Homemade Berry Syrups: A Quick and Easy Way to Use Your Surplus

Making berry syrups is a simple process that doesn’t require much time – and that’s something any busy household with a surplus of fruit can appreciate!

Vertical image of assorted glass jars and glasses filled with a bold red sauce, with text on the top and bottom of the image.

Homemade syrups can be made from fresh or frozen fruit. Cooked with a sweetener like granulated sugar, honey, or agave in addition to other aromatics, they are an incredibly versatile condiment.

Ranging in flavors, they are the perfect accompaniment to pancakes, oatmeal, pastries, cakes, ice cream, and other sweets.

They also can be added to mocktails, cocktails, lattes, kombucha, shakes, and smoothies – any beverage that would benefit from a unique splash of fruity sweetness.

But don’t think they are limited to just the sweet side of life!

When used with a little creative discipline, they can also make deliciously contrasting additions to meats, vegetable sides, sauces, and soups.

Bountiful berries freshly picked from a backyard garden or bought at a local market would be the most ideal sources for your produce, but store-bought fruit works just as well when you don’t have other options.

And making your own syrups can be a fun family event, starting with a visit to your local pick-your-own farms, and ending with a beautifully prepared homecooked recipe!

If you’d rather start out with smaller batches of syrup, the following three recipes are sweet and simple options.

You can stick with the recipe, or customize to your heart’s content by switching the fruits, or infusing the syrups with your favorite ingredients.

Play with adding a few slices of fresh ginger to a batch, a couple pinches of dried lavender, or just a small dash of cayenne pepper for titillating heat.

Do you have your fruit prepped and at the ready? Read our recipes now!

Homemade Berry Syrups

Blackberry

Take advantage of sweet, juicy aggregate fruits by turning them into a pourable potion you can drizzle over dessert or add to drinks.

Vertical image of a tall glass bottle filled with a dark purple sauce on a small plate surrounded by whole blackberries.

Blackberry Syrup – Get the Recipe Now
The versatile condiment comes together with just a little sugar, plus tart lemon and cranberry juice for some zing.

And you don’t have to worry about any pesky seeds getting stuck in your teeth!

You strain out the liquid through a fine mesh strainer before serving.

Mango Blueberry

Enjoy not one, but two delicious fruits in our stunning mango blueberry recipe!

Vertical image of a glass jar filled with a dark purple sauce in front of fresh fruit and colorful napkins.

Mango Blueberry Syrup – Get the Recipe Now
Mangoes and blueberries unite together to make a sweet and smooth condiment that can be drizzled over pancakes or poured into pretty cocktails.

It’s such a fun and juicy taste of paradise!

No worries if you’re worried to prep mangoes – we have the perfect mango prep tutorial for you!

Strawberry

Sweet and juicy, this fresh strawberry recipe made from just fruit and sugar comes together in fifteen minutes!

Vertical image of pouring a bright red sauce into a bowl surrounded by red fruit.

Strawberry Syrup – Get the Recipe Now
For the perfect handheld snack, try it drizzled over freshly made crepes or an open-faced peanut butter toast when you’re feeling nostalgic for a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, or dip pieces of banana bread in a small bowlful of the syrup.

But we also can’t get enough serving it mixed into the vinaigrette for a smoky grilled chicken salad if you’re craving a meaty dinner with a subtle touch of sweet flavor.

Drip, Dip, and Drizzle Your Way to Delicious Delight!

Making these recipes will leave you with smooth, velvety sauces you can use in multiple ways.

Horizontal image of assorted glasses and jars filled with a bright red sauce.

From mini munchies to marvelous mocktails and more, you will most certainly find very tasty applications for using these syrups throughout the week.

Add one or all of these to your go-to collection of assorted fruity concoctions – we are confident you’ll use them over and over again!

How do you think you’ll customize these recipes with additional ingredients? Do you have ideas to use them in your next drink, snack, dinner, or dessert? Leave a comment below!

For more sauces and spreads, our other homemade recipes are sure to satisfy your sweet tooth:

Photos by Fanny Slater, © Ask the Experts, LLC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. See our TOS for more details. Originally published on October 11, 2014. Last updated on February 12, 2023.

Nutritional information derived from a database of known generic and branded foods and ingredients and was not compiled by a registered dietitian or submitted for lab testing. It should be viewed as an approximation.

