Homemade elderflower syrup or cordial is simply a must for that sweet and fragrant taste of early summer! Really easy to make and oh so refreshing. Make sure not to miss a chance of making your own as elderflower season is only fleeting.
It was only a matter of time before the recipe for elderflower cordial appeared on my blog. And even though there are hundreds of similar recipes online already, I've wanted to add this one to my personal catalogue for a while now.
I'm not trying to reinvent the wheel here. In fact, my recipe is based on the one by queen of preserves - River Cottage Pam Corbin from her book Preserves.
I follow Pam's quantities, however use slightly different method in terms of preparation which I prefer.
I would wholeheartedly encourage you to give this simple elderflower syrup a go, even if you've never preserved a thing before.
Personally, I find cordials or syrups very simple to make even if you lack any previous experience. And I can assure you that once you start there will be no going back.
You will find yourself collecting the sweetly fragranced flowers every year for years to come, mark my words! You will be hooked!
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✔️ Why you'll love this recipe
- Super simple elderflower cordial recipe that will help you embrace seasonality and get you closer to nature.
- Perfect for first time foragers and preserve makers.
- Great value recipe with handful of ingredients costing only a fraction of what you would have paid in the supermarket.
- Super versatile syrup that makes the most refreshing summer drink but can also be used in baking, in salad dressings etc.
- With my recipe, no citric acid is required (unless you want to add it of course).
🌼 Elderflowers
Elderflowers are pretty easy to identify with their gorgeous creamy white heads which sweet scent you can smell before you even see them.
They grow on elder trees and usually appear from mid to late May up until end of June (depending on where you live).
Did you know? People used to believe that if you planted elder tree near your house it would keep devil away. [source: Woodland Trust]
When left unpicked and after pollination by insects, each tiny flower on each head will develop into a small berry which will ripen by late summer to early autumn (elderberries).
When that time comes do check out my recipe for Elderberry Cordial.
👉 Elderflower foraging tips
When collecting elderflowers, there are few things you might want to bear in mind:
- Try and collect the flowers from the trees which are not close to the road.
- Don't overpick! The rule of thumb would be picking no more than a third of blooms from a single tree, leaving the remaining ones for insects and birds and of course so that you can come back in the autumn for some elderberries.
- Pick your elderflowers on a sunny day, late morning, once the sun had a chance to dry off any dew. Never after the rain!
- Be gentle when picking. You don't want to shake off too much of wonderful pollen which is the source of tons of flavour.
- Make sure that elderflowers you pick have fully opened, are fragrant and their colour is creamy white. Avoid heads which have not yet opened or have brown spots on them which means they're past their best.
- If instead of beautiful scent of elderflowers all you can smell is cat's wee, don't pick them. It might mean it is too late in a day and they had too much sun exposure so come back in the morning. They might also be simply past their best.
- Don't pick anything if you are not 100% sure what it is. Elderflowers are quite easy to identify yet lots of people still mistake them with common cow parsley (wild chervil) which although not poisonous, flavour wise it would probably put you off making the cordial for good.
- Last but not least, try and make your elderflower syrup as soon as possible after picking the flowers for maximum flavour and aroma.
📝 Ingredients
Here's what you will need to make my Homemade Elderflower Syrup:
Elderflowers - You will need between 20 and 30 flower heads (depending on the size). If you've got large heads - 20 will be plenty, smaller ones - pick few more.
Sugar - Use granulated or caster (fine) sugar.
Lemons - We are using both zest and juice so try and go for organic lemons if possible or at the very least unwaxed ones.
Orange - I've added one as I had it in my fruit bowl but feel free to leave it out or substitute with another lemon. Again, we're using both zest and juice so do go with organic if you can.
❗ Elderflower Cordial without citric acid
You might have noticed that I didn't list citric acid as one of the ingredients in my cordial. The reason for that is that I don't really use it here.
Food grade citric acid is a preservative that will extend the shelf-life of the cordial. But as we mainly like to enjoy it within a month or so, it will easily keep that long in the fridge without it.
Citric acid will also add some extra tang to the cordial, which is fine. So if you are after that tanginess you get with shop bough cordial then by no means add it. Personally, I prefer to add some extra lemon slices when diluting my cordial instead.
***Quick Tip*** If you were to add citric acid to this recipe, I would suggest (as per Pam Corbin's advice) to go with a heaped teaspoon.
🔪 Instructions
Ingredient quantities & detailed instructions to be found in recipe card at the bottom of the post.
Spread freshly picked elderflowers in a single layer on a large tray or a table lined with old newspapers in the hope that at least some of the bugs will crawl out.
***Quick Tip*** I would advise against washing or rinsing your elderflowers as it will remove not only bugs but lots of the precious flavour.
In the meantime pour 1.5 litre of water in a large pan and bring it to boil.
