Elderflower Honey Substitute

by Editorial Staff

Summary

Prep Time	2 hrs
Cook Time	2 hrs 30 mins
Total Time	1 d 4 hrs 30 mins
Course	Breakfast
Cuisine	European
Servings (Default: 1)

Ingredients

50 elderflower umbels, fully bloomed, not washed
2 lemon (s), untreated, sliced
2 lemon (s), add the juice
2 liters water
2 kg sugar (canning)

Instructions

Gently shake the cones and check for insects, do not wash. Cut the flowers off the large stems and place in a large saucepan. Add the lemon wedges and bring to the boil with 2 liters of water. Let simmer for 30 minutes.
Then leave it covered on the stove and let it steep for 24 hours.
Pour everything through a cheesecloth, squeeze and bring to the boil with the sugar and lemon juice while stirring.
Keep an eye on the pot and stir often. Be careful, it can overflow. This is why preserving sugar does not foam as much.
Let it cook until a honey-like mass has formed. That can take a good 2 hours. Maybe longer. Stir again and again.
To test whether the consistency is good, put something on a cold saucer. Wait 3 minutes and test. It should be thick like honey.
Then put the honey substitute boiling hot in well-cleaned twist-off jars and close tightly.
If you are not satisfied with the consistency afterwards, you can safely reduce the mass a little more.
It can be used just like real honey.

About Editorial Staff

The Boss Kitchen editorial staff oversees content review, fact-checking, and recipe verification across the site. Published articles pass through the editorial team before going live, ensuring ingredient lists, techniques, cooking times, and nutritional claims hold up in a home kitchen. The team coordinates contributions across the site writers, handles reader corrections, and maintains consistency in measurement conventions, safety guidance, and dietary labeling. Posts under this byline typically represent team-reviewed reference material, site announcements, or editorial roundups rather than individual-author features, and they are held to the same sourcing standards as bylined recipe and product coverage.