Blueberry Simple Syrup

This easy blueberry simple syrup recipe is made in under 15 minutes using only three ingredients. It’s just like regular simple syrup but with a blueberry twist. Perfect for adding flavoring to any kind of drink such as cocktails, lemonade or tea. Make a batch and create your own blueberry drinks for any occasion!

Blueberry Simple Syrup vs. Blueberry Syrup

Although these two names sound similar, they are not the same type of syrup. Simple syrup is a liquid sugar mixture mainly used in cocktails or other beverages. Because it is used to sweeten drinks, it has a much higher sugar content compared to blueberry syrup. Regular blueberry syrup uses less sugar and sometimes adds in cornstarch as a thickening agent to thicken up the syrup.

If you were to drizzle this simple syrup on pancakes or waffles, it would probably be a bit too sweet for your liking. On the other hand, if you used regular blueberry syrup in your cocktails, they may not come out sweet enough.

The type of syrup you need to make will depend on how you are planning to use the syrup. If you are looking for a basic blueberry syrup for drizzling on foods like pancakes and waffles, you can use this recipe but will have to adjust the amount of sugar.

How to adjust this recipe to make blueberry syrup:

If you are looking for regular blueberry syrup, follow all the same instructions, but decrease the amount of granulated sugar by half. Instead of using ½ cup of sugar, use ¼ cup. Optionally, if you want a chunkier syrup, don’t strain out the blueberry chunks after making the syrup.

Ways to use blueberry simple syrup:

• Cocktails: This syrup is essential for any blueberry cocktails, such as in this Blueberry Gin Cocktail. Experiment creating your own cocktails, adding 1 to 2 tablespoon per drink. Or take a cocktail recipe that calls for plain simple syrup and substitute this blueberry one in a 1:1 ratio.
• Lemonade: Fruit flavoured lemonades are the most refreshing drinks in summer. Add 1-2 tablespoon of syrup per glass of lemonade to create a blueberry lemonade.
• Soda: Add a spoonful to sparkling water or Sprite to make a refreshing blueberry soft drink.
• Tea: You can use this in either hot tea or iced tea recipes. Stir the syrup into the tea while the tea is hot, and drink immediately for hot tea, or chill in the fridge for iced tea. Adjust the amount of syrup to your taste.
• Milk: Blueberry flavored milk is actually pretty tasty, and can be a fun drink for kids. Add in a tablespoon of syrup per glass of milk and mix until well combined.
• Yogurt: The one exception to the using-simple-syrup-only-in-drinks rule is mixed into plain yogurt. Since plain yogurt doesn’t have extra sugar added, you can add a bit of sugar and fruit flavor without overdoing it. If you like chunky fruit pieces in your yogurt, then skip the step of passing the syrup through a fine mesh strainer. If you do pass the syrup through a strainer, you can also save the chunks you strain out and just stir those into your yogurt.

Ways to use regular blueberry syrup:

• Pancakes & Waffles: Pour onto blueberry pancakes or berry waffles and top with fresh fruits for a delicious breakfast.
• Ice Cream: Drizzle over ice cream before serving. Or if you like making your own ice cream, you can even stir this in before freezing for a blueberry ice cream.
• Cake: Lightly pour over breakfast cakes that don’t have icing. This will go well with any cake that is made with fresh berries, or even a regular coffee cake.
• Muffins: This syrup is great for drizzling on top of freshly baked muffins to add an extra blueberry burst of flavor!

Ingredients:

• Blueberries: If they are available, fresh blueberries are always the best option, but you can use frozen blueberries as well. See the tips & tricks section below for using frozen blueberries.
• Sugar: This needs to be granulated sugar — the syrup won’t have the same consistency or flavor when using brown sugar. Granulated sugar is the standard for simple syrup recipes.

Instructions:

1. Heat the syrup. On a saucepan over medium heat, bring the blueberries, water and sugar to a simmer. Stir occasionally as the syrup is heating up.
2. Mash the blueberries. The heat will cause the blueberries to start to break down on their own, but as the mixture is heating, use the back of a spoon or fork to gently mash up the blueberries that haven’t burst yet. This will help disperse the blueberry flavor for a stronger, more potent blueberry simple syrup.
3. Let it simmer. Let the syrup simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent it from burning. The sauce will begin to thicken up.
4. Drain & Cool. Remove the syrup from the heat and pass it through a fine mesh sieve. This will remove the chunks of blueberries so your syrup is smooth. The leftover blueberry chunks are great for mixing into greek yogurt for breakfast. Next, let the blueberry simple syrup completely cool to room temperature before using in cocktails.
5. Store in the fridge. When not using, seal the syrup in an airtight jar and keep it in the fridge for up to a few weeks.

Tips & Tricks:

• Thaw frozen blueberries. If you are using frozen blueberries instead of fresh ones, thaw them first and drain out all the excess liquid. Otherwise, the extra liquid will dilute the blueberry flavor and alter the consistency of the final simple syrup.
• Freeze simple syrup in ice cubes trays. This is a great way to freeze simple syrup for longer storage. When ready to use, just pop out however many ice cubes you need, let them thaw and mix into your drinks. Ice cubes will last about 2-3 months in the freezer.

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