Once boiling , lower it to simmer and empty in 1kg of granulated sugar stirring until it completely dissolves.
Take off the heat and let it cool down slightly.
As the sugar syrup cools, zest the lemons and an orange (if using), keeping zested fruit in the fridge until needed later on.
Put all of the zest in a large bowl which will be used for steeping elderflowers.
Next, take elderflowers off their stems either gently with your fingers or you can use a fork (similarly to my elderberry cordial recipe). You want to discard as much of the stalk as possible and definitely the thicker parts.
***Quick Tip*** As you strip elderflower heads off their flowers you will most likely notice tiny little bugs trying to crawl out of the bowl. I tend to use slightly damp paper towel and wipe around the bowl as I go to get rid as many of them as possible. The rest will get strained later.
Once you've got a bowl full of zest and elderflowers, pour over the sugar syrup. Use a wooden spoon to press down any flowers poking out of the water. You want them to be mostly submerged. Cover the bowl with a clean tea towel and leave somewhere relatively cool to steep for 12-24 hours or overnight.
The following day, strain the liquid through a sieve lined with muslin cloth or jam straining kit to get rid of all the flowers and remaining bugs.
***Quick Tip*** Feel free to squeeze the muslin as much as you can to get as much flavour out of the elderflowers as possible. It might mean that your final syrup won't be as clear though.
Pour strained liquid into a large pan.
Squeeze the juice out of previously zested lemons and an orange (if using) and add the juice to the pan as well.
I like to strain my juice through a small sieve in order to get rid of any pulp.
***Quick Tip*** If you decide to add citric acid you would do it at this stage as well.
Bring the syrup into a boil, lower the heat and simmer for a couple of minutes longer.
If there is any scum on the surface, simply remove as much as you can with the slotted spoon.
Pour hot elderflower syrup into sterilised bottles/jars, close the lids/tops and let them cool in the room temperature, away from direct sunlight.
***Quick Tip*** Avoid pouring hot syrup into cold bottles/jars as it may cause them to crack or even explode. When sterilising your bottles/jars try and time it so that they're ready at the same time as your cordial.
Once cold put in the fridge and use within 6 weeks. Alternatively, freeze if you'd like to keep it for longer.
🥡 Storing
Due to high amount of sugar as well as the use of citrus, elderflower syrup stores pretty well providing you sterilise bottles/jars you store it in. See Sterilising glass bottles and jars below.
Store: Keep your elderflower syrup in the fridge where it will last easily over a month or so if not longer.
Freeze: If you'd like to keep it for longer, freezing is definitely the way to go. Keep it in a freezer safe container for up to 6 months and use as and when you wish.
You will notice that the syrup won't freeze completely and will remain a bit like a slushy. This will allow you to easily scoop as much as you require without defrosting the entire container.
🫙 Sterilising glass bottles and jars
In the oven
Wash them thoroughly in hot, soapy water and give them a good rinse (preferably in hot water as well).
If your bottles/jars have rubber seals, make sure to take these off before you place the bottles in the oven. You can sterilise these separately by putting then in the heat proof bowl and covering with freshly boiled water for 10 minutes or so.
Preheat the oven to 160C/320F/Gas Mark 3. Place all your opened bottles/jars on the clean baking tray and "bake" in preheated oven for 10-15 min until dry. You might have to rearrange the racks in your oven to be able to fit your tray with bottles.
Metal jar lids can go into the oven after thorough washing together with bottles and jars.
Once the time is up, take the bottles/jars out of the oven and fill them with elderflower syrup as soon as possible.
In the dishwasher
Alternatively, you can sterilise your bottles/jars in the dishwasher by running them on the hot cycle.
Make sure not to put any dirty dishes in with the glass items you want to sterilise.
💭 Pro tips
Be gentle when picking elderflowers. Nice roomy basket or a small, portable crate where you can gently lay the heads would be ideal.
You will find that there are fair few little bugs in the flowers. I like to lay the heads down on a tray or a table lined with old papers as I prepare my sugar syrup. It's all in the hope that some of them crawl out, and some do, but only some.
Get rid of as much stalk as you can as you don't want to impart bitterness onto your cordial.
As you "pluck" the flowers off the stalks and into the bowl you will inevitably see little bugs crawling out on the sides. I like to keep slightly damp paper towel handy to wipe them away.
🍴 Serving suggestions
My favourite way of enjoying elderflower syrup or cordial is as elderflower pressé which is simply diluted with some sparkling water.
Add a slice of lemon or two, some ice cubes and maybe some fresh mint and you're in heaven!
It can also be diluted with some still water if that's how you prefer it.
My preferred ratio of cordial to water is about 2 tablespoon (30ml) of syrup to 200ml (6.76 fl.oz.) water but I'm sure it differs from person to person depending on how sweet you like it.
