Use this homemade Elderberry Syrup recipe to keep your family healthy all year round!
I started using elderberry syrup when my daughter Meghan was a toddler. Elderberries are rich with health benefits, including:
Health Benefits of Elderberries
- Boost the immune system
- Fight and protect against bacterial infections
- Fight and protect against viral infections
- Reduce the symptoms and duration of a cold or the flu
- helps clear sinus infections
- has natural diuretic effects and promotes bowel movements
- anti-inflammatory properties
- anti-carcinogenic properties
- eases symptoms of allergies
- high in antioxidants
- high in vitamin A, which makes it great for healthy skin
Clearly elderberry is a powerful plant! Through the years I’ve tried to be consistent in having our whole family take elderberry syrup, especially during the cold and flu season. The problem? Elderberry syrup is expensive!
I would much rather buy a product than have to make it. I’m a busy mama and adding one more thing to my plate can cause me to drop and break the whole plate. Nobody wants to see that.
However. When I discover I can make something for significantly cheaper at home and it’s really not that difficult, I make room on my plate. I might have to take something else off the plate, but I make room.
This homemade elderberry syrup recipe is really easy and worth the effort for the money saved. One of my lovely readers actually first shared the recipe she uses for homemade elderberry syrup with me last year when I was lamenting about the cost of buying the syrup.
Can I take a minute to tell you how much I love this community of readers? You guys are awesome and I love that we can help each other!
I use the basics of that recipe, but changed it slightly. I use dried cinnamon rather than a cinnamon stick and instead of using dried ginger and whole cloves, I use ginger and clove essential oils. I note in the recipe below that you can use either.
How to Make a Homemade Elderberry Syrup Recipe
The first step will be to get yourself some dried elderberries, which I get on Amazon. (affiliate link) Oh, how I love my Amazon Prime membership. 2 days later and you’ll be ready to make some immune-boosting syrup!
The whole process is easy and can be done while doing other household chores. You start by simmering some dried elderberries with water and spices for about 45 minutes. That’s when you can be doing other things. No need to hover over the pot here.
Once the liquid is reduced by half, you drain the liquid. I use a fine mesh strainer which makes it super easy. (Mine are very similar to these and I use them for everything!)
Make sure you squeeze all the liquid out of the berries so you aren’t wasting any. The back of a wooden spoon should do the trick.
Make sure the liquid is cooled, and then you can add your raw honey. Raw honey sweetens the syrup so kids will take it easily, but also has its own medicinal benefits. Win-win!
Then you store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator and it will last for about two months. For adults, take 1 tablespoon daily and for children, 1 teaspoon daily. If you or your children are experiencing sickness or feel something coming on, that dose should be repeated four times daily.
Here’s a video to show you how easy it is to make homemade elderberry syrup at home!
Here’s to a healthy cold and flu season!
Homemade Elderberry Syrup Recipe
PrintHomemade Elderberry Syrup Recipe
This homemade elderberry syrup can be made in less than an hour and will keep your family healthy all year long. It’s the best natural immune booster you can use.
- Prep Time: 5 mins
- Cook Time: 45 mins
- Total Time: 50 mins
- Category: natural medicine
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup dried elderberries
- 3 cups water
- 1 teaspoon dried cinnamon or 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 teaspoon dried cloves or 4 whole cloves or 1 drop clove essential oil
- 1 tablespoon fresh ginger or 1 teaspoon dried ginger or 1 drop ginger essential oil
- 1 cup raw honey
Instructions
- In a large pot, bring the elderberries, water, cinnamon, cloves, and ginger to a boil.
- Reduce the heat, cover, and simmer until the liquid has reduced by half, about 40-45 minutes.
- Allow the liquid to cool, and then drain the liquid using a fine mesh strainer or cheese cloth.
- Press all liquid out of the berries using the back of a wooden spoon.
- Add the raw honey and mix well.
- Store in an airtight glass container in the refrigerator for up to two months.
Nutrition
- Calories: 1113
- Sugar: 278g
- Sodium: 21mg
- Fat: 1g
- Carbohydrates: 299g
- Protein: 2g
Take along with this Vitamin C Smoothie for extra immune-boosting power!
This post contains affiliate links. Thank you for supporting my mission to help as many people as possible live a happy, healthy life!
Healthy Living Playbook!
Never heard of this! Thank you! It sounds like a good thing to have around for Michigan winters. Have you ever added it to foods like smoothies? or does it need to be taken straight?
You can add it to smoothies! 🙂
I made my own elderberry syrup last year and couldn’t believe how easy it was. The recipe was very similar to this. I had added thieves (Young Living essential oil) to mine and the taste was too strong for my kids so this year I won’t be doing that. I like the idea of the cinnamon sticks. Thanks!!
So easy! Yes, I can see how that would be too strong. I thought about adding On Guard (I think it’s DoTERRA’s version of Thieves?) but thought it would be too much for the kids.
Do you aadthe oils while boiling or after you boil with the honey?
