Don't buy store cough drops, make your own! These all-natural homemade Honey Lemon Ginger Cough Drops have only 3 ingredients and take less than 30 minutes to make.
As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases
This Honey Lemon Ginger Cough Drops recipe post comes to you courtesy of The Flu of 2015, Part Deux.
Yes, this morning, I woke up like this. With a fever, sore throat, post nasal drip, and body aches, AGAIN!
I haven't been sick in over 12 years and now this Winter season, actually just this month of January, I've been sick twice! Oh the joy.
Learn how to make homemade cough drops
An all-natural throat drops recipe
Juno, The Blizzard of 2015, was in full blown competition today with my newfound flu. On a positive note, I had a darn good excuse for not going away today.
On a not-so-positive note, I needed some throat and cough drops to soothe my throat. Google to the rescue!!
The Internet proceeded to find me a wonderful natural cough drop recipe to make at home from the website Thank Your Body.
This was my first time visiting this website and I loved all the recipes and tips for all-natural alternatives to everything imaginable (food, hair stuff, skin stuff, etc).
I'm really glad I found this site and will no doubt be visiting it again soon.
Since this was my first time making cough drops, I didn't make any changes to the original recipe at all.
Next time I make them (which may be soon, like in a couple of days), I might add some orange juice or black cherry juice concentrate, in addition to the fresh lemon juice.
I was also thinking of stirring into the mixture, after it's fully cooked, some lemon or orange zest and more of the fresh grated ginger.
We'll see how those changes go and I'll update this recipe if it's a success.
Cooking tips:
Making homemade cough drops is just like making candy, but you have to be careful not to burn the mixture.
- All the moisture needs to be cooked out of the mixture, so let it come to a boil.
- Once it foams up the sides of the pan, remove from the heat briefly to allow the foam to subside.
- Place the pan back on the heat to boil again while constantly stirring, so the mixture doesn't burn.
- Repeat until the temperature of mixture reaches 300F/149C degrees
I used a regular teaspoon to drop circles of the mixture onto a silicon baking mat and set it aside to cool for about 30 minutes.
Or use a candy mold, like the one below, to form the cough drops.
Pretty little jewels of honey drops. They look like they have flecks of gold in them! I didn't want to dust them with the powdered sugar because they are so pretty.
Like this cough drop recipe? How about trying my Elderberry Cough Drops too!
Next time you are feeling a little under the weather, make these easy homemade Honey Lemon Ginger Cough Drops. So much better than buying the store pre-made ones.
Honey Lemon Ginger Cough Drops
Ingredients
- ½ cup honey
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon fresh grated ginger (finely grated on a microplane or use the small holes on a hand grater)
For coating drops use: powdered sugar, cornstarch, arrowroot powder, ground cinnamon, etc
Instructions
- Using a wooden spoon, mix together honey, lemon juice, and fresh ginger in a medium sized, deep saucepan with heavy sides and bottom. Heat to boiling over medium-low heat, stirring often to prevent burning.
- Using a candy thermometer, heat mixture to 300-310F/148-154C degrees, until it reaches the hard crack stage (If no thermometer, test the mixture by dropping some of it in a cold bowl of water and if it hardens, it's ready). **Watch the pan closely, as the mixture will foam up the sides of pan. Take the pan off the heat briefly to allow foam to subside, then place pan back on heat to continue cooking. May have to turn heat down to low to prevent honey from burning.
- One mixture reaches the hard crack stage, remove from heat, and allow to cool for a couple for minutes until thickens slightly.
- Pour mixture into small candy molds or drop by teaspoons onto parchment paper or a silicon mat. Allow to cool until drops are hard and firm.
- Once drops are fully cooled, dust with powdered sugar, cornstarch, arrowroot powder, ground cinnamon, etc, to prevent drops from sticking together. Store in a tightly covered container in a cool, dry place.
Recipe Notes & Tips:
- Use a wooden spoon for stirring the mixture because metal spoons absorb heat.
- Use a saucepan with heavy sides and bottom, so it will conduct heat evenly. Also, use a large enough pan that will allow the mixture to expand while boiling and not spill over the sides.
- Can use a food grade essential oil instead of fresh lemon juice. Add a few drops of the essential oil at the end of cooking, after the mixture cools.
- Make the cough drops on a cold, dry day. Rainy or humid weather will cause the mixture to not set up properly.
- To test if mixture has reached correct temperature, drop a little of the mixture in a small bowl of cold water and it should immediately harden and become solid.
