Homemade Elderberry Syrup

This homemade elderberry syrup is a cozy fall and winter recipe made with dried elderberries, raw honey, fresh ginger, orange peel, cinnamon, and cloves. It has a naturally tart, fruity flavor balanced by warm spices and honey, making it a delicious addition to tea, sparkling water, yogurt, or a warm winter drink.

Making elderberry syrup at home is surprisingly simple. The elderberries are cooked with warming spices, then steeped to give the flavors even more time to infuse. After straining, the syrup is sweetened with honey and brightened with a little fresh lemon juice.

Important: Elderberries should not be consumed raw or improperly prepared. Remove any stems, leaves, or unripe berries before cooking, and cook the elderberries thoroughly. Because this recipe contains honey, it should not be given to children under 12 months old.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• Made with simple, recognizable ingredients
• Warm, seasonal flavors from cinnamon, ginger, orange, and cloves
• The steeping step gives the spices and berries extra time to infuse
• Delicious in tea, sparkling water, yogurt, or just taken straight
• Can be refrigerated for short-term storage or frozen for longer storage

Ingredients

Elderberry Syrup

• 1 cup dried culinary elderberries
• 4 cups filtered water
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 1 tablespoon ginger
• 3–4 strips orange peel
• 3 whole cloves
• ¾–1 cup raw honey, to taste
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

A Note About the Elderberries

Use dried elderberries that are intended for culinary use. Before cooking, check the berries and remove any stems, leaves, or unripe berries. Even dried elderberries should be cooked before consuming.

How to Make Elderberry Syrup

1. Combine the ingredients

Add the dried elderberries, water, cinnamon sticks, ginger, orange peel, and cloves into a medium saucepan. Do not add the honey or lemon juice yet.

2. Bring to a boil

Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat. Once boiling, maintain a gentle boil for at least 10 minutes. Continue cooking for approximately 30–40 minutes total, or until the berries are very soft and the liquid has reduced somewhat. The mixture should become deeply colored and fragrant.

3. Let the mixture steep

Remove the saucepan from the heat and let the mixture steep for 30–45 minutes. This gives the elderberries and spices additional time to infuse into the liquid, creating a deeper, more developed flavor.

4. Gently mash and strain

Use the back of a spoon or a potato masher to gently crush the softened berries. Then pour the mixture through a fine-mesh strainer into a clean, heat-safe bowl or measuring cup.

Press gently to extract as much liquid as possible, but don’t force the berry solids through the strainer. For an especially smooth syrup, strain it a second time through a finer strainer or cheesecloth. Discard the cooked berries and spices.

5. Cool the syrup

Allow the strained liquid to cool until it is warm rather than very hot.

6. Add the honey and lemon

Stir in ¾ cup honey. Taste and add more, up to 1 cup total, if you prefer a sweeter syrup. Stir in the fresh lemon juice. The lemon adds a little brightness that balances the rich, fruity elderberry flavor.

7. Store

Pour the finished syrup into a clean glass jar or bottle and refrigerate. For longer storage, freeze the syrup in appropriate freezer-safe containers, leaving room for expansion.

How to Use Homemade Elderberry Syrup

There are so many delicious ways to enjoy homemade elderberry syrup. Try it:

• Stirred into hot tea or mixed with sparkling water
• Spoonful over plain or Greek yogurt
• Swirled into oatmeal
• Added to a smoothie
• Mixed into lemonade
• Stirred into a warm winter drink
• Used as a seasonal topping for desserts

I especially love adding a small splash to sparkling water. The combination of fruity elderberry, orange, and warming spices makes a simple homemade drink feel extra special.

Tips for Making Elderberry Syrup

Don’t skip the cooking step

Raw or improperly prepared elderberries can contain naturally occurring compounds that can cause illness. Thorough cooking is an important part of safely preparing elderberries. The recipe calls for bringing the elderberries to a boil and maintaining a gentle boil for at least 10 minutes before the mixture is steeped.

Remove stems and leaves

If your dried elderberries contain stems or other plant material, remove them before cooking. Also discard any unripe berries.

Don’t skip the steeping step

The 30–45 minute steep gives the cooked elderberries and spices additional time to infuse into the liquid. It also means you don’t have to rely on extended cooking alone to develop the flavor.

Mash gently

You want to break open the softened berries and release their flavorful liquid, but there’s no need to pulverize them. A gentle mash makes straining easier and helps keep the finished syrup smoother.

Strain thoroughly

A fine-mesh strainer works well, but you can strain the syrup a second time through cheesecloth if you’d like a smoother finished product. Don’t force the berry solids through the strainer.

Add the honey after cooking

Let the syrup cool to warm before stirring in the honey. This also preserves the delicate flavor of the honey.

Adjust the sweetness

Start with ¾ cup honey and taste once the syrup has cooled slightly. Add more if you prefer a sweeter syrup.

Use fresh ginger if possible

Fresh ginger gives this syrup a much brighter, more vibrant flavor than powdered ginger.

Don’t worry about making it perfectly thick

Homemade elderberry syrup can range from fairly thin to more concentrated depending on how much liquid evaporates during cooking. It will also thicken slightly as it cools.

How Long Does Homemade Elderberry Syrup Last?

Store homemade elderberry syrup in a clean, tightly covered container in the refrigerator and use it within about 2–3 weeks for best quality.

For longer storage, freeze the syrup in freezer-safe containers. Always discard homemade syrup if you notice mold, fermentation, an unusual odor, or other signs of spoilage.

Can You Freeze Elderberry Syrup?

Yes. Elderberry syrup can be frozen for longer-term storage. Leave some headspace in your freezer container because liquids expand when frozen. Thaw the syrup in the refrigerator and use it within a few weeks after thawing.

Can You Can Homemade Elderberry Syrup?

I do not recommend home-canning this elderberry syrup. Homemade elderberry syrup recipes should not simply be adapted for water-bath canning because safe canning depends on tested acidity, ingredient ratios, processing times, and other factors.

For shelf-stable storage, use a research-tested canning recipe specifically developed for the product you are making rather than adapting this syrup recipe.

Can Children Have Elderberry Syrup?

This recipe contains honey, so do not give it to children under 12 months of age. For older children, speak with your pediatrician if you have questions about whether elderberry products are appropriate for them.

This recipe is intended as a homemade food and beverage recipe, not as a treatment or prevention for illness.

Does Elderberry Syrup Prevent Colds or the Flu?

This recipe is best thought of as a delicious seasonal syrup rather than a medicine. While elderberries have been studied for various health-related uses, the evidence is not strong enough to make claims that homemade elderberry syrup prevents or treats colds, flu, or other illnesses.

Can I Use Maple Syrup Instead of Honey?

You can use maple syrup if you prefer the flavor or need a honey-free version. Keep in mind that the flavor will be different, and maple syrup will make the finished syrup taste more like maple rather than having the floral sweetness of honey. If using maple syrup, start with about ¾ cup and adjust to taste.

Can I Use Ground Spices?

You can, although whole spices make the finished syrup easier to strain and give you a cleaner-looking syrup. If using ground spices, expect a little more sediment in the bottom of the jar.

Important Safety Note

Elderberries should be properly prepared before eating. Raw or improperly prepared elderberries, as well as other parts of the elder plant, can contain compounds that may cause illness. Remove stems, leaves, and unripe berries and cook the elderberries thoroughly before making the syrup.

Because this recipe contains honey, it is not suitable for children under 12 months old.

This recipe is provided as a food recipe and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

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