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Simple Homemade Elderberry Syrup Recipe for Immune Support

Close-up of rich, dark purple elderberry syrup being poured from a pitcher into a small glass jar.
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Learn how to make a small-batch, honey-sweetened elderberry syrup at home. This recipe is easy to follow and perfect for canning or refrigerating for daily immune support.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 cup dried elderberries (or 1.5 cups fresh elderberries)
  • 3 cups filtered water
  • 1/2 cup raw honey (add after cooking)
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 1 inch fresh ginger, sliced
  • 1 teaspoon dried cloves

Instructions

  1. Combine the dried elderberries, water, cinnamon stick, ginger, and cloves in a medium saucepan.
  2. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat.
  3. Once boiling, reduce the heat to low, cover the pot partially, and let it simmer for 45 minutes to 1 hour. The liquid should reduce by about half.
  4. Remove the saucepan from the heat and let the mixture cool for about 20 minutes.
  5. Strain the liquid through a fine-mesh sieve or cheesecloth into a clean bowl, pressing gently on the solids to extract all the liquid. Discard the solids.
  6. Wait until the elderberry liquid is lukewarm (below 110°F or 43°C) before stirring in the raw honey. Do not boil the honey.
  7. Stir until the honey is fully dissolved into the syrup.
  8. Pour the finished honey elderberry tonic into clean, sterilized jars or bottles.
  9. For small-batch elderberry syrup, refrigerate immediately. For canning elderberry syrup, process jars according to standard water bath canning procedures for shelf stability.

Notes

  • If you prefer a kid-friendly flavor, you can add 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract after removing from heat.
  • If you are using an Instant Pot elderberry method, combine ingredients (use 2 cups of water instead of 3) and cook on high pressure for 10 minutes, followed by a natural pressure release.
  • For dosage, adults typically take 1 tablespoon daily for maintenance, increasing to 1 tablespoon three times daily when feeling unwell. For children over one year, use 1 teaspoon daily, increasing as needed.
  • If you want to make a larger batch, you can scale the recipe up, keeping the ratio of honey to liquid the same.

Nutrition

Find it online: https://cookerykings.com/elderberry-syrup-recipe/