Homemade Grenadine

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It’s so incredibly easy to make amazing grenadine syrup. My version avoids high fructose corn syrup and food coloring that are found in the most popular brands.

homemade grenadine being poured into a bourbon cocktail

Ingredients

My grenadine recipe – like the original one – has only two ingredients, pomegranate juice and sugar. That’s it!

How It’s Made

Start by pouring 4 cups (32 fluid ounces) of pomegranate juice into a medium saucepan. I use pure juice rather than juice from concentrate.

pot filled with pomegranate juice resting on a range

Bring the juice to a rapid boil.

pomegranate juice rapidly boiling in a pot on a range

Reduce to medium-low heat to maintain a slow boil for about 15 minutes.

pomegranate juice reduced by half, slowly boiling in a pot on a range

When the liquid has reduced by half (or more, depending on how strong you like your syrup), add 2 cups of granulated sugar and stir until dissolved.

sugar poured into pomegranate juice, slowly boiling in a pot on a range, to make grenadine

Remove from heat, cool to room temperature, and transfer into a glass jar before refrigerating. You can use it as soon as it is chilled.

Expert Tips and FAQs

Inspired by Cocktail Chronicles, I learned that it is incredibly easy to make this syrup. And, when you make it with natural ingredients, you can return to something resembling the original recipe with its flavor profile and avoid chemical additives at the same time.

bourbon cocktail made using homemade grenadine
What is grenadine?

According to Wikipedia, the name comes from the French word grenade, meaning pomegranate. The original recipe consists of pomegranate juice and sugar.

The name grenadine is often mistakenly applied to syrups and beverages made with other fruit juices (e.g. raspberry, redcurrant, blackberry) and sugar syrup. Some of these other syrups obtain grenadine’s characteristic flavor by using a mixture of blackcurrant juice along with other fruit juices.

a jar of homemade grenadine surrounded by cocktail-making supplies

Why should I make this myself?

The food industry has widely replaced grenadine’s natural fruit bases with artificial ingredients. Rose’s, by far the most common brand in the United States, is made using mostly high-fructose corn syrup, water, citric acid, and natural and artificial flavors. It’s colored using Red 40 (made with petroleum distillates or coal tars) and Blue 1.

If you want natural ingredients, make it yourself.

pouring homemade grenadine into a glass of lemon-lime soda in order to make a Shirley Temple non-alcoholic cocktail

How can I store this syrup?

Store grenadine in the refrigerator for up to two months. The high sugar content should help act as a preservative.

What can I make using grenadine?


Grenadine is famously used in the Shirley Temple kiddie cocktail. I also use it in my Shirley Temple cupcakes.

If you are looking for an adult cocktail to use it with, try a tequila sunrise (grenadine, tequila, and orange juice).

Or, for something more sophisticated, try a Ward 8 (whiskey, orange juice, lemon juice, and grenadine). Top it with a Luxardo cherry to make it extra classy!

A glass with a Shirley Temple non-alcoholic cocktail, Maraschino cherry, and straw

What else can I make with pomegranate juice?

I also use pomegranate juice to make maraschino cherries – something else that is SO much better when made from scratch.

Did you make this recipe? Leave a review!
homemade grenadine being poured into a bourbon cocktail
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4.50 from 6 votes

Homemade Grenadine

Homemade grenadine is surprisingly easy to make and avoids the high fructose corn syrup and food coloring found in many store-bought versions.
Course Drinks
Cuisine American
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Chilling Time 2 hours
Total Time 2 hours 20 minutes
Servings 24 servings
Calories 87kcal
Author Stefani

Ingredients

  • 4 cups pomegranate juice
  • 2 cups granulated sugar

Instructions

  • Bring 4 cups of pomegranate juice (a whole 32 fluid ounce bottle) to a boil.
  • Lower heat and bring juice to a slow boil until it reduces in half. You can let it reduce more than half if you want it to be a bit thicker. This process took about 15 minutes.
  • Stir in sugar until dissolved and remove from heat.
  • Pour into a glass jar and refrigerate.

Notes

Pomegranate juice is fairly popular and should be easy to find. POM is a popular but very expensive brand. I was able to find some 100% organic pomegranate juice for much cheaper.
This grenadine won’t be quite as red as Rose’s, so you can add food coloring if you’d like just before bottling it. It will taste a million times better either way.
Store grenadine in the refrigerator for up to two months.

Nutrition

Calories: 87kcal | Carbohydrates: 22g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 4mg | Potassium: 89mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 22g | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 5mg | Iron: 1mg
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Recipe Rating




76 comments:

  1. Biancasays:

    I love this idea! Could I use honey instead of sugar?

