Pomegranate Elderberry Ice Cubes

Add these Pomegranate Elderberry Ice Cubes to water, tea and smoothies as a great way to help boost your immune system and ward off the latest cold or flu bug going around. They’re made with dried black elderberry, fresh ginger, cinnamon, pomegranate juice and white grape juice. These flavored ice cubes are one of my favorite elderberry recipes to make. 

Keep your immune system at its peak during cold and flu season by adding these Pomegranate Elderberry Ice Cubes  to water, tea or smoothies.  These fruit flavored ice cubes are rich with vitamin C, antioxidants and anti-inflammatory properties.

If you don’t want to wait for the ice cubes to freeze, this recipe also makes a delicious drink to sip on to boost your immune system, ward off  and lesson the symptoms and durations of the common cold or flu. Just simmer the tea, stir the ingredients together and sip on the drink warm or pour over a glass of ice. This is one of my favorite elderberry recipes to make! These flavored ice cubes are so flavorful and refreshing. I love the flavor they add to a tall glass of water.

Ingredients

• Elderberry tea – We use dried black elderberry, fresh ginger, a cinnamon stick simmered in water to make an elderberry tea first.
• Pomegranate juice – The flavor goes really well with Elderberry tea. Pomegranates are also loaded with antioxidants and anti-inflammatory properties.
• White grape juice –  This makes a great sweetener to drinks, rather that honey or agave or some other sweetener. 

Find printable recipe with measurements below.

How to Make Elderberry Ice Cubes

1. Boil water. Bring 2 cups of water to a boil in a medium saucepan.
2. Simmer. Stir in the dried black elderberry, ginger and cinnamon stick. Reduce heat to low and simmer. Liquid should reduce by almost half.
3. Steep. Remove from heat and let the tea steep.
4. Strain. Strain tea through fine mesh strainer into cups or a glass pitcher. Discard dried elderberries, ginger and cinnamon stick.
5. Combine Liquids. Pour the cooled tea, pomegranate juice and white grape juice in a pitcher and stir.
6. Freeze. Pour the juice and evenly distribute in the ice cube tray, then  freeze for 8 hours or until frozen solid.
7. Store. Pop the frozen ice cubes out of the trays and store in plastic freezer bags in the freezer. Add to a glass of water (for flavored water), hot cup of water (for tea) or your morning smoothies.

What are Elderberries

Elderberries are very small dark purple berries. They’re used for making jams, jellies, tea, syrup. At your local health food store, you might find elderberry gummies, lozenges, pills and syrups as a natural remedy for cold and flu season. Black elder is one of the most used medicinal plants worldwide as a treatment for viral infections, particularly in the treatment of influenza.

There are several varieties of the Sambucus tree. In particular, the Sambucus nigra plant is the plant most commonly used for health and healing. Sambucus nigra dates back to 400 BC, and Hippocrates called the elder tree his “medicine chest”. Today, the elder tree is considered one of the most healing plants. 

Elderberry Tea Benefits

Elderberry (black elderberry) has been associated with may health benefits, yet more larger scale studies are needed. Don’t just wait for cold and flu season to make this tea, you can sip on it all year long to help support your immune system.

• Immunity support – Elderberries are rich with polyphenols (a type of antioxidant) and anti-inflammatory properties that it may help your immune system ward of catching the latest cold or flu going around.
• Cold and flu symptoms – Elderberries may help you to ward catching the latest cold or flu going around, and it may help reduce the symptoms and the duration of colds and flu if you’ve already caught it. (1) (2) (3)
• Vitamins – Good source of vitamins A, C and B6
• Fights bacteria – Elderberries (particularly elderberry extract) have antimicrobial properties that help to fight bacterial infections like pneumonia.

Pomegranate Juice Benefits

Most of the nutritional benefits found in pomegranate are from the arils.  The beautiful vibrant red color of pomegranate come from polyphenols (which are powerful antioxidants).  According to an article in Nutrition Reviews, Pomegranate juice contains more antioxidants than many other fruit juices and it contains three times the antioxidants than red wine and green tea. (4)

• Rich with antioxidants
• Anti-inflammatory 
• A good source of fiber
• Loaded with Vitamins B, C and K
• A good source of potassium

White Grape Juice Benefits

The juice from skinned white grapes has a more delicate flavor than purple grape juice, but they don’t have the amount of antioxidant phytochemicals compared to purple grapes. White grape juice is rich with vitamin C and it’s  often used as a sweetener for jams and jellies and juice cocktails. It adds just the right amount of sweetness and flavor to these ice cubes.

Looking for More Elderberry Recipes

As I mentioned, this is one of my favorite elderberry recipes to make, but here are two other elderberry recipes that are good to have on hand, especially during cold and flu season.

• Elderberry Tea
• Elderberry Syrup

More Immune Boosting Flavored Ice Cubes

Add these to a glass of water for flavoring, added nutrients and to help you stay hydrated.

• Mango Nectar Juice Cubes
• Smoothie Cubes
• Immune Boosting Whole Lemon Ice Cubes
• Hydrating Lemon Cucumber Ice Cubes
• Cold Fighting Citrus Ice Cubes
• Anti Inflammatory Ginger Ice Cubes

Still want more ideas? Check out all my flavored ice cubes recipes.