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Raspberry Syrup substitute

Best substitute

Raspberry jam or preserves, thinned with hot water

2 tbsp jam whisked with 1 tbsp hot water, then strained, yields about 1 oz of syrup

Best for Clover Clubs and Brambles

Taste and texture differ

The fastest real-raspberry option and one that almost every kitchen can manage. Whisk over low heat until smooth, then push through a sieve to catch the seeds.

Other raspberry syrup substitutes

Ranked, with the exact amount to use

Substitutes for Raspberry Syrup with ratios

  1. 2Fresh or frozen raspberries cooked with sugar

    Close match

    1 cup raspberries, 1 cup sugar, ½ cup water simmered 5 to 8 minutes; use 1:1

    The genuine article, and by a clear margin the best-tasting option.

    What changes

    Mash the fruit against the side of the pan as it cooks, then strain through a fine sieve, pressing gently.

    Best for
    cocktails where you can taste everything, sodas and Italian cream sodas, sorbet, granita and desserts, gifting

    Vividly fresh, tart and floral in a way no bottled syrup manages, with a bright crimson color rather than the dull red of commercial versions. Frozen raspberries work as well as fresh and often better, since they are frozen ripe and their cell walls have already broken down. Do not boil hard or you cook the flavor towards jam. Keeps two to three weeks refrigerated.

  2. 3Grenadine

    Different taste

    Use the same amount

    Already a red fruit syrup of similar thickness and sweetness, sitting in most home bars, so it drops in without any adjustment to the recipe's balance.

    What changes
    Best for
    cocktails where color matters most, Tequila Sunrise style layered drinks, punches, sodas and kids' drinks

    Tastes of pomegranate rather than raspberry, deeper and slightly more tannic, with none of raspberry's floral perfume, so a Clover Club made with it is recognisably a different drink rather than a near miss. The color is close but tends darker and less pink. Cheaper grenadines are largely corn syrup and red dye and taste flatly sweet, which will make the drink dull.

  3. 4Raspberry liqueur such as Chambord, plus simple syrup

    Different taste

    1 part liqueur to 1 part simple syrup, used 1:1 with the raspberry syrup

    Real raspberry flavor with a deeper, slightly boozy character, and the simple syrup brings the sweetness up to syrup level since liqueur alone is thinner and less sweet.

    What changes
    Best for
    cocktails, adult desserts and trifles, champagne drinks such as a Kir Royale variation, flavoring whipped cream

    Richer and more complex than plain syrup, with vanilla and brandy notes from the liqueur, and it makes the drink noticeably stronger, so pull the base spirit back by a quarter ounce or so in a shaken cocktail. Not suitable for anything non-alcoholic, for children, or for a recipe where the alcohol will not cook off. Creme de cassis works the same way but tastes of blackcurrant.

  4. 5Strawberry or blackberry syrup or jam, thinned

    Different taste

    Use the same amount plus a squeeze of lemon juice

    The nearest berry neighbours, both widely available and both close enough in color and sweetness to pass in most recipes.

    What changes
    Best for
    cocktails and sodas, punches and pitcher drinks, desserts, when raspberry is simply unavailable

    Strawberry is softer, sweeter and less acidic, so the drink tastes rounder and loses raspberry's sharp edge, which the lemon juice partly restores. Blackberry is darker and earthier, with a slight tannic grip, and it turns the drink purple rather than pink. Both are honest substitutes rather than illusions; anyone familiar with the original will taste the difference immediately, and neither ruins the drink.

  5. 6Cranberry juice reduced with sugar

    Different taste

    Simmer 2 cups cranberry juice with ¾ cup sugar down to about 1 cup; use 1:1

    A fruit-syrup rescue using something most fridges have.

    What changes

    Cranberry has the right acidity and a strong red color, which are two of raspberry syrup's three jobs.

    Best for
    cocktails with several other flavors, punches, glazes for pork and duck, large batches cheaply

    Sharper and more astringent than raspberry, with a drying finish and no berry perfume at all, so the drink tastes clean and tart rather than fragrant. The color is excellent, a clear bright red. A few drops of raspberry extract, if you have it, pushes it convincingly towards raspberry without adding sugar or bulk.