  2. Gina Filipisays:

    Does it need to be refrigerated?

  3. Tammysays:

    How long will it keep?

  4. Marcsays:

    4 stars
    This is the best recipe to get the deepest pomegranate flavor in the syrup. Use hibiscus flowers instead of food coloring to get better color…sprinkle them into the pomegranate juice at the beginning of the process.

  5. emily christinesays:

    i’m sorry if my question was already answered : i forgot to read before i post :P

  6. emily christinesays:

    thank you for the recipe :D do you refrigerate yours?

  7. Katiesays:

    Can I can this in a water bath????

  8. Reverse Your Diabetes Today Scamsays:

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  9. Janissays:

    One thing you forgot to mention is whether to cover the pan or not.

  10. H Stergsays:

    Does this need to be refrigerated? Also how long will it keep?

  11. juicing for Beautysays:

    Thank you for sharing your thoughts. I really appreciate your efforts
    and I will be waiting for your next write ups thanks once again.

  12. RealityChecksays:

    Oh, the HFCS genocide… HFCS isn’t worse for you than sugar. Don’t eat too much of either. It’s strange that you would recommend food coloring (!) but are anti-HFCS.

    That said, this grenadine is way better than Rose’s. Thanks!

  13. Joiesays:

    Looking forward to trying this. SInce food coloring is a no-no (petroleum based product) Ill try it without the dye, or maybe my natural dyes!

  14. Anonymoussays:

    Whatever it is that motivated you to learn how to do something for yourself doesn’t make it right for everyone else! Take satisfaction you learned it & can now teach it. Keep your politics to a political venue so we can appreciate learning something for ourselves without that bias.

    Educate yourself, always ask questions, and then decide what is right for you. You have a choice in what you consume so choose. Educate others if you desire as to why you decided but also know that it may not be the choice for all. Respect that just as those that may disagree should respect your choice.

    Demonizing choices will leave us all with none. Eliminating choices lowers everyone’s standard of living. The blame game is for lawyers and courts where no one wins. It just adds more middle men to be paid by the consumers.

    Here’s something to chew on, the United States citizens worked hard to feed themselves and their family. Those that succeeded doing so from the land became farmers. Successful farmers fed a country. Successful citizens made the US a successful country. Now that country is trying to feed the world. Every time the United States standard of living drops so does the worlds.

    I find it ironic and hypocritical that someone wants to commit “genocide” on HFCS but has no problem posting alcoholic recipes. Alcohol isn’t poison? Do you take medications?? Aren’t those highly processed, genetically altered, and regulated and lobbied?

    Keep learning. Keep teaching. Stop politicizing. Your happiness isn’t a conspiracy.

  15. Anonymoussays:

    The HFCS may not be much of a problem, but making it with GM Corn certainly is. 95% of all corn is now Genetically Modified and HFCS is a product that is highly refined and super condensed. Stay away from it.

  16. Elizabeth GreenWitchsays:

    wonder if anyone has used beet juice to make the red red-er? or would that alter the taste too much? this recipe will be apart of my staples! ty

  17. Anonymoussays:

    why not make grenadine from the pomegranates?
    You just peel them, cook them,and than take the syrup and mix it with sugar (1:1) in the end you can add some red food colourant.
    I just make it today, tastes great,and I thing that using fresh fruits is the better option than using juices :)

  18. Heidi Szczepanskisays:

    Sounds great. Thanks for posting.

    Buy Here Pay Here

  19. Anonymoussays:

    just stumbled on your blog through a Pinterest link…love it!

  20. Anonymoussays:

    thx for the article. i think i’ll play with it to find a version made with raw honey that we like.

  21. Tara Edwardssays:

    This recipe is wonderful – With a severe ADHD kid, we try and avoid red dyes. THANK YOU! Who knew it could be so darn simple?!

  22. Anonymoussays:

    First of all, there’s a big fat difference between HFCS and fructose. For example, fructose contains very little hydrochloric acid. Second of all, they’re bashing it because the corn lobby is feeding a lot of brain dead people a lot of bull plop to try to save themselves. HFCS is poison, it’s not the same chemical composition as sucrose as proved actual chemical analysis, and the only reason there’s so much of it is because we subsidize the crap out of it instead of, oh, I don’t know, something that’s actually food. And you’re the one who need to go back to biology 101 if you think enzymatic action is that simple.

  23. Janice D'Agostinosays:

    oh excellent! I’ve linked this to a blog on Strawberry Grenadine Smoothies. Nice.

