Blackberry syrup full is bursting with the taste of summer blackberries warm from the sun. It only takes 30 minutes to whip up a batch to enjoy on pancakes, yogurt or ice cream! You can preserve this syrup in the freezer for winter or can it for homemade gifts.
I grew up in the Pacific Northwest where blackberries grew wild EVERYWHERE and August was full of all things blackberry. Now that I don’t live in blackberry territory I don’t take pounds and pounds of free berries for granted! Instead I hoard whatever berries I can get my hands on and make some of this blackberry syrup to stock pile for winter!
How to Make Seedless Blackberry Syrup
Our family loves all fruit syrups but blackberry syrup is the one I make most often!
A good berry syrup should have a balanced sweet/ tart taste, and the authentic flavor of the berry it is made from. This blackberry syrup is a strong, deep-flavored syrup that dances on the tongue with the memory of August days. It produces a subtly sweet syrup which highlights the powerful, fresh taste of blackberries.
- Berries: You can start with fresh or frozen berries. If I happen to have a lot of berries in the summer and only a little time I freeze them and then make syrup later in the fall.
- Cook the berries with sugar and lemon juice for a few minutes to reduce the fruit and break it down.
- Press the mixture through a sieve to remove the seeds.
- Refrigerate, freeze or can your syrup!
This is an easy project – you can even let the kids pitch in and learn where delicious fruit syrup comes from!
How to Thicken Blackberry Syrup
Some recipes call for thickeners such as corn starch to make blackberry syrup. I prefer to thicken blackberry syrup with a few minutes of cooking. This concentrates the blackberry flavor instead of diluting it with a thickener. It also has the advantage of preserving the true, rich berry flavor we all love in a good blackberry syrup! I find that simmering this modest sized batch of syrup for 30 minutes is enough to reduce it to a nice thick syrup.
What to Use Blackberry Syrup For
Homemade blackberry syrup is a special treat! Sure it is great on warm buttermilk pancakes in the dead of winter but there are lots of other places it shines! Drinks, desserts and even yogurt all love getting paired with this heady summer blackberry syrup.
- Drizzle on plain yogurt (one my my preschooler’s favorite treats!)
- Slathered on waffles with whipped cream
- Serve over ice cream
- Use to flavor a homemade milkshake
- On buttermilk pancakes
- Shake into cocktails
- Stir into lemonade or ice tea
- Use a teaspoon to jazz up club soda
- Pour it over an easy no bake cheesecake
- Brighten up a salad dressing
- Serve it over a pound cake with whipping cream
- Glaze a ham or even chicken
WHY I remove the seeds from Blackberry Syrup
Yes, it takes several extra minutes and you get “less” but what you get is velvety smooth and so yummy!
I believe the few extra minutes are worth the effort for a true seedless syrup.
How Long Will Blackberry Syrup Keep?
This syrup can be refrigerated for up to two weeks or frozen for up to six months. Sugar acts as a preservative and helps prevent mold.
Water Bath Canning Blackberry Syrup
You can also preserve blackberry syrup using the water bath canning method so that your syrup is shelf stable for up to two years. To learn more about water bath canning please check out my Water Bath Canning for Beginners Guide.
Blackberry Syrup Makes Great Gifts
I love to give blackberry syrup as a hostess or Christmas gift. I try to make extra in the summer for gifts later in the year. We often go to big family gatherings over the holidays and it is nice to have a cost effective gift that is elegant and delicious to hand out!
More Blackberry Recipes to Love
Seedless Blackberry Syrup
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 lbs blackberries about 7 cups of fresh berries
- 2 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
Instructions
How to Make Blackberry Syrup
- Place all the ingredients in a heavy-bottomed pot. Bring to a boil on medium-high, stirring occasionally with a flat wooden spatula.
- Stir, scraping the bottom of the pot every 10 minutes.
- Simmer for 30 minutes.
- Place a large fine mesh sieve on a bowl with tall sides. Pour the fruit mixture into the sieve and let it drain for a few minutes. Use the back of a spoon to press the syrup through the sieve, leaving the seeds behind.
- Press for a few minutes until the mixture is mostly seeds. Use a rubber spatula to scrape anything off of the underside of the sieve back into the syrup.
- Discard the pulp from the sieve and store the blackberry syrup.
- The syrup can be stored in a jar in the refrigerator for up to two weeks, in the freezer for up to six months or canned with the water bath canning method so that it is shelf stable for two years.
How To Can Blackberry Syrup in a Water Bath Canner
- Fill the water bath canner 2/3 full with water and bring it to a boil while you prepare the syrup.
- After removing the seeds, return syrup to a sauce pan on the stove and bring it to a boil over medium-high heat.
- Remove from heat and fill 1/2 pint jars (8oz) with syrup leaving 1/2" headspace.
- Wipe the rim of each jar with a damp cloth to make sure it is clean. Screw on lid and band until finger tight.
- Process in the water bath canner for 10 minutes if you live at sea level and up to 1,000 feet. If you live above 1,000 feet check the information in the notes below for processing times.
- After processing remove jars to a clean towel and allow to cool. Make sure the jars sealed correctly. Store in a cool, dark place for up to two years. (Any jars that did not seal need to be reprocessed or stored in the refrigerator.
Notes
- At 1,001 to 3,000 feet above sea level, increase processing time by 5 minutes.
- At 3,001 to 6,000 feet above sea level, increase processing time by 10 minutes.
- At 6,001 to 8,000 feet above sea level, increase processing time by 15 minutes.
- At 8,001 to 10,000 feet above sea level, increase processing time by 20 minutes.
Nutrition
I read each and every comment and I try to respond to questions asap, so ask away! If you’ve made a recipe, I would love to hear about it! Please come back and share your experience and give the recipe a 5-star rating so other people will know how much you loved it!
JOANNE
What is the shelf life ? Can it be put in jars and given as gifts ?
Mirlandra
I would keep it in the fridge for two weeks of freeze it for up to six months. You certainly could can it and put in in jars to gift. If you want to do that I suggest using these processing instructions from Ball. https://www.freshpreserving.com/black-berry-syrup—ball-recipes-br3546.html Good luck!
Kate
Great flavor, any suggestions for how to thin out the syrup? I cooked it for 30 minutes, bubut is is very thick, jelly like.l
Mirlandra
Hi Kate – Great question! First a heads up that you probably already know: when syrup is cold it is thicker than when it is warm. So if you serve it warm it will be thinner. Otherwise I just thin mine out with a little bit of water. I would try whisking in a Tablespoon or so of water at a time until you have the thickness you want. I hope that helps – enjoy!
Lisa Con
I made two batches of Blackberry syrup turn out great !
Next i tried using Marionberry, followed your Blackberry
syrup recipe , turned out unbelievable good !!
Went to make another batch the next day and checked on
it a couple of days ago IT TURN TO JELLY.
What happen, Measured everything the same.
Mirlandra
Hey Lisa – This is a great question! I think what may have happened is that the syrup when warm was the consistency you expected. But it is always thicker cool! So probably after it cooled down the texture changed and you got something a bit different than expected. You can add a bit of water to the cold syrup, whisk it in and you will have the consistency you want again! Next time you make this try putting a few spoons in the freezer. When you are simmering the syrup you can dip a frozen metal spoon into the syrup and run your finger down the front of the spoon. This will show you how thick the cooled syrup will be! It is my go to trick for checking how thick the syrup will turn out. (Same trick for jam making!) I hope that helps and I’m glad you are loving the syrup!!! Marionberry is a treat for sure!!!