This Blueberry Simple Syrup is packed with fresh blueberry flavor and it has a beautiful purple color. The recipe calls for just 3 ingredients and takes less than 30 minutes to make! It's delicious in cocktails, mocktails, tea, lemonades, lattes, or even drizzled over ice cream! It's made with real blueberries, pure cane sugar, and no food coloring.
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Why You'll Love This Blueberry Syrup
Delicious flavor - Nothing beats the flavor of real fruit and this syrup is packed with real sweet blueberry flavor that shines in any drink! You can make it with fresh blueberries in the summer when they taste the best or with frozen blueberries any other time of the year!
Easy and freezer-friendly - All you need are 3 ingredients and 30 minutes! The syrup cooks for about 15 minutes and cools for another 15. It's very hands-free, fail-proof, and so simple! You can also freeze it to keep it fresh for longer. Because of the high sugar content, it never freezes completely, so it's ready to use straight from the freezer!
Versatile - It's delicious in cocktails, mocktails, iced teas, lemonades, or lattes! You can even drizzle it over pancakes, waffles, or ice cream. Trust me, it's so good you'll want to make a double batch! It's perfect for summer BBQs, and homemade syrup also makes a great hostess gift!
Better than store-bought - Store-bought syrups are usually made with flavors instead of real fruits and have added food coloring. This syrup is made with real blueberries, pure cane sugar, and a touch of vanilla. You know exactly what's in it and it packs so much more real blueberry flavor than any store-bought version!
Ingredients
- Blueberries - You can use either fresh or frozen berries. I like using frozen wild blueberries because I always have them on hand and find they give the syrup more flavor and a much darker color than regular blueberries do.
- Cane sugar - Cane sugar is a great option for flavored syrups because it has a very neutral flavor, so it won't overpower the blueberries. I prefer it over white sugar because it's less processed, but either works.
- Water - Simple syrup is always made with sugar and water in a 1:1 ratio. Use filtered water whenever possible.
- Vanilla extract - This is optional. It isn't very noticeable, but it balances the flavors really well and adds a small amount of flavor I really like. You can use vanilla extract, vanilla bean paste, or vanilla powder. Vanilla powder is much more concentrated, so you only need a tiny bit.
Variations and Substitutions
- Different berries - You can follow the directions and amounts of this recipe for practically any flavor variation. You can swap the blueberries for raspberries, strawberries, blackberries, cherries, cranberries, or other fruits! See all my Simple Syrup Recipes to get inspired for other variations!
- Different sugar - You can use maple syrup, brown sugar, coconut nectar, agave, or even honey instead of cane sugar. You can also use a granulated sugar-free substitute that can be used in a 1:1 ratio with regular sugar if you prefer. Keep in mind that this will change the flavor, and the syrup won't last as long.
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Add blueberries, cane sugar, and water to a medium saucepan and bring it to a boil.
- Stir the mixture constantly as it warms up until the sugar melts to prevent it from sticking to the bottom.
- Lower the heat and simmer for 15 minutes.
- Take the mixture off the heat, stir in vanilla extract, and allow it to cool for 10-15 minutes.
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- Strain the syrup through a fine mesh strainer into a large measuring cup or a bowl. Use the back of a spoon to press down on them to get as much juice out as possible.
- Pour the syrup into a glass jar and store it in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. Wait until the syrup is completely cool before closing the jar.
Tips & Tricks!
- Strained blueberries - You can reserve the strained blueberries to use on oatmeal, pancakes, toast, or ice cream as you would use jam. They're very sweet after cooking with sugar, so they'll taste just like jam!
- Add other berries for a different flavor - I highly recommend trying this syrup with a mix of summer berries if you want to try something new and slightly different. You can use premade frozen mixed berries or mix whatever you have. Strawberries, raspberries, and blueberries are always a delicious combination!
- Shelf-stable syrups - I recommend only storing this syrup in the fridge. If you want your simple syrup to be shelf-stable, the water and sugar have to have a 1:1 ratio by weight, not by volume. This is usually only relevant for syrups without any fresh fruit or herbs, though. I use volume measurements for my syrups to keep the prep simpler for you.
