19 of the Best Homemade Elderberry Syrup Recipes
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Ah, the mighty elderberry. Is there a plant more useful in your medicine cabinet?
Not only can it not be struck by lightning, but it has been one of the most revered herbs throughout the ages – so much so that men raised their hats in passing as a sign of respect!
More and more studies are being conducted into the benefits of the elderberry – its antiviral effect against colds and flus, for example. Another study showed promising results when using elderberry extract for Influenza A and B.
Elderberry syrup is super easy to make yourself and so much cheaper than buying it from the shop. I have 19 great elderberry syrup recipes for you today – let me know which you like most!
Homemade Elderberry Syrup Recipes
Let’s go! Don’t forget to let me know your favorite in the comments below, and share it on social!
1. Homemade Elderberry Syrup Recipe by Happy Healthy Mama
Elderberry syrup can be expensive – and why buy it when you can easily make your own, save money, and know the exact ingredients you’re putting into your body? This homemade elderberry syrup recipe is super easy to make and well worth the effort.
Step one is to get yourself some dried elderberries (Amazon’s great for this!). Step two: simmer with water and spices. Maryea describes in detail how to make her homemade elderberry syrup, as well as why you should make your own, too.
This elderberry syrup recipe spices it up with dried cinnamon, ginger, and cloves – but instead of using dried spices, it also describes how you can use essential oils!
Check it out over at Happy Healthy Mama.
2. Elderberry Syrup Recipe by Detoxinista
Megan from Detoxinista is a certified nutritionist consultant and swears by elderberry syrup for when the cold and flu season hits.
After buying shop-bought elderberry syrup for years, she created a homemade recipe that’s super easy to make at home, and cheaper too!
Check it out over at Detoxinista.
![Organic Elderberry Syrup Kit - Makes 24oz of Syrup [Free Brew Bag]](https://www.outdoorhappens.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/411qBePyLwL._SL500_.webp)
Making your own syrup is a fantastic way to save money and keep your family well. It is fragrant, sweet, and your kids will love it.
This kit contains enough to make 24oz or more syrup when you add your honey. To make the syrup just stew the contents of the bag in filtered water. Allow to cool and add honey. Full directions come with each bag.
3. Homemade Elderberry Cordial by Irish American Mom
Mairéad from Irish American Mom brings a wonderful homemade elderberry syrup recipe, made with dried berries and honey.
She says that elderberry cordial is incredibly useful because of its antioxidant properties, particularly in the winter season when colds and flus are around.
Mairéad suggests adding the cordial to sparkling water for a refreshing, healthy drink (or add it to a clear spirit for an uplifting cocktail!)
Check it out over at Irish American Mom.
4. Homemade Elderberry Syrup for Colds, Coughs, and Flu by Daring Gourmet
Kimberly from Daring Gourmet explains that the elder tree (Sambucus nigra) has been highly valued throughout the ages because of its versatility.
Elderberry syrup is one of the best ways to store the benefits of the elder tree right in your medicine chest, where you’ll have easy access to it whenever it’s needed.
Kimberly shows us how to make our own potent elderberry syrup, and it’s super easy too!
Check it out over at Daring Gourmet.
5. How to Make Elderberry Syrup by Marisa Moore
Marisa is a registered dietitian nutritionist who shares vegetarian recipes and nutrition info on her blog, Marisamoore.com.
Marisa’s post goes into great detail about the benefits of elderberries, which is well worth a read. She references and discusses many research studies, which I really like.
The elderberry syrup recipe she shares only takes a few steps to make yourself, and you’ll have it done in about an hour. And it won’t cost you anywhere near as much as a store-bought bottle!
Check it out over at Marisa Moore.
6. Elderberry Syrup by Danny K on Allrecipes
This elderberry recipe has some great reviews on All Recipes! Danny K, the creator, mentions it’s fantastic as a general syrup replacement – pour over your waffles, ice cream, pancakes – yum!
It’s made with fresh elderberries, however, so if you don’t have elderberries in your garden or you don’t have access to fresh berries, you’ll either have to adapt or use one of the other elderberry recipes.
Dried elderberries are super easy to get a hold of on Amazon.
They also mention you can make this syrup with other berries, in case your garden is showering you with abundance – try raspberries, blackberries, blueberries – or a combination!
Check it out over at All Recipes.
7. How to Make Elderberry Syrup With Dried Elderberries by Bumblebee Apothecary
Bumblebee Apothecary uses dried elderberries for this syrup recipe – nice and easy to get a hold off from Amazon, and they’re much easier to keep in the pantry than fresh berries!
This is elderberry syrup in power mode. Marisa has added a heap of other ingredients that make it even more powerful – think ginger, cloves, cinnamon, and raw honey!
Check it out over at Bumblebee Apothecary.
8. Homemade Elderberry Syrup Recipe by Homestead and Chill
This is a lovely, delicious flu-fighting syrup recipe by Homestead and Chill!
The article explains not only how to easily make it yourself, but also covers the history of the elderberry, safety precautions for taking elderberry, and covers the cost of store-bought elderberry syrup vs. making your own.
The recipe itself is easy to make and covers both fresh berry and dried berry variations – handy!
Check it out over at Homestead and Chill.
9. How to Make Elderberry Syrup by Wellness Mama
This is a super simple recipe made with dried elderberries, added herbs, and honey. Store it in your medicine cabinet or it’s delicious on your pancakes and waffles!
