My Montana adventures continue with this tasty Chokecherry Syrup recipe. This delicious and versatile syrup can be served over pancakes, waffles, and ice cream. Just don't get caught chugging it out of the bottle! 😉 Be sure to try my delicious chokecherry jelly & chokecherry fruit roll ups too!
I might or might not have been caught last night picking these tiny jewels on the side of the road. I was joined by my partners in crime, Anita, and Lori.
A lot of laughs were had as we plucked the chokecherries from the loaded branches of the chokecherry trees that line Anita's street.
This was a spur-of-the-moment decision, so we did not have our guns and bear spray. Luckily, they were not needed and fun was had by all.
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🧐 Why This recipe works
Chokecherries do not taste pleasant on their own, but it's nothing that a little (or a lot) or sugar can't fix! If you find this recipe too sweet, you can always use less sugar (3 cups instead of 4) and add a little extra pectin to thicken it up.
Making chokecherry syrup is quite similar to making jam or jelly. However, more water is used so that the consistency is more syrup-like rather than jam.
Chokecherry syrup makes a great gift for family and friends, especially to those who've never tried chokecherries!
🔖 Recipe Ingredients
- Chokecherries: You can use either fresh or frozen chokecherries
- Sugar: Granulated sugar
- Pectin: Some fruits have a lot of pectin, while other fruit have hardly any. In this recipe, we will be using two tablespoons of pectin. You can use powdered or liquid pectin. Although cornstarch can be used to thicken the syrup, it's not recommended for canning.
- Lemon Juice: Either bottled or frozen lemon juice, or a combination of lemon and orange juice.
- Optional: Feel free to add ½ teaspoon vanilla extract or almond extract. Between the two, I prefer almond extract, since chokecherries naturally have an almond-like flavor.
🔪 Helpful Tools
🍒 How to Make this recipe
Step 1 | Prepare Chokecherries
Thoroughly wash chokecherries before by adding them to a large bowl and covering them with cold water. Skim the surface of the water, to remove any pests, sticks, and leaves. Add cleaned chokecherries to a saucepan and cover with four cups of water.
Step 2 | Boil & Mash Chokecherries
Bring the mixture to a boil then cover and simmer for 30 minutes over low heat. Halfway through, mash the chokecherries with a potato masher to release their juice. Pour the mashed chokecherries through a strainer to extract as much juice as possible.
Step 3 | Strain Juice
If you don't have 4 cups of juice, add pits and pulp into a bowl and cover with a cup of water. Stir the mixture and strain again to extract more juice.
Step 4 | Add Sugar
Pour chokecherry juice into a saucepan and add four cups of sugar. Add orange juice and lemon juice. Simmer for 15 minutes, until sugar is dissolved.
Step 5 | Add Pectin
Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons of pectin and whisk to combine. Bring to a rolling boil for 2 minutes. Test a small amount of syrup by placing it in the refrigerator until completely cool to see if the syrup has the desired consistency.
Note: If you want the syrup thicker, you can reheat the syrup and whisk in an additional tablespoon of pectin. Bring to a rolling boil for one minute. If the syrup is thicker than you'd like, add water, ½ of a cup at a time, keeping in mind the syrup will thicken once refrigerated.
Step 6 | Pour into Jars and Process
Pour chokecherry syrup into sterilized jars. Wipe the rims with a clean washcloth or paper towel before adding the jar lids and collars. Hand tighten.
🫙Processing Instructions
To process the chokecherry syrup, add filled jars to a water bath canner, filled with hot water. Use jar lifting tongs to lower the jars into the hot water. Make sure the water is at least a few inches above the jars. Bring to a boil for 10 minutes.
Adjust Processing Time For Altitude
If you live 1000 feet or higher above sea level, you need to adjust the processing time for higher altitude! Follow the times listed below.
Altitude | Additional Processing Time |
1,001 — 3,000 3,001 — 6,000 6,001 — 8,000 8,001 — 10,000 | 5 minutes 10 minutes 15 minutes 20 minutes |
🤷🏻♀️ Recipe FAQs
Chokecherries look like mini cherries but grow in a clump, similar to grapes. According to Wikipedia, chokecherries are also known as Bitter-Berry, Virginia Bird Cherry, and Western Chokecherry.
They grow in most of the United States, Canada, and Northern Mexico. In Montana, chokecherries grow in abundance and are currently (September) ripe for the picking.
Yes, you can eat chokecherries, although you wouldn't want to pick one off the tree and plop it in your mouth. Yes, I speak from experience.
Chokecherries have pits that look like regular cherry pits only proportionally smaller. However, that's where the similarities end. Chokecherries don't share the same wonderful taste that regular cherries have. Instead, they have a bitter and astringent taste and will make you pucker or "choke" when you taste them.
Don't let the unpleasant taste of chokecherries fool you. They taste great when used in various recipes.
Some of the things you can make with chokecherries include syrup, jam, jelly, wine, and fruit roll ups. There are some that even dry and pound the chokecherries into flour.
👩🏼🍳 Pro Tips
- Add ½ teaspoon of almond extract, which will enhance the cherry flavor. If you prefer, you can add ½ teaspoon of vanilla extract.
- Mix in a small amount of the chokecherry pulp and skin for a chunkier texture.
- Leave out the pectin for a thinner syrup.
- If you love cinnamon flavor, add ¼ teaspoon of cinnamon when you add the sugar.
