Mulberry substitute

Best substitute

Blackberries

Use the same amount by weight, and reduce any added lemon juice by half as the mulberry you are replacing

Best for mulberry pie and cobbler

Different taste

Blackberries are the closest swap, one for one by weight, but they need a correction: add a teaspoon of lemon juice per cup only if the recipe already assumed tart fruit, and if the recipe was written for mulberries you should instead cut the lemon or sugar back, because blackberries are much more acidic. That difference is the whole story with this fruit. Mulberries are low in acid and mildly sweet, so a mulberry pie recipe usually calls for extra lemon juice, and swapping in blackberries or raspberries without adjusting will make the filling sharp. For dried mulberries in trail mix or Turkish and Iranian dishes, use golden raisins or chopped dried figs at one for one.

Other mulberry substitutes

Ranked, with the exact amount to use

2Boysenberries or Black Raspberries
Close match
Use the same amount by weight
Both are soft, dark, juicy berries with a milder, rounder flavour than blackberries, which makes them a better fit for mulberry recipes.
What changes
Frozen ones work fine in anything cooked.
Best for
pie and cobbler, jam, crumble, ice cream and sorbet, sauces
Closer than blackberries on flavour because they are sweeter and less sharp, and boysenberries in particular have the same soft, collapsing flesh. They are still more acidic than mulberry, just not by much, so leave the recipe's lemon as written. Both are more expensive and harder to find fresh, so this is usually a freezer-aisle answer.
3Blueberries plus Lemon Juice
Different texture
Use the same amount by weight, plus 1 tsp lemon juice per cup
The supermarket-anywhere option.
What changes
Blueberries share mulberry's mild sweetness and low acidity, which is the quality most other dark berries lack.
Best for
muffins and cake, pancakes, crumble, pie, jam
A closer match on sweetness and acidity than blackberries, and a worse one on texture. Blueberries have tough skins that pop rather than melting, so a pie filling made with them stays chunky where a mulberry filling goes soft and jammy. The lemon here is to lift them, since blueberries can taste flat when cooked. The colour comes out purple-blue rather than inky red-black.
4Black Currants
Taste and texture differ
Use ½ cup black currants plus ½ cup blueberries for every cup of mulberries, plus 1 tbsp sugar
Very tart, intensely flavoured little berries, so they work best cut with something milder rather than used alone.
What changes
Common in European kitchens and freezer sections.
Best for
jam and jelly, sauces for game or duck, pie, coulis, syrup
Do not use these one for one. Black currants are several times more acidic than mulberries and have a strong resinous aroma, so a straight substitution turns a gentle mulberry pie into something sharp and medicinal. Blended half and half with blueberries and a little extra sugar they make a good deep-flavoured filling, and they set beautifully in a jam thanks to their high pectin.
5Golden Raisins or Chopped Dried Figs (for dried mulberries)
Close match
Use the same amount by volume
The right answer when a recipe calls for dried mulberries, sometimes labelled shahtoot or white mulberries, in trail mix, granola, pilaf or a Turkish or Iranian dish.
What changes
Best for
trail mix and granola, pilaf and rice dishes, energy bars, baking, compotes
Dried white mulberries are pale, chewy and honey-sweet with almost no tartness, which is closer to a golden raisin than to a dried cranberry. Golden raisins match the sweetness level well and are slightly chewier and less crumbly. Chopped dried figs match the faintly sandy, seedy texture and are a shade less sweet. Avoid dried cranberries here, since they are sharp and will read as the wrong fruit entirely.
6Strawberries plus Blackberries
Different taste
1 part chopped strawberries to 1 part blackberries, 1:1 for mulberries
A workable blend from ordinary summer produce, where the strawberries supply mild sweetness and the blackberries supply the dark colour and berry depth.
What changes
Best for
cobbler and crumble, pie, jam, compote, ice cream swirls
Better than either fruit alone, because the strawberry pulls the blackberry's acidity down toward the softer level mulberry sits at. It tastes more obviously of strawberry than of anything else, so pick this for a mixed-fruit dessert rather than a recipe where the mulberry flavour is meant to be recognisable. Strawberries release a lot of water, so add an extra tablespoon of cornstarch to a pie.

