Homemade Blueberry Syrup (with Honey)
This homemade blueberry syrup with honey is the perfect way to enjoy a sweet treat—drizzled over pancakes, swirled into yogurt, or spooned over ice cream. Best of all, it’s simple to make with just a few wholesome ingredients. This simple recipe lets you enjoy a naturally sweet syrup without relying on large amounts of regular refined sugar.
I love using my fresh honey in recipes that often call for a lot of granulated sugar. Let’s be real, honey does have calories too but I feel that it is a healthier sweetener than some other options.
Why Make Blueberry Syrup with Honey?
Why do I go to the bother (and yes-it is a bit of bother)? There are several reasons that I choose to make my homemade syrup.
Living in upstate South Carolina, I have maintained a few blueberry bushes for years. Well before I became a beekeeper, my bushes made a small harvest each season.
Once I become a beekeeper, the bee pollination services of thousands of honey bees contributed greatly to the crop yield. Now, I have enough berries to eat, freeze and some to share.
By using excess berries from my bushes and excess honey from the hives – I am enjoying the best of both worlds. No waste – no preservatives. When you make your own – you know what is in the jar.
Ingredients Needed
It’s time to gather some main ingredients. Thankfully, you don’t need anything fancy and may have everything on hand already.
- blueberries
- lemon juice and peel
- honey
- water
Blueberries
I have used both frozen and fresh blueberries in this syrup recipe. Of course, fresh are somewhat easier to work – they only need to be rinsed and drained of water.
For long-term storage, I rinse fresh blueberries and seal them in bags using my food saver. They freeze well and last for months.
Before making my honey blueberry syrup with frozen berries, I remove them from the freezer and let them thaw. Drain out any excess moisture from the fruit before making your syrup.
Honey
Most folks have no idea how many different types of honey is available. Don’t fret, you do not need anything special for this recipe.
Your favorite brand of regular or raw honey is perfect. Regular wildflower honey is a general variety that is made from many different nectar sources.
Of course, you can use a monofloral variety such as Clover honey but there is no need to buy something special. Also, flavored honeys may change the taste a bit and possibly overpower your blueberries.
Fresh Lemon
You will need one plump juicy lemon. Avoid any that are too soft or feel dried out. You can use lemon juice (bottled) and omit the zest part of the recipe but I feel that it really adds something to the flavor.
Step by Step Process
1. Start by adding your clean, dry blueberries (about 6 cups) to a large saucepan along with 3/4 cup of water. Using low heat, warm the mixture until you see bubbles start to form. Now, use a potato masher to burst the cooking fruit.
You could use an immersion blender for this step but I prefer not to. Rather, use a potato masher or similar (large slotted spoon) to gently break open the berries.
Don not puree the berries – rather just release the fruit juices. Don’t get wild with this – blueberry syrup splashes make a big mess. Simmer the berries for several minutes – I usually aim for about 20 minutes.
2. Remove the mixture from heat. Using a colander or strainer to separate the berry juice from blueberry skins. We don’t need the skins or any solids – discard them. Return the strained berry juice to the large saucepan.
3. Zest and juice your fresh lemon and cut the peel into strips. Place the lemon juice (except for 2 tablespoons – held back) in the berry juice and add back to the heat.
4. Bring the mixture to a gentle boil until the ingredients reach 225°F on a candy thermometer. If you do not have a thermometer, you can “wing it” and try to guestimate the proper thickness. But, a thermometer makes it much easier.
The juice begins to thicken at this stage. Cook another minute or two then remove from heat. Allow the blueberry syrup to cool for a few minutes – then pour into jars while it is still warm.
Storage
Homemade honey blueberry syrup will last for several weeks in the refrigerator or freezer. If you want to make a larger batch, consider canning your recipe. That is what I usually do.
These sealed jars of homemade blueberry syrup with honey will last much longer. Just be sure to use an airtight container. If you use tiny jars – these make wonderful homemade gifts.
How to Use
Now you have a nutritious topping to pour over pound cake, angel food cake, French toast or even vanilla ice cream. It also serves as a wonderful flavoring for homemade oatmeal, pancakes and waffles.
Try it as a drizzle topping on cheesecake – make your own homemade honey cheesecake!
You can also use the blueberry syrup in various glazes for meats such as grilled chicken or pork.
More Ideas
Don’t throw any extra blueberries away. You may have enough to make some honey blueberry muffins for breakfast.!
Another yummy homemade spread is homemade cinnamon honey butter – it is delicious and a family favorite around the holidays.
If the idea of saving food appeals to you, make your own homemade apple butter in the crockpot. It is a great way to use up apples that are becoming overripe.
Whether you are making a special spread, whipping up some chocolate honey turtle candy or even some homemade honey lemonade – you can find many ways to use honey in your dishes.
And for those hot days of Summer – what about Greek yogurt honey popsicles? Yes, please.
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Homemade Blueberry Syrup with Honey Recipe
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Read my disclosure.Ingredients
- 6 cups blueberries fresh or frozen
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- 3/4 cup water
- 3/4 cup honey
Instructions
- Add blueberries and water to a medium size sauce pan over low heat. Once the contents are warm and start to bubble, gently mash the berries with a slotted spoon or potato masher.
- While the berries are simmering, zest your lemon. Using a vegetable peeler and peel 6 ¾” strips of lemon peel, then juice the remaining lemon.
- Remove the blueberry mixture from heat and let strain through a sieve into a heatproof bowl. Using a large spoon to gently mash any remaining fruit skins and solids. Throw out the solids.
- Pour the berry juice back into the saucepan. Add your honey, lemon zest and all of the lemon juice except for 2 tablespoons to the blue berry juice.
- Bring contents to a boil of medium heat until the mixture reaches 225 ° F on your candy thermometer or you see it noticeable thicken. Stir constantly or lightly whisk to prevent burning (takes 8-12 minutes) .
- Add the 2 tablespoons of lemon juice (that you reserved earlier) to the berry mixture and cook an additional minute.
- Remove the mixture from heat source, throw away the zest pieces and let the mixture cool.
- While still warm but not hot, pour your blueberry syrup with honey into clean jars. Cover and refrigerated for up to 2 weeks.