How to Make Rosehip Syrup (Easy Recipe + Benefits)
I’ve loved foraging ever since I first discovered it years ago, and it’s been a constant wherever we lived—first in Scotland, then England, and now here in North Africa. No matter where I’ve foraged, I’ve always been delighted to find wild roses growing nearby. They’re wonderfully widespread, so if you live in a temperate climate, chances are you’ll spot them too. My favorite way to use this plant is by making rosehip syrup. It’s a cozy, nourishing treat—perfect stirred into a cup of tea after a chilly walk. In this post, I’ll show you how to make rosehip syrup quickly and easily, so you’ll have it on hand for the colder months and the coming cold and flu season.
What is Rosehip Syrup?
Rosehip syrup is a simple, old-fashioned syrup made by simmering fresh or dried rosehips in water, straining the liquid, and then mixing it with an equal amount of sugar or honey. The result is a sweet syrup with a delicate floral aroma and a flavor that’s slightly reminiscent of apples (both apples and rosehips belong to the Rosaceae plant family). I love using rosehip syrup in a hot cup of tea whenever I feel chilled or under the weather, but it’s just as delicious drizzled over pancakes or waffles, stirred into yogurt, or even poured over ice cream.
Rosehips Benefits
I’m not a trained herbalist, but I love learning about medicinal plants—especially those I can forage in the wild. Rosehips are one of my favorites to gather each year. Not only do I adore the flavor of homemade rosehip syrup, but rosehips are also known for their many health benefits. In her book Alchemy of Herbs, Rosalie de la Forêt writes that roses “offer us a powerful medicine for relieving both emotional and physical pain, for healing wounds, and for decreasing systemic inflammation” (p. 229). Rosehips in particular are packed with vitamin C, which makes rosehip syrup a wonderful support during cold and flu season. Whenever I feel like I might be coming down with something, I love stirring a spoonful into a hot cup of tea.
If you’re interested in learning more about herbs and their uses, you don’t need to overwhelm yourself with dozens of books or complicated resources. Start with one or two good guides and focus on learning a handful of plants at a time. I’ve found it most helpful to begin with herbs that are easy to find where I live—either sold as common spices like ginger, turmeric, or cloves, or growing wild around me, such as thyme, rosemary, and plantain. Personally, I rely on just two herbal books: Alchemy of Herbs and Rosemary Gladstar’s Medicinal Herbs. Both are full of practical, approachable wisdom that I use regularly. Rosalie also hosts an excellent podcast about herbs, which I highly recommend if you’d like to deepen your herbal knowledge.
Ingredients for Rosehip Syrup
Rosehip syrup is super simple to make and only has three ingredients:
- rosehips – you can use either fresh or dried ones
- honey or sugar – use the same amount of sweetener as the amount of liquid you get from cooking the resehips. This will give the syrup a long shelf life.
- water
How to Make Rosehip Syrup (Recipe)
Step 1
If you’re using fresh rosehips for syrup, start by sorting through them to remove any stems, leaves, or bits of debris. Then give them a quick rinse under cool running water to wash away any dust or dirt. This simple step ensures your rosehip syrup starts off clean and ready for cooking.
Step 2
Place your prepared rosehips into a medium saucepan and pour in 4 1/2 cups water. Bring the pot up to a gentle boil, then lower the heat so the rosehips can simmer away slowly. Cover the pan and let them cook for about 1 ½ hours. After that, remove the lid and continue simmering for another 30 minutes or so, until the liquid has reduced by about half. This long, gentle cooking draws out all the goodness from the rosehips and gives your syrup a rich, concentrated flavor.
Step 3
Strain the liquid through a fine mesh sieve. Press the rosehips with the back of a spoon to extract as much liquid as possible. You could also place the rosehips in a cheesecloth, tie it into a bundle and squeeze to get all the liquid out.
Step 4
Once your rosehips have finished simmering, strain out the liquid and measure how much you have. For every cup of rosehip liquid, add an equal amount of sweetener—either honey or sugar works beautifully. (For example, I ended up with about ½ cup of liquid, so I stirred in ½ cup of unrefined sugar.) Warm the mixture gently and stir until the sugar or honey dissolves completely.