About Nikki Cervone

Nikki Cervone is an ACS Certified Cheese Professional and cheesemonger living in Pittsburgh. Nikki holds an AAS in baking/pastry from Westmoreland County Community College, a BA in Communications from Duquesne University, and an MLA in Gastronomy from Boston University. When she's not nibbling on her favorite cheeses or testing a batch of cupcakes, Nikki enjoys a healthy dose of yoga, wine, hiking, singing in the shower, and chocolate. Lots of chocolate.

29 thoughts on “Homemade Berry Syrups: A Quick and Easy Way to Use Your Surplus”

  1. I love fruit syrups and I love to add them to my pancakes or waffles int he morning. I’ll usually add some whipped cream and/or fresh fruit and then I am set. The Mango Blueberry sounds like it would be really good. I’m going to print these out and try to take one or two of them sometime. I usually only get to eat a homemade breakfast on the weekend and these would make each breakfast so much better.

    I’m curious what the strawberry syrup would taste like over chicken. Do you have a specific chicken dish that you use it with? Just grilled chicken? I wouldn’t think that would go together. It’s an interesting combination.

    Reply
  2. I will definitely try pairing the strawberry syrup with a creamy cheesecake! I believe these syrups are much better than store bought jams as less sugar is used and no artificial preservatives are used. The high sugar content on its own helps to protect the syrup from going bad too fast.

    Quick question: Can this method be similarly used with oranges to prepare marmalade?

    Reply
  3. i love BERRY SYRUPS especially on pancakes, my friends and i always does this on weekends and I’m interested in making the Mango and Blueberry Syrup because this is a new type of syrup that I’ve seen that we haven’t tried yet. And do you think this would be good drizzled over vanilla ice cream?

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  4. These syrups are going to be perfect for our Sunday pancake breakfast. It’s been a family tradition of ours for several years to have pancakes on Sunday, and these syrups are definitely going to add something special to our family breakfast. How long does the syrup keep? Thank you for yet another great recipe idea.

    Reply
  5. I still have a lot of strawberries, blueberries and blackberries in my freezer, and these syrups are a lovely way of using some up and creating some delicious ideas. I will definitely be trying some of these in the next week or two.

    I wonder if these syrups would be good rippled through some homemade ice cream? Or, just dressed up in pretty jars, these would make lovely Christmas gifts too.

    Reply
  6. I’m so sure that strawberry syrup up there will make my pancakes taste so heavenly…am trying to figure this out; strawberry/honey drizzle on my pancakes…oh…some!!…and hence the recipe has been taken for my own benefit 🙂

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  7. Ooh, my mouth is watering now! They look delicous. I’ve not come across the term fruit syrup before; it must be an American thing (I’m UK-based). I’m guessing it’s a bit less solid then a jam (jelly?), more for spooning and drizzling than for spreading. Either way, they look delicious and I think the kids and I may be going blackberry picking this weekend! If we get a good haul I may try and scale up the recipe and put it by to brighten up the winter.

    Reply
    • Fruit syrup is really similar to a regular maple syrup consistently. Just think of the liquid syrup. They work well on many different things. I actually prefer them to jelly/jam. I’m not sure if it is an American thing (I’m in the US), but fruit syrups are quite common when dining out for breakfast. One of the places that I frequent has a set of three fruit syrups on each table, along with packets of jam, for customers to choose from.

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  8. How simple and delicious! I have a mulberry tree – I know some people aren’t fond of them, but I am! Do you think I could use these recipes with mulberries? Should I add extra sweetener since they’re rather bland?

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    • Green-eyed with envy right about this minute, you are so lucky, a mulberry tree, i ‘d spend my late afternoons making syrups off those mulberrys and making pancakes throughout…js85, you are lucky :)…what i ‘d trade to be in your place, no clue but i wish. 🙂

      Reply
  9. I like blackberries as they are high in Vitamin C and I like the taste, so I’m glad to find another way to serve them bedsides in a juice.

    The syrup looks straightforward for a novice like me to follow and it maybe the start of a new hobby for me. I think it would great in some cupcakes as a filling with some cream or a filling for a roulade.

    Reply
  10. “Some berry stems are toxic, like elderberries, so if uncertain take a minute to conduct research or ask berry farmers.” — Wow, I had no idea. Thank God I didn’t try doing this. I’m always experimenting…. and who knows…

    Anyway, great recipes. I want to try the mango blueberry syrup. I’ve never thought of that combination. And it’d be perfect for mango season in Florida.

    Reply
  11. For the blackberry syrup, I highly recommend just using a seedless blackberry jam instead of the real fruit. Blackberries are delicious, but they have horrendously annoying seeds, depending on the batch and the time they were harvested.