Undiluted syrup can also be used in bake goods, salad dressings, cocktails, as a drizzle over ice cream and to make other elderflower themed goodies (try my Lemon and Elderflower Curd).
❓ FAQ
Never wash elderflowers as you will wash away all of the pollen and flavour together with the bugs. You will never get rid of all the bugs but those left will get strained anyway. That's the beauty of homemade preserves!
I got about 1.9 litre of cordial (undiluted). It will mostly depends on how juicy your citrus fruits are. I got about 180ml of lemon and orange juice combined.
Have you tried my Homemade Elderflower Syrup (Cordial) ?
Please consider giving it ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating in recipe card below and share your views or tips in the comments.
😋 More homemade preserves
Easy Plum Jam Recipe (No Pectin)
Easy Blackberry Jam (No Pectin)
Homemade Elderberry Syrup (Cordial)
📋 Recipe
Homemade Elderflower Syrup (Cordial)
Equipment
Ingredients
- 20-30 Elderflower flower heads depending on the size
- 1.5 ltr water
- 1 kg granulated or caster sugar
- 3 unwaxed organic lemons
- 1 organic orange optional, can be substituted with extra lemon or not
- 1 teaspoon (heaped) citric acid completely option, I don't use it here
Instructions
- Spread freshly picked elderflowers in a single layer on a large tray or a table lined with old newspapers in the hope that at least some of the bugs will crawl out. ***Quick Tip*** I would advise against washing or rinsing your elderflowers as it will remove not only bugs but lots of the precious flavour.20-30 Elderflower flower heads
- In the meantime pour 1.5 litre of water in a large pan and bring it to boil. Once boiling , lower it to simmer and empty in 1kg of granulated sugar stirring until it completely dissolves. Take off the heat and let it cool down slightly.1.5 ltr water, 1 kg granulated or caster sugar
- As the sugar syrup cools, zest the lemons and an orange (if using), keeping zested fruit in the fridge until needed later on. Put all of the zest in a large bowl which will be used for steeping elderflowers.3 unwaxed organic lemons, 1 organic orange
- Next, take elderflowers off their stems either gently with your fingers or you can use a fork (similarly to my elderberry cordial recipe). You want to discard as much of the stalk as possible and definitely the thicker parts. ***Quick Tip*** As you strip elderflower heads off their flowers you will most likely notice tiny little bugs trying to crawl out of the bowl. I tend to use slightly damp paper towel and wipe around the bowl as I go to get rid as many of them as possible. The rest will get strained later.
- Once you've got a bowl full of zest and elderflowers, pour over the sugar syrup and use a wooden spoon to press down any flowers poking out of the water. You want them to be mostly submerged. Cover the bowl with a clean tea towel and leave in room temperature to steep for 12-24 hours or overnight.
- The following day, strain the liquid through a sieve lined with muslin cloth or jam straining kit to get rid of all the flowers and remaining bugs. ***Quick Tip*** Feel free to squeeze the muslin as much as you can to get as much flavour out of the elderflowers as possible.
- Pour strained liquid into a large pan.
- Squeeze the juice out of previously zested lemons and an orange (if using) and add the juice to the pan as well. ***Quick Tip*** If you decide to add citric acid you would do it at this stage.1 teaspoon (heaped) citric acid
- Bring the syrup into a boil, lower the heat and simmer for a couple of minutes longer. If there is any scum on the surface, simply remove as much as you can with the slotted spoon.
- Pour hot elderflower syrup into sterilised bottles/jars, close the lids/tops and let them cool in the room temperature, away from direct sunlight.***Quick Tip*** Avoid pouring hot syrup into cold bottles/jars as it may cause them to crack or even explode. When sterilising your bottles/jars try and time it so that they're ready at the same time as your cordial.
- Once cold put in the fridge and use within 6 weeks or freeze if you'd like to keep it for longer.
Notes
- Nutritional information is per serving (2 tablespoon of undiluted cordial/syrup), is approximate and should be treated as a rough guideline only.
- Elderflower cordial will keep in the fridge for up to 6 weeks but is also freezer friendly. For more details see Storing
- When preserving your own food, always sterilise bottles/jars you use for your preserves. See Sterilising glass bottles and jars for more info.
- Dilute elderflower cordial either in sparkling or still water. The ratio of syrup to water will depend on how sweet you like your drink. I like the ratio of 2 tablespoon to 200ml(6.76 fl.oz.) water.
Julie says
Thanks for this Jo! I've made your elderberry syrup before and now this one and both came out great! Next year I will make sure to pick elderflowers earlier and make the most of the short season. Have not made enough this year, we all love it!
joskitchenlarder says
Thanks so much Julie! I haven't made enough myself this year so am with you on that but looking forward to elderberries later this summer.