Lower Sugar Canned Berry Syrup Recipe

A lower sugar canned berry syrup and dessert topping from regular recipes, sweetened with apple juice, honey, and a bit of sugar (or all honey) perfect for pancakes, dessert, or gifting.

When I first started canning I couldn’t believe that most of the syrup and jam recipes I found called for more sugar than fruit.

I just couldn’t do it, so I searched for recipes to adapt that used sugar, eventually finding a jam we liked (which turned out to be a freezer jam) and this canned syrup.

We found that the fruit flavor is really allowed to shine when not covered up by loads of sugar!

This low sugar canned berry syrup and dessert topping is made with mostly fruit along with some apple juice, honey, and a bit of sugar. You can also make it with just the juice and honey if you don’t mind a stronger honey flavor. The recipe is nicely sweet, though – there’s no mistaking that this is a syrup.

Because this syrup is made with whole berries, it is really fresh-tasting (a bonus in the depths of winter) and SO easy.

Even with the 40 minutes needed to boil down the syrup, it only takes about an hour to make nine 1/2-pint jars.

I’ve used Marionberries, Boysenberries, Triple Crown Thornless Blackberries, and raspberries for this syrup. I also think that blueberries would be wonderful (though now I’ve made a delicious blueberry syrup sweetened with maple, I’ll stick with that!).

Ways to Use Berry Syrup

How have we used this low sugar berry syrup? Of course it’s wonderful drizzled on:

• Pancakes
• Waffles
• Ice cream
• Slices of pound cake

Jars of this syrup also make great gifts, on their own or as a part of a basket:

1. Breakfast Basket: combine with a jar of homemade pancake/waffle mix, and a wooden spoon or whisk and tea towel.
2. Ice Cream Basket: Add a caramel and chocolate syrup along with this, an ice cream scoop, some nuts, and a recipe for Incredible Ice Cream Without A Machine (the vanilla version).

TIP: If you want to use seasonal produce for presents, you’ve got to think way in advance, making these in the summer for Christmas.

OR Cook From Frozen: since you can use frozen fruit as well as fresh, it means that you can process this whenever you’ve got the time! 

Low Sugar Canned Berry Syrup Ingredients

• Berries – any kind
• Apple juice – unsweetened
• Honey
• Cane Sugar (or more honey)

Directions

This is a recipe even someone new to canning can accomplish easily, I promise.

Simply combine all the ingredients in a large stock pot and bring to a boil. The pot should be about 3/4-full.

Reduce the heat to keep the mixture at a low boil for 40-45 minutes, stirring often.

TIP: Stir enough to not let it burn or stick, though you can do other things in the kitchen at the same time – you don’t have to stand over the pot and stir for the entire time.

When it looks like the photo above – syrupy and reduced until the pot is only 1/2-full – it’s time to put them in jars and can in a boiling-water canner for 10 minutes.

See my Water Canning Step-by-Step for specifics on how to do this – again, it’s really easy once you get the process down.

Whether they will be gifts or line your pantry, this is an easy way to have fresh berry flavor for your pancakes or ice cream all winter long.

Would you like more lower sugar recipes? See them here and download our Lower Sugar Recipes ebook!

Also, download the Preserving Record Notebook to keep track of this and all your preserving projects.

More Easy Canning Recipes:

• Spicy Plum Sauce
• Honey Lemon Rhubarb Butter
• Slow Cooker Maple Sweetened Apple Butter
• Addictive Tomato Chutney

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4.60 from 10 votes

Lower Sugar Canned Berry Syrup

An easy, lower sugar berry topping than regular recipes to use on everything from pancakes to ice cream.

Prep Time15 minutes mins

Cook Time1 hour hr

Total Time1 hour hr 15 minutes mins

Yield: 9 half pints or 5 pints

1x2x3x

Author: Jami Boys

Click for Cook Mode

Ingredients

• 10 ½ cups fresh or frozen berries blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, or a mixture
• 4 ½ cups apple juice
• 1 ½ cups honey
• 1 ½ cups sugar*

Instructions

• Place fruit in an 8-quart pot and crush (if using frozen fruit, let thaw at room temperature first, keeping the juices).
• Add the remaining ingredients and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Stir constantly towards the end as it gets close to boiling, just to make sure it doesn’t overflow the pot.
• Reduce the heat slightly- enough to keep the fruit at a medium boil – and stir often as the mixture cooks and reduces over the next 40 minutes. It should be thickened and reduced by almost half. If not, continue cooking for 5 to 10 minutes more.
• Meanwhile, prepare the canner and 9 half pint jars (or 5 pint jars) and lids. Keep the jars warm until filling.
• Immediately fill hot jars with the syrup, leaving 1/2-inch headspace. Wipe jar tops and threads clean and place lids and bands on jars.
• Process in a boiling water canner for 10 minutes. Remove lid, turn burner off and let jars sit in canner for 5 minutes. Transfer jars to a towel-lined counter and let sit overnight before removing bands and testing lids for seal. Refrigerate any that didn't seal and store the rest on a dark, cool shelf.
• Always label the jars with the contents and a date so you remember what's in them. Use within a year to a year and a half.

Notes

*You can also use all honey, but use a bit less since honey is sweeter than sugar, 2¾ cup total. The syrup might be a bit more loose – you can try cooking a bit longer.

Nutrition

Serving: 2tablespoons | Calories: 51kcal | Carbohydrates: 13g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 1mg | Potassium: 28mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 12g | Vitamin A: 9IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 3mg | Iron: 1mg

Did you make this recipe?Mention @anoregoncottage or tag #anoregoncottage!