- Once drops are fully cooled, dust with powdered sugar, cornstarch, arrowroot powder, ground cinnamon, etc, to prevent drops from sticking together.
- If the drops stick to the parchment paper, place them paper side down on a warm damp towel and let it sit for a couple of minutes.
- Store in a tightly covered container in a cool, dry place for up to 4 weeks.
- To prevent drops from sticking together during longer storage time: wrap the drops individually in pieces of parchment or wax paper.
- Original recipe by Erica Hale at www.thankyourbody.com
Cathy
I got impatient and mine didn’t get quite to hard crack but Im finding them very soothing and tasty. I doubled the fresh ginger and they’re delightfully spicy. Will be making these again, and being more patient!
sarah
I live in the UK and have such an awful stovetop. I ended up burning the honey a bit because i couldn’t get it to boil on a low setting 🙁 ended up taking about an hour total for me, and i think they still didn’t quite reach the hard crack stage. hoping to try this again soon and get it right! for now i’m still going to eat all the slightly burned ones hahahaha
Mel
LOVE these cough drops! It took me a few attempts to finally get it right, as despite making it as instructed and using a candy thermometer they would turn out chewy like caramel rather than hard. But after some research I figured it was probably due to the weather and temperature as it was cold and wet on the days I'd failed at it so, so I waited for a nice dry sunny day and tried the recipe again and they turned out perfect! I'm gonna make tonnes more batches now 'cause I love eating them like lollies haha. Thanks so much for sharing x
Penlope
Can i use brown sugar
Karrie
I haven't used brown sugar in this recipe Penlope, but I've read where other people have and it just makes the cough drops softer.
April
Thank you so much for this excellent recipe. I followed your instructions to the letter and they came out great. I've never made candy before. Your instructions took this novice through the process with ease. Word of caution. Don't leave your cough drops out on the table in a warm house! Even though I dusted them with ground cinnamon they stuck together into a blob 🙁 I was able to save them though. I placed the mason jar in a hot pot of water until they became soft again, reshaped them, and then wrapped each one in parchment paper and plastic wrap. They are holding up perfectly now. Thank you again for this recipe and guidance!
Karrie
You are so welcome April and so happy you enjoyed the recipe!!
Megan
Could I use ginger powder?? Or is fresh a must?
Karrie
I haven't used ground, but other people have told me they have in these drops and it works well as a substitute. Use 1/4 teaspoon of ground ginger for the 1 teaspoon of fresh.
brittany
welp, this recipe was going great until my dog started this awful whine where i just knew something was wrong. so i went to check on him, burning the honey in the process, and nope. nothing wrong. just a squirrel in the yard. will be trying this again. it worked great, minus the burnt taste.
Karrie
LOL! My dogs will bark and run crazy all around the house, acting like someone is trying to break in, but it's always just be a squirrel sitting on the lawn or a tree branch. They love to do it when I'm in the middle of cooking too. Hope you try the cough drops again Brittany 🙂
Dee
Holy wow! I love these! I made exactly as directed (although I doubled the mixture) and I cannot believe how much I love these. The ginger really comes through! Now that I know what I am doing, another cough drop will never be purchased in my household. Seriously thank you! I love these!
Karrie
Yay Dee and that's so awesome!! I'm so glad you love the cough drops and thank you so much for taking the time to review them too!
Laetitia
I tried and turned into perfect drops🤩...
I don't have the thermometre but I checked out the time and the texture and they are just as yours...
Thank you for these recepy ...
Karrie
That's wonderful Laetitia! So happy you enjoyed the recipe 🙂
Helena Božnar
Hi there guys. I' ve just tried them out today. They tast great! ( Sorry about my vocabulary, im from slovenia) they are not see trough like yours...they look like caramel, but they are hard. Thats all i wanted. Thank you. Oh just one thing...i added a little bit of chili powder inside. I like it spicy😁 thanks again
Karrie
Thank you Helena for taking the time to review! Happy you liked the recipe and the chili powder is a wonderful idea! It's great for sore throats and coughs.
Laura Burk
Love this recipe and I'm about to give it a try. I'm building up a home apothecary and the weather is finally perfect to make these (which also means we'll be needing them soon!) I've been learning a lot lately about the benefits of blackstrap molasses, and was curious if it could be substituted for the honey in this recipe?
Thanks for sharing!
Karrie
Hi Laura! All the best of luck with your new home apothecary adventure! I've never made these with blackstrap molasses, so unsure if they will come out right. I did some research and found that molasses and honey can be substituted cup for cup for each other in recipes, BUT molasses has a completely different flavor/sweetness than honey and it holds more moisture, so you may not be able to cook out all the water in the molasses (and the result is the drops will never fully harden). You could half the recipe and try a test batch with the molasses. If you do, please let me know how it turns out for you!