  24. Mary @ Fit and Fedsays:

    Thanks! I may try Bradd’s variation with the pomegranate juice and apple juice, possibly with some agave if necessary. I know what you mean about the cupboard purge and finding those last few items– in our case, chutneys and Worcestershire sauce were among the last gross HFCS items to be found (I see that the Lea and Perrin’s Worcestershire sauce has now been reformulated to remove the HFCS).

  25. Amy @ Heritage Homemakersays:

    WOW! Thanks so much for sharing this! I definitely won’t be buying Rose’s brand grenadine any more. This is so easy!

  26. Anonymoussays:

    Actually, the person who said sugar raises triglycerides (I prefer the shorter term) knows exactly what they’re talking about. Check out this link for instance: http://my.clevelandclinic.org/heart/prevention/nutrition/triglycerides.aspx

    They’re made by your liver.

  27. Anonymoussays:

    Once the newly made grenadine is bottled, if I use my canner and process it, would it still have to be refrigerated?

  28. Anonymoussays:

    If find it funny people shorten High Fructose Corn syrup to corn syrup. Corn syrup like Karo and brown rice syrup are made from starches that would make the sugars contained almost 100% straight glucose. That’s why they are not as sweet. Fructose is much sweeter. If you use agave you have mostly fructose there making it a much worse alternative. Honey will also be higher in fructose than sugar or HFCS.

    • magnlsays:

      The fructose in honey and fruit and sugar is very different as fructose in those are bound at the molecular level to other molecule changing there nature like sodium and chlorine are both very deadly but when bound together they become salt
      However the fructose in HFCS is unbound which is why natural found fructose digests in the stomach while HFCS is digested by the liver

  29. Karasays:

    I try to avoid high fructose corn syrup like the plague (because that’s what it is!) and so I thought I would never be able to allow my daughter to have a Shirley Temple again! I didn’t even know that grenadine is supposed to be from fruit. I grew up thinking Rose’s was all there was. Thank you so much for this simple recipe, I can’t wait to try it!!

  30. Ashley Michèllesays:

    Is there a way to substitute the sugar with stevia?
    Thanks!

    • Glendasays:

      very good question Ashley. I use Stevia too and would like to know.

    • Glendasays:

      found this site Ashley , hope it helps you. one person commmented though that one of the conversions is wrong so please read the comment section. http://www.stevia.net/conversion.html

  31. Anonymoussays:

    Do not believe the lies that HFCS is exactly like sugar. I still use sugar, I still drink soda with sugar & have not gained 1 ounce of weight unlike the 25-30 lbs HFCS put on me. It is not the same at all-it must be the processing that changes things. Good idea that has gone bad-move on. This isn’t working for anyone but the producers.

  32. Anonymoussays:

    To Anonymous:I am a proven case against HFCS. When I removed it from our diet completely, I had 25 lbs just melt off while doing nothing to lose weight other than stop drinking soda. Another 5 came off later & slower. My cholesterol which was high but not terrible shot down to just above normal (it runs in family). A severe & chronic GI disorder has so far stopped completely & I feel better in general. My weight now is in the normal-light range. I can take hikes & ride my bike without feeling like I was going to pass out. How many of us are out there that respond to HFSC like this? I am guessing many & they don’t even realize what’s doing it. It makes you artificially FAT!

  33. Anonymoussays:

    The list of studies that show HFCS to cause increased weight gain over other forms of sweeteners is much to long to put into this post. One of the better, and more recent ones, was conducted at Princeton University[1], and found that rats that were fed HFCS gained fat 300% more quickly than those fed an equal (or slightly larger) dose of fruit-derived sugar.

    2. Increased Risk of Developing Type-2 Diabetes

    Over the years, consumption of high-fructose corn syrup can lead to a huge increase in the likelihood of developing diabetes.[2] The worst part about it is how easily this life-long condition can be avoided in most cases. Excessive amounts of soda, energy drinks and junk-food simply aren’t worth losing a foot or going blind or harming your children.

    3. Hypertension and Elevated “Bad” Cholesterol Levels

    High-fructose doesn’t just make your body fat. It makes your heart fat too. There is a strong link between the irresponsible consumption of high fructose corn syrup and elevated triglyceride and HDL (bad cholesterol) levels.[3] Together these can cause arterial plague build-up and eventually lead to dangerous heart conditions including hypertension, heart disease, and even stroke.

