Homemade Elderberry Syrup Recipe with Honey and Spices

To make elderberry syrup, simmer 1 cup dried elderberries in 3 cups water for 45 minutes to 1 hour until the liquid reduces by half, then strain and stir in 1 cup raw honey off the heat. That’s the whole recipe. A batch takes about an hour, keeps for 2 to 3 months refrigerated, and costs about $5 in ingredients. Hippocrates called the elder tree his “medicine chest,” and every European folk tradition since has kept a jar of something like this on the shelf from September onwards.

At a Glance

Why People Keep Making This

Elderberry is the winter syrup of European folk medicine, and it has held that job for a very long time. In Britain, Germany, and Scandinavia, the elder tree stood by the back door and the berries went into the pot every September without anyone needing a reason written down. That is the tradition this recipe belongs to.

The berries are dark almost to the point of black, and that colour is anthocyanin, the same family of pigment that makes blueberries blue and butterfly pea flowers turn pink in lemon juice. Elderberries are also genuinely sour and slightly bitter raw, which is why every traditional preparation involves cooking them down with sugar or honey and warming spice. This is not a fruit anyone ate for pleasure.

I am not going to tell you a spoonful of homemade syrup does anything to a cold. What I will tell you is that a jar of it in the fridge in November is a good thing to have, it tastes like mulled wine without the wine, and it is one of the few home preparations where the folk version and the shop version are recognisably the same object.

A Safety Note You Should Not Skip

Raw elderberries, bark, and leaves are toxic. They contain sambunigrin, a cyanogenic glycoside that converts to cyanide in the body. Eating raw elderberries causes nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. In severe cases, it can be dangerous.

Cooking destroys sambunigrin. A 1983 CDC report documented 11 of 25 people sickened in California after drinking elderberry juice that was pressed with leaves and stems. Eight were hospitalized. All recovered, but the incident underscores why the simmering step in this recipe is not optional. Never eat raw elderberries, never skip the cooking process, and never use leaves or stems. Only the cooked berries and the flowers are safe.

Dried elderberries from reputable suppliers (Mountain Rose Herbs, Frontier Co-op, Starwest Botanicals) are harvested and dried for exactly this purpose. Fresh elderberries must be cooked before use, and so must dried ones. The full picture, including which parts of the plant carry the most and what to do if someone has eaten them raw, is in are elderberries poisonous raw.

What You Will Need

• 1 cup dried elderberries (Sambucus nigra)
• 3 cups filtered water
• 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, grated or thinly sliced
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 4 whole cloves
• 1 cup raw honey

On the elderberries: Sambucus nigra (European elderberry) is the species behind the European tradition and the one nearly every supplier means when they say elderberry. Sambucus canadensis (American elderberry) carries the same family of compounds and has its own long history of use on this side of the Atlantic. Mountain Rose Herbs and Frontier Co-op sell organic dried elderberries. A one-pound bag makes about four batches of syrup.

On the honey: Raw honey is added after cooking specifically to preserve its enzymes, which break down above 110F. The honey serves a dual purpose: sweetener and preservative. If you need a vegan version, substitute maple syrup at the same ratio, though the shelf life may be shorter. Honey also means this syrup is not for babies under a year, for reasons covered further down.

On the spices: Ginger and cinnamon add warmth and their own aromatic compounds (gingerols and cinnamaldehyde, respectively). The cloves are optional but bring eugenol, which is what gives clove its smell. These spices are not just flavor, they are part of the traditional formula.

How to Make It

1. Combine 1 cup dried elderberries, 3 cups water, grated ginger, cinnamon stick, and cloves in a medium saucepan. Stir once.

2. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce to a low simmer. You want small, lazy bubbles, not a rolling boil.

3. Simmer uncovered for 45 minutes to 1 hour. The liquid should reduce by roughly half. The color will deepen to a dark, inky purple. Stir occasionally.

4. Remove from heat. Let it cool until the pot is warm to the touch but not hot. The temperature needs to be below 110F before you add honey. This usually takes 20 to 30 minutes.

5. Strain through a fine mesh sieve into a large glass measuring cup or bowl. Press the cooked berries with the back of a spoon to extract every drop of juice. The berries have given up their color and their flavor. Discard the solids and spices.

6. Add 1 cup of raw honey to the warm (not hot) liquid. Stir until the honey dissolves completely. The result should be a thick, pourable syrup with a dark berry color.

7. Pour into a clean glass jar with a tight-fitting lid. A 16 oz mason jar works perfectly.

How to Use It

The everyday spoonful (adults): It is a pleasant thing to eat straight from the spoon. Otherwise stir it into a glass of sparkling water, or drizzle it over yogurt or oatmeal.

