Blackberry Simple Syrup
This Blackberry Simple Syrup is perfect for brightening up lemonade, iced tea, cocktails, mocktails, desserts, and more with a burst of smooth, sweet, and delicious fresh blackberry flavor.
Blackberries are best when harvested from mid-June through October. Fortunately, with these step-by-step instructions, you’ll learn how to savor the sweet and tangy flavors in a batch of homemade blackberry-infused simple syrup!
Here’s a briefing on why you’ll LOVE making blackberry simple syrup from scratch before we discuss the details:
- Only 3 ingredients (water, blackberries, and sugar)!
- A delicious way to preserve seasonal blackberries.
- It’s the BEST blackberry syrup recipe for DIY mocktails and cocktails.
- It’s delightful drizzled over pancakes and waffles.
- Perfect edible gift for blackberry lovers!
Ready to make a DIY blackberry syrup? Let’s do it!
🧾 Ingredients
- Water – If possible, use filtered or distilled water for purest tasting homemade simple syrup.
- Blackberries – Select firm, plump, fresh raspberries that are deep purple, almost black for the best tasting juice. Feel free to use frozen blackberries if blackberries aren’t in season.
- Sugar – The fine granules in granulated sugar, cane sugar, and caster sugar dissolve quickly to create a thick syrup. You can also use brown sugar. The added molasses and larger sugar granules will slow down dissolving and change the flavor profile of the syrup.
👉 Recommended Tools: For this simple homemade syrup, you’ll need a small saucepan and a sterilized glass jar or bottle for storage. You’ll also need a fine-mesh sieve to strain the blackberries.
🥣 How to make (step-by-step photos)
1️⃣ Step One: Dissolve sugar
Combine water, blackberries, and sugar in a small saucepan and heat over medium-high heat until the water begins to boil (about 5 minutes). Then, reduce the heat, and simmer until the sugar dissolves, and the blackberries break down and release their juices (about 5 more minutes).
2️⃣ Step Two: Press blackberries
Once the syrup thickens, strain it through a fine mesh sieve to remove the pulp and reserve the juices. To extract even more juice and flavor, use a cocktail muddler to press the pulp and then strain it. Finally, combine the extra juice with the syrup.
3️⃣ Step Three: Cool and store
After cooling, pour the syrup into a glass storage jar or bottle and keep it in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. To freeze, pour the simple syrup into ice cube trays and freeze, then store the frozen cubes in a freezer-friendly bag for up to 6 months.
🌿 Variations
- Keto-friendly syrup – For sugar-free blackberry syrup, replace sugar with an allulose granulated sweetener, monk fruit sweetener, or erythritol. Add 1/8th teaspoon of xantham gum to the mixture to help it thicken. Check out this keto simple syrup guide for more info.
- Infuse with fresh herbs – Simmer sprigs of fresh mint, basil, rosemary, or thyme with your blackberry syrup to add another flavor element.
- Extracts & dessert spices – Infuse your blackberry juice with a teaspoon of vanilla, almond, or lemon extract. Or add a dash of star anise, cinnamon, or nutmeg for a touch of warming flavor.
🍹How to use blackberry syrup
Let’s start with ways to use this syrup in the kitchen:
- Salad dressing – Emulsify the syrup into sauces, dressing, and vinaigrettes.
- Breakfast treats – Drizzle over muffins, pancakes, waffles, crepes, oatmeal, and croissants.
- Enhance desserts. Spread over blackberry cobbler, cake layers, cheesecake, pie, sundaes, etc.
- Drinks – For non-alcoholic beverages, add a splash of blackberry flavor to sparkling water, club soda, lemonade, iced tea, cold brew, and iced coffee.
You can also use it to customize cocktails. Add a splash of blackberry simple syrup to your favorite mixed drinks, or try one of these berrylicious cocktail creations:
- Blackberry Margarita – Shake 1.5 ounces of white tequila, a splash of blackberry syrup, and freshly squeezed lime juice in a cocktail shaker with ice. Then, strain into a tall salt-rimmed glass of fresh ice.
- Blackberry Mojito – Muddle mint leaves, fresh blackberries, and blackberry syrup in a cocktail shaker. Add 1.5 ounces of white rum and ice, shake well, pour the mixture into a cocktail glass, and fill the rest with club soda or Sprite.
- Blackberry vodka lemonade – Add 1.5 ounces of vodka, a splash of the syrup, and lemonade to a tall glass filled with ice, and stir.
- Blackberry bourbon mule – Combine 1.5 ounces of bourbon, a splash of blackberry syrup, and ginger beer in a copper mug with ice.
🧊 How to store
Refrigerator storage – Before storing, let the syrup cool to room temperature, pour it into a sterilized jar or bottle, and keep it in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
Freezer storage – To freeze, pour the syrup into ice cube trays and freeze, then store frozen cubes in a freezer-friendly bag for up to six months.
❔ FAQs
Yes. However, there’s a big difference between the flavor of fresh and artificial blackberry flavoring, so be sure to use natural blackberry extract. For every cup of simple syrup made with a 1:1 sugar to water ratio, add 1 teaspoon of blackberry extract, and then more to taste.
While homemade simple syrup infusions are recommended, brands like “Monin” and “Torani” are good brand name alternatives.
Sure! And there’s no need to thaw them first. You’ll just need to simmer frozen berries for another minute or two before they start to burst and get nice and juicy.
🫐 More berry-infused simple syrups
Make DIY simple syrup in every juicy berry flavor!
- Raspberry Simple Syrup
- Blueberry Simple Syrup
- Strawberry Simple Syrup
- Mango-Infused Simple Syrup
- Apple Simple Syrup
Blackberry Simple Syrup
Equipment
- 1 Small Saucepan
- 1 fine mesh sieve
- 1 glass jar or bottle for storage
Ingredients
- ½ cup water filtered or distilled
- 1 cup blackberries fresh or frozen
- 1 cup sugar
Instructions
- Combine water, blackberries, and sugar in a small saucepan and heat over medium-high heat until water begins to boil (about 5 minutes).
- Then, reduce the heat to a simmer and cook until the sugar dissolves, and the blackberries begin to break down and become liquid (about 5 more minutes).
- Once the mixture thickens, strain it through a fine mesh sieve to remove the pulp and reserve the blackberry juice. To extract even more juice and flavor from the blackberry pulp, use a cocktail muddler to muddle the pulp and then strain once again. Combine extra juice with the syrup.
- After cooling, pour the blackberry syrup into a glass storage jar or bottle and keep it in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. To freeze, pour the simple syrup into ice cube trays and freeze, then store the frozen cubes in a freezer-friendly bag for up to 6 months.
