Delight your taste buds with a sweet and tangy Blueberry Simple Syrup, perfect for elevating cold drinks like cocktails, lemonade, or desserts. Made from just three ingredients, this vibrant, versatile syrup brings a splash of fresh, fruity flavor to your favorite treats in no time.
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Replace plain simple syrup with some sweet blueberry flavor! This flavored simple syrup makes for a delicious blueberry twist to your iced tea, drizzle it over ice cream, or sweet breakfast items like a stack of pancakes, french toast, or waffles.
You can also use it between cake layers to keep cakes from drying out, or mix up some blueberry Italian soda, blueberry lemonade, blueberry cocktails, or mocktail recipes! You will love the delicate sweetness and burst of flavor that this easy blueberry syrup creates.
Use this homemade blueberry syrup to make this blueberry gin cocktail.
You may also like this raspberry simple syrup, this strawberry simple, syrup, this cranberry simple syrup, or this lavender simple syrup!
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❤️Why we love this recipe
- Made with 3 simple ingredients. Blueberries, sugar (or your sweetener of choice), lemon juice, plus a little water! Okay, technically that's 4 ingredients, but you'll only need to purchase 3 of them! You probably already have most of the ingredients on hand or can find them at any grocery store.
- Quick and easy recipe. Got 20 minutes? Then you can make your own blueberry syrup on the stovetop!
- Suits multiple diet types. This recipe is naturally vegan and gluten-free. It can also be made sugar-free with one simple swap.
- Use up leftover blueberries. A great way to use up excess blueberries and turn them into something truly special!
- Healthier than store-bought. Making your own fresh fruit syrup is healthier than buying it at the store, as many store-bought versions have added dyes, artificial flavors, and preservatives.
- Customizable. You can decide the amount of sugar you want to add to your simple, making it more or less sweet according to your personal preferences.
🍋Ingredients
Here are the ingredients we used for this recipe. You can find more information for substitutions below.
- Fresh blueberries - Frozen blueberries can also be used. If using frozen, you may not need as much added water.
- Water - Use filtered water if possible for the best flavor.
- Sugar - White granulated sugar is what is used in regular simple syrup.
- Fresh lemon juice - Optional, but helps prolong the life of the homemade syrup as well as adds a little tanginess to it.
Visit the recipe card for the full quantities and nutritional information.
✨Substitutions & variations
Here are a few suggestions on additional flavors to try, or simple variations to this recipe.
- Using frozen fruit. If using frozen fruit, do not thaw the berries. Add a few tablespoons less water to the mixture, as the blueberries will release some water as they heat up.
- Thicker syrup. You can add more sugar to taste for a thicker syrup, or let the mixture simmer and evaporate for longer.
- Sugar free/ keto friendly. To make this recipe with no added sugar (as we often do!) you can use 1 & ⅓ cups of allulose sweetener (affiliate link) for every 1 cup of cane sugar. Allulose is slightly less sweet than sugar, so you will need to add a bit more. Treat it the same as regular sugar! Allulose is our preferred sugar substitute for syrup applications since it won't crystallize when refrigerated.
- Other sweeteners. Instead of granulated sugar, you can use honey, maple syrup, agave nectar, or even brown sugar for a different flavor.
- Add extra flavor. You can add other flavorings such as vanilla extract, a pinch of cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, lavender, lemon zest, orange extract, or even herbs of your choice to add a different flavor profile to this simple syrup.
🔪Prep work
- If using fresh blueberries, wash them.
- Juice the lemon.
- Measure out all remaining ingredients.
📋Instructions
Add blueberries and sugar to a small saucepan, and pour in the water. (Image 1)
Over medium-high heat, bring the blueberries to a boil. (Image 2)
Reduce to low heat, and allow the mixture to simmer for about 10 minutes, stirring gently every so often with a wooden spoon. The blueberries will begin to break down at this point. (Image 3)
Gently strain the berries through a metal sieve into a clean bowl or container. Do not press on the berries, as this will make the syrup cloudy! (Image 4)
Add lemon juice, and stir. You can add more water if the syrup is too thick. (Image 5)
✨Pro Tip: Most simple syrup recipes call for equal parts water and sugar, but this recipe uses more water. Blueberries are naturally high in pectin, a starch that occurs naturally in plants that is often added to jams to thicken them. Because of this, the simple syrup may thicken more than other varieties as it cools. If the syrup thickens too much, you can always add a bit more water to thin it.
