When it comes to winter preparedness in my house, one thing that I almost always stock up on is Elderberry Syrup. I have found that the real brands (not mixed berry blends – just elderberry!) are pretty expensive even when bought in bulk.
I am so sick of paying $15 to $18 per bottle (for what is usually an 8-ounce bottle). We go through this stuff fast with all of us taking it almost every day in the winter months (except me this year since I’m pregnant).
After doing a bunch of research, I realized that making homemade elderberry syrup is actually super easy and SO much more economical.
Not only can you 100% control the quality of ingredients but this is a big money-saver!
This batch of elderberry syrup costs about $25 to make and yields just about 8 cups of finished product. If you bought 8 bottles averaging $15 / piece, that would be $120. That is a savings of about $100!
NOTES:
- I ordered one pound of Frontier Brand Whole Organic Elderberries from Amazon for just over $20.
- If you plan to give this to a baby under 1 year of age, substitute pure Maple Syrup for the honey as babies under 1 year shouldn’t be given raw honey.
Did you make this recipe? Please give it a star rating below!
How To Make Elderberry Syrup. Homemade Elderberry Syrup with Raw Honey
- 1 pound dried whole elderberries organic preferred
- 20 cups water
- 1 whole cinnamon stick
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger powder or 1" piece fresh ginger root
- 1 pinch sea salt
- 2 cups raw honey (16 ounces)
- 1 small lemon juiced
-
Combine all ingredients except honey in a large soup pot and bring to a rapid boil. Once boiling, cover, reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 1 hour.
-
Remove cover, raise heat to medium and continue cooking uncovered until reduced by about half. This should take approximately another hour.
-
Remove from heat and use a mesh strainer to drain liquid into a glass container.
-
Allow to cool to room temperature, whisk in raw honey until fully dissolved and add lemon juice. We tend to like mildly sweet things so if you need this sweeter, add more honey and adjust as desired.
-
Transfer to glass storage containers (mason jars, etc.) and store in the refrigerator.
Individual Serving Size is 1 teaspoon per day for children or 1 tablespoon per day for adults. Recipe Makes Approximately 8 cups or 384 teaspoons.
Did you make this recipe? Tag @EverydayMaven on Instagram with the hashtag #EveryDayMaven and please give a star rating below.
I cannot have honey, could I make this with Maple syrup instead. Thank you
Hi Renee,
I would pick up some local honey. The antibacterial benefits of the honey are one of the benefits of the syrup. With that being said, it’s better the make it with maple syrup than not at all because you will still get the benefits of the elderberries!
If using 16 oz jars, how many would this yield?
I’m also making my first batch now. So excited! Now you mentioned in a comment how much dosage you gave when you bought from the bottle, now that you use this homemade batch what is your dosage? Is is safe for a 2 year old as well?
We give our kids 1 tsp per day and adults 1 T per day during “sick” season.
Hi quick question .. with this recipe how much does it make?.. so I know how many canning jars to get.
Thank you
What size jars are you planning on using?
I just ordered 12 pounds of fresh frozen berries! Hoping to get a head start before cold season hits. I’m planning to use 8 oz. jars. Will this recipe make eight 8oz. jars? Thanks for sharing your recipe and photos – so helpful!
Can you pressure cook it to intensify the flavor and cut the time?
Yes!!!
How would you make it using the pressure cooker?
Thanks for this recipe! I’m making my first batch! Happy New Year!
Awesome! Enjoy it Heather!
Step 3 cuts off. Can you explain?
Hey Heather! Thanks for letting me know about that – I just fixed it. You need to strain the syrup through a fine mesh strainer before allowing to cool.