Includes an Instant Pot option – although you might want to read the (numerous) comments before embarking on that path. Quite a few recipe makers had a few issues with the syrup turning out runny in the IP.
Check it out over at Wellness Mama.
10. How to Make Elderberry Syrup and Gummies by Wholefully
I love that this recipe covers both elderberry syrup and elderberry gummies!
Elderberry gummies are awesome for kids – mine love it and will happily chew on gummies as a treat. The syrup is not always as easy – my youngest loves honey but the oldest hates it!
Elderberry syrup relies a lot on honey for a sweet taste, so if your kids don’t like the honey flavor in elderberry syrup – try gummies!
Check it out over at Wholefully.
By the way…
I found this amazing, 102-page The Essential Guide to Elderberry by the Herb Society of America. It contains everything you could possibly want to know, including making hard candy, the benefits of elderberry for wildlife, ethnobotany, everything!
11. Simple Spiced Elderberry Syrup by Meghan Telpner
Meghan had me at “simple” and “spiced”!
This recipe has thought of everything you could possibly suffer from when you’ve got a cold. Nausea, anti-bacterial properties… It even helps to calm your nerves!
Meghan uses dried elderberries, raw honey, ginger, cinnamon, and cloves. It’ll keep in the fridge for 2-3 weeks.
Check it out over at Meghan Telpner.
12. How to Make Elderberry Syrup by Lexi’s Clean Kitchen
Lexi has an amazing range of recipes on her blog, Lexi’s Clean Kitchen. This recipe for homemade elderberry syrup is no exception!
It uses dried elderberries, cinnamon sticks, ginger, cardamom, and raw honey. Simmer them altogether in a large pot for about 45 minutes, making sure to check regularly that you still have enough water covering the berries.
Strain, adjust, add honey, and store in the fridge! Simple.
Check it out over at Lexi’s Clean Kitchen.
13. Homemade Elderberry Syrup by Ascension Kitchen
This homemade elderberry syrup recipe is created by Lauren from Ascension Kitchen. Lauren is a naturopath, medical herbalist, and nutritionist – now that’s impressive!
Lauren has been sharing natural remedies and recipes for almost 10 years – her blog is a veritable gold mine!
The recipe includes medicinal benefits, elderberry folklore, dosage guide, and much more.
Check it out over at Ascension Kitchen.
14. Step-by-Step Homemade Elderberry Syrup by Real Food RN
This is a step-by-step guide to making your own elderberry syrup, created by Real Food RN.
It includes photos for every step of the process, which is super helpful if this is your first time making elderberry syrup!
The article has over 400 comments that make for interesting reading. Kate from Real Food RN is quite responsive, so if you have questions about making your own – here’s a great place to start.
Check it out over at Real Food RN.
15. Homemade Elderberry Syrup Recipe With Raw Honey Vinegar by Inspiring Savings
This is the first elderberry syrup recipe I’ve seen that uses vinegar in it’s ingredient list! Jen explains that adding apple cider vinegar can help boost your immune system and lower blood sugar levels.
It also contains raw honey, cinnamon, cloves, ginger – and elderberries, of course. Being a savings-focused blog, it describes in detail how much you could save by making your own elderberry syrup!
Check it out over at Inspiring Savings.
16. Best Ever Homemade Elderberry Syrup Recipe by Happy Money Saver
This is a great elderberry syrup recipe by Karrie from Happy Money Saver! It’s as simple as recipes get. Add everything to a large pot, simmer to reduce the liquid, strain, add sweetener, and store in the fridge.
Be warned, though!
If you visit Karrie’s blog, you “may find yourself wanting backyard chickens, making freezer meals, and dancing along with me to 80s music.”
I’m in!
Check it out over at Happy Money Saver.
17. How to Make Elderberry Syrup by Grow Forage Cook Ferment
Grow Forage Cook Ferment is one of my favorites on Pinterest, so I figured this list wouldn’t be complete without adding their elderberry syrup recipe!
Colleen from Grow Forage Cook Ferment shares a ton of info about foraging, wildcrafting, fermenting, preserving, herbalism, and much more on her blog. It’s an amazing read.
The recipe explains how to make elderberry syrup at home, using either fresh or dried berries.
Check it out over at Grow Forage Cook Ferment.
18. The Best Elderberry Syrup
Mindy writes about all things homesteading and natural living over on her blog, Our Inspired Roots. I wrote a guest post for Our Inspired Roots a while back about apple tree guilds, so I’m delighted to share this recipe with you.
I like how Mindy explains that one of the best things about making your own elderberry syrup is that you get to tweak it just the way you want. She mentions that her kids, like mine, don’t like spicy things… If yours are the same, you could leave out those spices they consider “spicy”.
Check it out over at Our Inspired Roots.
19. Vegan Elderberry Syrup by Make It Dairy Free
Our final elderberry syrup recipe is by Make It Dairy Free, an awesome resource of delicious dairy-free recipes your kid will love.
This recipe is different because it is entirely vegan – it doesn’t use honey. Instead, this recipe helps you make your own date syrup, which you’ll then use to make your own elderberry syrup.
You’ll need some medjool dates for the syrup, then head over to Make It Dairy Free for the recipe!
Which Is Your Favorite Elderberry Syrup Recipe?
With honey or without? Will you add apple cider vinegar? Do your kids like cinnamon?
We want to know all about your elderberry-syrup-making journey! Let us know in the comments below.
