When it‘s ume season, make my fruity and aromatic Ume Plum Syrup recipe with unripe green plums and rock sugar. You can mix it into icy cold water for delicious “ume juice“ or drizzle it over shaved ice. The tart and sweet taste is nostalgic of my childhood in Japan!
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.
Two 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-liter 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 them with lots of sugar or salt.
You can get green ume plums ($10 per pound) from Nicholas Family Farms. Please text or call Penny at 559-393-3009. Make sure to mention JOC22 for 10% off!
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!
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Ume Plum Syrup
Ingredients
- 2.2 lbs green ume plums
- 2.2 lbs white rock sugar (rock sugar is essential to slowly extract the ume essence; do not use granulated sugar)
- 2–3 Tbsp shochu (or other distilled alcohol to sterilize the glass fermentation jar; use more as needed)
Instructions
Day 1: Layer the Ume and Rock Sugar
- Gather all the ingredients. You will also need a 3–4 L glass jar, which you can buy at a Japanese or Korean grocery store.
- Rinse the jar thoroughly with soap and hot water and wipe dry with a clean towel. While the jar is still hot, pour in boiling water and shake to clean and drain. Air dry completely, making sure there‘s no moisture. Dampen a clean towel with liquor (I use shochu) and wipe the inside of the jar.
- Wash and dry 2.2 lbs green ume plums thoroughly.
- Remove the stem ends from the plums with a bamboo skewer or toothpick. Discard any plums with brown or blemished spots.
- In the clean jar, put some of the plums in a single layer. Then, cover the plums with a layer of some of the 2.2 lbs white rock sugar.
- Add another single layer of plums again, followed by another layer of rock sugar. Repeat this process until you’re done layering the plums and rock sugar. The last layer of plums should be completely covered with rock sugar.
- Seal, write the date on the jar and store in a cool, dark place (not the refrigerator).
Day 2 to Day 14: Ferment
- At least twice a day, gently shake and tilt the jar and make sure the plums are coated with syrup. The goal is to extract the plum flavor as soon as possible. If exposed and not coated with sugar/syrup, the plums may grow mold (and ruin the syrup). Once the essence is extracted, the ume will look wrinkled. Tip: If you see white mold growth on a plum, discard it immediately. If you see white foam and smell fermentation, you have to stop this process and move onto the next step (cooking the syrup).
Day 15: Cook the Syrup
- Sterilize the jars and tools you will 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.
- Take out the plums and weigh them (mine weighed 455 g) if you plan to use them for other recipes. I recommend making Ume Plum Compote.
- Pour the syrup into a large pot. Simmer for 15 minutes on low heat, skimming the foam that comes up to the surface with a fine-mesh skimmer.
- Fill the jar with the hot syrup, leaving ½ inch of headspace. 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.
- 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).
To Serve and Store
- 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 (possibly 12 months, but I never made enough to try keeping for 12 months). Refrigerate after opening and use it in 2 weeks.
Hi, I started my batch last Saturday, 5/22. But I used “ripe” ume from Berkeley Bowl. I tried to choose the greenest ones. Now I notice that the sugar is slowly melting but the ume are starting to ripen and turn orange. A few are brown. It is very fragrant but slightly fermented smelling. No visible mold. Did I use the wrong ume? I am so excited, I hope it works! Thank you!
Hi Lesley, Thank you very much for trying Nami’s recipe!
The best Ume to use for this recipe is green young Ume.🙂 But some people make with the ripe one too.
Please gently move/shake your jar 2~3 times a day to help the sugar dissolve for the next few days and keep it in a cool and dark place. Enjoy!
Hi Lesley, if you end up needing green ume, they have them (called umi in Korean) at Koreana Plaza on Telegraph in Oakland. I bought some yesterday to make my syrup! Thanks for posting about the ripe ones at Berkeley Bowl, I needed those too, to make umeboshi.
Hello, I am on Day 14 of making ume syrup. My syrup does not have the golden color that Nami’s does. Should I keep going another week or so until color develops? Would it help to move the jar from the cool, dark place it’s in now? Also, a little bit of the rock sugar has not dissolved. Is this a concern? Thank you!
Hi Janet Thank you very much for trying Nami’s recipe!
It sounds like your Ume Syrup is doing very well! Shake the jar gently to move the rock sugar a bit, and please continue to keep the jar in the dark, cool place until all the rock sugar is dissolved. It sometimes takes 3~4 weeks. You will see the Ume become very wrinkly like the photo on Step 10, and it’s ready to enjoy! We hope this helps!
Hi, I followed your steps to make ume syrup. I’m seeing some plums are turning brownish like the one in the middle of the picture. Do you know if it’s turning bad?