Allow the syrup to cool completely before adding it to cocktails or cold drinks.
✨Tips & tricks
- Stir gently. We don't recommend mashing the berries up a lot, this just makes your simple syrup cloudy and full of sediment from the berries.
- Don't press the leftover liquid through the metal sieve. As stated above, your simple syrup will just become cloudy. We know it's tempting to get the maximum amount of liquid from the seeds and berries, but we recommend just allowing the sieve to drip over the bowl for a while to get all of the simple syrup.
- Sweeten to taste. If making this recipe for the first time, we recommend starting with a smaller amount of sugar and adding more to taste.
- Don't skip the lemon juice! This adds more flavor and dimension to the syrup. It also helps preserve it a bit longer in the fridge.
- Add more water if the syrup thickens too much. Because of the high-pectin content in blueberries, you may need to add more water to the mixture after it cools if it becomes too thick.
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💭Frequently Asked Questions
Store leftovers in an airtight container with a tight-fitting lid, like a sterilized mason jar in the fridge. The simple syrup will keep for at least two weeks, probably longer. If the color begins to change, or you notice any mold growth or an off smell, be sure to toss it.
To freeze, allow the syrup to cool completely at room temperature before transferring to a freezer-safe container, or adding to ice cube trays. This will prevent any crystallization from forming.
The simple syrup will keep in the freezer for up to 1 year. Thaw in the fridge overnight or at room temperature on the counter for an hour or so.
How To Use Simple Syrup
Not sure how to use this simple syrup? Here are a few suggestions!
- Make homemade sodas with sparkling water or an Italian soda.
- Serve over vanilla ice cream or an ice cream sundae.
- Drizzle over cheesecake.
- Place it between cake layers to keep them moist. This works well for all different cake flavors, including chocolate cake.
- Add to lemonade or iced tea.
- Add to cocktails, like this blueberry gin cocktail.
More Recipes To Consider
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📖 Recipe
Blueberry Simple Syrup Recipe
Equipment
- small saucepan
Ingredients
- 6 ounces blueberries (fresh or frozen)
- 1 - 1.5 cups water (add more as needed to thin the simple syrup if it becomes too thick)
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice, fresh (optional but recommended, this is the juice of about ½ a lemon)
Instructions
- Add blueberries and sugar to a small saucepan, and pour in the water.
- Over medium-high heat, bring the blueberries to a boil. Reduce to low heat, and allow the mixture to simmer for about 10 minutes, stirring gently every so often with a wooden spoon. The blueberries will begin to break down at this point.
- Gently strain the berries through a metal sieve into a clean bowl or container. Do not press on the berries, as this will make the syrup cloudy! Add lemon juice, and stir. You can add more water if the syrup is too thick.
- Allow the syrup to cool completely before adding it to cocktails or cold drinks.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container with a tight-fitting lid, like a sterilized mason jar in the fridge. The simple syrup will keep for at least two weeks, probably longer. If the color begins to change, or you notice any mold growth or an off smell, be sure to toss it.
Save This Recipe! 💌
We'll email this post to you, so you can come back to it later!
Notes
- Most simple syrup recipes call for equal parts water and sugar, but this recipes uses more water. Blueberries are naturally high in pectin, a starch that occurs naturally in plants that is often added to jams to thicken them. Because of this, the simple syrup may thicken more than other varieties as it cools. If the syrup thickens too much, you can always add a bit more water to thin it.
- Stir gently. We don't recommend mashing the berries up a lot, this just makes your simple syrup cloudy and full of sediment from the berries.
- Don't press the leftover liquid through the metal sieve. As stated above, your simple syrup will just become cloudy. We know it's tempting to get the maximum amount of liquid from the seeds and berries, but we recommend just allowing the sieve to drip over the bowl for a while to get all of the simple syrup.
- Sweeten to taste. If making this recipe for the first time, we recommend starting with a smaller amount of sugar and adding more to taste.
- Don't skip the lemon juice! This adds more flavor and dimension to the syrup. It also helps preserve it a bit longer in the fridge.
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