifer! This post was so helpful! I’m going to make the raspberry ones today for Valentine’s. I looked all over the boiron site and couldn’t find the formula sheet. Are you able to email it to me? The “click here” link didn’t work for me.
I emailed you, Saloni. So sorry the link wasn’t working. Enjoy!
Ohh I tried to click to getthe Pate de fruit formula for the different fruits with no avail. 🙁 Is there a way that I can get it, probably thru my email. I am interesting and making some of the those for my friend. Thanks in advance!
Oh no! Sorry it didn’t work for you. I will check those links and then email it directly to you. Stand by! 🙂
I’ve downloaded the various recipes, but looking at Boiron’s site, many of the purees are available either with or without sugar. Based on one of your other comments, I’m assuming you’re using the ‘with sugar’ version. Can you verify? Thanks!
Hi there! Yes, these formulas are based on Boiron purees that already has a certain percentage of sugar in them. The no sugar ones must be newer!
I’m very sorry if you’ve already answered this, I did try to skim the comments but didn’t specifically see it..
May I please have formulas for fresh fruit puree? I haven’t seen the brand you listed here in Texas (though I got the formula sheet you provided just in case I can find them), and I really try to make things home made, when it’s possible. Any berry flavor (raspberry, blueberry, stawberry…), or citrus (orange, lemon, lime, grapefruit), would be a wonderful treat for my kids.
Thanks in advance, and thank you for posting!
My email.is ctfsquirrel at gmail.
Hey, Mandi! I’m so sorry, but all of these formulas are based on standardized purees produced by Boiron. You can certainly try with fresh purees. At the very least, do half-batches and then tweak if you don’t get the results you are looking for. I cannot be more specific than that because fresh purees are not standardized. You may have to adjust the formula slightly from batch to batch, even if using the same kind of fresh puree.
Have you tried using rosehips? I didn’t see them on your ratio list. I currently have an abundance of rosehip puree, I may wing it and see how it goes.
I haven’t tried it, sorry. Maybe run a small test, see how it goes, and then scale up from there. Good luck, and let me know how it goes!
These are the best instructions I have found. This will be my first holiday making these and I’m so excited to try this out! Can you please email me a lemon, cherry, and kiwi recipe? Thanks so much!!
Hi, Heather! I tried to make it as detailed as possible to minimize problems. Did you see the place to download the entire chart? If I’m not mistaken, all three of those flavors are included. Let me know if you have issues, and if so, I’ll just email it directly to you.
Thank you chef for posting this great recipe! I wanted to ask you if you know how I can pipe the pate de fruit into chocolate shells? Would i be able to wait for the to cool enough before it solidifies or do I let it set then break it up in a food processor and pipe it then?
Thanks so much for your help!
That’s a toughie. By the time they’re cool enough to not ruin the temper of the shells, you wouldn’t be able to pipe them. Conversely, piping them while liquid would absolutely melt the chocolate and you’d end up with a mess. I suggest you pipe them into flexible molds, let them cool, pop them out, and then dip them in tempered or high-quality coating chocolate. If you don’t have molds you trust to release them, cool and cut with small cutters and then dip in chocolate. Hope this helps.
Thanks I will try one of those and see 🙂
Hi, Jennifer.
I”m so excited to see that you have a table for Pate de Fruits. These are among my favorite candies. Simply adore them! It’s so wonderful of you to share the table. Sadly for me, though, when I click on the link to download, I just get sent to the top of the page.
Any chance you would please email it to me directly? I would be so grateful.
Thank you!
I bet there is an issue with the redirect. I’m so sorry. It sometimes happens. Will email them to you tomorrow!
What’s the best “working temperature” to cook these? Cooking on high will cook faster but I wonder if it’s better. You’ll still be stirring anyway so you should prevent burning.
Thank you
Good question. Because of the high sugar content, they need a bit of babying–I would stick with a medium to medium-high at the outside, Ed.
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Hello!
Thank you for the :
Pate de Fruits Formulas !!!☺
Regaards
Kent
Norway
You are most welcome, Kent! Enjoy!
Read through your blog and appreciate how helpful you are; thanks! I then went to the Boiron site and bought raspberry and blood orange purees to ship to the U.S. to make Pates De Fruits this upcoming weekend. I tried hunting the Boiron site for the recipe for Blood Orange, but didn’t find one even after registering as a user and utilizing the link you supplied a couple of years ago. I plan to use the raspberry recipe you posted here; could you possibly share the blood orange version directly? Thank you most kindly.
I will email it to you tomorrow, Roxanne!
Hi Jenni!
I have some experience making pate de fruits but the other day I tried to make a coconut one and it didn’t set. This is because there is no natural pectin in coconuts? have you tried i? if so I would really appreciate any advise you might have. thank you so much!!
all the best,
esther
Hey, Esther! Do you add pectin to your formula already? All my formulas, even the ones for flavors with high-pectin fruits like raspberry and apple, have list pectin as an integral part of the recipe since they have to set up relatively firmly (compared to jam/jelly). I don’t think I have a coconut formula, either. Wish I could be of more help.
Hey,
I’ve been trying already several times making Mango Pate de fruit (using fresh mango puree) but it doesn’t really set enough…
Can you help me with a recipe? I am able to use Boiron so if you only have this recipe i will use that, if you also have a recipe using fresh mango i would be happy to receive this one as well! Thank you!
Kind regards
I do have a mango formula using Boiron and will email it to you when I find it. It’s way harder to standardize a recipe with fresh since water content and sugar content can vary so much from fruit to fruit. You could try the Boiron formula with your fresh puree. At the very least, it can give you a good starting point and you can tweak amounts from there.
I was hoping to get the conversion for peach, blackberry and lemon. Please and thank you.
I am pretty sure I have those. Let me look them up and I’ll email them to you, Travis. Give me a day or two. Thanks!