  6. 7Simple syrup plus raspberry extract (structure without the fruit)

    Different taste

    Use ¼ tsp raspberry extract for every 1 cup simple syrup; use 1:1

    The pantry-only version, useful when you need the flavor note but have no fruit at all.

    What changes

    It replaces the aroma and the sweetness but not the color or the acidity.

    Best for
    baking and frosting, milkshakes and sodas, mocktails, when nothing fresh or jarred is available

    Tastes of raspberry confectionery rather than fruit, sweet and slightly artificial, with none of the tartness that makes raspberry syrup work in a cocktail; add a teaspoon of lemon juice per quarter cup to compensate. The syrup stays clear, so if the drink needs to be pink you will have to color it, and a spoonful of jam or a splash of cranberry juice is a better way to do that than food dye.

What is Raspberry Syrup?

Raspberry Syrup is a sweetened raspberry concentrate, sometimes sold as framboise syrup or raspberry simple syrup, that does three jobs at once in a drink or dessert by sweetening it, adding tart berry flavor and staining it pink-red.

Cooking tips

  • In a Clover Club or a Bramble, raspberry syrup is working as a partner to the lemon juice rather than just as a sweetener, so any swap needs to keep the acid balance. If you use a sweeter substitute such as strawberry jam or grenadine, add a quarter ounce more lemon juice than the recipe asks for.
  • Strain with a sieve, not a fine cloth, and press only gently. Raspberry seeds are hard, unpleasant to bite and will block a straw, but pressing the pulp too aggressively pushes bitter compounds through and makes the syrup taste woody. Let it drip rather than forcing it.
  • Frozen raspberries are usually the better buy for syrup: they are picked and frozen at ripeness, they cost less, and the freezing has already ruptured the fruit so it releases juice faster. Use them straight from the freezer without thawing.
  • For a syrup that will not water down a shaken cocktail, make it rich: 2 parts sugar to 1 part liquid. It is roughly twice as sweet, so use half as much, and the higher sugar concentration also makes it keep longer in the fridge.
  • Raspberry syrup goes cloudy and dull over time as its color degrades, especially in light. Store it in the fridge in a dark or opaque bottle and use it within two to three weeks; if it smells fermented or fizzes when opened, discard it rather than tasting it.

Frequently asked questions

Can I just muddle fresh raspberries in the drink instead?

Yes, and in a shaken cocktail it works very well. Muddle four or five raspberries in the shaker with a teaspoon of sugar or half an ounce of simple syrup, then shake and double strain to catch the seeds and pulp. You get a fresher, brighter flavor than any syrup, though the drink will be slightly cloudy and you lose the convenience of a bottle you can pour.

Can I leave the raspberry syrup out?

Only if you replace the sugar it was providing. In a cocktail, swap in the same volume of plain simple syrup and the drink will be balanced but colorless and unflavoured, which for a Clover Club means losing the entire point of the drink. In a soda it is the whole flavor, so there is nothing left. In baking, replace the volume with another liquid sweetener rather than omitting it.

Is raspberry syrup the same as framboise?

Not always, and the ambiguity matters. Framboise is French for raspberry, and framboise syrup is the syrup. But framboise also refers to a raspberry eau de vie, which is a strong clear spirit, and to a raspberry lambic beer. If a recipe says framboise and expects a sweet non-alcoholic pour, it means the syrup; if it lists it alongside spirits in small measures, check which one before you buy.

How much syrup does a punnet of raspberries make?

A standard 125 gram or roughly half-cup punnet, cooked with half a cup of sugar and a quarter cup of water, yields around half a cup of finished syrup after straining. That is enough for four to six cocktails. Doubling the recipe with a 12 ounce bag of frozen berries gives you about a cup and a half, which is a sensible batch to keep in the fridge.

Can I use raspberry soda or cordial concentrate?

Cordial concentrate works reasonably well, since it is already a sweetened raspberry syrup, though it is usually thinner and often tastes more artificial, so use it 1:1 and expect a less rich drink. Raspberry soda is far too dilute to substitute directly; reduce three cups of it down to one on the stove first, at which point it becomes usable, and add a squeeze of lemon since sodas lack tartness.

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