Let's go in the direction of summer! What can not be missing: a homemade elderflower syrup without sugar. How you can prepare the syrup without using table sugar, you will learn now.
Whether with tap water, in sparkling water or mixed with wine or sparkling wine - elderflower syrup simply refines any drink.
Yet many think that homemade syrup is healthy. After all, you dilute it with a lot of water. But this is unfortunately a misconception. Because a glass of conventional diluted syrup can contain the same amount of sugar as a glass of lemonade.
If you look at the nutritional values of a store-bought syrup, you'll quickly realize that it's a pure sugar bomb!
If you want to save calories, you can prepare an elderflower syrup without sugar. How is that supposed to work? Not long ago I asked myself the same question, but it is not difficult to make a sugar-free elderberry syrup yourself.
The syrup is simply sweetened with Erythritol* or Birch sugar*. It works very simply and you can't taste any difference. Find out exactly how to do it now.
Table of contents
What are the advantages of preparing elderflower syrup without sugar?
There are many reasons to reduce sugar consumption. Most people start when they want to lose weight. After all, sugar contains quite a lot of calories.
Often, you don't even realize how much sugar you consume per day. It hides not only in obvious foods like cakes or sodas, but also in all processed foods, like sauces, dips and even bread contains sugar.
The excess calories from sugar do not provide any nutrients. So they are pure fatteners. But let's take a quick look at the calories.
This is how many calories are in 100 grams
- Sugar: 387 calories
- Birch sugar*240 calories
- Erythritol*: 0 calories
And on top of that, sugar is the main cause of tooth decay. Meanwhile, in many supermarkets you can buy elderflower syrup without sugar.
But these juices have never seen real elderflower, but are made from flavoring. To get flavor in the bottle, they use elderflower extracts. The sugar substitute is sucralose, which is said to have a bad influence on the intestinal flora.
And let's be honest: Somehow the purchased sugar-free juices don't taste very good - instead of fresh flowers, extracts and flavors are used.
It is very easy to prepare elderflower syrup without sugar and enjoy the taste of early summer all year round.
The effort is very low, as with a syrup with household sugar. So if you really feel like a delicious flower syrup, then you're in the right place!
How can I make my own elderflower syrup without sugar?
If you want to make your own sugar-free juices, there are two alternatives: Birch sugar* or Erythritol*. However, both behave a little differently to conventional sugar. Elderflower syrup can be made without sugar if you pay attention to a few little things.
Anyone who has experimented a little with sugar substitutes knows that it is not always possible to replace household sugar 1:1. Either the consistency is not right or the taste is strange. But don't worry, this time everything will be different.
Elderflower syrup with erythritol
One sugar substitute that I really like to use is Erythritol*. Unfortunately, it is a bit "bitchy" when it comes to processing. You need to know a few things about it, but then it works quite well.
The problem with syrup with Erythritol* is that it does not dissolve well in liquid. If the liquid cools down, the sugar crystallizes. This is exactly what we don't want in our syrup. We want to prepare an elderflower syrup without sugar that behaves exactly as if household sugar were in the recipe.
But the good news is that you can make flower syrup with erythritol. With a little trick it works quite wonderfully and the juice does not crystallize.
Instead of conventional erythritol I simply take Erythritol powdered sugar*. And the problem is solved. You can find the recipe with exact quantities at the end of the article.
Good to know: Erythritol has no preservative property. Once you open the bottle, you must use the syrup within 3 days. In addition, you must fill it boiling hot and then store it in a cool place.
Xylitol elderflower syrup without sugar
Birch sugar* has really taken off in recent years. It has to be given credit for the fact that it contains around 40 % fewer calories than sugar. And at the same time, it does not cause tooth decay. Birch sugar* is even healthy for the teeth because it helps to maintain tooth mineralization.
It creates an alkaline environment in the mouth, in which caries feels very uncomfortable.
In cooking and baking, birch sugar behaves pretty much the same as household sugar. The sweetening power is also similar to conventional sugar, but if you want to get quite the same sweetness together, you should add about 10 % more Xylitol* use.
I have never had problems with birch sugar like with erythritol, which tends to crystallize.
So now you have to decide: Elderflower syrup without sugar with erythritol or with birch sugar.
If you are very motivated, you can also try both recipes and then decide which tastes better.
One Elderflower syrup with birch sugar I have prepared last year and also already presented in a blog post.
How to make elderflower syrup?
No matter if with sugar, Xylitol* or erythritol - the preparations are always the same. For all beginners, here are instructions describing in detail how to make elderflower syrup yourself.
If you've made syrup before, you can just skip that and find a short version of the recipe with exact quantities at the end of the post.
Important: If you want to make flower syrup, you must process the flowers on the same day. So plan enough time for this besides the picking!
Tip: The flowers are placed in a mixture of water and erythritol. However, this mixture must be completely cooled. Therefore, you should make the sugar water first, while you collect the flowers, it can cool and is then immediately ready for use.
This is how you prepare a flower syrup step by step:
1. find the elder flowers
Between mid-May and late June, you'll find elderberry bushes with blossoms at the edge of forests, in fields, and often in parks.