    4. High Fructose Corn Syrup & Long-Term Liver Damage

    This is a big one that a lot people overlook. Like anything else you eat or drink, HFCS is processed by your liver, gallbladder and kidneys. And it’s especially destructive to your liver. When combined with a sedentary lifestyle, permanent liver scarring can occur.[4] This greatly diminishes the organ’s ability to process out toxins and, over time, can lead to an expansive range of other negative health concerns. Another study suggests that HFCS may also cause fatty liver.[5]

    5. Mercury Exposure from HFCS

    Even if you were already aware of previously mentioned risks associated with corn syrup, there’s a good chance that you didn’t know it also often loaded with alarmingly high levels of mercury. In a study conducted just last year they found mercury in over 50 percent of the samples tested.[6] Mercury exposure can result in irreversible brain and nervous system damage – especially in young, growing bodies. This is especially worrisome with the abundance of HFCS in children-target foodstuffs.

  34. Anonymoussays:

    I feel a bit late to the party, but to the anon bashing on fructose:
    You do realize that fructose is the main source of carbohydrates in fruit, right? Please don’t tell me you think fruit is deadly toxic. Also, sucrose is a disaccharide composed of a fructose and a glucose molecule; sucrose is metabolized by separating those two molecules and metabolizing them individually. Either way, fructose is metabolized in almost exactly the same way glucose is; they’re isomers and only one enzyme away from being the same thing. Go back to biology 101 and study up your glycolysis.

  35. Organic Chemistsays:

    There’s absolutely no difference in eating HFCS or table sugar.

    Table sugar is 100% Sucrose. Sucrose is a sugar molecule that is disaccharide comprised of Glucose and Fructose. So that’s 50% Glucose and 50% Fructose.

    HFCS is 60:40 Fructose to Glucose. Fructose, a pentose, is metabolized in much the same way as Glucose, a hexose. Unless you are eating nothing but corn syrup all day long, you’re not going to see any difference in your health.

    And for the person who said that eating more Fructose leads to an increase in Triacylglycerides (TAG’s), Fat, and Atherosclerosis you do not really know what you are talking about.

    Fat, or lipids, come from fatty acids. These are long carbon chains that contain a carboxylic acid group. They can be unsaturated (have carbon-carbon double bonds) or saturated (all carbon-carbon single bonds). Triacylglycerides are used by the body to store fat. They are a combination of a molecule of Glycerol with three fatty acids.

  36. Stefsays:

    Stefani – Drop me an email stef@cupcakeproject.com and we’ll make a plan.

  37. Stefanisays:

    Stef, turns out I’m going to be in St. Louis May 16-18th visiting my grandmother. I was there last year for the Society for American Archaeology meetings and St. L has really rejuvenated! Love it! Seems pretty swanky now, there must be a cupcake shop somewhere we could meet. :)

  38. Stefsays:

    Stefani – That’s crazy! You even spell your name the same way that I do! We should meet up sometime if you ever visit St. Louis!

  39. Stefanisays:

    I just finished making the homemade grenadine, after being directed to your blog because I wanted to learn to make clotted cream (it’s in the oven baking now!) Oh my goodness, this is SO GOOD! I also feel a fair amount of similarity with you. 1. I volunteered to make cupcakes for my friend’s wedding two years ago (they turned out perfect, btw!). 2. My dad’s whole family is from Kirkwood, Mo. 3. My name is Stef! Thanks for the blog! You rock!

  40. Stefsays:

    Bradd – That sounds incredible.

  41. braddsays:

    I have been making this recently using POM and organic apple juice from COSTCO, at fraction of the cost of the regular stores… the apple adds enough sweetness to go without adding more heavily purified and processed beet crystals (white sugar). I use a 2:1 pom to apple, and reduce about 3:1. It is amazing, and used for tea, flavoring Greek yogurt etc, smoothies… endless possibilities.

  42. Anonymoussays:

    “fructose is just sweeter tasting than glucose, but they both are part of what we call DELICIOUS SUGAR.”

    Looks like the propaganda arm of the corn industry has paid a visit. The FACT is, fructose is metabolized differently than glucose or sucrose, leading to a rise in triglycerides, fat, and atherosclerosis. YOU may call it sugar, but those of us who know and care call it toxic.

    Speaking of toxic, standard grenadine also contains a large dose of RED40. This stuff is AWFUL and is reason enough to make your own.

  43. Anonymoussays:

    Regular corn syrup is 50% glucose and 50% fructose. HFCS is 40% glucose and 60% HFCS, so don’t lose any sleep over that BS you’re hearing on TV about how bad it is… fructose is just sweeter tasting than glucose, but they both are part of what we call DELICIOUS SUGAR.

  44. Mikeysays:

    So simple!

    What is the deal with HF Corn Syrup though? It is just fine as long as you use it just like any other sugar product — IN MODERATION. Start sucking down too much of any sugar and you are not doing good things for your body.

    I’d rather drink a whole bottle of HFCS than start putting chemical coloring into my body!