Sach Paruth
Hi. If you need to dry out the molassis, use a double boiler so the molassis dont burn.
Amy
I’m wanting to try these for upset stomach. I give my daughters ginger tea for nausea and it works great. I just make a little tea bag with ground ginger and add honey to the hot water.
For these could you leave out the lemon and just use the honey and ground ginger?
If they turn out I plan to gift some to some pregnant friends that have been having a hard time with morning sickness as well.
Karrie
Hi Amy, I haven't tried them without the lemon juice, so don't know how they will turn out. When you try it, substitute 2 tablespoons of water for the lemon juice and please let me know how they work!
Vanessa
Thanks for sharing! Do they freeze well?
Karrie
Hi Vanessa, yes they do freeze well! Just place in a freezer proof container or bag for up to 3 months.
Janet
Hi!
I love these.:). Thank you for sharing. I thinking of making them for gifts for friends and I know you said they will store for up to 4 weeks. I am wondering how to package them. When you buy cough drops from a store it seems they last forever. What do they do that makes them last longer.?
Karrie
Thank you Janet! They last more than 4 weeks, but I find they get stickier the older they get. You can wrap them individually in wax paper to store them for a longer period.
Suzanne
This looks so good! Does it work with different flavorings?
Karrie
Yes, you can use different flavorings Suzanne!
Deb
Hey mine turned out to be chewy and they're not hardening. Any tips on how to rectify this? Do I need to cook it for a longer time?
Karrie
It sounds like all the moisture wasn't cooked out, Deb. Heat the mixture up again and test it by dropping some of it in a cold bowl of water. If it hardens, it's ready. If not, continuing cooking and stirring the mixture over medium-low heat for a few minutes, then test it in the water again.
Jessica
I love the recipe but cannot get it right. I finally can get the hard crack stage but it always burns. Any tips?
karrie @ Tasty Ever After
Thanks Jessica! Do you think you might be cooking it at too high of a heat setting or not stirring it enough? Try cooking it over low heat, instead of medium-low heat, while stirring. Please let me know if that works for you!
Kimberly
I don’t use a cant thermometer. Maybe that is the problem. Get a bowl you would eat cereal from add a cup of very cold water and ice. Don’t take your eyes off that bubbling pot. When it feels just a little thicker, pT about half teaspoon drop into cold ice water. Now is it holding shape? If so get your parchment paper or candy mold ready. I dusted mine with powdered sugar & cinnamon. I also added lemon zest to my recipe. Hope this helps you. I can’t make anything using a thermometer 🌡.
Karrie
Thanks for the great tips Kimberly!
Khola
Hi.. I have tried this recipe.. And it turn out perfect.
Karrie
Thanks for your review Khola!
Amanda
Hi can you replace the lemon with anything else? I cant have anything acidic.
Thanks
Karrie
Hi Amanda, Yes, you can use a food grade mint flavored essential oil to make a mint honey cough drop. Add a few drops at the end, as the mixture is cooling.
Goldie Jain
Hey there.. Mine are still chewy even after trying to freeze them. I'm assuming they should go hard as candy? You think I could reheat them incase they are undercooked? I don't want to waste the whole batch..
karrie @ Tasty Ever After
Hi Goldie, They shouldn't be chewy, but freezing them might harden them up a little. You can try to reheat them over low heat, but it's difficult to do without burning them. Please let me know if the freezer worked.
Angie
Mine stuck to the parchment paper. How do you remove them?
Karrie
Hi Angie, you can place it paper side down on a warm damp towel and let it sit for a couple of minutes.
Amena
Would the heating of the honey to such a high temperature not kill all its benefits?
karrie @ Tasty Ever After
Yes Amena, heating honey does kill some of its benefits, but it's still better to use than refined sugar.
Viola
I made these today and ate some. My first time making candy. No thermometer. Turned out great!
Karrie
That's so awesome to hear Viola! So appreciative of you taking the time to leave a review too.