What happened was I bought one bag and washed them then left them in room temperature for a day. I realized I didn’t have enough plumes then I bought another bag and put them in the jar with the first bag . I’m wondering if the brownish ones are the ones that I left in room temperature for a day (maybe it already started turning bad before I put in the jar?).
I also made a small jar with some fresh washed plums and they turned out really nice. I don’t think any of them looked like the one in the picture.
I’m so nervous since this one is a 5L jar. I will be so sad if it turns bad. 🙁
Look forward to your reply. Thanks a lot.
Hi Yan! Thank you very much for trying Nami’s recipe!
First of all, it is not turning bad.🙂 You can continue the Ume syrup process.
The washed plum will start to ripen overnight, and it started working with sugar as soon as you add it to the jar.
As you already noticed, you do not want to leave Ume Plum too long after you washed them, just like other fruit.😉
Thank you for posting the photo!
Hello, if I would like to make a double-batch, can I just double all of the ingredients and use a single 4-L glass jar?
Hi J J, Thank you very much for trying Nami’s recipe!
To make a double-batch, yes, you can double all of the ingredients, but you will need at least a 5~6-L glass jar to fit all Ume and lock sugar.
We hope this helps!
In step 13 you write: 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).
Normally when preserving, if the lid doesn’t pop, or become concave, then the preserves are not considered sealed, and won’t last outside the refrigerator for a few weeks. Can you please further elaborate on your instructions? Or explain why this is different from preserving?
Thanks. I love your website.
Hi Amy! Thank you for reading Nami’s post.
Here is the link where explain more about canning. Please test seals with one of the following options:
https://nchfp.uga.edu/how/general/cooling_jars_test_seals.html#:~:text=Tap%20the%20lid%20with%20the,ringing%2C%20high%2Dpitched%20sound
We hope this helps!
Hi
I went to Berkeley Bowl in Berkley, CA and purchase two item Ume and the other Sour Plums. When looking up Ume and what you show here, the Sour Plums look more like the Ume you show. My Ume are smaller and darker. Is one used differently?
Thank you!
Anna
Hi Anna, Without looking at the Ume, it’s hard to tell. But the Ume is a type of apricot and does not have shiny skin like a plum when it’s not wet. (Please see Step 1 photo)
The color could be green to yellow, orange, and red, but we recommend using green Ume (young Ume) for making this recipe.
We hope this helps!
Hello, when the ume syrup is finished and ready to be canned for storage what should you do with the actual ume? Are they edible? Can you store them with the syrup?
Hi Robin, Thank you very much for reading Nami’s post!
The Ume is edible, and Nami recommends making Ume Plum Compote. https://www.justonecookbook.com/ume-plum-compote/
You can store the Ume with the syrup for a while, but the syrup will start to taste different. To avoid fermentation, we recommend removing it.
What other type of sugar can you recommend, as it is very difficult for me to find it.
Im anxious to try this recipe, I found this Ume Plum trees on my boyfriends backyard!! So excited!!
Hi Paola, Thank you very much for reading Nami’s post!
Rock sugar is recommended for making the syrup as it dissolves slowly and extracts the flavors from the plums.
However, some people use the same amount of coarse sugar and add rice vinegar, apple cider vinegar, or Kurozu, etc. (10-20% of ume’s weight) to avoid fermentation. We hope this helps!
Hi Nami,
Why is the calorie count so high?
Hi Jennifer! This estimate calorie is for serving size:1 whole 4-liter glass jar (use 2.2 lbs green ume plums).
We hope this helps!
Can you please add a recipe for making plum vinegar ~ the sweet kind? I make a *killer* salad dressing that uses it, but it’s becoming hard to find in my nearby store due, I suppose, to lack of demand for other uses.
Hi Ishaya, Thank you for your request! We will make sure to add it to Nami’s list.
Hi, I have a question. I tried this recipe and it has taken a few months for the sugar to dissolve. There are still pieces in there actually. I started it on 8/23 and it is now 12/18.
Is it still safe or should I just toss it and try again? Thanks!
Hi Chris,
Thank you very much for trying this recipe!
Normally, from Day 1 to Day 14, we occasionally shake the jar and make sure the plums are coated with the syrup. This will help dissolve the sugar faster. However, if you place the jar in a very cold place, it will take very long.
How does your plum look like now? Any changes? If you don’t see any mold, you may have a chance to save it.
To speed up the process of dissolving the sugar, you may add 2 Tbs vinegar (2 Tbsp vinegar/1kg of Ume) and slowly shake the jar every day, or take it all out and heat them in the pot and put them back in a jar and let it sit for more days.
We hope this helps.🙂
The plums look similar to in your photo of when they are ready for the next step but there are still lumps of sugar in the jar. No mold. I will try the vinegar. Thank you!
Hi Chris,
Yay! No mold! We can save this syrup!
After add vinegar, please shake the jar once every day!🙂
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? 🙂
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!
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).
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!