How to Use the Syrup
- Cocktails: This syrup works great in vodka, tequila, white rum, or gin-based cocktails. I highly recommend giving this Blueberry Margarita a try!
- Mocktails - This syrup is delicious in various mocktails, either on its own or in combination with other syrups or fresh herbs like mint, rosemary, thyme, or basil. Try it in my Blueberry Mocktail! It also has Mint Syrup that goes really well with the blueberries.
- Lemonades and sodas - You can use this syrup to sweeten mocktails or any non-alcoholic drinks like iced tea, lemonade, club soda, or plain sparkling water. Try it in this Iced Raspberry Passion Tea Lemonade instead of the raspberry syrup or in this beautiful Butterfly Pea Flower Lemonade. My favorite way to enjoy the syrup is to just mix it with sparkling water and a squeeze of lemon juice.
- Lattes: I haven't tried the syrup in coffee, but I love it in matcha! Try it in this Iced Blueberry Matcha Latte, it's one of my favorites! You can also use it in Blue Butterfly Pea Flower Latte!
- For drizzling: You can drizzle this syrup over pancakes, French toast, waffles, desserts, or vanilla ice cream as you would other flavored syrups. Try it on these Banana Blueberry Waffles or these Lemon Blueberry Pancakes!
Storing
Refrigerator: You can store the syrup in a glass jar or an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. Always use a clean spoon and discard it if it develops an off smell, color, or texture. The syrup may separate slightly as it sits in the fridge; this is normal. Just stir or shake up the syrup before using each time.
Freezer: Freezing the syrup is a great way to keep it fresh for longer. Store it in a freezer-safe container in the freezer for 3-4 months or longer when stored properly. I don't recommend using an ice cube tray to freeze the syrup because it will be too mushy to get out of the tray.
Defrosting: Because of the high sugar content, simple syrups never freeze fully. This is great because you can scoop the thick syrup straight from the freezer if you need to! You can also defrost it in the fridge for an hour or so to make it liquid again.
FAQs
Yes, just use a sweetener you can use in a 1:1 ratio instead of regular sugar. Remember that the syrup's flavor will change based on what sweetener you use, and it may not last as long. Sugar acts as a preservative here, so leaving it out will significantly cut down how long it stays fresh.
I recommend always storing the syrup in the fridge because of the blueberries. Plain simple syrup has to have a 1:1 ratio of water and sugar by weight to be shelf-stable. This recipe is measured by volume and the blueberries make it more perishable as well.
Other Berry Syrup Recipes
There are endless flavor combinations of simple syrups you can make at home, but here are four of my favorites made with berries! Head over to the Flavored Syrups category to see all the latest ones.
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Print📖 Recipe
Blueberry Simple Syrup
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 15 mins
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 1 ⅔ cup 1x
- Category: Syrup
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegan
Description
This Blueberry Simple Syrup is the perfect summer syrup for cocktails, mocktails, lattes, or drizzled over pancakes, waffles, or ice cream. It's super easy to make and so delicious!
Ingredients
- 1 cups wild blueberries (fresh or frozen, or sub 2 cups regular blueberries)
- 1 cup cane sugar (or maple syrup)
- 1 cup water
- 1 tsp vanilla extract (optional)
Instructions
- Add blueberries, cane sugar, and water to a medium saucepan and bring it to a boil. Stir constantly until the sugar is dissolved to prevent it from sticking to the bottom.
- Lower the heat and simmer for 15 minutes.
- Take the mixture off the heat, stir in vanilla extract, and allow it to cool for 10-15 minutes.
- Strain the syrup through a fine mesh strainer into a large measuring cup or a bowl. Use the back of a spoon to press down on them to get as much juice out as possible.
- Pour it into a glass jar and store in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. Wait until the syrup is completely cool before closing the jar.
Notes
Storing: Store the syrup in a glass jar or an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks or in the freezer in a freezer-safe container for 3-4 months. The syrup never freezes fully due to the sugar content so it's easy to use straight from the freezer.
Leftover blueberries: You can reserve the blueberries to use on oatmeal, pancakes, toast, or ice cream as you would jam. Store them in the fridge for up to a week.
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Holly says
Used the syrup in a matcha latte and it was so good! We also loved the strawberry syrup for matcha.