Instant Pot elderberry syrup is so easy to make! Learn how to make homemade elderberry syrup in the pressure cooker with this recipe.
Health Benefits of Elderberry
Elderberries have been used for many years to strengthen the immune system and naturally fight off colds and flu. As this article points out:
There are recipes for elderberry-based medications in the records dating as far back as Ancient Egypt. Historians, however, generally trace the tradition of the elderberry’s healing power back to Hippocrates, the ancient Greek known as the “father of medicine,” who described this plant as his “medicine chest” for the wide variety of ailments it seemed to cure.
There are so many possible health benefits of elderberries, including these noted by Dr. Axe:
Health benefits of the elder plant include naturally improving colds, the flu, sinus issues, nerve pain, inflammation, chronic fatigue, allergies, constipation and even cancer. When used within the first 48 hours of onset of symptoms, the extract has actually been found to reduce the duration of the flu with symptoms being relieved on an average of four days earlier. During the 1995 Panama flu epidemic, the government actually employed the use of the elderberry to fight the flu.
All of these are compelling reasons to keep elderberries and elderberry syrup on-hand in your natural medicine cabinet!
Related Post: Stocking Your Natural Medicine Cabinet
We have two elderberry bushes in our backyard, so I sometimes harvest our own, if I can get to them before the birds do!
More often than not, however, I just buy a bag of dried elderberries because it’s so much simpler.
Supplies Needed to Make Instant Pot Elderberry Syrup
The supplies and ingredients needed to make Instant Pot elderberry syrup are pretty simple. You’ll just need a few items, listed below.
This post contains affiliate links, which means I may make a small commission at no cost to you. Read my full disclosure here.
- 4 cups water
- 1 cup of these dried elderberries or these elderberries
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 1″ piece of ginger root
- 1 cup honey
- Instant Pot
How to Make Instant Pot Elderberry Syrup
If you’ve ever wondered how to make elderberry syrup, you’ll soon see how simple it is!
Don’t want to make it? You can find pre-made elderberry syrup here.
I’ve made it on both the stovetop and in the Instant Pot, and both ways are easy.
RELATED: How to Make Elderberry Syrup
Here’s how to make it.
Add the first four ingredients to the Instant Pot (don’t add the honey).
Place the lid on the Instant Pot and lock it. Set the vent to sealing.
Press the manual button and set time for 15 minutes.
When cooking time is up, use a natural release.
Strain the elderberry juice with a fine mesh strainer. Press elderberries with the back of a spoon to remove more juice from the berries.
Allow to cool completely (or at least for 15-20 minutes).
Add the honey and mix well to combine.
Store in the refrigerator for 2 weeks. You can also freeze the elderberry syrup in ice cube trays for longer storage.
Note: This recipe does create more of a juice than a syrup. If you want it to be more of a syrup, you can add extra cooking time. You can strain the cooked elderberry juice (after releasing the pressure) and then return it to the instant pot and simmer for 15+ minutes with the lid off until the liquid is reduced by half. Then cool the elderberry juice and add the honey. This will give you more of a thicker syrup consistency.
Instant Pot Elderberry Syrup
Instant Pot Elderberry Syrup
Ingredients
- 4 cups water
- 1 cup dried elderberries
- 2 whole cinnamon sticks
- 1 inch piece ginger root
- 1 cup raw honey
Instructions
- Add the first four ingredients to the Instant Pot (don't add the honey).
- Place the lid on the Instant Pot and lock it. Set the vent to sealing.
- Press the manual button and set time for 15 minutes.
- When cooking time is up, use a natural release.
- Strain the elderberry juice with a fine mesh strainer. Press elderberries with the back of a spoon to remove more juice from the berries.
- Allow to cool completely (or at least for 15-20 minutes).
- Add the honey and mix well to combine.
- Pour completed elderberry syrup in jars and label the jars. Store in the refrigerator for 2 weeks. You can also freeze in ice cube trays for longer storage.
Notes
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Turn Your Elderberry Syrup Into Gummies
With just a few simple steps, you can take your homemade elderberry syrup and turn it into gummies! Kids love eating elderberry gummies, and they’re so easy to make! Click here to learn how to make them!
