How to Make Fresh Fruit Syrup at Home

This is a collaborative post.

Warmer weather calls for cold drinks! Think, fresh lemonade or tea over blocks of ice. Now, all you need to make your summer sips even more indulgent is fruit syrup to add a touch of sweetness while also adding a fruity twist. Did you know you can make a lot of them at home very easily? Just remember grandma’s fruit syrups and cordials – it’s actually pretty easy to make, we have just forgotten to bother because they are all available in the supermarkets. But if you grow fruit in your garden or get a nice, large amount at the market before they close for the day cheaply? Or even pick some yourself? Then you’ll all set up to make your own. And it’s not just fruits, you can even make magnolia syrup or elderflower syrup. The options are almost endless.

Below are four fresh fruit syrup recipes you can make at home for a fraction of the cost of buying store-bought syrups, all without the food coloring, preservatives and sometimes even chemicals.

Strawberry Syrup

Ingredients:

• 1 pint of strawberries
• ⅓ cup of sugar

Instructions:

1. Hull the strawberries and place them in a medium saucepan with the sugar. Shimmer over medium heat for five minutes. While the strawberries simmer and soften, mash and stir the mixture.
2. Remove from the heat. Pulse the mixture with an immersion blender or standard Blendtec blender until smooth. Store in the refrigerator for one week.

Peach Syrup

Ingredients:

• 2-3 ripe peaches
• 1 cup of sugar
• 1 cup of water

Instructions:

1. Peel and chop the peaches.
2. Add the sugar and water to a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Let the mixture boil for five minutes before removing from the heat.
3. Add the chopped peaches to the saucepan. Smash them with a spoon or fork as best as you can. Cover the saucepan with a lid, and allow it to sit for 30 minutes.
4. Strain the mixture in a metal strainer over a bowl. Store the syrup for up to a week in the refrigerator.

Blueberry Syrup

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of blueberries (fresh or frozen)
• 1 cup of water
• 1 cup of sugar
• 1 teaspoon of lemon juice (optional)
• Splash of vanilla extract (optional)

Instructions:

1. Add the blueberries, water, and sugar into a small saucepan. Bring to a boil on medium heat.
2. Once the mixture boils, reduce the heat and let it simmer for about 7 to 15 minutes. When it’s ready, the blueberries should be soft, and the liquid should be a dark purple.
3. Allow the mixture to cool until it reaches room temperature.
4. Add the mixture to a strainer over a bowl, and use a spatula to press as much juice out of the berries as you can. Ensure all liquid ends up in the bowl, leaving you with just the berry bits in the strainer.
5. Place the syrup in an airtight container. It can be stored in the fridge for one to two weeks.

Mango Syrup

Ingredients:

• 16oz worth of mango pits and peels (from about 4 to 8 mangoes)
• 1 cup of sugar
• Rind from 1 lemon

Instructions:

1. Toss mango rinds, peels, and sugar in a bowl. Cover tightly, and let it sit out at room temperature. Stir every 45 minutes until the sugar completely dissolves (should be finished in about 4 hours). OR let the bowl sit out for 8 to 12 hours.
2. Add the contents to a stainless steel strainer, placed over a bowl. Apply pressure with a spatula to extract as much syrup as possible. Store the syrup in a closed jar or other container. Enjoy for up to two weeks!

Just when you thought your summer beverages couldn’t get any better, you come across recipes for fresh fruit syrup you can make at home. From strawberry syrup to mango syrup, there are many homemade syrup options to consider. Add them to  iced tea, iced coffee, cocktails, desserts, fizzy drinks, or even just as cordial to water for extra flavor.