Jamie Oliver’s strawberry Bellini is just two ingredients: sieved fresh strawberry purée topped up with Prosecco. It serves 8 from one bottle, from his book Together (2021).
The classic Bellini comes from Harry’s Bar in Venice, made with peach and Prosecco. Jamie has said the idea isn’t exclusive to peaches, and here strawberries take their place, with no added sugar.
The technique is in the pour. A 1½cm layer of purée goes in first, then you half-fill the glass with fizz and stir gently. Topping up later, glass by glass, keeps every drink lively.
Jamie Oliver Strawberry Bellini
Course: DrinksCuisine: BritishDifficulty: Easy8
servings10
minutes85
kcal10
minutesA two-ingredient party fizz from Together: strawberry purée you can make the day before, topped with Prosecco as guests arrive. One bottle serves eight.
Ingredients
200g strawberries
1 x 750ml bottle of Prosecco or sparkling white wine
Directions
- Purée: Hull the strawberries and blitz in a blender until smooth.
- Sieve: Pass the purée through a sieve into a nice jug.
- Build: Pour 1½cm of strawberry purée into each glass, then half-fill each one with fizz and stir gently together.
- Top up: Top up each glass with fizz to order, as and when your guests want a drink.
Notes
- (get ahead): Make the strawberry purée the day before and leave it in the fridge until needed.
- (frozen strawberries): If strawberries aren’t in season, Jamie says frozen ones work a treat. Defrost them before you need them, or blitz them while frozen the night before and leave the pulp to defrost in the fridge.
FAQs
Is this the same as a Rossini?
They’re close cousins. Jamie’s Rossini on his site is also strawberry and Prosecco, but the fruit is blended with sugar and lemon juice, then stirred with the fizz over ice and strained.
This Together version strips that back. There’s no sugar, no lemon and no ice, just purée and Prosecco built straight in the glass. The result tastes purely of strawberry and is far quicker to make for eight.
Why sieve the purée?
Strawberry seeds are tiny but gritty, and in a fizzy drink they float up and catch in your teeth. Sieving leaves a silky, seedless purée that blends smoothly into the Prosecco.
It also makes the drink look cleaner, with a clear, bright pink colour instead of flecks of pulp. Push the purée through with the back of a spoon so you lose as little fruit as possible.
Why half-fill the glass before stirring?
Prosecco foams up fast when it hits fruit purée. Half-filling gives the bubbles room to settle while you stir the purée through gently, so nothing overflows.
Topping up each glass only when a guest wants one keeps the fizz fresh, since a full glass left waiting goes flat. It’s the easiest way to serve eight people from one bottle without the drinks dying on the tray.
Will frozen strawberries taste as good?
Jamie suggests them when strawberries are out of season, and this is our view on why it works. Frozen berries are usually picked ripe, so they often taste better than pale winter strawberries.
Because there’s no added sugar, the purée is only as sweet as your fruit. Taste it before pouring, and if it’s very sharp, a pinch of sugar brings it closer to Jamie’s Rossini, which does use some.
Does it have to be Prosecco?
Jamie allows any sparkling white wine. Prosecco is the traditional Bellini partner and its fruity character suits strawberries, while a drier cava or crémant gives a sharper, less sweet drink.
If you’re opening several bottles of Prosecco for a party, one can go towards Nigella’s negroni sbagliato. That gives guests a bitter, grown-up option alongside the fruity Bellinis.
What should I serve with it?
It’s a natural brunch drink, so it pairs beautifully with Nigella’s waffles, served with berries and maple syrup. For a party, salty bites like her devilled eggs balance the fruit and fizz.
As a dessert pairing, it suits a fruity tart such as Jamie’s lemon curd tart, topped with raspberries. There are more ideas on the Jamie Oliver recipes page.
