The Best Fresh Fruit Syrup

By
Carroll Pellegrinelli
Carroll Pellegrinelli
Expert baker and published author, Carroll Pellegrinelli shares her knowledge of bread baking and desserts.
Learn about The Spruce Eats' Editorial Process
Updated on 05/18/24
Fresh Fruit Syrup recipe

 The Spruce

Prep: 10 mins
Cook: 12 mins
Total: 22 mins
Servings: 16 servings
Yield: 1 cup

Do you want to make your own basic fruit syrup to serve with pancakes, waffles, and crepes, to mix into yogurt or hot cereal? Fruit syrup can be added to salad dressing or marinades for a natural sweetness. Mix it with seltzer or punch, or add it to cocktails for a fruity treat.

With this simple recipe, you can make a batch of fruit syrup in 30 minutes or less, and enjoy the fruit of your choice without any additives, preservatives, artificial colors, or flavors. You can use fresh or frozen fruit for this recipe. If you have plenty of berries from the garden, bananas that are getting overly ripe, or you want to use up a bag of frozen fruit that has been aging in your freezer, this recipe can turn it into a delicious delight.

Tips for Making Fresh Fruit Syrup Recipe

  • Frozen fruits work - You don't necessarily need to thaw frozen fruit before cooking it, but if you can remember to take it out of the freezer and put it in the refrigerator a few hours before preparation, it would speed up the cooking. 
  • Hot or Cold - Warm up the fruit syrup, for pancakes and waffles if you'd like, or serve it chilled.


What You'll Need to Make This Fresh Fruit Syrup Recipe
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A Nice Saucepan
potato ricers and potato mashers
A Handy Dandy Potato Masher
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A Zippy Food Processor

Ingredients

  • 1 cup fruit, fresh or frozen

  • 3/4 cup sugar

  • 1/3 cup water

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    Fresh Fruit Syrup recipe ingredients
     The Spruce

  2. Peel, de-stem, or remove seeds from fresh fruits, as appropriate. If using frozen fruits, you can skip to step 3.

    Peel, de-stem, or remove seeds from the fruit
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  3. Place the 1 cup fruits, 3/4 cup sugar, and 1/3 cup water into a pot.

    fruit, water, and sugar into a pot
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  4. Cook the fruit with the sugar and water, bringing it to a boil and then lowering the heat to simmer.

    Cook the fruit with the sugar and water
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  5. Smash the fruit while it is cooking.

    smash the fruit
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  6. Simmer until the mixture has thickened to a syrupy consistency. This should take about 10 minutes.

    simmer the mixture
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  7. Once the mixture has thickened, you can press it through a strainer to make a thin syrup.

    press mixture through a strainer
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  8. If you prefer a thicker syrup, process the cooked syrup in a food processor.

    process the cooked syrup in a food processor for a thicker syrup
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  9. Serve with your favorite breakfast item. Enjoy!

    Fresh Fruit Syrup recipe with pancakes
     The Spruce

How to Store and Freeze

While the sugar will help extend the shelf life of the cooked syrup, it may develop mold after several days. It's best to use this fresh fruit syrup within a few days or to freeze it.

  • Store in the refrigerator in an airtight plastic container or glass container.
  • Frozen, it should last for several months. Store it in an airtight plastic container, or freezer bag. To use, allow it to thaw in the refrigerator for several hours.
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
42 Calories
0g Fat
11g Carbs
0g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 16
Amount per serving
Calories 42
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 0g 0%
Saturated Fat 0g 0%
Cholesterol 0mg 0%
Sodium 0mg 0%
Total Carbohydrate 11g 4%
Dietary Fiber 0g 1%
Total Sugars 10g
Protein 0g
Vitamin C 5mg 23%
Calcium 2mg 0%
Iron 0mg 0%
Potassium 23mg 0%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)