Homemade blackberry simple syrup is made with just three ingredients and takes just 10 minutes to prepare. This sweet syrup has a delicious blackberry flavour and is perfect for sweetening your summer cocktails, sparkling beverages, and lemonade, or it can be drizzled on ice cream and desserts.
This syrup can be made with fresh or frozen blackberries and kept in the refrigerator for about two weeks.
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What is Blackberry Simple Syrup?
Blackberry simple syrup is a delicious syrup made by heating water, sugar, and blackberries until the sugar is dissolved and the blackberries have softened.
It uses the same basic formula as a regular simple syrup in a ratio of equal parts water and sugar, but it has the addition of plump, juicy blackberries, which gives it a deep purple colour and delicious berry flavour.
Blackberry simple syrup can sweeten cocktails, such as a refreshing Blackberry Bourbon Smash, mocktails or it can be drizzled on ice cream, desserts, pancakes and waffles.
This sweet, delicious syrup takes just 10 minutes to prepare, plus cooling time, and a bottle will keep in the refrigerator for about two weeks.
The syrup can be made using fresh or frozen blackberries, so you can make it any time of year, even if berries are not in season.
Pour it into a pretty bottle to make it a great hostess gift or addition to a cocktail-themed gift basket.
Ingredients
For a full list of ingredients and measurements, see the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.
There are only three ingredients you need to make this delicious syrup.
- Water
- Granulated sugar
- Blackberries
This syrup uses regular, granulated sugar. The sugar adds sweetness, thickens the syrup, and helps preserve it so you can store it in the refrigerator longer.
You can use fresh or frozen blackberries for this recipe. This means that even if blackberries aren’t in season, you can make it at any time of year.
If your blackberries are super sweet and you prefer a bit of tartness, add a few teaspoons of lemon juice to help balance the flavour.
Step by Step Instructions
Blackberry simple syrup can be made with just a few simple steps.
One – Place the sugar, water, and blackberries in a medium-sized pot.
Two – Stir and mash the berries with a spoon while heating the mixture over medium heat until the sugar is fully dissolved and the blackberries are softened.
Then remove the pot from the heat. Allow the syrup to cool while remaining in the pot.
Pro-Tip: The longer you simmer the syrup, the thicker and more concentrated and thicker it will become. For cocktails, it isn’t necessary to simmer it any longer than it takes to dissolve the sugar, but if you want to use it on desserts or waffles, you may want to allow it to reduce a bit more.
Three – Strain the syrup through a fine mesh strainer. Press the berries to release the remaining juice.
Four – Pour the strained blackberry syrup into a mason jar or bottle and store it in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.
How to Use Blackberry Simple Syrup
Cocktails – Blackberry simple syrup is delicious in cocktails. It can be used instead of regular simple syrup in any drink with blackberries. It is perfect for cocktails like blackberry mojitos, daiquiris, or martinis.
Sparkling beverages – A tablespoon of blackberry simple syrup adds flavour and colour to drinks such as club soda, 7-up, and ginger ale. It can also be used to add flavour to lemonade and iced tea. It makes a fun beverage for kids and adults alike.
Dessert topping – Blackberry syrup is delicious as a dessert topping. Use it on top of ice cream or to add moisture and flavour to cakes. It can also be used in milkshakes and smoothies or add flavour to your breakfast by drizzling over pancakes and waffles.
Storage
Prepared syrup can be stored in an airtight jar or bottle in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.
Flip-top bottles are a great choice as they are airtight, don’t take up much room, and are easy to pour from.
Top Tips & FAQS
- The longer you simmer the syrup, the thicker it will become. For cocktails and drinks, you can remove it from the heat as soon as the sugar is dissolved. For drizzling on dessert, ice cream, or waffles, you may want to allow it to reduce a bit more.
- Allowing the syrup to cool in the pot before straining the blackberries will extract more flavour.
- If your blackberries are super sweet, and you want to add a bit of tartness, add a few teaspoons of fresh lemon juice to the syrup.
Blackberry simple syrup should keep for about two weeks in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Because you are heating and mashing the berries, it is perfectly fine to use frozen or fresh blackberries to make simple syrup.
More Recipes to Try
Printable Recipe
Blackberry Simple Syrup
Ingredients
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup blackberries fresh or frozen
- 1-2 tsp lemon juice optional
Instructions
- Place the sugar, water, and blackberries into a medium-sized pot. If your berries are super sweet and you prefer a bit of tartness, you can also add a few teaspoons of lemon juice.
- While heating over medium heat, stir the syrup and gently mash the berries, until the sugar is dissolved and the berries have softened and released their juice.
- Remove the pot from the heat and allow the syrup to cool.
- Once cool, pour the syrup through a fine mesh strainer (be sure you have a bowl underneath), and press the berries to release any remaining juice.
- Pour the strained syrup into jars or bottles and store in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered estimates. Actual nutritional content will vary with brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes and more.