The Best Homemade Elderberry Syrup!
Each year, multiple moms ask me how to make homemade elderberry syrup. I can’t wait to teach you!
Not only is elderberry syrup delicious, it is simple and cheap to make. For the past few years our family has been using elderberry syrup to combat colds and the flu. We have yet, to get the flu *knock on wood* and the few colds we have caught from the kids bringing germs home from school, have quickly gone away by drinking our favorite home remedy— elderberry syrup!
Elderberry Syrup is a popular home remedy for the cold and flu. There is a good reason why many people are talking about buying and making elderberry syrup! I am going to teach you how simple elderberry syrup is to make from scratch at a fraction of the cost of store bought elderberry syrup.
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What is Elderberry?
Ripe elderberries- once known as the english man’s grape- have famously been used for making elderly wine for centuries. Today, it is used to make elderberry syrup or juice and is used for treating and preventing the common cold and flu.
Does Elderberry work?
Yes. In fact elder (berry) targets specific cold and flu symptoms. The berries contain flavonoid compounds that are known antioxidants, they exhibit anti-inflammatory properties, and are beneficial to the immune system. Laboratory studies have also discovered that elder extracts act as antivirals, inhibiting replication of flu and other viruses. Further placebo studies have found that the juice of an elderberry can decrease the duration of the flu symptoms.
Personally, our family has seen elderberry syrup to help our immune system when the kids bring home colds from school. We drink elderberry syrup on occasion throughout the year and begin taking it more frequently in fall and winter. More specific doses and how to take elderberry will be below. Our family of 6, hasn’t had the flu and the colds we have had usually go away within a few days. We can tell the difference in our immune system when we are taking elderberry and when we forget.
How to Make Simple Elderberry Syrup!
I have TWO Recipes I use and love. The first recipe, you will notice is a common elderberry syrup recipe. The second recipe, I have experimented with over the years and found adding a few extra ingredients to the elderberry syrup gives our immune system an additional boost. Both are fabulous recipes and will work well!
Simple Elderberry Syrup :
INGREDIENTS:
- 1 Cup Dried Elderberries (these are my favorite)
- 4 Cups of water
- 1 Cinnamon stick or 1 TB of ground cinnamon
- 3 whole cloves or 1/2 tsp of ground cloves
- 2 TB grated or dried ginger
- 1 cup of (local) honey
DIRECTIONS:
- In a saucepan pour in the elderberries, water, cinnamon, cloves, and ginger. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and let simmer 35-45 minutes.
- Once the liquid looks 1/3 reduced, take a potato masher or a fork and mash berries to release the juice. Strain the mixture through a colander, you can mash the berries again to get anymore juice out. Keep the juice and discard the berries/pulp.
- Let the juice cool.
- Stir in honey until throughly combined. Pour into a lidded jar. I prefer to use a wide mouth mason jar.
- Keep refrigerated.
Enjoy & Stay healthy!
Our Happy Healthy Homestead;s Elderberry Syrup:
(Extra immune support)
INGREDIENTS:
- 1 Cup Dried Elderberries (these are my favorite)
- 4 Cups of water
- 1 Cinnamon stick or 1 TB of ground cinnamon
- 3 whole cloves or 1/2 tsp of ground cloves
- 2 TB grated ginger
- 2 TB of Camu Camu
- 1 orange peel
- 1 TB Echinacea Root
- 1 cup (local) honey
DIRECTIONS:
- In a saucepan pour in the elderberries, water, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, cam camu, orange peels, and echinacea root. *note: Echinacea root can go in a tea diffuser or if you don’t have one you can strain it out later* Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and let simmer 35-45 minutes.
- Once the liquid looks like it is near 1/2 reduced, take a potato masher or a fork and mash berries to release the juice. Strain the mixture through a colander, you can mash the berries again to get anymore juice out. Keep the juice and discard the berries/pulp.
- Let the juice cool.
- Stir in honey until throughly combined. Pour into a lidded jar. I prefer to use a wide mouth mason jar.
- Keep refrigerated. Stay healthy!
Tip* You can use agave nectar for a honey substitute
Steps 1-4 for Our Happy Healthy Homestead’s Immune Boosting Elderberry Syrup
Dosage:
How often and how much do you take?
- Adults: 1 TB
- Kids 1 years+ 1tsp
- Take elderberry syrup 2-3x/week during winter season. If you start to feel a cold or flu coming on, take elderberry every 3hrs until symptoms subside.
