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Once you taste this blueberry syrup, plain maple just won’t do. Your weekend pancakes or waffles will hit next-level delicious.

Homemade Blueberry Syrup
This blueberry syrup has been a staple in my kitchen since 2013, when my kids first discovered the wall of flavored syrups at IHOP, which we no longer frequent, as my copycat IHOP pancakes are nearly identical.
While blueberry pancakes always hit the spot, pouring this syrup over a stack of fluffy pancakes is an entire breakfast experience itself. In fact, millions of readers have loved it, which is why a strawberry syrup exists.
Ingredients
This homemade blueberry syrup can be made with fresh or frozen blueberries (without the need to thaw). For sweetness, you’ll add sugar or honey, whichever you prefer. Water serves as the base, with a little extra added to dissolve the cornstarch and create a slurry to thicken it.

How to Make Blueberry Syrup
If you can boil water, you can make this blueberry syrup.
- Cook the blueberries down
Water, sugar, and blueberries will need to simmer for 10 minutes. The berries will soften and cook down, and the liquid volume will reduce. - Thicken the syrup
With the heat off, you’ll mix the cornstarch and water in a separate dish and add it in. Mix it and let it sit for 5 minutes to thicken up. - Blend it smooth or serve as is
Blending is optional, and only if you prefer a smooth syrup without blueberry bits.
How to Thicken Blueberry Syrup
A slurry, made by mixing cornstarch and water, is added after the blueberries have cooked down. Then, you’ll see the mixture transform into a rich, thick syrup in minutes.

How to Store It
Once the blueberry syrup has cooled to room temperature, you can store it in a lidded jar in the fridge for a week or two, or freeze it for up to 3 months. To enjoy it again, warm it up a little.
What to Serve with Blueberry Syrup
While this blueberry syrup goes with everything, at my house, we all have our favorite ways of enjoying it. My kids love dipping French toast sticks in it, I devour it with my cottage cheese pancakes, and my husband swears it makes his favorite banana waffles even better.
Easy Blueberry Syrup Recipe

Watch how it’s made:
Ingredients
- 2 cups blueberries, fresh or frozen
- ½ cup sugar, or honey
- 1 cup + 2 Tablespoons water, divided
- 1 Tablespoon cornstarch
Instructions
Make the syrup:
- In a medium saucepan, add the water, sugar, and blueberries. Give it a stir. Bring them to a boil, and reduce the heat to low.
- Simmer the blueberry mixture for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent it from sticking or burning. After ten minutes, the blueberries will have partially dissolved, and the syrup in the pot will have reduced in volume. Turn off the heat.
- Make a slurry in a separate small dish by combining the cornstarch and the 2 tablespoons of water. Mix it well and add it to the pot. Stir it into the blueberry syrup and let it sit in the pot for 5 minutes.
Serve:
- Serve it as is, with blueberry tidbits, or transfer the syrup to a blender and blend it until smooth.
Store:
- Store the syrup in a jar with a lid. It will keep in the fridge for one to two weeks. Let it come to room temperature before serving or warm it lightly in the microwave.









Sarah says
Can you make this blueberry sauce up in bulk and then freeze it?
dana says
I’m curious, for the blueberry syrup could I use brown sugar or honey instead of white sugar?
Laura Fuentes says
You could do either Dana.
Diane says
My husband just said, “That blueberry syrup you made to go with the pancakes was better than anything you’d get at IHOP.” I told him it’s funny he should say that.
I used tapioca starch instead of corn starch because of food sensitivities and made a smaller amount but used the same proportions. Thanks for posting this recipe! It will be our blueberry syrup recipe from now on.
Laura Fuentes says
I’m so glad this was a winner! I use tapioca starch too now and it works just as well.
Donna says
Can I use frozen berries, is so do I thaw first or can I use them from frozen?
Been looking for an easy syrup recipe for my grand children.
Diane says
I made it this morning using frozen and it worked just fine. I just put them in the pot frozen, added the water and let them thaw as they cooked. This is really easy and delicious!
Milena says
Wow! This was perfect! So balanced, not too sweet but very flavorful, I agree that it’s better than IHOP’s. And I didn’t even make it with fresh blueberries – I had some in the fridge that were getting old so I wanted to salvage them if I could. And it worked 🙂
I didn’t blend mine – just left the blueberries whole – and after putting in the fridge it did get a bit thick but I just spread it on french toast (it’s still thinner than jam) and went to town on it. Yum! I need to make some more!
Laura Fuentes says
so glad you liked it!