What is Mulberry?

Mulberry is Mulberries are long, soft, seedy berries that grow on trees rather than bushes, ripening from red to near-black in early summer, and they are mildly sweet and juicy with very little of the tartness other dark berries have.

Cooking tips

Mulberries stain permanently, which is why people who have a tree know to pick in old clothes. Handle them on a tray rather than a cutting board and rinse anything they touch immediately.
The green stem stays attached to each berry and does not pull out cleanly like a strawberry hull. It is edible and mostly unnoticeable in a cooked pie or jam, but for a fresh dessert or a pavlova snip the stems off with scissors, which is faster than pulling them.
The single most useful thing to know about mulberries is that they are low in acid. Almost every good mulberry pie or jam recipe calls for a tablespoon or two of lemon juice per pound, and skipping it gives you a filling that tastes flat and cloying no matter how good the fruit was. If you are swapping mulberries into a recipe written for tart berries, add that lemon.
Ripeness varies wildly within a single handful, especially from a backyard tree. Sort the pale red ones out and cook them separately or with extra sugar, since underripe mulberries are grassy and astringent and will spoil an otherwise good jam.
They freeze well and are best frozen dry on a tray, then bagged. Frozen mulberries release a lot of juice as they thaw, so add an extra tablespoon of cornstarch or flour to a pie made with them, and put them in still frozen rather than thawing first.
For water-bath canned mulberry jam or jelly, use a tested recipe and keep the added lemon juice exactly as written, because mulberries are low-acid fruit and that added acid is what makes the sealed jar safe. Do not reduce it or swap in another low-acid fruit; tested procedures are published by the National Center for Home Food Preservation.

Frequently asked questions

Can I use blackberries instead of mulberries?

Yes, one for one by weight, with one adjustment. Blackberries are considerably tarter, so cut any lemon juice in the recipe by about half, and taste before adding all the sugar. They also have harder seeds than mulberries, so sieve the mixture if you want a smooth jam or sauce. Otherwise they look, cook and set almost identically.

Why does my mulberry pie taste bland?

Almost certainly a lack of acid. Mulberries are naturally low in acid and mildly sweet, so without a tablespoon or two of lemon juice per pound of fruit the filling reads as sugary rather than fruity. A pinch of salt and a little grated lemon zest help as well. This is the main way mulberries differ from every other dark berry in baking.

Can I leave mulberries out of a recipe?

In a mixed berry crumble or compote, yes, and simply increase the other fruit. In a mulberry pie, jam or crumble they are the whole dish, so substitute rather than omit. If they were a garnish or one component of a fruit salad, dropping them costs nothing beyond a little colour.

Are dried mulberries the same as fresh ones?

They come from the same tree but behave completely differently. Dried mulberries, usually the white variety and sometimes sold as shahtoot, are chewy and honey-sweet with no tartness, so they are used like raisins in trail mix, granola and pilaf. Substitute golden raisins or chopped dried figs for those, not blackberries, and do not use dried mulberries where a recipe wants fresh juicy fruit.

Do white mulberries taste different from black ones?

Yes. White and pale pink mulberries are sweeter and much milder, with almost no tang, while dark red-black mulberries have more berry flavour and a little more acidity. If your recipe was developed for dark mulberries and you have white ones, add a bit more lemon juice; if the reverse, ease off on the sugar.

Related substitutes

More fruits substitutes

Mulberry substitute

Other mulberry substitutes

2Boysenberries or Black Raspberries

3Blueberries plus Lemon Juice

4Black Currants

5Golden Raisins or Chopped Dried Figs (for dried mulberries)

6Strawberries plus Blackberries