Sylie
I am anxious to try this recipe since I have a terrible sore throat from allergy coughing. My big question is: Where does the fresh grated ginger go? there is no mention of straining it out and it doesn't appear to still be in the drops in your pictures. Fresh grated ginger would leave "shreds" wouldn't it? or do they cook down and dissolve? Maybe I am confusing fresh grated with ground? I think ground would leave sediment though, I'm just confused lol
Also, when I get the ginger thing figured out, I plan to dust mine with either straight up slippery elm powder or mix cinnamon and slippery elm. Slippery Elm powder is amazing for sore throats due to it's mucousy texture, it coats and soothes.
karrie @ Tasty Ever After
Hi Sylie, Hope these help you with your sore throat 🙂 Grate the fresh ginger on a microplane or use the fine holes on a hand grater. It will come out finely grated and will dissolve in the mixture. I've had people use ground ginger in this with good results and it doesn't leave any sort of a sediment. The slippery elm powder sounds like a great idea! I've never used it before, but will try it and update the recipe.
marg aldridge
i hav just made these they turnrd out great , i put them on bakeing paper that i oiled slightly. i am going to try pouring it all out cooling till i can handle them pulling in to a rope then cut with scissors,
Karrie
That's fantastic Marg and thanks for the review! Please let me know how it works pulling it into a rope and cutting it with scissors. Thinking it might harden up on you too quickly, but if it works for you, I'd like to try it myself!
Brenda
Getting ready to make a batch of these for little Christmas presents. I really do want to use essential oils, but if I add it at the end during the cool-down period, wouldn’t that keep it sticky and from hardening, or am I overthinking it? Other than that, great recipe!
Karrie
Thank you Brenda and yes, you can add the food-grade essential oils directly to the mixture once it cools down slightly. I've had quite a few people do it this way and it didn't keep it from hardening. Please let me know how they turn out and hope everyone enjoys them! Merry Christmas!
Michelle
My cough drops are still sticky and I’ve read your responses to several comments above regarding high humidity or not reaching 300. Do you think if I put them in the freezer they’ll harden to the desired level?
karrie @ Tasty Ever After
Yes Michelle, you can definitely put the drops in the freezer to firm up, but they still may not harden completely if undercooked.
durgawati
These were so easy to make and lemon ginger are great remedies for cough. Thanks for posting this recipe!
Karrie
You are welcome and glad you liked it!
Katherine Judkins
Are these supposed to be sweet? Mine turned out very bitter. Could I possibly have burnt the honey even though I kept it on low/medium heat and stirred it constantly?
karrie @ Tasty Ever After
Yes, they are supposed to be sweet Katherine. It is possible to still scorch the honey if it cooks too fast while trying to reach the 300F degree mark. Do your stovetop elements run at a higher temp? I have a gas stove and it runs hot, so I always have to cook mine on the lowest setting possible to avoid burning.
Carol
Definitely will be making these, but I am curious why they would only be good for up to 4 weeks. Hard candy is usually good for a long time. If they were kept in the freezer they should be okay indefinitely, do you think?
Karrie
Thanks Carol and yes, they should last indefinitely in the freezer.
Colista
Could these be stored in the freezer to use in the future? Like if I needed some for later?
karrie @ Tasty Ever After
Yes they can, but you may want to individually wrap them in pieces of parchment or wax paper so they don't stick together.
Bahaa
How much propolis can I add to this mixture? Thank you
Karrie
Hello! I've never added propolis to this recipe, so unsure how of how the mixture would respond to it. Plus, I'm not sure how it reacts to being heated. I have propolis at home, but usually just take it by the spoonful at room temperature.
Kim Mitchell
What about using Ginger and lemon essential oils instead of lemon juice and such?
Karrie
Hi Kim, essential oils are more concentrated, so unsure of the amount to add to this recipe and what it would taste like.
Mary
Hello. Oh my goodness I haven't made hard candy in thirty years. Now I have a cold and fiund your recipe to make ciugh drops. It it very simple and easy. Unfortunately I didn't have a candy thermometer. Just a good pan, lots of store bought honey, quute a few lemins, fresh ginger and a wooden spoon aling with a 13 year old xat, and a onebyear old dog. Who both wanted to go outside. Unfortunately I was making cough drops which I slightly burned. I could only take a few spoonfuls out of the pan. The mixture wouldn't come out of the pan. What a mess I made. But I was able to suck in a few. Blackened honey with ginger and lemon. Not a fun day. But thank you for this recipe.
karrie @ Tasty Ever After
OMG Mary, I know it was not a fun day for you, but I just had a giggle a little while reading your comment because I have 2 dogs who HAVE TO go outside every single time I start cooking something. I swear they do it on purpose! Hope you are feeling better now and are able to make these drops again without any animal interference (LOL!) Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a review too.
Namita
Hi,
I made the cough drops but they are extremely chewy! Anything I can do now on the ready drops to make them hard?
