Easy {Instant Pot} Elderberry Syrup For Cold & Flu Season

I make a big ole batch of Elderberry Syrup every fall to help my family boost their immune system. Truth be told, I have two auto-immune diseases and elderberry doesn’t work for me. So I only make it for my husband and two kids. However, I’m glad it does work for them. Elderberry syrup has helped to shorten colds and ward off coughs every year that I’ve been doing this. In the years past, I used Dr. Marchman’s recipe. It’s a stovetop one, so if you are looking for a stovetop recipe head over to her article – Stay Well This Winter, Naturally.

This year, I thought I would experiment with a new way of making my good ole Elderberry Syrup. And of course, I wanted to use my trusty Instant Pot. Did you know that the Instant Pot is my most used kitchen appliance? Totally worth the $100 price tag. I use it for making rice, mashed potatoes, steaming vegetables, soups, and so much more! If you don’t own one, I recommend you get one asap! The one I have is on sale for $99 right now. Let me give you a few selling points – I can make perfect rice with a 4-minute cook and 10-minute natural steam release, I can hard boil eggs in 5 minutes, I can sear my roast and then cook it slow cooker style all in the same appliance. I could go on and on and on!

Anyway – back to the Elderberry Syrup. The desire for me to write this article was from a simple social media post on Instagram and Facebook. My post received hundreds of comments asking for my recipe. Not at all what I expected. I’m glad you guys wanted to make my recipe. I sure hope this keeps your family well this cold & flu season!
I purchase my dried elderberries on Amazon. This 1lb package will give me 3 batches. Which basically lasts me for two years. If you want to purchase the same berries as me, simply use this link – Dried Organic Elderberries, 1 Lb. {Please note – this is an affiliate link. If you purchase with my link, I will make a small percentage of income. That income helps to keep Cumming Local running}

Instant Pot Elderberry Syrup

Ingredients:

• 6 cups of water
• 2 cups of elderberries
• 4 cinnamon sticks
• 1 orange
• 1/2 lemon
• 2 tsp of vanilla extract
• 1-inch piece of ginger, peeled
• 1 cup of honey

Instructions:

1. Put the elderberries, water, cinnamon, and ginger into the Instant Pot.
2. Zest the orange and lemon. Squeeze both the orange and lemon to get the juices in the pot. Throw the orange and lemon in.
3. Seal the Instant Pot and set it to manual and high pressure for 8 minutes.
4. Once the timer goes off, set the valve to “vent” and strain the mixture. Discard the remaining berries and citrus.
5. Once the syrup has cooled to room temperature, add the honey and vanilla extract. You can add more vanilla and/or honey to your desired taste.
6. I pour mine into a large mason jar and store in the fridge.

Dosing Information: Adults take 1 Tbs and children take 1 tsp daily to boost immunity. The dose can be tripled daily when fighting a cold, cough or flu.
And that’s it – so simple. It was done in about 15 minutes. The longest part of the process was waiting on it to cool so I could add in the honey and vanilla extract.
PS- My kids take this without any complaints. I don’t make it overly sweet but if you have a finicky husband or kids – you may want to up the sweetness.

Rachael Walkup has lived in North Georgia all her life. Since 2006 – The Walkup family has made Forsyth County their home. Along with being a wife and mom, Rachael is an avid blogger, social media expert, and owner of CummingLocal.com. Her time is spent promoting local events and small businesses in North Georgia.  With a background in Marketing and Sales, coupled with her experience in Project Development and Search Engine Optimization (SEO), Rachael offers consultations and classes to help clients reach their fullest potential.