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!
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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 our friend 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! The first thing I prepared with my chokecherries was chokecherry syrup, and yes, I shared it with my friends!
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🔖 Ingredients & Substitutions
- Chokecherries: You can use either fresh or frozen chokecherries
- Sugar: Granulated sugar to sweeten the syrup.
- Pectin: Some fruits have a lot of pectin, while other fruits 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 Chokecherry Syrup
Step 1 | Prepare Chokecherries
Thoroughly wash chokecherries by adding them to a large bowl and covering them with cold water. Skim the surface 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 over low heat for 20 minutes. 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 end up with less than 4 cups of juice, cover the pits and pulp with the amount of water required to make 4 cups of juice. 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 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.
Pro Tip: If you want the syrup thicker, you can reheat the syrup and whisk in more pectin, and 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 for altitude.
Adjust Processing Time For Altitude
If you live 1000 feet or higher above sea level, you need to adjust the processing time for higher altitudes! 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 |
🍽 Serving Suggestions
You can serve this chokecherry syrup over your favorite pancake recipe. Some of my favorites include these eggless pancakes and pfannkuchen (German pancakes). You can also drizzle it on baked protein oats, waffles, and ice cream, or sweeten your favorite cocktails with it!
🤷🏻♀️ 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 ripen in September.
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, chokecherry jelly, chokecherry wine, and fruit roll-ups. There are some who 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.
- If you find this recipe too sweet, you can always use less sugar (3 cups instead of 4).
- Leave out the pectin for a thinner syrup.
- If you love cinnamon flavor, add ¼ teaspoon of cinnamon when you add the sugar.
🍓 More Syrup Recipes
If you enjoy this chokecherry syrup recipe, give these other syrup recipes a try!
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📖 Recipe
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Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Thoroughly wash chokecherries by adding them to a large bowl and covering them with cold water. Skim the surface 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 20 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 end up with less than 4 cups of juice, cover the pits and pulp with the amount of water required to make 4 cups of juice. 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 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.
- 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.
Nutrition
Video
Notes
- If you want the syrup thicker, you can reheat the syrup and whisk in more pectin, and 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.
James Young says
My found my chokecherry syrup jelled too much when I opened the jar after a month. How do I thin it out?
Hilda Sterner says
Hi James,
If you would like to thin it out, just reheat it and add additional water, a little at a time, to get the consistency you want. You can place some in the fridge to cool it off so that you can see what the consistency will be like once set. Then you can determine if you want it thinner or if it's good to go. If you thin it out too much, you can whisk a teaspoon of cornstarch in a few tablespoons of water and mix it back in and bring back to a boil. I hope that answered your question.
Cynthia Donahey says
or you can add vodka to the jar
Jeremy Hull says
I live in Winnipeg, Manitoba and pick chokecherries every year for wine making. My wine making recipe has me crush the cleaned chokecherries, mix them with sugar and leave the mixture over night, covered, to extract the juice. I haven't made chokecherry syrup, although I enjoy the commercial chokecherry syrup locally available, but I'm planning to give it a try this year with my grandson who also enjoys it. I'm wondering if the wine method above would also work when making syrup? I guess it's more work.
By the way, I understand that there are at least two types of chokecherries, one type that turns a deep color, almost black (which we have here), and another where the chokecherries stay red. I find reactions to the taste of the chokecherries is highly individual. I have come to enjoy it, and surprisingly my granddaughter, who has a sweet tooth, enjoys eating them, but the first reaction of most people is to make a sour face and spit them out.
Hilda Sterner says
Hi Jeremy,
I've never made chokecherry wine, but that's right up my alley! You can totally follow the method you mentioned for making the jam, but like you said, I think it's just an added step. I've tried dark and red chokecherries and can't get past the taste. I do love the syrup, however, and plan on mastering chokecherry jam this year.
Cynthia Donahey says
My raw chokecherry vinegar is now slightly pink. I am going to put cooked chokecherries in lemon juice and try and make a food coloring. I have bottled lime juice on hand.
We have a bunch of chokecherry bushes at this Fallen Fruit Art Project across the street from me.. Extension volunteers maintain it. Artists can not. Weinland Park got all the chokecherries and someone else got the blueberry plants. Somebody, the Extension volunteers? just put a sign up not to eat this fruit, because the plants are not blueberries. There is a little free library there, very nice, and people have just started putting food on one of the picnic tables. I think there is a new supervisor, someone in the leadership programs.
Esmerelda says
I have my chokecherry juice but only have low-sugar/no sugar pectin. Will that substitution work?
Hilda Sterner says
Hi Esmerelda, I've never used low sugar/no sugar pectin before, so it's hard for me to say whether it will work or not. You can use a little cornstarch instead. The amount of cornstarch would depend on how thick or thin you want the syrup. I would start with 1/2 of a tablespoon and add more if needed. Good luck!
Cynthia Donahey says
I just made chokecherry salve. I wrapped berries firmly in cheesecloth, placed in a small crockpot set at low with petroleum jelly and lard. You can use shea butter or oil. It simmered for about six or seven hours. Choke cherry essence was at the bottom and I stirred it in.Took out the cheesecloth full of chokechrries and put in vinegar. It made an intensely colored vinegar, which is cosmetic more than edible. Raw chokeherries do not add color to vinegar.
Chokecherry juice can be added to cider or sweet juices.
Hilda Sterner says
That's very cool, thanks for sharing! Now that I'm back in Montana, I'm hoping to go pick some this upcoming week!
Suzanne says
Turned out pretty watery. More like juice.
Hilda Sterner says
Sorry to hear that, Suzanne. Luckily, that's easy to fix. To make the syrup thicker, either cook it down longer or dilute some cornstarch into a few tablespoons of cold water and mix into the syrup and bring back to a boil.
Nichole says
Loved this recipe! My grandma used to make chokecherry syrup every summer when I was a little and it was always my favorite. I happened to fall into some chokecherries this year and followed this recipe. I did have to add quite a bit of pectin for desired thickness, but other than that it tastes just like I remember! Even my cousins are raving about it!
Hilda Sterner says
Thanks, Nichole,
I kind of went in blindly when I made this recipe, especially since I'd never had chokecherry syrup before. I'm happy to know that I was on the right track. Thank you so much for your comment and review!
D Paul says
I haven't had a chance to try your recipe yet, but I wanted to say that I love to pull fresh chokecherries right off the bush and eat them. If they are ripe, they are quite yummy!
Hilda Sterner says
Wow, maybe I need to give them another try. Where do you live if you don't mind me asking and what month are they ripe? Since I'm new to chokecherries, maybe I'm picking them too soon.
Tanya says
I’m new to choke cherries too but they are all over where my husband grew up. He said the darker the berry the better. We found a new tree this year and the super deep burgundy/purple berries were good, not as bitter as in previous years. Can’t wait to try this recipe out.
Hilda Sterner says
Hi Tanya,
I have been looking for them all over here in Montana, where I live. I haven't had any luck this year. The trees where I picked were wiped clean! I'm still on the hunt. Hope you like this recipe. 🙂
Ilene Flax says
WAY TOO SWEET!!!
HildaSterner says
Ilene, Sorry you didn't like the syrup. Did you try making it with less sugar?
Kelly Methey says
I should have taken pictures to be used at a later date!
I find myself looking at every bush and berry as I drive or walk along thanks to you!
HildaSterner says
Haha, that makes me happy to know that I've rubbed off on you! And yes, I wish you would've snapped a few pics!