  45. The Roaming Pie Elfsays:

    I have a couple of pomegranate trees in my yard and though I’ve been making fresh juice but never thought I could take it a step further! Can’t wait to try this.

  46. tmgillsays:

    coming from a family that goes through a lot of grenadine (we’re big on manhattans), you’ve really got me pumped with this one. thanks!

  47. Logansays:

    made this last night. it’s incredibly good. thanks for sharing

  48. Micksays:

    ya rock. thanks for the inspiration. I now proudly possess my very own bottle of homemade grenadine!

    thanks!!

  49. Stefsays:

    I’m sure you could use black cherry and it would taste yummy, I’m just not sure that I would call it grenadine.

  50. Anonymoussays:

    Can I use Black Cherry Concentrate juice for the Grenadine?
    Thanks

  51. Anonymoussays:

    For a great drink, actually using the grenadine:

    1 part vodka
    1 part coconut rum
    1 part pineapple juice

    Shake with ice and strain into a martini glass.

    Add a dash of grenadine to create a very tasty, very pretty two layer drink (the grenadine will sink to the bottom of the martini glass).

  52. Marilyn (Simmer Till Done)says:

    Hi Stef – Lovely and delicious blog. I was intrigued by the homemade grenadine idea, something I’d never considered doing. Wonderful! I’ll bet it makes a killer Shirley Temple. Thanks for the great idea.

  53. Stefsays:

    PD_THOR – Nope. That would be a fun post though!

  54. pd_THORsays:

    Do you have any posts about your “genocide” on HFCS?

  55. Stefsays:

    Harlie – My guess is that it would last about as long as any juice in the fridge. We drank it pretty quickly. I bought some sparking water and mixed it with the grenadine to make a pomegranate soda. It was yummy.

    However, according to Cocktail Chronicles..
    “Add an ounce of high-proof vodka or grain alcohol as a preservative. You can also store this in a plastic container in the freezer; the high volume of sugar keeps it from freezing, and you can just tip out a little frigid syrup each time you need it.”

    http://www.cocktailchronicles.com/2006/05/21/grenadine-face-off/

    Prissy – Cool! Hope you like it!

  56. PrissyCooksays:

    I’m making my own batch tonight. I too cut all the HFCS out of the pantry.

    So, thanks for sharing!

  57. Anonymoussays:

    What a great idea! Like you, we’ve tried to cut back on corn syrup products but I had no idea that Rose’s had so much corn syrup–in fact, I never thought to look at any of my liquor cabinet supplies. I definitely want to try this, but do you have any idea what the shelf life of the homemade grenadine is (refrigerated, of course)?

    –harlie

  58. Cathysays:

    Michael and I are going to make the grenadine this weekend – we are having a Mardis Gras Party next weekend and thought it would be fun!

  59. Stefsays:

    Angelina – Actually, my husband doesn’t even like pomegranate juice and he liked the grenadine. It’s sweet but not sickeningly sweet. Not sure how long the fake variety has been used.

  60. Angelinasays:

    I want to make some too. Is the pomegranate flavor really noticeable? I would worry that it might end up just tasting sugary. Do you think the grenadine they used to serve in Shirley Temples was the real stuff about thirty years ago?

    Very interesting!

  61. Stefsays:

    Lewis – I was so surprised too! Thanks for adding me to your blog roll. I did the same.

    Clumsy – Excellent! Hope it works out for you.

    Tojosan – I’ll have to bring you some at the next blog event.

    Gigi – I certainly didn’t!

    Yenni – It’s coming soon!

    Plays – Apparently if you add a bit of vodka to it it will keep just fine.

  62. playswithyarnsays:

    does it say how long it would keep? can you keep it in the fridge like you would do a bottle of rose’s? Could you freeze it?

  63. Yennigirlsays:

    Thanks for the recipe!! I can’t wait to see the cupcake results of this! I love pommegranate.

  64. Gigisays:

    Great recipe! Who knew grenadine could be easily made at home?

  65. Tojosansays:

    Sounds delish! And so when am I getting to sample some of these fine wares?

  66. clumsycook.comsays:

    Didn’t know this was so easy—-COOL! I’ll be making some for this weekend’s cocktails!

  67. Lewissays:

    OMG!!!! This is way too easy! I never even considered making my own grenadine. I mean I don’t really use it all that much but when I do I usually use Rosie’s. After hearing what Wiki had to say about that brand I’ll hesitate before I grab it again.

    Thanks for the neat and easy way to make our own!

    P.S.
    (You are on my blogroll if you want to check me out: http://tablebread.blogspot.com )

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