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
Homemade Elderberry Syrup Recipe
- Total Time: 50 mins
Description
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.
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.
- Prep Time: 5 mins
- Cook Time: 45 mins
- Category: natural medicine
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!
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I see that EO is alternative in your recipe, do you add it with the elderberries, or after cooling down the simmered liquid?
Does canning this syrup affect the honey properties and the Essential oils?
I add them with the elderberries. I am not sure about your canning question–sorry!
Hello MariuEu,
Essential Oils, like honey, are decimated by heat. Oils cannot be placed in direct sunlight without being ruined. Generally you will want to wait until the simmered liquid has dropped to just below 100 degrees F before adding any oil or honey. I use doTerra On Guard (only 1 drop per this recipe) and I simmered 1.25 hours. 45 minutes is not nearly long enough – the resulting liquid is way too thin. Make sure the simmer is barely moving the water. Keep covered while simmering to use the least amount of energy, either gas or electric. I use only gas.
The final product needs to be refrigerated and used within the first 45 days or so. I’ve kept it longer, but usually if you in the mode of making this, then you’re in the mode of using it up.
Use sparingly – if the elderberry remains are used in a smoothie, do not dump the entire spent berries into one smoothie – you’re asking for seriously not feeling very good for a day. I toss the remnants and do not use them.
I’ve been on a cocktail-making kick lately, and this syrup is the new star of my bar! I don’t love St Germain, but I do enjoy elderberry. So this was the next best thing! Thanks for sharing
Can you share this cocktail recipe? I love st. Germain!
It’s taking well over an hour to try and reduce by half. Is there any negatives to letting it simmer longer?
I do not think there is any negative aspect to simmering longer than what this recipe calls for. I simmer very low for 1.25 hours.
Can you tell me how much this makes?
You reduce the 3 cups by half in the process of simmering. So you should end up with 1.5 cups of liquid. I add 1/2 cup of organic honey (organic everything without question of course) once the liquid cools to under 100 degrees F – so you should be ending up with nearly 2 cups of finished product.
this was so easy and turned out great.
Any tips on how to consume or re-use the berry pulp? Anyone tried making it into a jam?
I have considered throwing the pulp in my fruit smoothie so that I don’t waste it and get more benefits. Haven’t tried it yet as I’m about to make elderberry syrup for the first time ever. But I’ll make a fruit smoothie immediately after and see how that goes over. 😊
so before everyone tells you how you will poison yourself eating the seeds, I googled it real quick… according to the BC Drug and Poison Information Centre, “The uncooked berries, leaves, twigs and seeds contain a cyanogenic compound. Ingestion may cause nausea, vomiting and diarrhea.”
And according to Norm’s Farms, “Cooking the berries destroys the glycosides present in the seeds, making the berries with their seeds safe to eat.”
hope that helps someone!
Jason rather than throw my berries out, I put my used berries in a mason/glass jar and completely cover them with organic apple cidar vinegar and let it sit in a cool, dark place for at least 6-8 weeks, longer is ok. I shake the jar at least a few times a week. Some might think there is no benefits left, but your ACV will turn black shortly after you put it in the jar. Lots left in the skins and left over berries.
I love taking a sip here and there, both berries and ACV are a great combo. You could make a vinaigrette.
Here’s another tip. Don’t add the raw honey until the elderberry liquid has cooled down significantly to a little warmer than lukewarm. Then you will retain the benefits of the honey. Heating honey kills the majority of the beneficial properties.
First time making elderberry syrup. Very easy to make and it tastes good. I been sick for 5 weeks and am trying everything to help my immune system.
Can it be frozen if I can’t use all of it within 2-weeks?
I haven’t tried it but I imagine so. Mine never lasts that long but we have four of us taking it most of the time.
Hey there – I would not freeze elderberry syrup for sure. A bit like freezing anything – coffee, strawberries, corn…..you name it. The constitution will be changed by freezing – although I know a lot of people will argue in favor of freezing and that the act of doing so does not affect anything. I disagree and I think freezing alters the state of some things more than it does others. Show me a thawed strawberry that looks and acts and tastes like a fresh strawberry. You can’t because it does not exist. My advice is to continue consuming the elderberry you’ve made until it is gone. There is no reason not to. If nothing else, drinking it is a preventative maintenance measure like the organic bitter almond or the organic apricot pit that I ingest regularly for certain intervals in small doses. Remember you can always give a cup to a neighbor and/ or make less than this recipe calls for. Cheers!
Yes, I did try them as gummies! I used agar agar, which is vegan “gelatin,” and the result was gummy bears with a jello texture.
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Hi!
I have elderberry bushes on my property. Do the berries have to be dried? Or can they be use fresh picked?
I have a lot of them on our place and I use them fresh …
I’m pretty sure if you are using fresh, you double the berries. for example, if yhe recipe says 1/2 cup dried, you use 1 cup fresh.
When you say dried, does that mean I can use ground powdered cinnamon and cloves ?
Hi, I attempted to make this twice, but by the end of the 40-45 minutes, there was no liquid in the pot. Next time, I will reduce the simmer time but I don’t want to hinder the effectiveness of the syrup by stopping the simmering too soon (if that makes sense LOL). Also, since there was no liquid left and just berries, is it okay to add more water and resimmer, using the same berries and ingredients? Or I should I just completely start over with new ingredients? Thank you!
It sounds like your heat was on too high. Keep it at a gentle simmer. You can also keep your pot covered or partially covered to not reduce the liquid too much. I would add more water and use the same ingredients.
Thank you!
Hi I have fresh frozen berries, can this be used instead of the dried berries & how would that affect cooking time etc?
Hello. Maryea is correct, I think. Your heat is perhaps too high. Water surface should be just barely moving during simmer. I use only gas, for now and forever. At the lowest possible setting on the smallest burner I have, I can perfectly simmer these 3 cups of water in a standard 2-4 quart pot but ONLY with the glass lid on top of the pot. I think keeping the pot covered is key to producing elderberry syrup – at least for me it is. I have in the past attempted to follow these and other recipe instructions accurately and the results were not great at all. In fact any time I accurately follow a recipe the results are never what they should be. Altitude, pressure, outside temp – a lot of things will affect cooking as we all know. Here in Northwest Arkansas I have to extend the above simmer time to 1 hour and 10 minutes to produce what I believe is the correct consistency. To be sure, 40 or 45 minutes is not nearly long enough – which is why your comment caught my attention. Cheers!
Curious about the honey. Diabetic and it seems like a lot of sugar. Can I reduce the amount. I realize the honey has its own value but wondering if it needs to be that much!!
We don’t have diabetes but try to keep the sugar consumption in our lives low. I have made this recipe several times in the past two years. I just put in enough honey to taste good. I just keep tasting it til it’s right. I’d say I usually use about 2/3 the suggested amount but I’m thinking you could half it and it would still be palatable. Good luck to you.
I have halved the honey, but noticed the syrup went bad after a week. Honey is antibacterial, and actually helps preserve it. 🙂
I use organic monk fruit sweetener, this will not raise your numbers.
I did not know all its qualities and benefits. Thanks for sharing.