Blackberry Syrup

Homemade blackberry syrup is a delicious addition to your breakfast lineup. It’s fruity, sweet, and decadent, and you’ll want to pour in on everything, from pancakes to waffles to French toast and drinks. The easy recipe takes less than 10 minutes and only a few pantry staple ingredients.

The best blackberry simple syrup recipe

It’s time to level up your breakfast game! This easy homemade blackberry syrup is refreshing, delicious, and so versatile. It only takes minutes to put together and tastes better than anything you can buy at the store.

Top pancakes, crepes, waffles, and other baked goodies with this syrup for extra sweetness and amazing berry flavor. You can even use the syrup to make homemade lemonade and create the perfect summer drink.

Blackberry syrup has become a huge hit with my family. They love drizzling it over everything. You can even swap out the blackberries for blueberries or raspberries to create different flavors.

The possibilities are endless, and you’ll love having this easy blackberry simple syrup recipe in your collection.

Ingredients

The best part about this homemade blackberry syrup recipe is that it only requires 5 simple-to-find ingredients (one ingredient is actually just water!). Please refer to the recipe card below for exact measurements.

• Blackberries: Fresh blackberries are ideal to achieve the perfect flavor and texture, but you can use frozen blackberries as a substitute.
• Granulated sugar sweetens the syrup. The sugar melts down, creating the perfect syrupy texture and balancing the slightly tart berry and citrus flavors.
• Lemon juice adds a citrus punch to the syrup. I recommend freshly squeezed lemon juice, but bottled lemon juice is fine too.
• Cornstarch is a thickening agent and helps to get a perfectly rich syrup. You can substitute tapioca starch or arrowroot powder.
• Water helps to adjust the texture and thin out the syrup as needed.

Can I use frozen blackberries for syrup?

Yes! While I find that syrup tastes best with fresh, sun-ripened berries, frozen blackberries are a good alternative if fresh blackberries aren’t available. 

Let frozen blackberries thaw, then mash them up a bit, and add them to the recipe along with any juice you have after thawing. The amount remains the same.

How to make blackberry syrup

The steps for making blackberry syrup are so easy that even inexperienced cooks can whip this up. Cook the syrup in minutes and serve warm over your favorite breakfast treats. Let’s go over the steps:

#1: Combine ingredients

• In a medium saucepan, whisk together the sugar and cornstarch. Then stir in the water and lemon juice.

#2: Bring to a boil

• Bring the sugar mixture to a boil over medium-high heat. Once bubbling, add in your blackberries.

#3: Simmer syrup

• Simmer the mixture for 4 to 5 minutes until the blackberries soften and the syrup thickens.

#4: Strain

• Remove the blackberry syrup from the heat and let it cool in the saucepan for about 15 minutes.
• Then strain the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl or pitcher to remove the seeds.

#5:Bottle syrup

• Transfer the syrup into a clean, sterilized mason jar or glass bottle and seal it airtight.

Tips for the best blackberry syrup

I have some tips to share to help you perfect your blackberry syrup. And if you’re a big blackberry fan like me, you have to try our amazing blackberry muffins and blackberry pancakes too!

• Blackberries: Ripe blackberries will be plump and juicy, with a dark black color all around. Make sure they aren’t red or blue, meaning they aren’t quite ripe yet. Also, be sure to discard any moldy berries.
• Temperature: Make sure not to cook the blackberry syrup on too high of heat. Simmering will create the perfect syrup texture while keeping some of the liquid.
• Thicken blackberry syrup: You can add more cornstarch for a thicker syrup, or use less for a thinner consistency – the choice is yours!
• Texture: As written, the syrup has a lovely thick texture with chunks of blackberry throughout. If you dislike fruit pieces in your syrup, strain it through a fine-mesh sieve or strainer to create a perfectly smooth syrup.

Variations

My blackberry syrup recipe is an excellent base for all kinds of customizations and flavor variations. Here are a couple of ideas you can try to make this tasty summer syrup your own.

• Fruit substitutions: Blueberries, raspberries, cloudberries, and huckleberries make great stand-ins for blackberries. If you want to prepare the recipe with bigger fruits like strawberries, crush them before adding them to a fruit processor.
• Other citrus juice: Swap out the lemon for orange or lime juice. You can also add a bit of zest to intensify the citrus aroma.
• Brown sugar: For a subtle toffee flavor, prepare the blackberry syrup recipe with brown sugar instead of white sugar.
• Vanilla extract: Vanilla and blackberries are a heavenly match. Feel free to add 1 generous tablespoon toward the end of the cooking time.
• Spices: For a bit of warmth and depth of flavor, season your syrup with 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon and add a dash of ground cloves, nutmeg, or allspice.
• Butter: A tablespoon or two of butter makes the syrup incredibly creamy and rich. This is probably my favorite addition, and you should definitely try it!

Serving suggestions

Blackberry syrup with breakfast, brunch, and dessert foods is so delicious. It’s so, so good with a variety of sweet treats. You’ll love it!

• Pancakes + crepes: Blackberry syrup for pancakes is a given! Try serving it over lemon curd pancakes, condensed milk pancakes, or these fluffy evaporated milk pancakes. We also love it on buttermilk crepes and Swedish crepes.
• Waffles: Drizzle it generously over homemade waffles and serve it with sweetened whipped cream on the side.
• French toast: Who could resist fluffy bread pudding with a splash of thick homemade blackberry sauce? We love it on buttermilk French toast and this classic French toast recipe.
• Bread pudding:  The syrup elevates down-to-earth bread pudding to a restaurant worth dessert. It truly tastes lovely with hamburger bun bread pudding or condensed milk bread pudding.
• Cakes, bars + pies: To turn a cake (like this nectarine cake or condensed milk cake) into a dessert, serve it with a good drizzle of blackberry syrup. It also pairs perfectly with brownies and pies like sawdust pie.
• Cheesecake: You can also top cheesecake with this syrup for extra decadence. With love it on classic Philadelphia cheesecake and this condensed milk no-bake cheesecake.
• Ice cream: Spoon warm blackberry syrup over your favorite ice cream for a decadent sundae.
• Drinks: Add 2 to 3 tablespoons of syrup to a cold drink glass, add ice cubes, and fill up with sparkling water for a quick and refreshing blackberry lemonade. You’ll love blackberry syrup for drinks and cocktails!

Storage instructions

How to store blackberry syrup

You can keep homemade blackberry pancake topping in an airtight container or tightly sealed mason jar in the refrigerator. It should stay fresh for about 7 to 10 days.

To enjoy the syrup warm, reheat slowly in a small saucepan on the stove (stir occasionally) or in 20-second increments in the microwave.

Freeze blackberry syrup

You can also freeze your seedless blackberry syrup for up to 3 months. Allow an inch of space in your container because the syrup will expand during freezing.

When you’re ready to enjoy it, let the syrup thaw in the refrigerator for a few hours or overnight before consumption.

Try these other dessert toppings

If your family is anything like mine, you are always trying to switch up breakfast and keep things new and exciting. Making homemade syrups and sauces is a great way to enhance your breakfast and desserts. Here are some of our other tried and true recipes that will taste delicious on your favorite sweet treats!

• Condensed Milk Bread Pudding Sauce
• Hot Fudge Sauce with Condensed Milk
• Lemon Bread Pudding Sauce
• Lemon Curd Sauce
• Buttermilk Custard Sauce (the recipe is part of our buttermilk bread pudding)