Fruit syrup
Raspberry Syrup
Hot syrup poured over crushed raspberries, never boiled. Bright pink, seed-free and ready for a Clover Club.
- 40 min total
- 12⁄3 cups400 ml
- Keeps 2 weeks
Quick answer
Raspberry syrup is crushed raspberries steeped in hot 1:1 simple syrup, then strained to remove the seeds. Dissolve 1 cup sugar in 1 cup water, take it off the heat, mash in 2 cups raspberries, steep 30 minutes, strain and refrigerate for up to 2 weeks.
Raspberries are too delicate to boil. Even ten minutes on the stove pushes them toward jam. Here the berries never simmer: you make a hot syrup, take it off the heat, and let it pull the flavor and color out of the crushed fruit.
The result is bright pink and tastes like fresh raspberries. A fine-mesh strainer keeps every seed out of your drinks.
Tastesfresh raspberrytartfloral
The recipe
Raspberry Syrup
Ingredients for 12⁄3 cups400 ml
You’ll need: small saucepan, masher, fine-mesh strainer, cheesecloth, swing-top bottlesmall saucepan, masher, fine-mesh strainer, cheesecloth, swing-top bottle
Method
-
Make the syrup
Warm the sugar and water in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring, until completely clear, about 3 minutes. Let it come just to a simmer, then turn off the heat.
1 cup200 g granulated sugar1 cup240 ml water
-
Crush in the berries
Stir in the raspberries and crush them gently with a potato masher or fork. You want them broken open, not puréed.
2 cups250 g raspberries
-
Steep
Cover and steep for 30 minutes, until the syrup is deep pink and the berries look pale. If you used frozen berries and the syrup cooled down fast, warm it on low for 2 minutes first.
-
Strain
Pour through a fine-mesh strainer. Stir the pulp gently to help it drain, but don't force it through: pressing pushes seeds and fine pulp into the syrup and makes it cloudy.
-
Bottle
Taste and add the lemon juice if it needs a lift. Funnel into a clean bottle and refrigerate.
1 tsp1 tsp fresh lemon juice
Storage. Refrigerate in a sealed bottle for up to 2 weeks. Freeze extra in ice-cube trays for up to 3 months and drop a cube straight into lemonade or a shaker. Toss it if it smells fermented or shows mold.
Per 1 tbsp (15 ml): about 29 kcal, 7.5 g sugar (estimate).
How to use it
Clover Club
1½ oz (45 ml) gin, ½ oz (15 ml) dry vermouth, ½ oz (15 ml) lemon juice, ½ oz (15 ml) raspberry syrup and 1 egg white. Shake without ice, then with ice, and strain into a coupe.
Full recipe and historyRaspberry lemonade
1 oz (30 ml) syrup, 1 oz (30 ml) lemon juice and 4 oz (120 ml) cold water or soda water over ice.
Italian soda
1 oz (30 ml) syrup in 8 oz (240 ml) sparkling water over ice, with a splash of cream if you like.
Raspberry iced tea
1 oz (30 ml) per 8 oz (240 ml) glass of unsweetened black or green iced tea.
Raspberry Collins
2 oz (60 ml) gin, 1 oz (30 ml) lemon juice and ¾ oz (22 ml) raspberry syrup. Shake, strain over ice and top with soda water.
Pancakes and yogurt
Drizzle over pancakes, Greek yogurt, cheesecake or vanilla ice cream.
Classic drinks with Raspberry syrup
Gear for this recipe
OXO Good Grips Stainless Steel Potato Masher
Crushes berries and stone fruit right in the pan so fruit syrups pull out more color and flavor. Faster than a muddler.
Best for Big-batch fruit syrups
Ninja Professional 72 oz Countertop Blender (BL610)
Best for Orgeat and no-heat syrups
Vitamix 5200 Professional-Grade Blender
Best for Serious orgeat and fruit-syrup makers
KitchenAid Variable Speed Corded Hand Blender (KHBV53)
Best for Fruit purées and orgeat
More gear for this recipe (4)
Otis Classic 16 oz Swing-Top Glass Bottles (6-pack)
Best for Storing and gifting any syrup
Cuisinart Fine Mesh Stainless Strainers (set of 3)
Best for Every infused or fruit syrup
Regency Wraps Ultra Fine Cheesecloth (9 sq ft)
Best for Crystal-clear syrups
Cuisinart Chef's Classic 1.5 qt Stainless Saucepan with Lid
Best for Every stovetop syrup
Tips for the best batch
- Frozen raspberries are cheaper than fresh and work perfectly; freezing actually helps them release juice.
- For a seed-free, crystal-clear syrup, strain twice: once through the fine-mesh strainer, then again with it lined with damp cheesecloth.
- Heat is the enemy of raspberry flavor. If you want a thicker syrup, add more sugar rather than reducing it on the stove.
- The seedy pulp left in the strainer is great swirled into yogurt or oatmeal.
Variations
Rich raspberry syrup (2:1)
Use 400 g (2 cups) sugar to 240 ml water. Thicker, keeps up to a month, and adds less water to shaken drinks; use about two-thirds as much.
Raspberry-rose
Stir ½ tsp rosewater into the strained syrup. Beautiful in a gin sour or sparkling lemonade.
No-cook raspberry syrup
Toss the berries with the sugar and leave covered at room temperature, stirring every 30 minutes, until the sugar has dissolved into the juice (about 2 hours). Add 120 ml water and strain. The freshest flavor, but keeps only about 1 week.
Questions people ask
Can I use frozen raspberries for raspberry syrup?
Yes, and they're often the better buy. Add them straight from the freezer; if the syrup cools too much, warm the pan on low for a couple of minutes before steeping.
How do you get the seeds out of raspberry syrup?
Strain through a fine-mesh strainer and don't press the pulp. For zero seeds, strain again through cheesecloth or a nut-milk bag.
Why is my raspberry syrup cloudy?
Pressing the pulp through the strainer, or boiling the fruit, releases pectin and fine pulp. It tastes the same. Let it drip next time, or re-strain through cheesecloth.
Can I use raspberry syrup instead of raspberry liqueur?
Yes, for flavor and color. It's sweeter and has no alcohol, so use a little less and add a few drops of lemon juice to keep the drink balanced.
How long does raspberry syrup last?
About 2 weeks refrigerated, or up to 3 months frozen in ice-cube trays.