Every fall a few customers ask us the same thing at the register: can I just make elderberry syrup myself? You can, and it's easier than most people expect. You need a pot, a strainer, about an hour, and a handful of ingredients you may already have in the pantry. The berries are the only thing you'll probably have to go looking for.
Below is the recipe we'd hand a friend, a chart of the serving sizes most families use by age, and the safety rules that actually matter with elderberry. If you'd rather skip the stove, our elderberry collection has ready-made syrups and gummies.
What you need
This makes about 2 cups of syrup. It's based on the recipe from the University of Maine Cooperative Extension, with a little more ginger because we like it that way.
- 1 cup dried black elderberries (or 2 cups fresh or frozen, see below)
- 4 cups water
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, peeled and chopped (or 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger)
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves, or 4 or 5 whole cloves
- 1/2 to 1 cup raw honey, to taste
For the berries, look for dried Sambucus nigra, the black elderberry. Herb shops, co-ops, and the bulk aisle at a lot of grocery stores carry them. Skip red elderberries entirely.
How to make elderberry syrup
- Put the elderberries, water, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves in a medium saucepan.
- Bring it to a boil, then turn the heat down and let it simmer, uncovered, for 45 minutes to an hour. You're done when the liquid has cooked down by about half. The kitchen will smell great.
- Take it off the heat and mash the berries against the side of the pot with a spoon or potato masher to get the last of the juice out.
- Pour everything through a fine mesh strainer into a bowl or large measuring cup. Press on the berries, then throw them out (compost is fine).
- Let the liquid cool until it's just warm to the touch. If you add honey to boiling liquid, you lose a lot of what makes raw honey worth buying.
- Stir in the honey until it dissolves. Start with 1/2 cup, taste, and add more if you want it sweeter.
- Pour it into a clean glass jar with a lid and keep it in the fridge.
Total time is about an hour and 10 minutes, and most of that is simmering while you do something else.
Instant Pot elderberry syrup
Use the same ingredients but cut the water to 3 cups, since nothing evaporates under pressure. Cook on high pressure for 9 minutes, let the pressure come down on its own, then mash, strain, cool, and stir in the honey exactly as above. It's faster, and the syrup comes out a little thinner.
Elderberry syrup without honey
Maple syrup works well in the same amount, and so does vegetable glycerin if you want something closer to the texture of a store-bought syrup. The flavor changes a bit with each one. Maple is our pick. The storage times below still apply.
Using fresh or frozen elderberries
Use 2 cups of ripe, dark purple berries in place of the dried ones. Get every stem off first. The easiest way is to freeze the clusters and then rake the berries off with a fork, since frozen berries pop loose. Leave green or unripe berries out, and cook them just as long as dried ones. Fresh berries are the ones that need the most care, which brings us to the next part.
Elderberry safety: the part not to skip
Elderberry is a food people have cooked with for a very long time, but a few rules aren't optional.
- Always cook the berries. Raw or unripe elderberries, and the leaves, stems, and bark of the plant, contain compounds that can release cyanide. The National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health says they can cause nausea, vomiting, and severe stomach upset. Cooking breaks those compounds down. Never make a raw elderberry juice or tincture from fresh berries at home.
- Keep stems and leaves out of the pot. A few tiny stems won't ruin a batch, but pick out everything you can.
- No honey for babies under 12 months. Honey can carry spores that cause infant botulism, which is why the CDC and the American Academy of Pediatrics say no honey of any kind before a child's first birthday. That includes honey that's been cooked into a syrup. For a baby, don't give any elderberry product without talking to your pediatrician first.
- If you're pregnant or breastfeeding, talk to your doctor or midwife first. NCCIH notes that little is known about elderberry's safety during pregnancy or while nursing.
- If you take prescription medicine, have an autoimmune condition, or take medicine that suppresses the immune system, ask your healthcare provider before using elderberry. Herbs and medicines can interact.
