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I’ve tried several, but with my own tweaking, I’ve come up with what I feel is the best dried elderberry syrup recipe. If you have fresh elderberries, I’ll share how to use those, too. I didn’t have an elderberry bush nearby until recently, so I rely on dried elderberries. You can find dried elderberries at Mountain Rose Herbs (click on the link), and when I don’t have fresh elderberries, this is where I get them.
NOW is the time to start buying your Elderberry stock, though. When it’s gone for the season, it’s very hard to find quality Elderberry.
The Best Dried Elderberry Syrup Recipe
I buy my herbs in bulk for projects like this. These were all purchased at Mountain Rose Herbs (affiliate link), but I also buy from Amazon at companies like Frontier Herbs. (affiliate link) I’m very picky about my herbs, though. They need to be organic, but I must also trust the company. I’ve been burned before by buying herb-related items from Amazon that were of subpar quality.
You will need dried elderberries (unless you are blessed to have access to fresh elderberries), cinnamon sticks, bark, or chips, and cloves. From the grocery store, you will need fresh garlic, fresh ginger, and bottled water. I purchase raw honey from a local grower, but you can also find it on Amazon.
I measured and added the dried elderberries, cinnamon chips (which is what I had), and cloves to my stainless steel pot. (Do not use aluminum.) I chopped up the garlic and fresh ginger, then added them to my water.
This is then brought to a boil and reduced to a gentle simmer. I let it simmer until the mixture had reduced by about 1/2. This is called a decoction.
I then use this potato ricer to ensure I get all the juicy goodness out.
Next, you add the honey and stir well. I add this mixture to a large mason jar and store it in my fridge. I drink a “shot” (about an oz) daily, or more during the fall and winter. Sometimes it turns into a loose, gel-like mixture. I shake it well.
Recipe
1 Cup Dried Elderberries (2 cups fresh)
5-6 Cinnamon sticks or about 1/4 cup Cinnamon chips. I also get those at Mountain Rose Herbs.
5-6 Whole cloves (you can crush those a little if you like, because you will be straining this out)
Fresh Garlic (I love a lot, but you can start with 3-4 cloves), or dried.
Fresh Ginger (I love a lot of this, but start with about a finger’s length, chopped or cut up), or dried.
4-5 cups bottled pure water
Raw Honey (around 2 cups)
FYI. When I was creating Elderberry Syrup Kits for Sale, I bought most everything except the raw honey (I actually get my raw honey from Bread-Beckers Coop that I belong to), at Mountain Rose Herbs. I found that even with my own stock, it was nice to have bulk organic and dried herbs/ingredients in stock and I could make myself a batch anytime I needed, and didn’t have to worry about not having a fresh ingredient on hand. Again, my link to Mountain Rose Herbs is HERE
Place all in a stainless steel pot. Bring to boil, then reduce heat to moderate, to a simmer. Let this cook down about 1/2. Mash the mixture with a fork or a kitchen utensil after the berries have started to soften.
After the liquid has reduced, carefully start straining the mixture. I love using the potato ricer because it removes all the juice from the elderberries. Be very careful with it, though. You can let the mixture cool slightly, but not completely. You want the honey to mix well.
After you strain everything, measure and add equal amounts of honey. This recipe should yield approximately 4 cups of Elderberry syrup. Store it in a large mason jar and keep it refrigerated.
This is also great for use as pancake syrup! It supports my philosophy of letting food be your medicine!
Benefits of Elderberry Syrup
As a nurse, I do not make medical claims. That is against my scope of practice. However, if you do a search on Google Scholar on elderberries, you will find many well-written articles and benefits.
The Sloan Kettering Memorial Site, which provides wonderful information on herbal use, shares that limited studies suggest elderberries may support the immune system.
Safety issues are never using uncooked elderberries, as they contain compounds that may promote cyanide toxicity. So you ALWAYS need to cook your elderberries. Other cautions are to avoid if you have autoimmune issues, are on antidiabetic medications, or are on a diuretic or laxative (as the elderberries may increase the action of those medications). Also, a caution that pregnant or lactating women have a potential for gastrointestinal distress.
Of course, you also need to look for any allergic reaction when introducing a new food into your system. A case was reported of 11 people getting nausea and vomiting from a juice made with elderberries, but they had juiced and injected RAW elderberries and leaves. So, do not make juice from raw berries and drink it. It must be cooked.
All in all, this is an awesome way to add nourishment through food!
It’s one of my favorites, and I always have it made up in my fridge! I keep this on hand year-round. By buying the supplies as I listed (getting the elderberries in bulk), you will have enough supplies to last all fall and winter. I’ll make another batch as soon as we are out!
Living Whole,
~ Joycelynn
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