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  12. Interesting Idea to use up all those over ripe berries! I have found freezing berries works good as well and then you can add to desserts, smoothies or even make fruit pops!

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  13. Fresh fruit syrup is delicious. With all the great receipes you have here I am going to be very fat just trying them all out to see which ones I like the best.

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  14. These syrups look so good. I have a bunch of cherries in the fridge that’s just sitting there. Will substitute some of these with cherries and see how it turns out.

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  15. I love your pictures! They look absolutely delicious! I would love to make the fruit syrup and drizzle it over my pancakes in the morning. It sounds much healthier than the store-bought maple syrup and butter that my family usually likes to put on their breakfast. They might be good to put on the muffins that I baked yesterday also. They’re zucchini sausage muffins. Having the salty-ness of the sausage mix with the sweetness of the home-made berry syrup sounds divine.

    Reply
  16. Here’s a secret: I cannot stand maple syrup. I just never developed the Canadian taste for it. However, I am all about fruit syrups. In fact, it’s really my only other option with pancakes over honey or agave nectar. I had a question about the consistency: Is there a suggested way to store the syrup so it keeps from thickening or separating?

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  17. I mostly make my own syrups when the fruits that I bought are about to become overripe. That way you can maximize the sweetness because that’s when the fruit’s sugar levels are highest. Doing it that way also prevents wasteful discarding of your overripe fruits. In summer a I also make popsicles out of them. Just mix them up with a little milk and some sugar and freeze them up in moulds.

    Reply
  18. I can’t decide which one I want to try first: mango blue eddy or strawberry. They both sound so great! Maybe in some oatmeal for breakfast on school days. I had no idea that it was going to be THIS quick and easy. Thank you!

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  19. The overripe-ness of the fruit actually makes it more sweet. There is more fructose in a fruit as it gets more ripe. Syrups are really fun to make, not to mention very delicious to eat.

    Reply
  20. I can’t believe I’ve never made fresh berry syrups, but I think now would be a good time to start. I have some strawberries I can use. I like that you’ve used turbinado or raw sugar, since I use them. I’m also glad you added a substitute for the arrowroot powder, because I don’t even know what that is, but I do always have cornstarch on hand. I’ve been craving crepes, so I think I’ll make some later, and make your fresh strawberry syrup to go with them!

    Reply
  21. Oh, my! I love berry syrups. I mean, my favorite ever would be raspberry — there is something about the tartness of it that just goes great to sweet desserts like crepes and ice cream. But to be honest, this article made me severely crave fresh strawberries syrup. My stomach literally started growling when I saw the picture — and the recipe is so easy! Thanks!

    Reply
    • True, gotta love them berry syrups <3 I love them on pancakes and french toast :3

      This article got so much great pics that I'm getting hungry, too 😛 I gotta keep my sugar intake in check though 😛 I've been eating too much sweets lately 😛 (dang it foodal, y u gotta have so much delicious sweet pics? XD)

      Reply
  22. I when a blue berry tree upstate and always have a surplus at the end of the summer. I usually just freeze them to use during the winter months in smoothies or pancakes. I never thought about making syrup. I am looking for new ways to preserve them all the time and this seems like a great way.

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  23. I have wanted to use up my old fruit before it gets too bad many times. Never thought to make a syrup…natural syrup. I especially have been trying to figure out what else to do with old bananas besides the usual banana pudding and pancakes. I would love to make a syrup…I love flavored syrup at IHOP. Wonderful recipe…I can’t wait to try this…and from now on this will give me a reason to purchase extra berries.

    Reply
  24. I love berry picking at those you-pick-it farms. You can spend hours in those places just finding the biggest and best berries possible. I will have to do this again sometime soon, maybe this summer, and make some of these delicious syrups. Nothing spells awesome on ice cream or cake like a natural fruity topping. Now I’m drooling for berry picking season to get here so I can re-stock my shelves and get working on some delicious toppings.

    Reply
  25. It definitely looks like an easy recipe, I will copy this down and try this mermelada really soon. I will try to make a strawberry syrop and see what I can get out of it, of course. Thank you for sharing this! Really appreciated.

    Reply
  26. Ooh la la! I got instantly excited once I read that berry syrups can be included in certain alcoholic drinks too. I’ll be hosting my girl friends this weekend and I want to impress them with some delicious cocktails throughout the night. I’ll keep this tip in mind when I make further preparations some time soon.

    Reply

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