Before.
I would imagine you add the essential oils after it cools down with the honey. you should not heat the oils up if you want the best out of the essential oils.
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Where do you purchase your honey?
I often purchase it at Costco. Sometimes I also purchase it at our local grocery store. It just depends on what store I’m at when we are out. 🙂
What can be used for a honey allergy?
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You can use a different liquid sweetener like maple syrup or agave nectar. Unfortunately they won’t have the same anti-bacterial benefits as the honey, but will do the job of sweetening the elderberry. Good luck!
I have been searching for the recipe and wouldnt you know it! kombucha mama to the rescue! i bought my 1st scoby from you about 6 yrs ago , i make a strong cough syrup i add minced garlic, cayenne pepper turmeric and apple cider vinegar and let it sit i just ran out of my store bought syrup and am in desperate need as im suffering from the flu right now. always have elderberries for tea so off to the kitchen i go before this flu creep in real time.
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Please don’t add Thieves oil, On Guard, or any essential oils to elderberry syrup. These oils are very potent and not meant to be taken internally. They could be especially dangerous for the liver, and children are especially vulnerable. Essential oils are the most concentrated essences of the plant and are often misused and overused. Please be careful with essential oils, and try to use the whole plant whenever possible, such as ginger, cinnamon, clove, etc. – Michelle, holistic RN
I have always wanted to make the cold remedy of Elderberries. Thanks for you simple recipe. I pick about 20-35# of Elderberries a year. I have only made jelly and Pancake Syrup until tonight I just made 3 quarts of this , late Christmas for a lot of friends ?
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Perfect!! 🙂
Have you ever tried just blending the whole thing after it has cooled and leaving the elderberries etc. in it instead of straining it? Would that work?
Made another batch tonight would love to put the rest of the berry to use, too… If there’s a benefit. For now I compost them.
We keep the full cinamon stick in the finished amount. Also- 4 cups h2o + 1 cup dried berries. 2 table spoons chopped fresh ginger. Boil, simmer 50-60 min, let sit at least 3 hour. Warm slightly, strain. Add honey/sweetener.
The potency is higher, ginger impact mellows but deepens, max berry benefit.
I’ll have to research more, but it’s a really interesting thought!
Thanks for your tips.
How much does this make? I just want to know how many jars of this I can do!
That’s an interesting thought! I’ve not tried it, but now I want to.
I just read that there is a part of the whole berry that can make you feel sick if consumed. I think it’s best to discard.
Maryea, I believe that is only in raw elderberries, but they are fine once cooked.
I MAKE PLAIN ELDERBERRY JUICE/SYRUP, NO SPICES OR HERBS. I WATER BATH CAN IT LIKE I DO WHEN MAKING ANY BERRY JUICE USUALLY IN HALF PINTS SO IT IS SHELF STABLE.
I ALSO TAKE ALL THE LEFTOVER PULP AND DEHYDRATE IT FOR MAKING ELDERBERRY TEA.
Tell my super novice self more. Id love some step by step directions.
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Thanks for letting me know you need more specific instructions. I’ll update this soon to make sure it is more clear!
Very smart!
What happens if you add your honey at the same time as the berries?
I don’t advise that because you want to use raw honey and it will lose some of its beneficial properties with the heat.
How do you dehydrate the leftover pulp? For now I am just storing it in the fridge and will pull out and use in tea, but it won’t last long enough for me to use it all.
Who do you buy your elderberries from on Amazon? I see lots of sellers, but I’m a little iffy about purchasing berries from a random person.
I always buy the certified organic Frontier Co-Op berries. I’ve never had a problem. You can read about the co-op here: https://www.frontiercoop.com/?SID=od60evhffnmmc8v2v1ukc4v573
It’s too bad that in this past year it looks as though they have at least tripled their prices!!!! $60 for one pound!!!!
I did find some for $44/pound. I need to do the math to see the price comparison for buying vs making now that the prices are higher! I will report back once I figure it out.
Hi I make choke cherry syrup a lot. Yes the pits of choke cherry and elderberry are actually very toxic to ingest whole. You just want the juice. I am excited to try your recipe. Sounds great!
Thanks for the info!
How long is one patch good for before it looses its strength and benefits.
No one told me these things would stink so much! lol Be advised, everyone! That said, I chose not to include cinnamon, cloves, etc. so I am thinking now that these additives may have helped while the mixture simmered. I just finished airing out the house and I hope this syrup lasts a while!
Haha! I’ve not tried making this without the spices, so I can only imagine how it smelled. Hope it still tasted okay for you! 🙂
I got the drained berries out of the house pretty quickly, so that helped. lol The syrup tastes just fine, and I am adding it to our morning smoothies. Thanks for the recipe!
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You’re welcome!
I think you should add that you can not give this to infants under 1 if honey is added. It can potentially cause botulism and which is deadly. All pediatricians will advise this.
I will add that in! I should never assume people know that.
