How to Make Sore Throat Lollipops

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Small mason jar on wood table with 5 sore throat lollipops dark in color with white sticks

I learned how to make sore throat lollipops when my kids were little. I would never let them have hard candies, cough drops or throat lozenges because I was always afraid they’d choke. We had a few incidents already and I didn’t want to experience another one.

I created and have used this lollipop recipe for years. I hope it serves you and your family as well as it’s served us.

Important Tips

You can control the ingredients when you make your own sore throat lollipops. Instead of the sugar or corn syrup used in most cough drops, this lollipop recipe uses raw honey as a sweetener. I added dried elderberries, rosehips, cinnamon and echinacea too.

You can substitute this homemade elderberry syrup recipe for the infusion in this recipe if you prefer.

You need to take your time, use a candy thermometer and be very careful not to scorch the honey. Trust me, scorched honey is not a flavor your kids will appreciate (and neither will you). If you scorch the honey, you’ll have to dump the entire batch and start over. So go slowly, have patience and take your time.

We store our lollipops in an airtight container in the refrigerator. It helps to keep them fresh tasting and helps to keep them from sticking together.

Buy Sore Throat Lollipops Instead

If you want something you don’t have to DIY, you can buy some Sore Throat Lollipops with pretty good ingredients on Amazon (no corn syrup!). You won’t necessarily get all of the additional herbs that you get with these DIY Sore Throat Suckers, but they have some fun fruit flavors.

Regardless, I hope my sore throat lollipop recipe will help you and your family feel better.

Five sore throat suckers in a 4 ounce mason jar

Sore Throat Lollipops

For kids too young for throat lozenges, this homemade lollipops recipe is an easy alternative for sore throats.
4.95 from 20 votes
Print Recipe
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 50 minutes
Rest Time: 3 hours
Total Time: 4 hours 15 minutes
Recipe Servings: 12 suckers

Ingredients

  • 2 cups filtered water
  • 2 tablespoons dried elderberries
  • 2 tablespoons rosehips
  • 2 tablespoons echinacea
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 1 ½ cups raw honey
  • Slippery elm bark powder - or vitamin C powder

Equipment

  • Sauce Pan
  • Candy thermometer
  • Silicone sucker molds

Instructions

  • Bring 2 cups of water to a boil with the elderberries, rosehips, echinacea and cinnamon stick.
  • After it comes to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer for 5-10 minutes.
  • Cover the pan, remove from heat and allow it to sit undisturbed for 30 minutes to allow the herbs to fully infuse.
  • Once the infusion is complete, strain the herbs.
  • Combine 1 cup of the herbal infusion with 1 1/2 cups of honey in a medium-sized saucepan. Don't use a small saucepan.
  • Set the extra liquid aside. If you combine it with some raw honey to taste, you’ll have a simple elderberry tea.
  • Heat over medium until the temperature of the mixture reaches 300 degrees. This will take approximately 30 minutes. You can test to see if it's done by putting a drop of the mixture into a glass of ice water. If it immediately hardens, it’s done. This is how I test my sore throat lollipops since we live at altitude and water boils at a different temperature than it does at sea level.
  • When your lollipop mixture is done, immediately remove your pan from the heat. Stir until the bubbles dissipate.
  • Pour the mixture into lollipop molds and insert sticks (or a small silicone mold if you prefer to make lozenges). Do this quickly before the mixture hardens in the pan.
  • Allow the lollipops to cool completely.
  • Once they’re cool, coat each side of the lollipop in slippery elm bark. The powder helps keep them from sticking together.
  • I prefer to store our lollipops in the refrigerator to keep them nice and firm at any temperature. They'll also be less likely to stick together.
    Homemade sore throat suckers in a small mason jar on a table

Nutrition Information Per Serving

Calories: 135kcal | Carbohydrates: 37g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 4mg | Potassium: 40mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 35g | Vitamin A: 122IU | Vitamin C: 12mg | Calcium: 12mg | Iron: 1mg

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