Children: I am not putting an amount for a child on this page. Talk to your pediatrician, and remember this syrup is made with raw honey, which is off the table for babies under a year regardless. Botulism spores turn up in honey, and MedlinePlus states that these foods should not be fed to infants less than 1 year old.

In drinks: Stir 1 tablespoon into sparkling water with a squeeze of lemon for an elderberry tonic. Mix it into herbal tea for cold and flu as a sweetener that pulls double duty. Add it to kombucha during second fermentation for an elderberry kombucha flavor.

On food: Works as a pancake syrup, a yogurt topping, or stirred into oatmeal. The flavor is berry-forward with warm spice, which plays well with breakfast foods.

Storage and Shelf Life

The honey acts as a natural preservative. Refrigerated, the syrup keeps for 2 to 3 months. You will know it has turned if you see mold on the surface, if it smells fermented, or if the taste is off.

For longer storage, freeze the syrup in ice cube trays. Pop out the cubes and store them in a freezer bag. Each cube is roughly 1 tablespoon. Frozen elderberry syrup keeps for 6 months.

Always use a clean spoon when scooping from the jar. Introducing bacteria from a used spoon is the fastest way to shorten the shelf life.

For the full storage picture, including what a turned jar looks and smells like, see how long does elderberry syrup last. For the freezer route, including headspace and thawing, see can you freeze elderberry syrup.

The Elderflower Connection

Elderberries and elderflowers come from the same plant (Sambucus nigra). The flowers bloom in late spring and carry their own long folk history in hot infusions and cordials. Our elderflower healing benefits guide covers the flower side of the plant in detail.

If you want to use elderflowers in drinks, the elderflower cordial recipe is a UK-style preparation that makes a versatile mixer. And the St-Germain elderflower French 75 uses commercial elderflower liqueur for a faster cocktail route.

For another traditional winter preparation, our fire cider recipe takes a different approach with apple cider vinegar, horseradish, and hot peppers. The citrus and herb tonic uses fresh citrus and herbs instead.

The Rest of the Elderberry Guides

Five companion pages cover the questions that come up once the pot is on the stove or the jar is in the fridge:

• Are elderberries poisonous raw? Which parts of the plant carry cyanogenic compounds, why cooking is the step that matters, and what to do if someone has eaten them raw.
• Dried vs fresh elderberries What changes between the two, how to destem fresh clusters without losing an afternoon, and how to buy and store dried berries.
• Elderberry syrup not thickening Why a batch stays thin, what reduction actually does, and why thin is often the correct answer.
• How long does elderberry syrup last? Fridge life, what cuts a batch short, and how to read a jar that has been open a while.
• Can you freeze elderberry syrup? Portioning into cubes, how much headspace to leave, freezer life, and thawing without a mess.

Before You Start

Buy from reputable suppliers. Dried elderberries should be clearly labeled as Sambucus nigra, organic if possible, and from a company that specializes in bulk herbs. Mountain Rose Herbs, Frontier Co-op, and Starwest Botanicals are the standard recommendations.

Never forage elderberries without positive identification. Elderberry looks similar to water hemlock (Cicuta), which is deadly. If you want to forage, go with an experienced forager the first few times. Dried berries from a supplier eliminate this risk.

The honey temperature matters. Adding honey to hot liquid (above 110F) destroys beneficial enzymes. Test with your hand: if you can comfortably hold the pot, it is ready for honey.

This is a food, not a drug. Elderberry syrup is a traditional herbal preparation and nothing more. It is not FDA-approved to treat, cure, or prevent any disease, and it does not stand in for medical care when someone is genuinely ill.

Common Questions

Can I use fresh elderberries instead of dried?

Yes, but use twice the volume (2 cups fresh for every 1 cup dried). Fresh elderberries must be fully ripe (deep purple-black, not red) and must be cooked. Remove all stems and leaves. The cooking step is non-negotiable with fresh berries.

How much does a batch cost?

A one-pound bag of organic dried elderberries costs about 18 to 25 dollars and makes four batches. Each batch uses about 4 dollars of berries, a dollar of honey, and negligible amounts of spices. That comes to about 5 dollars per batch, or roughly 15 cents per tablespoon serving. A 4 oz bottle of commercial elderberry syrup costs 12 to 20 dollars.

Can I give this to babies or toddlers?

This is a conversation with your pediatrician, not something a recipe page should answer. I am not going to put a number for a small child on the internet. Ask the person who knows your child, and note that this syrup contains raw honey, which rules it out for babies entirely.

What is the difference between elderberry syrup and elderberry tincture?

Syrup is a water-based extraction sweetened with honey. A tincture is an alcohol-based extraction. Both deliver elderberry compounds, but tinctures are more concentrated (you take drops, not tablespoons) and have a much longer shelf life (years vs. months). The syrup is better if you want something palatable that kids will take willingly.