Thank you for this. I’d like to give to my 6 month olds who are at higher risk for illness. If I sub maple syrup for honey, how much of the benefit am I losing? Is it still worth it?
Yes, I think it’s still worth it. You’ll be getting all of the benefits of the elderberry, just not the raw honey. Babies won’t need as large of a dose, of course. 1/4-1/2 teaspoon should be plenty, but always check with your child’s pediatrician to be sure.
Can I leave out the cloves? I can’t stand the taste!!
Yes, you can. 🙂
There’s absolutely no reason to use clove essential oil or Ginger essential oil in this recipe. There is no nutritional value in the central oil. The whole idea of this recipe as for the nutritional value of the herbs…… don’t waste your essential oils ingesting them
How do you make cough syrup?
I use raw honey, cinnamon, and lemon essential oil. There are lots of recipes out there!
Hi! I’m wondering how you can accurately measure the fresh ginger. I’m using Clove oil and cinnamon bark oil but I don’t have Ginger oil yet so I got fresh ginger root but I already boiled the elderberries earlier today and not sure if I should just boil the fresh ginger in the same amount of water and for the same amount of time that I did the elderberries?? The recipe I’m using calls for 3 drops of Ginger Oil so I’m going to adjust the amount from your recipe. Thank you in advance for the advice! My little has been sick for a week now and I’m desperate to get this made and done so she can start taking it ASAP!
I would just leave the ginger out of this batch and add it next time!
The Apothecary in the small town I live in only carries ground elderberry. Would you know how to use it measurement wise or if it is as theraputic as dried?TIA
I’m sorry, but I’m not sure.
Have you ever added turmeric? Is there any added benefit? A vendor at our farmer’s mkt adds it to her recipe.
And I know this is dumb, but I’m assuming the calorie count in the nutrit Info is per recipe?
Helllo! Do you think you could can this (water bath can)? I’m not sure it would all get taken at my house and I don’t want it to go to waste.
How much do you let it cool before you add the raw honey? You want it to mix together, but you also don’t want to heat the raw honey, per se, correct?
Yes, you want it to cool to room temperature before adding the raw honey.
I made a huge batch in January and gave alot away to my Amish families and our close friends, had nothing but great comments on the benefits. Personally I got that cold sickness taste one day and I took this for 2 days and my cold symptoms disappeared.
We have got to figure out how this can be canned to help the shelf life. Just this year I cooked down and preserved 25# of Elderberries, thank goodness I have never had to buy them. Seriously thinking of how to dehydrate them for sale next year, we have alot here on our farm. And this year we started our our bees. We look forward to our 1st harvest next year 🙂
Thanks again for such a successful recipe 🙂
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You’re welcome! I’m really happy to hear this!
Kat, I just found that we have elderberries here and I picked some today! I was so thankful not to purchase them.either! Do you just use those picked berries the same as the dried in this recipe?
Also, I use raw honey that flows at room temperature. (Not the kind that you have to dig out of the jar.)
If I’m using actual berries picked from a tree instead of dried, do I use the same amount and go through the same process? Thanks!!
Hi hope Kat can answer your question as I’m not sure. I’ve only used dried berries for this recipe! 🙂
I use 4 cups of pure juice and it turned out amazing. I’m sure 3 cups would work as well 🙂
Misty, I apologize, yes you can use fresh elderberries. Personally I fill my largest pot with washed berries and I only add maybe 1 cup of water to help the break down process to cook the berries. After the berries are cooked down and then cooled down I run mine through pantyhose a couple times. And I free 3 cups at a time in ziplock freezer bags.
I do nothing with scrapes other than feed my chickens, I sure hope that help. PLEASE feel free to ask anything about fresh processing 😉
Thank you so much for your reply, Kat!
Kat, same ratio for frozen berries? Food mill instead of pantyhose?
Misty , what I do is I measure out 3 cups (Juice)and freeze because that’s what my jelly recipe calls for, so that’s why I have to make adjustments to this cold medicine recipe. 🙂
Only if I’m extremely tired do I freeze whole unprocessed berries.
Hope that helps 🙂
Is it normal to be thinner? Ours reminds me of grape juice the consistency.
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Yes, that’s fine. Sometimes mine is like that.
Wish you had an obvious email contact given.
Also wish you had answered the person who asked if you can keep the batteries in the syrup instead of discarding them if you’ve carefully boiled the whole thing for a long time
Grayer, I’m sure you are speaking of berries and not batteries. Either was ,personally I have never used anything other than the juice. The fruitcain hold.a thin layer of resume.
Good luck ,)
Can I use cinnamon bark essential oil instead of dried cinnamon or cinnamon sticks?
The recipe says 3/4 dried elderberries do you know about how much weight that equals? I am trying to figure how many batches I can get from 1lb dried elderberries. Thanks!
I’m sorry I’m not sure and I’m out of dried elderberries at the moment! I am getting ready to order some, so when they get here I can weigh 3/4 cup for you. 🙂