How to Make Elderberry Syrup on the Stovetop
In case you don’t have an Instant Pot, here are the simple instructions for making it on the stovetop.
- Combine all the ingredients except for the honey in a pan on the stovetop and bring to a boil.
- Turn down the heat and let simmer on the stovetop for 30 minutes.
- Strain the elderberry juice with a fine mesh strainer.
- Allow to cool completely.
- Add the honey and stir well to combine.
- Pour into jars.
I hope you enjoyed learning how to make Instant Pot elderberry syrup!
Thanks so much for stopping by!
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Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. Read my full disclosure here. Sharing here.
The recipe calls for 1 cup dried or 1/2 cup fresh elderberries. Wouldn’t 1 cup dried equal more than 1/2 cup fresh berries after being reconstituted during cooking? Thanks. I want to make both the juice and gummies.
Yes, you’re right. Sorry about that. After doing some research in one of my herb books, it looks like I would try 4 cups fresh elderberries and 1/4 cup water. The berries will have juice, so you won’t need as much water as with the dried elderberries.
Instant Pot Elderberry Syrup! That’s such a great idea! Thanks for putting this together and for sharing with us on the Homestead Blog Hop.
Thank you, Kelly!
Someone told me not to make elderberry syrup in an instant pot or stovetop with lid on because you need to let the toxins (I think it’s cyanide) that are found in the seeds steam off. I didn’t believe him but I decided to google it. Found an article that explained why. Maybe they are wrong but I changed my method of cooking and I just wanted to let you all know.
Thank you, Sheila! For anyone preferring to make it on the stovetop, here’s how to do that: https://www.artfulhomemaking.com/how-to-make-elderberry-syrup/
I didn’t read the entire recipe before dumping the ingredients in my instant pot and added the honey too early. It still worked and didn’t burn! Thank you for the free recipe.
Hi Amanda! I can’t tell you how many times I’ve done that with recipes! 🙂 So glad it still turned out!
I’ve made this recipe and it tastes great, but I’ve found that it’s watery more like a juice, rather than a syrup. Is there something I may have done wrong? Thank you!
Hi Amy! You didn’t do anything wrong. This recipe does create more of a juice than a syrup. If you want it to be more of a syrup, you can add extra cooking time. You can strain the cooked elderberry juice (after releasing the pressure) and then return it to the instant pot and simmer for 15+ minutes with the lid off until the liquid is reduced by half. Then cool the elderberry juice and add the honey. This will give you more of a thicker syrup consistency. Hope that helps!
Can I make this recipe without the ginger root?
Yes, feel free to leave it out!
I need to go to out and buy mason jars as I do not own any yet, however I’m not sure how many oz or cups this recipe will make and was wondering if you could help me out with that lol. Thank you in advance!
Hi Amanda! I usually use two quart jars because that’s what I have on-hand. But the recipe doesn’t quite fill them both up. Each quart jar holds 4 cups (32 oz), so about 8 cups total (even though the recipe makes a little less than that. Next time I make a batch I’ll try to remember to measure exactly how much it makes so I can add that to the recipe. Hope that helps!
I have wanted to make this forever! Do you have directions for how to make it on the stove or crockpot? I do not have an InstaPot :(. Thanks so much for this!!!
Thanks for linking up @LiveLifeWell!
Blessings,
Amy
I keep thinking I should add the directions for stovetop for those without an Instant Pot. I’ll try to get them added soon!
Awesome and looks super easy! Thanks for sharing on Homestead Blog Hop! 🙂
Thanks, Liz!
I love elderberries! I don’t have any growing on my homestead…thinking that needs to change. 🙂
Saw your post on the Simple Homestead hop!
We’ve found them very easy to grow!
Lovely recipe. How many fresh berries should I use instead of dries?
Thank you, Bobbi! I haven’t tried it with fresh berries yet, but I may this coming summer when our trees are producing again. For this recipe, I would try 4 cups fresh elderberries and 1/4 cup water. The berries will have juice, so you won’t need as much water as with the dried elderberries.