During Spring, Summer and fall take elderberry about once a week. You can take it more frequently, but your immune system won’t need it as much in the warmer months.
Stay healthy!
Common Questions/FAQ About Elderberry Syrup
Question 1: Can you take elderberry daily?
- You can. However, it’s not needed every single day if you’re not sick. 2-3x per week will be sufficient during the winter season. If you begin noticing cold or flu symptoms check my doses section for more info.
Question 2: How long is elderberry syrup good for?
- 3-6 months refrigerated.
Question 3: Is Elderberry Syrup safe for all ages?
- Elderberry is safe for kids ages 1+. For infants, you can substitute the honey for agave. It is recommended for babies to not have honey until 1 year of age.
Notes:
- Dried elderberries can be difficult to find locally, so if you have trouble finding them in a store near you, you can order my favorite organic elderberries from amazon and have them in two days with prime shipping! Usually, the packages are in 1lb-2lbs, they will last you a very long time!
- I highly recommend finding local honey for elderberry syrup. Consuming honey from your local bees, helps your immune system in more ways than one. Local honey will help you combat allergies! It’s worth finding some. I go to a local farm most of the time and our Costco carries local Utah honey too!
- If your baby is under 1 or you need a substitute for honey. You can use agave nectar for a honey substitute
That’s it! Simple, budget friendly and in no time you’ll have an amazing immune support remedy for your family!
Do you know anyone that could benefit form elderberry syrup? Click the share button. Leave any questions or comments below. I would love to help!
As always, if you make a substitution or have a personal experience please leave a comment below letting us know what worked for you. We can all benefit from each other’s experience!
*Disclaimer: I am not a doctor or health professional and my elderberry recipe and recommendations do not supersede your healthcare professional. Please consult a health care professional if you have any medical concerns. 🙂
Supplies
Click to order.
Organic Dried Elderberries
I have tried a couple brands and this is what I usually end up going back to. It is a large 1 lb bag and will last you 1-2 years!
Organic Ginger
This is the ginger I use. You can use what you have or grate fresh ginger.
Organic Cinnamon
You need ground cinnamon or cinnamon sticks.
Use what you have if you already have some for cooking.
Organic Cinnamon sticks
The cinnamon sticks can also be used for a holiday home fragrance.
Organic Echinacea Root
I love this one and use it for tea and in my elderberry syrup! It is on the expensive side because it is the ROOT. You can find other budget friendly echinacea that is mixed with stem and leaves. Not as beneficial, but will still work for the recipe.
Tea Infuser
You can use a strainer after your elderberry syrup has boiled or you can put your echinacea root in this tea infuser while it boils. Both are just as effective. Use what you have!
Organic Camu Camu
Camu Camu is a high concentrated all natural source of vitamin C. This will last you a long time and you can use Camu Camu many ways. I like to mix a teaspoon of Camu Camu in a shot of water or add it to our smoothies to get extra vitamin C in our diets.
Oh, thank you! I have been interested in making my own for a couple of years now. Thank you for simplifying the process for me if/when I choose to finally do it!
We love using elderberry syrup! It is so much cheaper to make your own. A pound of dried elderberries easily lasts us 2 or more years. We use almost the exact same first recipe, but I would love to test out the second! Thanks for the inspiration 🙂
This is SO SIMPLE! I typically buy from others that have a certification to be able to sell it. But now I think after reading, I can easily make this at home on my own! We SWEAR by elderberry in our house. Everyone takes it every day!
Thanks for reading! That’s awesome! After you make it once and realize how simple it is, you’ll never buy it from someone again. You will save money too. The 1lb elderberries I linked above from amazon will last you attest a year, if not 2 years.
Awesome!
Thanks so much for sharing.
This looks great! I prefer home remedies for illnesses if I can, so this will be great to try this winter!
Okay this is amazing! Elderberry is good for a lot of things! I also love the fact that this is homemade.
I love Elderberry! I’ve always wanted to learn how to make it and now that I know how easy it is to make, it will probably turn into a popular recipe at my house.
I have started my my elderberry juice but mine isn’t as sweet as it was from the lady who I bought it from. I used 3/4 cup dried elderberries and 1 cup raw honey. I’m not sure what I’m doing wrong.
They might be adding a lot more honey, you could always add extra to your taste!