Learn how to make homemade elderflower syrup with fresh elderflowers, lemons, and sugar. A fragrant summer syrup for drinks, desserts, and baking.
Every June, I look forward to making this elderflower syrup recipe; I haven't skipped a year since I started making it 20 years ago - this syrup is a very German or Romanian thing to do. It's a classic recipe in Germany, and I remember my great-grandmother making it in Romania, too.
Mix it with sparkling water for a refreshing summer drink, add it to an Elderflower Gin Cocktail, or use it in desserts and baking. It also keeps well, so you can enjoy the taste of early summer long after the flowers have disappeared.
And if you would like something stronger, you could try making Elderflower Gin.
Ingredients: 5 | Prep Time: 15 minutes | Cook Time: 5 minutes | Soaking time: 24 hours | Servings: 6 cups | Difficulty: Easy
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How to pick elderflowers?
Pick the flowers on a dry, sunny day when they are fully open and fragrant.
I always collect mine away from busy roads, usually along fields or quiet country paths. Give each flower head a gentle shake to remove any tiny insects and use the flowers the same day, as they lose their aroma quickly once picked.
Take only what you need and leave plenty on the trees so they can develop into berries later in the season.
If you have lots of elderflowers, you can also make Non-Alcoholic Elderflower Champagne, Elderflower Tea, or Elderflower Jelly.
Recipe ingredients
Elderflowers: You'll need about 20 large flower heads. If yours are smaller, simply use a few more.
Lemons: Organic, unwaxed lemons are best because you'll use the peel as well as the juice.
Citric acid is a traditional ingredient in elderflower syrup. It balances the sweetness and helps preserve the syrup.
Sugar: Yes, it seems like a lot, but the syrup is a concentrate and is always diluted with water before drinking.
- Try Simple Strawberry Syrup, too, this summer!
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
How to make elderflower syrup?
Step #1: Place all the ingredients in a very large bowl, cover the bowl with cling film, and place the bowl in a dark, cool place, like a cellar.
Step #2: After 24-36 hours, strain the liquid through a sieve lined with a clean muslin cloth. There should be no impurities left in the liquid.
If you don't have a cellar, any darker, cooler place would do. If the weather is very warm, I only let the elderflowers in the water for about 24 hours; if it is not that hot, you can leave them for 36 hours.
Step #3: Pour the liquid into a clean pot, add the sugar, and bring it to a boil while stirring well to dissolve the sugar. Boil for 3-4 minutes.
Step #4: Pour the elderflower syrup immediately into sterilized and still-warm bottles.
Tips
- Pick the flowers when they smell their strongest.
- Don't wash them unless necessary, as you'll rinse away some of the pollen and aroma.
- Strain the syrup through a very fine sieve or muslin for a perfectly clear result.
- Sterilize the bottles before filling them to help the syrup last longer.
- Once opened, always store the bottle in the refrigerator.
How to use elderflower syrup
My favorite way is the simplest: pour a little syrup into a glass, top with sparkling water, and add plenty of ice and a squeeze of fresh lemon.
The elderflower syrup is quite concentrated, so a little goes a long way. I usually mix one part syrup with 3 to 4 parts water, but you can adjust it to your taste. My kids prefer it a bit sweeter, while I like it with more sparkling water and a generous squeeze of fresh lemon juice.
It's also delicious in cocktails, lemonade, cakes, fruit salads, yogurt, pancakes, and ice cream.
How to store the syrup?
Store unopened bottles in a cool, dark place, where they will keep for several months. Once opened, refrigerate the syrup and use it within a few weeks.
If you make a large batch, simply double or triple the recipe and bottle it while it's still hot. Homemade elderflower syrup also makes a lovely gift during elderflower season.
Elderflower Syrup Recipe
Ingredients
- 20 large elderflowers Notes 1 and 2
- 3 organic lemons
- 4 ¼ cups water
- 1 ½ teaspoon granulated food-grade citric acid
- 5 cups granulated sugar
Instructions
- Prepare elderflowers: Shake the freshly picked elderflower to remove any small insects that might be crawling around. If you want to wash them, rinse them very briefly in cold running water. However, be aware that washing the elderflowers would remove the pollen and much of the flavor. Place the flowers into a large glass bowl.20 large elderflowers
- Steep: Cut the lemons into thick slices. Add them to the bowl, add the water, cover, and leave for 24 to 36 hours in a cool, dark place. A cool cellar would be best. If the weather is very warm, 24 hours should be enough; if the weather is not that hot, you can leave the syrup for up to 36 hours.3 organic lemons + 4 ¼ cups water
- Strain: Squeeze the lemon slices into the syrup and then strain the liquid through a very fine sieve into a pot (line the sieve with a clean muslin cloth, if the sieve is not that fine, there should be no impurities left in the liquid).
- Boil syrup: Add the citric acid and the sugar. Bring to a boil while stirring well to dissolve the sugar. When it starts boiling, boil for 5 minutes. 1 ½ teaspoon granulated food-grade citric acid + 5 cups granulated sugar
- Bottle: Pour immediately into sterilized and still warm bottles. Screw the cap on the bottle firmly.
- Store in a cool, dark place. The elderflower syrup will keep for at least 6 months, probably longer. After opening a bottle, store it in the refrigerator and consume it as soon as possible.
Notes
- The recipe makes about 6 ½ cups/ 1500 ml syrup. To make a refreshing drink, mix about 50 ml/ scant ¼ cup with about 1 cup/ 250 ml tab or sparkling water, about 1 part syrup, and 5 parts water (to taste).
- Size of the flowers: A large elderflower should be about as large as your hand when you spread the fingers. If they are smaller, use more elderflowers. Always pick the elderflowers in the fields or gardens, in places where there is no car traffic.
Vesna says
hey, Adina
here in Slovenia we differ from syrup and cordial. I don’t know the exact English name, but there are two different things. One is syrup as you recipe, and the other is made with vinegar, elderflower, less sugar and lemon. It’s like Schweppes. And you don’t mix it with water. It also remind me on hot summer days, when my granny made it. Maybe that was the same you mention it. It’s called Holundersekt in German.
Enjoy your summer.
Vesna
Adina says
Hi Vesna. It could be the same, although I don't remember the use of vinegar. But it was definitely like Sekt, not alcoholic, but bubbly. Enjoy the summer too.
mjskitchen says
Wish I had had this recipe 40 years ago when I lived in Louisiana. our backyard was surrounded by elderberry and it was beautiful when it was in bloom, and lots of blooms there were. In the New Mexico climate elder berry doesn't grow. That's a shame because I would love to taste this syrup. Wonderful little recipe Adina.
Adina says
Thank you, Rachel. 🙂
Rachel @ Simple Seasonal says
What a beautiful recipe and I loved the story about your childhood!