Fruity, tart, sweet, and aromatic, this Ume Plum Syrup made from unripe green plums and rock sugar makes a wonderful drink in summer months. You can also use this syrup to make shaved ice and more!
Before I was old enough to drink Japanese Plum Wine (Umeshu), I enjoyed the kid-friendly ‘Ume Juice’ (梅ジュース) made of Ume Syrup (梅シロップ) and carbonated water. It is so delicious, and even until now, I feel nostalgic about its tart and sweet taste.
Ever since I found that I can purchase ume plums here in the US (read below), I’ve been making Umeshu for adults and Ume Syrup for my children and my own enjoyment. Now that the warm weather is here, I’m so excited to share the syrup recipe on the blog!
Why You’ll Love This:
- Fruity, sweet, tart, and delightful aroma.
- Absolutely delicious! I overuse this word, but it’s really that good.
- When mixed with icy cold water, you get the most thirst-quenching and crave-worthy summer drink
- Bright and refreshing flavoring in a variety of summer drinks, desserts, and more.
- Make a special edible gift because of the short season and limited access of ume.
2 Ingredients You’ll Need:
This recipe is super easy to make. You’ll need only two ingredients:
- Ume plums (green, unripe ones)
- White rock sugar
You will also need a large glass container to store plums and sugar. The Japanese and Korean grocery stores sell these giant 4-litter jars during the ume plum seasons. Unfortunately, I haven’t seen them sold online but I’ll update you if I find any.
Where to Get Ume Plums
You have to use tart, sour, and firm green ume plums to make the syrup and not any other types of plums you see in the store. Both Japanese and Korean grocery stores sell ume plums around early to mid-May.
These raw green plums are not edible as they are too tart and bitter (also if you eat too many of them, it is said you’ll likely have a stomachache). We only use the extract of the fruits by fermenting with lots of sugar or salt.
If you live in the United States, you can contact my friend John to reserve your ume plums for $8 per pound. They can be picked up in San Rafael (SF Bay Area) or shipped to your home.
How to Make Ume Plum Syrup
It’s really easy and simple, but I have to warn you that it takes 10 to 14 days to finish making the syrup. Mostly inactive time, except for the first and last day.
It involves 3 steps:
- Wash ume plums and remove stem ends from the plums.
- Put the plums and sugar in the jar and simply wait for 10-14 days.
- Cook the syrup to kill any germs and store in a sterilized jar.
Easy, right? Now take a look at how the ume plums transform from Day 1 to Day 14.
How to Use Ume Plum Syrup
Besides the most refreshing drink, you can do a lot with ume plum syrup.
Here’s what I suggest:
- Ume Juice or Ume Cider – You can dilute the syrup with icy cold water or carbonated water.
- Ume Shaved Ice – Drizzle the syrup over the shaved ice and enjoy it with Ume Compote.
- Baked Goods
- Jelly or Kanten desserts
- Salad Dressing
You can use it just like what you would with lemon simple syrup. Stir it over greek yogurt, lavish over vanilla ice cream, or incorporate into tea.
For those who are into cocktails or mocktails, I think a touch of the plum syrup can do wonder in the drinks. I like the sound of ume flavored Japanese gin or maybe ume-spiked sake!
Itadakimasu!
Ume plum season in California is from mid-May to early June. If you’re lucky enough to score a batch, making the ume plum syrup is a classic and joyful Japanese rite to celebrate the season. Once you try it, you will want to make it your annual activity. It’s the Japanese version of lemonade syrup. I hope you enjoy!
Japanese Ingredient Substitution: If you want to look for substitutes for Japanese condiments and ingredients, click here.
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Fruity, tart, sweet, and aromatic, this Ume Plum Syrup made from unripe green plums and rock sugar makes a wonderful drink in summer months!
- 1 kg green ume plums (2.2 lbs)
- 1 kg white rock sugar (1.8 lbs)
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Gather all the ingredients. You will also need a 3 litter or 4 litter glass jar, which you can buy at a Japanese or Korean grocery store.
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Rinse the jar thoroughly with soap and hot water and wipe with a clean towel. While the jar is still hot, pour boiling water and shake to clean and drain. Air dry completely, making sure there's no moisture. Damp the clean towel with liquor (I use shochu) and wipe inside the jar.
