Blueberry Maple Syrup

Blueberry maple syrup is an incredibly simple, three-ingredient recipe that brings an extra burst of flavor to breakfast and brunch. This homemade infused syrup is ready in under 15 minutes and is a family favorite for pancakes, waffles, and more.

You will never find me complaining about pure maple syrup on pancakes and waffles. My preference is to not even top them with butter - just maple syrup. Maybe a shake or two of ground cinnamon.

But every now and again I like to shake it up and try something new. Faced with a carton of blueberries that wrinkled way more quickly than I thought they would (harumph), I threw them into a pot with maple syrup, gave them a quick simmer, and gawked at my new, semi-homemade, fancy creation.

This blueberry maple syrup is the same one you'll see in this recipe for blueberry cornbread waffles. In my humble opinion it's so good that it warrants its own post!

Reasons to Love Blueberry Maple Syrup

• Infusing maple syrup with blueberries provides a fruit-forward, just-sweet-enough flavor that adds a special touch to breakfast.
• It's less expensive to make than purchasing specialty fruit syrups.
• You can prepare just as much as you need, preventing the fridge from cluttering up with store-bought bottles.
• It's a great recipe (if you can even call it that!) for using up fresh blueberries that are a little past their prime. They get mashed up so a wrinkly texture will go completely unnoticed.

Recipe Ingredients

• Blueberries: Fresh or frozen blueberries work for this recipe. If you're using frozen, you don't need to thaw them.
• Maple Syrup: Pure maple syrup is the pick here, not a generic pancake syrup. I find that the best price locally for a good quality maple syrup is at Costco.
• Vanilla Extract: This is optional, but just a small amount ties together the maple and blueberry flavors. I love how it enhances the flavors in blueberry chia jam and this blueberry maple syrup is no different.

Step-by-Step Instructions

It bears repeating from before - this process is so easy, it almost doesn't count as a recipe recipe.

1. Heat - Add maple syrup and blueberries to a saucepan on the stove. Bring to a low boil, then reduce heat to simmer for 5-6 minutes.
2. Mash - Remove from the heat and add vanilla extract. Mash the berries until they burst. They don't have to be 100% broken up and smooth. In fact I like to leave some texture because it makes this syrup take on a blueberry compote like vibe. 
3. Cool - Let the syrup cool off some before drizzling over pancakes and waffles, or store in the refrigerator until ready to use.

Serving Suggestions

This syrup is pourable but features texture, not unlike a blueberry compote. Use it in place of maple syrup in your favorite recipes, including the following.

• Pancakes - All kinds, naturally, but this blueberry maple syrup is especially good jazzing up cottage cheese pancakes.
• Waffles - Berries are my fruit pairing of choice when making waffles. These whole wheat waffles crisp up so nice and fluffy.
• French Toast - Whether made in casserole form (like baked cornbread french toast) or individual slices (challah french toast) french toast always benefits by a syrup accompaniment.
• Oatmeal - Swirl this syrup in to your favorite hot oatmeal or overnight oats, or top healthy baked oatmeal bars.
• Yogurt - Make your own fruit-on-the-bottom variety. The maple syrup will also sweeten plain Greek yogurt just right.
• Ice Cream - Drizzle over vanilla bean ice cream!

Recipe Tips and Tricks

• The syrup will continue to thicken up as it cools to room temperature and is stored in the refrigerator.
• With the quantities written below, this syrup recipe is relatively small batch, yielding about six two-tablespoon servings. It can easily be doubled, tripled, etc. in line with your needs.
• For an extra flavor twist, squeeze in a little fresh lemon juice when adding the vanilla extract.

Recipe FAQs

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