🍓Related Recipes
Love this recipe? Please leave a 5-star 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟rating in the recipe card below & a review in the comments section further down the page.
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📖 Recipe
Chokecherry Syrup Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 cups chokecherries
- 4 cups water
- 4 cups sugar
- 1½ tablespoon orange juice
- 1½ tablespoon lemon juice
- 2 tablespoon powdered pectin
Instructions
- Thoroughly wash chokecherries before by adding them to a large bowl and covering them with cold water. Skim the surface of the water, to remove any pests, sticks, and leaves. Add cleaned chokecherries to a saucepan and cover with four cups of water.
- Bring the mixture to a boil then cover and simmer for 30 minutes over low heat. Halfway through, mash the chokecherries with a potato masher to release their juice. Pour the mashed chokecherries through a strainer to extract as much juice as possible.
- If you don't have 4 cups of juice, add pits and pulp into a bowl and cover with a cup of water. Stir the mixture and strain again to extract more juice.
- Pour chokecherry juice into a saucepan and add four cups of sugar. Add orange juice and lemon juice. Simmer for 15 minutes, until sugar is dissolved.
- Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons of pectin and whisk to combine. Bring to a rolling boil for 2 minutes. Test a small amount of syrup by placing it in the refrigerator until completely cool to see if the syrup has the desired consistency.
- Pour chokecherry syrup into sterilized jars. Wipe the rims with a clean washcloth or paper towel before adding the jar lids and collars. Hand tighten.
How to Process Jars
- To process the chokecherry syrup, add filled jars to a water bath canner, filled with hot water. Use jar lifting tongs to lower the jars into the hot water. Make sure the water is at least a few inches above the jars. Bring to a boil for 10 minutes.
Notes
- If you want the syrup thicker, you can reheat the syrup and whisk in an additional tablespoon of pectin. Bring to a rolling boil for one minute. If the syrup is thicker than you'd like, add water, ½ of a cup at a time, keeping in mind the syrup will thicken once refrigerated.
- Add ½ teaspoon of almond extract, which will enhance the cherry flavor. If you prefer, you can add ½ teaspoon of vanilla extract.
- Mix in a small amount of the chokecherry pulp and skin for a chunkier texture.
- Leave out the pectin for a thinner syrup.
- If you love cinnamon flavor, add ¼ teaspoon of cinnamon when you add the sugar.
Bobbie Squires says
simple fast delicious
Hilda Sterner says
Thank you, Bobbie!
Pamela says
I haven’t made the recipe yet because I have a question. Orange juice is a big no no for me even in tiny quantities. Can I double the lemon juice or leave the OJ out altogether?
Hilda Sterner says
Hi Pamela,
Yes, you most certainly can!
Dorothy Hudson says
Hi there! Made your jelly recipe and can’t wait to try the syrup. The jelly came out sooo good. My first chokecherry experience after picking a large colander full a few days ago. I love the idea of adding vanilla! I do that in my rhubarb pie and it tastes amazing.
Hilda Sterner says
Hi Dorothy,
So glad to hear you liked the jelly and I'm sure you'll love the syrup too! Thank you for the comment and have a great day!
Colleen Belisle says
I live just outside the city of Winnipeg in a small town in Manitoba Cnd. We have lived in our house for 18 years with a yard full of chokecherries and never knew what to do with them. I’m very grateful for this recipe as I tried it with the vanilla and it’s amazing. I had no almond extract but can’t wait to try it with that, though I’m tempted to try it with some amaretto substitute.
Hilda Sterner says
Hi Colleen, I'm so happy to hear that! Don't forget to check out my other chokecherry recipes. I will also be sharing a chokecherry fruit leather recipe soon so stay tuned!
Denise says
I am also from a little town in SE Manitoba. As we speak I am trying to make chokecherry pancake syrup. I made some years and years ago and it was delicious but cannot find my recipe. Anyways, worst case if it not good, I’ll throw it
out!
Hilda Sterner says
You'll have to let us know how it turns out!
pete snortum says
picked a bounty of chokecherry in the Paul Bunyan forest in Northern Minnesota, had to compete with the black bears who would knock down large patches of the bushes to get to them, out of courtesy I let them go first, LOL, this recipie was to die for!
Hilda Sterner says
Haha, you're funny Pete. Thanks for the laugh, enjoy the syrup! I just picked a bunch too, currently trying to make fruit leather with them. Had a few fails but still trying!
Travis says
Just made 2quarts this morning from our tree! It came out just as I remembered it from my ankle biting days. How long will the syrup last using this recipe?
Hilda Sterner says
If you can it (waterbath) it can be stored for a year or more. In the fridge, it can last a month or more. Thank you for the review!
Penny says
Can you put it through a food processor???
Hilda Sterner says
Hi Penny,
At what point? Chokecherries have large seeds so you definitely wouldn't put the mixture through a food processor before. Afterwards you strain it so there's really no need to process it.
Patty says
I made this recipe using 2 cups of sugar rather then 4, its really good. I used about 2 tsp of corn starch to thicken it a bit. A very easy, delicious syrup!
Hilda Sterner says
That's great, Patty! Thanks for letting us know about the changes you made!
Marg says
Love your simple instructions and the result is just what I was looking for.
Hilda Sterner says
Thank you, Marg! I really appreciate it. 🙂