How to Make Elderberry Syrup Safely at Home
Elderberry syrup is ripe elderberries simmered in water until the liquid reduces by about half, strained, then sweetened with honey once cool: 1 cup of dried berries (or 2 cups fresh) to 4 cups of water and half a cup of honey, the ratio University of Maine Extension uses. The berries must be cooked and every stem and leaf removed, because raw elder contains compounds that release cyanide.
Keep it in the fridge for up to 2 weeks, and never give it to a baby under 12 months, because of the honey.
Ingredients
- 1 cup dried (roughly 100–120 g), or 2 cups fresh or frozen (about 300 g) Dried black elderberries, or fresh ripe onesBlack or blue elderberry (Sambucus nigra) only; not red elderberry. Fresh berries must be fully ripe and picked off every stem
- 4 cups (about 1 litre) Water
- 1 stick Cinnamon stickOptional, for flavour
- 2 tsp (about 10 g) Fresh ginger, peeled and finely choppedOptional, for flavour
- ¼ tsp Ground clovesOptional, for flavour
- ½ cup (about 170 g), or to taste HoneyUse sugar instead if a child under 12 months could be given it
Equipment
- Medium saucepan
- Fine sieve, and a spoon to press the berries
- Measuring jug
- Clean 500 ml glass jar or bottle with a lid
- Large pan of water for sterilising the jar
Method
Strip and check fresh berries
If you are using fresh berries, wash them and pick off every stem and leaf, along with any green or unripe berries. The stems and leaves carry the highest levels of the cyanide-forming compounds. Freezing the clusters first, then rubbing them over a wire rack, makes the berries drop off more easily.4
Combine in the pan
Put the berries, water and any spices in the saucepan. Dried berries go in as they are; they still need the full cooking time, because drying does not remove the toxin.3,4
Simmer until reduced by half
Bring to the boil, then lower the heat and simmer uncovered until the liquid has reduced by about half, to roughly 2 cups. This usually takes 30 to 45 minutes, though the extension recipe gives the reduction rather than a time. Cooking is what makes the berries safe to eat.1,3
Sterilise the jar
While the syrup simmers, wash the jar and lid, then submerge the jar in boiling water for 10 minutes and lift it out with tongs.3
Strain
Pour the hot mixture through a fine sieve into a jug, pressing the berries with the back of a spoon to get the juice out. Discard the berries and spices.
Cool, then add the honey
Let the liquid cool to room temperature, then stir in the honey until it dissolves. Taste and add more honey if you like it sweeter.3
Bottle and refrigerate
Pour into the sterilised jar, close it, label it with the date and keep it in the fridge. Use it within 2 weeks, or freeze it in small portions (an ice-cube tray works) for up to 6 to 8 months.3
Safety
- Never eat or juice raw elderberries. Raw or unripe berries, leaves and stems can cause nausea, vomiting and severe diarrhoea; cooking removes the toxin1
- Leaves and stems matter: in 1983, 8 people in California were hospitalised after drinking juice made by crushing elderberries with their leaves and branches2
- Use black or blue elderberry only. Red elderberry (Sambucus racemosa) is a different species and shouldn't be used for food4
- Don't give honey, or syrup made with it, to a baby under 12 months: it can cause infant botulism, a serious illness5
- Don't store it at room temperature or water-bath can it. Most elderberries aren't acidic enough; keep it in the fridge or freezer3,4
- In pregnancy, while breastfeeding or on regular medicines, ask a pharmacist or doctor first; there is little safety data1
Variations
Stir in about the same amount of sugar or maple syrup while the liquid is still warm instead. This is the version to make if a baby under 12 months is in the house.
Leave out the spices for a simple berry syrup. The flavour is sharper and fruitier.
Freeze the finished syrup in an ice-cube tray, then bag the cubes. Thaw one at a time in the fridge, so the rest of the batch stays frozen.
Does it actually work?
Elderberry may shorten colds and flu by a day or two, but we rate the evidence limited (2 of 4) for both. The trials were small, mostly funded by the makers of the product tested, and used standardised commercial extracts; the one independent flu trial, in 87 people, found no benefit.
It has not been shown to prevent colds. No trial has tested homemade syrup, so its strength and effect are unknown. It makes a pleasant fruit syrup; treat any health effect as unproven.6,7,1
Evidence ratings for what goes in: Elderberry, Cinnamon, Ginger, Honey.
Questions people ask
Are raw elderberries poisonous?
Yes. Raw or unripe berries, and the leaves and stems, contain substances that release cyanide and can cause nausea, vomiting and severe diarrhoea. Cooking removes the toxin, which is why every recipe simmers the berries.
How long does homemade elderberry syrup last?
University of Maine Extension says up to 2 weeks in the fridge, or 6 to 8 months in the freezer. It isn't safe to keep at room temperature or to can in a water bath, because most elderberries aren't acidic enough.
Can children have elderberry syrup?
Not under 12 months if it contains honey, because of the risk of infant botulism. For older children, there is no tested dose for homemade syrup; one trial in children aged 5 and over used a commercial extract, and it found no benefit for flu.
Do dried elderberries need cooking?
Yes. Oregon State University Extension says dried and frozen berries still need to be rehydrated and cooked before eating. Drying does not make them safe on its own.
Sources (7)
- Regulator/health agency NCCIH. Elderberry: Usefulness and Safety. National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (last updated November 2024).
- Public health report CDC. Poisoning from Elderberry Juice -- California. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 1984;33(13):173-4.
- University extension University of Maine Cooperative Extension. How to Make and Preserve Elderberry Syrup Safely. 2025.
- University extension Oregon State University Extension Service. Play it safe when preserving elderberries (EM 9446). 2024.
- Health agency NHS. Foods to avoid giving babies and young children.
- Systematic review Wieland LS, Piechotta V, Feinberg T, et al. Elderberry for prevention and treatment of viral respiratory illnesses: a systematic review. BMC Complement Med Ther. 2021.
- Randomised trial Macknin M, Wolski K, Negrey J, Mace S. Elderberry extract outpatient influenza treatment for emergency room patients ages 5 and above: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. J Gen Intern Med. 2020.
Educational only. Patch-test anything new on your skin, and stop if it irritates.
Reader notes
Experiences and questions from readers, read by an editor before they appear. They are personal accounts, not evidence, and are not medical advice.