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Wash and dry the green plums thoroughly.
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Remove stem ends from the plums with a bamboo skewer or toothpick. Discard plums with any brown or blemished spots.
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In the clean jar, put the plums in a single layer. Then cover the plums with rock sugar.
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Then put the plums in a single layer again, followed by sugar. Repeat this process until you’re done with the plums and sugar. Tip: the last layer of plums should be completely covered with rock sugar.
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Seal, write the date on the jar and store in a cool, dark place (no refrigerator).
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From Day 1 to Day 14. Occasionally shake the jar and make sure the plums are coated with the syrup.
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Sterilize the jars and tools you are going to use to store the syrup. Wash the jars, lids, and bands in hot, soapy water. Put the jars on a rack in a pot of water. Boil at least 10 minutes and keep in simmering water until ready to fill. Carefully remove a jar from the water with a jar lifter or tongs, empty out the water and place the jar on a clean kitchen towel. Put the lids and bands in a small saucepan of simmering water (do not boil) until ready to use.
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Take out the plums and measure the weight (455 g) if you plan to use them for other recipes. I recommend making Ume Plum Compote.
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Pour the syrup into a large pot. Simmer for 15-20 minutes on low heat, skimming the foam that comes up to the surface.
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Fill the jar with the hot syrup, leaving ½ inch. Repeat to fill the remaining jars. Remove the lids and bands from the simmering water with tongs and place them on top of the jars.
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Close the lid tightly and turn the jar upside down to seal. Let cool. Check the seal: The lids should not pop in the center (if they do, you can only keep the syrup in the fridge for up to 2 weeks).
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To enjoy the syrup, dilute it with iced water or carbonated water. Store unopened vacuum-sealed jar in a cool, dark place for 6 months. Refrigerate after opening and use it in 2 weeks.
Recipe by Namiko Chen of Just One Cookbook. All images and content on this site are copyright protected. Please do not use my images without my permission. If you’d like to share this recipe on your site, please re-write the recipe in your own words and link to this post as the original source. Thank you.
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Hi,
I’m in my 3rd week of making ume syrup and ume wine. Is it normal for all the ume shrinking and wrinkled they are all flowing too? As I saw ur photo they seem plump. Please advise as its my 1st time making them.
Thank you
Hi Audrey! Yes, it is. 🙂 I think Ume Syrup should be ready to use, though. Thanks for trying my recipe!
I worked in Japan for several years and loved it! While there, I was introduced to “ume juice” and learned to make it myself. Our recipe differed in that we used Japanese vinegar in addition to the sugar and green plums. The result was tangy and tasty, almost like a non-alcoholic wine. We served it at cocktail hour with appetizers and at the light summer dinners we hosted. It was always a success. Our recipe was slightly different: like you, we alternately layered plums and rock sugar in a glass jar, but then filled the jar with Japanese vinegar before covering it for two weeks. We then strained it and put it in jars to enjoy later.
Nami, thank you for reminding me of this delicious beverage. Odaijini!
Hi Elisabeth! Really wonderful to hear you got to work and lived in Japan! Yes, we have two ways to make ume syrup – one with vinegar and one without. When you add vinegar, it helps the sugar to melt faster and also avoid fermentation. It also helps from going bad, too.
For anyone who’s reading this, you can add rice vinegar, apple cider vinegar, Kurozu etc (10-20% of ume’s weight).
I know ume are more related to apricots than plums found in the US, but I wonder if it would be worth trying on the tiny wild plums that grow throughout Texas? I may try it just to see since there is an abundance of them this year and a couple of bags of rock sugar in the cupboard.
Hi Dawn! Yes, yeah ume plums are actually apricots but ume’s translation is plum. Very confusing… Please let us know how it goes!
Are ume plums a particular type of plum? Our neighbor’s plum tree hangs over into our backyard and I spend a lot of time picking up fallen fruit. I’ve been wondering if I can use the green unripe ones for this recipe, or if ume is certain kind of plum variety.
Also, would it be okay to swap granulated sugar for white rock sugar?
Thanks!
Hi Jennifer! I heard that ume plums are a type of apricot. Rock sugar is recommended for making the syrup as it dissolves slowly and extracts the flavors from the plums. Not sure what type of plums you have but it’s worth experimenting small amount? 🙂