Homemade Keto Elderflower Syrup

I absolutely LOVE the scent and flavour of Elderflower. To me it goes hand-in-hand with the summery wafts of jasmine and gardenia. Yet Elderflower is nowhere near as common. When you do find it growing wild (or in the garden), it’s such a delight to use for homemade Elderflower syrup (cordial) or to use in baking!

Since we eat a mostly ketogenic diet these days, I wasn’t intending on making any Elderflower syrup this year (like I have in the past). However, the giant delicate blooms at our village park were beckoning, so I thought “maybe I could try a sugar-free, keto approved version?”

I picked about 12-15 large perfectly fresh Elderflower heads and wandered back home. Make sure you smell the flowers and that they don’t have brown bits on them. Otherwise your Elderflower syrup could taste a bit “off”. If they smell amazing, then they are good to go!

While the normal version of this recipe calls for sugar and water to be boiled (a simple sugar syrup), I used my trusty liquid stevia. I buy this brand from Woolworths (this is not sponsored by the way, and there are no affiliate links in this post).

Side note: 25mm of the liquid Stevia is equivalent to 1 cup of sugar. The reason I use liquid Stevia so much is because it has some agave in it and, I find, it has no weird aftertaste (that odd cooling effect you get on the tongue from some keto sweeteners, which can be a bit off putting).

INGREDIENTS

• 12-15 large elderflower heads
• 150mm liquid Stevia
• 1 tbsp citric acid
• Juice of 1-2 limes
• Optional: juice of 1 lemon

METHOD

1. Combine 6 cups of cold water with 150mm of liquid stevia, and pour over the Elderflower heads in a large container. My brass Pottery Barn ice bucket works perfectly for this. Also, I would recommending removing as much of the stems as possible and using just the flower heads. I was a bit lazy with this part, as you can see! Eeek!
2. Next, add a tablespoon of citric acid, a squeeze of fresh lime juice (1-2 whole lime) and/or squeeze of fresh lemon (whole lemon).
3. Give it a big mix and make sure you Elderflower heads are submerged. You may need to add a plate or something on top to keep them submerged – I didn’t need to with mine.
4. Cover the mixture and leave for 48 hours, giving it a gentle stir once or twice a day. You’ll notice that the liquid and flower go yellow after a day or so, which is normal.
5. After 2 days, strain your mixture through a fine sieve or cheesecloth, into a jar or bottle. If you want your syrup to last for up to 12 months, strain it into a pot on the stove and give it a gentle boil for about 5 minutes.
6. Then, pour into sterilised jars or bottles and keep in the fridge. Voila! Homemade sugar free Elderflower syrup.

This is such a lovely, summery, no-sugar treat. It’s delicious adding a dash to some champagne to make an Elderflower champagne cocktail.

Or, you could add some syrup to Gin with fresh lime, cucumber and mint for a refreshingly sweet twist and a G&T.

It’s also at it’s finest added straight to some sparkling water with a wedge of lime and fresh mint. It’s such a unique and delicate flavour.

Do you have any good Elderflower recipes or tips? I’d love to know so please share below!

Nicki xo