Step 5
Pour the syrup into a clean small bottle or jar. I used an old cod liver oil bottle for this, but empty vinegar or sauce bottles also make great containers for homemade syrup.
Once filled, screw the lid on tightly, add a simple label (so you don’t forget what’s inside), and tuck the bottle into the refrigerator. Stored this way, your rosehip syrup will be ready whenever you want a spoonful of sweetness in tea, drizzled over porridge, or taken by the spoonful as a winter tonic.
Variations
- If I want to use the rosehips syrup as a cold and flu remedy, I make it with raw honey. If I want to make a larger quantity to use as a topping for pancakes or waffles, I make it with unrefined sugar (raw honey can get a bit pricey if used in such large amounts).
- For a lighter syrup, mix 1/2 cup honey or sugar with 1 cup of rosehip cooking liquid. This will have a shorter shelf life, should be refrigerated and used up within a few weeks.
- I’ve noticed online that some people like to make a rosehip and elderberry syrup. Because rosehips have such a gentle, floral flavor compared to the bold, earthy taste of elderberries, the elderberries usually take center stage—so the finished syrup ends up tasting very similar to a classic elderberry syrup. Personally, I prefer to let rosehips shine on their own. Their mild, flowery taste is so delicate and unique that I’d rather not mix them with other herbs, just so I can fully enjoy their character.
Storage & Shelf Life
- This syrup will keep in the fridge for at least a few months.
- If you’d like to store your rosehip syrup on the pantry shelf instead of in the fridge, be sure to make it with sugar rather than honey. Sugar acts as a preservative and will keep the syrup shelf-stable. Once it’s ready, pour the hot syrup into sterilized jars or bottles, screw the lids on tightly, and let them seal as they cool.
- If you are short on fridge space, you can also freeze rosehip syrup.
How to Use Rosehip Syrup
- add it to flavor black tea or herbal teas,
- drizzle over pancakes or waffles,
- stir it into yogurt with some nuts and dried fruit,
- take it on the spoon as an immune booster (especially if it is made with raw honey).
Conclusion
I hope you’ll give this rosehip syrup recipe a try—especially if you’re lucky enough to have wild roses growing nearby. If you live in a temperate climate, chances are good you’ll find them! Foraging is such a joyful hobby, and I love how it encourages me and the kids to be outside more. No matter the season, there’s nearly always something to forage, even in the depths of winter.
This autumn, I’ll be sharing a whole series of simple, homemade remedies for colds and flu. Each one will be quick to put together, using ingredients you probably already have on hand—no special skills or fancy equipment required. Next up: thyme tea, my absolute favorite hot drink for easing sore throats and supporting a speedy recovery.
If you’d like to follow along and make sure you don’t miss the rest of this homemade remedies series, I’d love for you to join my newsletter community. It’s where I share traditional skills and simple recipes to keep your family nourished through the seasons.
Other Home Remedies On The Blog
Ginger and Turmeric Fermented Honey
Rosehip Syrup
Ingredients
- 1½ cups fresh rosehips or 1 cup dried
- ½ cup honey or unrefined sugar
- 4½ cups filtered water
Instructions
- Pick through the rosehips and remove any stems or debris. Give them a rinse to remove any dust. This is only necessary if you foraged your own rosehips, bought ones would have been cleaned already.
- Place the rosehips in a medium saucepan and cover with the filtered water.
- Bring to boil, the reduce the heat to low and simmer the rosehips, covered, for 1 1/2 hours.
- Uncover the saucepan and simmer the rosehips for another 30 minutes, uncovered, until the liquid is reduced by half.
- Strain the mixture through a fine sieve. Measure the liquid and stir in an equal amount of honey or sugar until dissolved.
- While the liquid is still warm, stir in the honey or sugar until dissolved.
- Pour your syrup into a clean jar or bottle (I used an old cod liver oil bottle for this purpose), label and store in the fridge.
- This syrup will keep in the fridge for several months. It is delicious added to teas (especially to black tea), drizzled over pancakes and waffles, or used to sweeten smoothies or porridge.