Elderberry syrup dosage chart
This is the part people search for most, so here's our honest answer. There's no official dose for homemade elderberry syrup. Every batch is a different strength, depending on your berries and how far you cooked it down. The amounts below are the daily serving sizes most homemade recipes and families use. Think of them as a starting point, not medical instructions, and check with your pediatrician or healthcare provider if you're unsure.
| Age | Common daily serving of homemade syrup |
|---|---|
| Under 12 months | None. No honey, and ask your pediatrician about any elderberry product. |
| 1 to 3 years | 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon |
| 4 to 12 years | 1/2 to 1 teaspoon |
| Teens and adults | 1 to 3 teaspoons (up to 1 tablespoon) |
For comparison, the label on Gaia Herbs Black Elderberry Syrup calls for 1/4 teaspoon a day for ages 1 to 3 and 1 teaspoon a day for everyone 4 and up. Your homemade batch may be stronger or weaker than that, so start at the low end of the range.
A few practical notes. Use a real measuring spoon, not a kitchen spoon. Remember that this is mostly honey, so a daily spoonful counts as sugar. If you give store-bought syrup or gummies, follow the label, since those products are made to a set strength and many list their own age limits. And if your child already takes an elderberry gummy with added zinc or vitamin C, count that too before adding homemade syrup on top. Our guide to kids' immune support walks through how to add up zinc across labels.
Elderberry has been part of fall and winter routines for generations, and many families use it to support normal immune function.*
How long does homemade elderberry syrup last?
About 2 weeks in the fridge, according to the University of Maine Cooperative Extension. Keep it in a sealed glass jar and use a clean spoon every time.
For longer storage, freeze it. Pour the syrup into an ice cube tray, pop the cubes into a freezer bag once they're solid, and thaw one or two at a time in the fridge. Frozen syrup keeps its best quality for up to 8 months. The same extension office recommends against water-bath canning elderberry syrup at home, because elderberries aren't acidic enough for that method to be safe.
Toss it if you see mold, if it smells sour or boozy, or if it starts to fizz when you open the jar.
Short on time? Ready-made elderberry
Homemade is fun, but a jar of syrup you actually have on hand beats a recipe you keep meaning to make. Here are a few ready-made syrups we carry:
- Gaia Herbs Black Elderberry Syrup is the closest thing to homemade on our shelf. It's a simple elderberry syrup that helps maintain immune health,* and it's easy to take by the spoonful or stir into tea.
- Nature's Way Sambucus Immune Syrup adds zinc, vitamin C, propolis, and echinacea to the elderberry. It's a good pick for adults who want more in one bottle. Count its zinc if you take a multivitamin.
- Wise Woman Herbals Elderberry Syrup is made with vegetable glycerin instead of honey, with a short ingredient list and a small serving size.
- Lively Vitamin Co. Elderberry Burst is our own elderberry gummy, with vitamin C and zinc added. Two gummies a day, for anyone who won't take anything off a spoon.
- Lively Vitamin Co. Elderberry Boom is a capsule that pairs elderberry extract with vitamins A, C, and D3 plus zinc and selenium, for people who want one daily immune support formula.*
Whichever one you choose, follow the label for age and serving size. You'll find the full lineup, including kids' gummies and drops, in our elderberry supplements collection and our kids' immune health collection.
The short version
- Simmer 1 cup dried black elderberries with 4 cups water, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves until it cooks down by half, then strain and stir in honey once it's warm, not hot.
- Always cook elderberries. Never use raw berries, stems, or leaves.
- No honey, and no homemade elderberry syrup, for babies under 12 months.
- Common daily servings: 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon for ages 1 to 3, 1/2 to 1 teaspoon for ages 4 to 12, and up to 1 tablespoon for adults.
- It keeps about 2 weeks in the fridge or up to 8 months frozen in cubes.
Questions about elderberry, or about what else is in your cabinet? Our Wellness Consultants in Madison, Sun Prairie, and Fitchburg are happy to help.
Written by The Healthy Place Wellness Team in Madison, Wisconsin. Free shipping on qualified orders.
*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
