Easy Spiced Elderberry Jelly

This easy spiced elderberry jelly recipe is a great way of making the most of those seasonal foraged elderberries. It’s perfect on toast, with a cheeseboard and as a glaze for roasts too.

Why you’ll love this recipe

• Elderberry jelly isn’t something you’ll find in the shops and that makes it just a wee bit special.
• Foraging for food is fun and something you can get the kids involved with, plus it means that the main ingredient in this delicious elderberry jelly recipe is free!
• Elderberries are packed with vitamins so even though there is sugar in this elderberry jelly it still has goodness in there and it’s so versatile from the cheeseboard to using as a glaze and on toast too.

I love foraging and making homemade goodies from my finds. I’ve already shared by recipes here for elderberry jam and also elderberry chutney, so this elderberry jelly seemed like an obvious step.

Elderberries

The Elder tree (black elder, ellhorn) has a long and varied history. it is said that Judas hanged himself from one. The Anglo-Saxons thought that if you fell asleep under and elder tree you would enter the fairy world.

Elderberries are the fruit of the elder tree and I use the elderflowers (the blossom of the trees) to make my elderflower fizz, raspberry, peach and elderflower jam, elderflower and apple jelly, strawberry and elderflower jam and of course my elderflower liqueur.

Foraging for elderberries

Elderberries are ripe in late August – mid September here in the UK. You know when elderberries are ripe as that are the deepest purple black you can imagine which looks rather stunning against the red stems (or umbrells) that hold the berries and the bright green leaves of the elder tree.

When you are foraging for elderberries to make your elderberry jelly be careful as the juice of those ripe elderberries is a deep red colour and they can burst and splat all over you as you pick them. Leave the white T-shirt at home!

Pick the umbrells of elderberries (that’s the clusters of purple black elderberries on their tiny thin red stems that come together in groups) and take them home to remove the berries from the stems.

Never pick all the berries on the bush/tree, leave some for the wildlife to enjoy. Here is a great guide to foraging from the BBC which tells you all you need to know about foraging for all types of country goodies.

Can you eat raw elderberries?

No, don’t do that as elderberries will give you an upset stomach if you eat them raw. They have to be cooked to be edible to us humans.

Are elderberries healthy?

Yes, elderberries are good for you. They are packed with Vitamin C and antioxidents. That’s why you find lots of elderberry products in the health food store to help ward off colds etc in the winter months.

Ingredients for elderberry jelly

There are just a few ingredients in this homemade elderberry jelly recipe and apart from the berries themselves you probably have the others lurking in the kitchen already.

Elderberries – the stars of the show in this simple elderberry jelly recipe. Make sure that your elderberries are ripe (black in colour not red in any way) and undamaged.

Sugar – I use plain white sugar to make my jelly. Don’t use brown sugar as the caramel like flavour will overpower the delicate elderberry taste.

Spices – The spices are optional but I find that the addition of cinnamon and star anise gives my elderberry jelly a lovely spicy kick.

Fruit – Lemon juice and apples help with setting your elderberry jelly so there is no need for add any pectin to this recipe.

The complete list of ingredients and full instructions for making this recipe can be found on the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.

Extra Additions to your elderberry jelly

You can add other goodies to change the flavour of this delicious elderberry jelly. Why not add some gin or whisky just before you pot your elderberry jelly. Or try different spices, like vanilla or cardamom.

How to prepare elderberries

Removing the elderberries from their stems is the only time-consuming part of this simple elderberry jam recipe. But there is a trick to getting the berries off the stems easily, use a fork!

Just push a fork into the batch of berries and pull gently downwards. You’ll find that all the lovely ripe elderberries will just pop off their stems and into your waiting bowl.

How to make elderberry jelly

Once you have removed the elderberries from their stalks (or got someone else to do it for you!) you just need to put them into a pan and add the apple and spices with a little water.

Bring to a boil and then simmer till the fruit is all tender. Fish out the spices and then use a potato masher to squish down the fruit and release as much juice as possible.

Pour the fruit and berry pulp into a jelly bag (I use those little mesh bags you get in some of the supermarkets for putting your veggies in) and let it drip overnight into a jug below.

Resist any temptation to squeeze the bag to get more juice out as this will make your elderberry jelly cloudy and although that doesn’t effect the taste a clear jelly is always best.

Pour the juice you have collected into a high-sided pan and add your lemon juice and the sugar.

How much sugar do you need to make elderberry jelly?

You will want to use 450g of sugar for every 550ml of berry juice that you have.

Gently heat until the sugar dissolves completely and then raise the heat to a boil. You want to boil your elderberry jelly till it reaches the magical 105-degree setting point. Check out this post on Making Great Jelly for full information on testing for the setting point of your jelly and more.

Now is the time to add any gin or other hooch if you want to and carefully ladle your elderberry jelly into sterilised jars. A jam funnel is always good for doing this.

How much does this make?

I got two small (150g) jars of spiced elderberry jelly from this recipe. The more elderberries you have the more you can make, so get picking!

How long does this keep?

Your homemade elderberry jelly will keep in a cool cupboard for up to a year or more. Once opened store in the fridge and use within a month.

Please Note – We do not usually do water bath or other canning methods here in the UK. Our preserves keep perfectly well without this.

How to serve elderberry jelly

This deliciously sweet yet tart jelly is very versatile and can be served in a variety of ways.

Spread it on hot buttered toast or add to a grilled cheese toastie.

Use your elderberry jelly as a glaze when roasting turkey, duck or venison, it really adds to the flavor of the roast.

Serve elderberry jelly with a cheeseboard or sharing platter for a lovely sweet/savoury twist.

Looking for more fabulous foraging recipes to try? Then check these out before you go;

Rowan berry jam

Elderberry chutney

Hedgerow jelly with whisky

Traditional rosehip jelly

Homemade elderberry jam

For even more inspiration check out my Foraging Section for a whole host of wild and wonderful recipes to try.

Finally, if you do try this recipe don’t forget to leave a comment/star rating below as I just love to hear from readers. Want more Larder Love? Then follow me on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest and Twitter and sign up for my newsletter too of course.