You can recognize the umbels from a distance - they glow white and are about the size of an open hand. They have an unmistakable smell - all those who regularly drink elderberry syrup will immediately recognize the scent.
Collect them only if you are sure that they are the right flowers. You should not collect flowers next to busy roads. If you can't find any, you might be lucky at a farmer's market. Especially in larger cities, the blossoms are sometimes offered. But actually you can find them around every corner.
2. collect the flowers
Pick the flowers and put them in a basket. So small insects, have the opportunity to escape. Also, the flowers remain more beautiful when they are not crushed in a bag.
Be careful when you collect them so you don't shake off all the pollen. I cut them from the bush with scissors so that doesn't happen.
3. prepare the cones
No matter how closely you look, there will always be some critters on the flowers. That's why you should spread them out at home and leave them in the shade for about half an hour. I spread them out on a towel. Most of the insects will then take off on their own.
You can use stems that are overlooked by aphids only if you pluck the flowers one by one and throw away the stems. If you leave such flowers when you collect them, you save yourself the work.
4. prepare the base
In the meantime, you can prepare the base for the elderflower syrup without sugar. For this, sugar is mixed with water and Citric acid* Bring to the boil. Stir until the sugar has dissolved.
Set the pot aside and let the sugar mixture cool completely. You must never pour hot sugar water on the flowers!
5. prepare the syrup
Once the bugs are removed and the sugar water is cold, you're ready to go. Distribute the flowers in the sugar water. Add lemons or oranges. Cover the pot.
Refrigerate the elderflower syrup and let it steep for at least 48 hours. Stir the syrup 2x a day with a clean spoon.
6. bottle and preserve the syrup
After two days you can taste the syrup for the first time. It should now smell and taste intensely of elderflowers. Pour it through a fine sieve or press it through a clean cloth to remove the flowers and lemons/oranges.
Now you need to preserve the syrup. For those who do not have much experience with it, who should stop by the blog postin which I explain in detail how this works.
Boil the syrup again and fill it in sterilized bottles (you can read tips here). Close the bottles tightly and allow them to cool. Turning the bottles upside down is not recommended. This can cause plasticizers to come off the lid and impurities to enter the syrup.
And now let's look at the recipe in detail. Here's how you can make elderflower syrup without sugar.
You can buy these ingredients on Amazon:
Elderflower syrup without sugar (with erythritol)
Ingredients
- 1,5 L Tap water
- 700 g Powder erythritol
- 3 TL Pectin
- 30 g Citric acid
- 50 Umbels Elderflower
- 1 Orange or lemon
Equipment
- Pot
- Cooking spoon
- Sieve or cloth
- Bottles for filling
Anleitung
- Bring the tap water to a boil in a saucepan. Dissolve the erythritol in it.
- As soon as it starts to dissolve, add pectin and citric acid. Stir well and then set aside.
- Let the sugar water cool completely. Cooling takes at least one hour. If you want to speed up the process, transfer the sugar water to another pot or bowl.
- In the meantime, cut open the lemon or orange. You can also use both.
- Place the lemon slices and elderflowers in the cooled sugar water. Stir with a spoon and chill the mix.
- Now you need to wait two days and stir the syrup again and again - preferably 1x in the morning and 1x in the evening.
- Pour the syrup through a cloth or sieve and boil it again. Fill it hot into clean bottles. Put the lid on and your elderflower syrup without sugar is ready!
What can I use the syrup for and where do I store it?
Elderberry syrup tastes very refreshing in tap water or sparkling water. But it also makes a good addition to sparkling wine or a refreshing hugo.
Moreover, pure elderflower syrup helps when you are sick. It has a diaphoretic effect and helps you sweat out the illness.
Store the syrup in a dark place. You can store it in the pantry or in the cellar. Once the bottle is opened, it must be stored in the refrigerator and should be used within 4 days.
Tip: If you dry a few flowers, you can enjoy them as a tea and quickly control fever, cold, kidney and bladder problems.
What color is elderflower syrup?
Homemade elderflower syrup is not only particularly aromatic, it also has a beautiful golden-yellow color. So that your syrup also becomes so beautifully bright yellow, you should not wash the flowers before processing.
Because with it you rinse away the pollen. The yellow dust gives the syrup its irresistible color.
When you buy a bottle of juice, you will quickly notice the difference. Supermarket products are much more transparent because they are artificially colored. The crucial ingredient for the beautiful appearance is missing: the elderflower.
What does elderflower syrup smell like?
If you prepare the elderflower syrup according to my recipe, you will quickly notice how delicate and pleasant it smells. The taste is fruity and very refreshing thanks to lemons.
And now you enjoy your homemade syrup best iced. Enjoy it!
Our conclusion
It is not difficult to make your own elderflower syrup without sugar. The procedure is quite the same as for a classic syrup. Except that Erythritol powdered sugar* is added. It ensures that the elderberry syrup does not crystallize and remains nice and runny.
Good luck and enjoy it!
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