Save Money! Make Your Own DIY Elderberry Syrup

by Christine Pressler, CA

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Make Your Own Elderberry Syrup

In 2019/2020, when COVID-19 began making waves in the United States, sales of elderberry syrup and elderberry gummies skyrocketed. Grocery store shelves were emptied. Everyone was looking for ways to bolster their immune system. Elderberry product sales are expected to remain high across the country.(1)

But why buy expensive commercial Elderberry Syrup, when you can easily handcraft enough for your whole family for an entire season in an afternoon?

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⭐️Elderberry Syrup Recipe

• 3 cups filtered Water
• 1 1/2 cups dried Elderberries (Sambucus nigra)
• 4-6 Cloves
• 2-3 Cinnamon sticks
• 1 inch fresh Ginger, sliced (organic, if possible)
• Peel of 1 Orange (organic, if possible)
• 2 Tablespoons fresh squeezed Orange or Lemon juice
• 1 – 1 1/2 cup raw, unfiltered Honey (local is best) [vegetable glycerin is also an option]

🌺See my Recommended Suppliers below

Tools Needed

Making Your Elderberry Syrup

Sanitize Everything!

First things first, sanitize all product containers, tools, and work surfaces. I also recommend wearing food-preparation gloves when handling the ingredients for your Elderberry Syrup.

Thoroughly wash all tools and cutting board with hot soapy water and rinse well.

Fill a large pot with water. Then place bottles and lids into the pot, bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes.

Line plastic container with paper towels or clean cloth. Use rubberized tongs and heat safe gloves to carefully remove jars and lids from hot water. Up-end jars in prepared container to drain.

Prep Ingredients

Wrap cinnamon sticks in a paper towel and tap several times with a kitchen mallet to break into shards.

Use a spoon to “peel” the ginger. (If it’s organic you can skip this step.) Slice into thin rounds.

Clean orange well. Then use a zester, grater, vegetable peeler, or sharp knife to remove peel. Set peel aside.

Make Elderberry Syrup

In medium sauce pan combine water, elderberries, cloves, cinnamon sticks, and sliced ginger.

Bring to a boil. Then reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 30-45 minutes.

Remove from heat and stir in orange peel. Replace lid and leave covered until the sides of the sauce pan are just warm to the touch.

Squeeze orange juice (sweeter) or lemon juice (tarter) into elderberry liquid and stir.

Place sieve into opening of 4 cup measuring cup. Line sieve with 2 layers of cheesecloth allowing enough to drape well over the sides of the sieve and measuring cup.

Pour elderberry liquid slowly and carefully into lined sieve, allowing the liquid to drain into the measuring cup beneath.

Once all the solid material has been transferred to the sieve and the liquid has drained, gather the sides of the cheesecloth together over the top. Squeeze tightly to extract any additional liquid. (Compost the solids—or if you have chickens, they’ll enjoy it as an herbal treat.)

Psst! I’m going to tell you something about making your own Elderberry Syrup that you won’t often read. Make it on a day when you can open your windows, because it does NOT smell good while it’s simmering! 😉

💚PRO TIP: After squeezing you should have about 2 1/2 cups of elderberry-herb liquid in the 4 cup measuring cup. Add honey directly to the liquid until the volume increases by 1 to 1 1/2 cups. This way every drop of that golden sweet honey makes it into the Elderberry Syrup!

Add a Bit o’ Honey

While the liquid is still warm, add honey, and stir until completely dissolved.

To counter the natural bitterness of the elderberries I add 1 cup of honey to my Elderberry Syrup. But some prefer it a tad sweeter. So experiment with the amount of honey to find the sweetness you prefer.

Pour the completed Elderberry Syrup into storage jars. Affix labels that include the date made and best by date. Cap and keep refrigerated.

I recommend using within 3 months. Elderberry Syrup can be frozen for longer storage—use within a year.

How to Use Elderberry Syrup

The adult wellness dose is 1 teaspoon to 1 Tablespoon per day. Children over 1 year of age can take up to 1 teaspoon per day for wellness.

Adult or child, the daily dose can be increased to several times daily at the first sign of illness and continued until symptoms subside.

My favorite way to take Elderberry Syrup is stirred into hot tea, iced tea, chilled sparkling water, or citrus-ade. I highly recommend adding your daily dose to a cup of Sweet Orange Mint herbal tea.

🔶️A Reminder: Elderberry Syrup will not cure or prevent colds, flu, or other illness. However, taken as a regular part of your wellness routine and frequently at the first sign of illness, Elderberry Syrup can help improve the body’s resilience and support the immune system.

Always talk with a medical practitioner before implementing a new herbal regimen, especially with any existing medical conditions.

Elderberry Syrup Additions

Once you have a syrup formula down pat, it’s fun to experiment with additions.

The beautiful thing about handcrafting Elderberry Syrup is that you can truly make it your own! These are some of my favorite additions:

• Use pure Maple Syrup in place of Honey—it really changes the flavor.
• Stir in a cup of fruity brandy—the alcohol extends the shelf-life a bit and now you have an Elderberry sipping cordial!
• Add different culinary herbs like whole Cardamom, Star Anise, Black Pepper corns, or Fenugreek seeds. Spice Train has a lovely array of organic culinary herbs. I swoon every time I open my jar of Spice Train Cardamom!
• Once removed from the heat, add herbs like Rose petals, Rose hips, Marshmallow root, Stevia leaf, or Elderflowers.
• Dried Ginger root (about 1 Tablespoon) and dried Orange peel (about 3 Tablespoons) can be used in place of fresh.

Elderberry Syrup Short-Cut!

Want to make an even easier homemade Elderberry Syrup? Elanen naturals has an all-organic Elderberry Syrup mix that rocks!

Ingredients: Elderberries, Ginger, Rose hips, Cinnamon, and Cardamom (all Certified Organic). Just add water and honey.

It even comes with a reusable unbleached cotton draw string brew bag to make straining out the solids super easy!

Have you tried making your own Elderberry Syrup? Have you added any other herbs or spices? Please let us know in the comments below!

📌Herbal Wellness Pins

Mom’s Shopping List

For all the fresh ingredients, please visit your local grocer. I recommend organic when possible for Elderberry Syrup. You can find all the dry ingredients on my Elderberry Syrup shopping list on Amazon. These are the specific sources I use:

• Elderberries (Sambucus nigra):
  • Elanen naturals, organic (on Amazon)
  • Purify Life, organic (on Amazon).

• Clove Buds (Eugenia caryophyllata):
  • Spice Train, climate neutral (on Amazon)
  • Local grocer, organic.

• Cinnamon Sticks (Cinnamomum spp):
  • FGOrganics, organic (on Amazon)
  • Mountain Rose Herbs, organic.

• Glycerin:
  • Seven Minerals, organic, for skin care & crafting (on Amazon)
  • Starwest Botanicals, organic, for tinctures & baking (on Amazon).

Or check out the organic herbs and spices at my favorite online suppliers:

Chris P | Author, Certified Aromatherapist, Natural Skin Care Formulator

Chris (“Mom”) enjoys formulating bespoke aromatherapy, skin care, and herbal products to support her family, pets, friends, and clients. She also loves experimenting with recipes in the kitchen. An avid reader, writer, and lifetime learner, Chris enthusiastically explores research rabbit holes and then writes about her discoveries.💚 (Learn more >>)