Karrie
Hello Namita, They should fully harden at room temp, so it sounds like the moisture wasn’t cooked all the way out of the mixture or it’s possible there’s too much humidity in the kitchen to prevent them from hardening. You could try to reheat the cough drops in a pan over very low heat and get it to temp BUT it’s kind of tricky because you have to make sure the mixture doesn’t burn.
Anna
Just made these today with (and for) my four-year-old nephew. It was super easy and we had so much fun! I was worried he wouldn’t like the ginger, so I subbed half a tsp of cinnamon and half a tsp unsweetened cocoa (another natural cough suppressant). He loves them and they soothed his cough right away! Thanks for the recipe and the cooking tips!
Karrie
You are welcome Anna and thank you so much for taking the time to comment on the drops! Love your idea on subbing out the ginger with cinnamon and unsweetened cocoa and I'll have to try that next time I make them!
Patsy
Hi I’ve tried to make them two time and they will not get hard I let one batch sit over night on the counter top and one batch in the refrigerator and they didn’t get hard
I don’t have a candy thermometer
Maybe didn’t cook them long enough or is it possible that I cooked them to long?
Karrie
Hi Pasty, they should harden at room temp, so it sounds like the moisture wasn't cooked all the way out of the mixture or it's possible there's too much humidity in the kitchen to prevent them from hardening. Did you try to drop some of the mixture in a cup of cold water to test it? You could try to reheat the cough drops in a pan over very low heat and get it to temp BUT it's kind of tricky because you have to make sure the mixture doesn't burn.
Callie
The cough drops worked so well!
Karrie
Thanks Callie and glad you like them!
Patricia garris
I don’t use sugar (gave up sugar and substitutes except honey) for dusting, but dusted with cinnamon. Came out great.
Karrie
That's so awesome dusting the drops with cinnamon worked! Great idea Patricia and thanks for letting me know. I'll update the recipe too with your suggestion.
Shannon
What type of honey did you use?
karrie @ Tasty Ever After
Hi Shannon, I used a local raw honey because it's what I always have in the pantry. Feel free to use your favorite honey for the drops!
Nicky
Just added ground cinnamon so hopefully they taste good
Karrie
What a great idea Nicky! Cinnamon is very beneficial in fighting colds, so hope they turn out! Please let me know if they do and I'll update the recipe.
Lisa Hoffman
These are easy to make, but they stick your teeth like crazy. What can you add to make them harder? Thanks.
Karrie
Hi Lisa! If they are still sticky, it's possible not all the water evaporated during the cooking process. Drop a little of the mixture into some cold water, if it hardens immediately, then it's ready. Another possibility could be the humidity. I've made hard candy before when it was humid and it turned super sticky, even though I cooked it to the hard crack stage. Hope this helps!
Megan Etzel
I felt a cold coming on and can't do store bought cough drops so I tried yours. I subbed pineapple juice for lemon juice. These worked out great! Thank you!
Karrie
What a great idea to use pineapple juice for the drops, Megan! Thank you so much for the taking the time to review and so happy you liked them. Can't wait to make a batch this week with the pineapple!
Jamie Agee
Hey there, if you don’t have a candy thermometer how long do you think it would take to cook?
Karrie
Hi Jamie, It should take take about 20 minutes and you can test it by dropping some of the mixture into a cup of ice water. If it hardens immediately, then it's ready! Hope you enjoy the recipe and let me know what you think of it.
Ashley
When cooling them, can u put them jn the freezer? Or should i let them sit out on the counter?
Karrie
Hi Ashley, They cool pretty quickly on the counter, but I don't see why you couldn't put them in the freezer to speed the process up.
Ashley
How long do these stay good in fridge or room temp?
Karrie
Hi Ashley, they should stay for at least 3-4 weeks in the refrigerator. You may have to dust them with a little more coating powder, so they don't stick.
Kelly
Just wondering if you made those few changes to the recipe and if so how it turned out, the orange juice sounded good?
[email protected]
Hi Kelly, Happy New Year!! I haven't made them with OJ yet, but need to soon! I'll definitely update the post when I do
Bethany Brady
How does one keep the candy from sticking to paper? I used waxed paper, as I had it on hand, is parchment paper specifically better than waxed?
[email protected]
Sounds like the heat from the mixture might have melted the wax in the paper, causing it to lose it's non-stick ability. Parchment paper has a silicone coating and doesn't melt when heated, so it's best to use it or a silicone mat to cool the cough drops.
Gabriella Sanford
I used foil cause that's all I had and it came off perfectly no sticking at all but I also cooled them in the fridge!
Karrie
That's great news on the foil working and can't believe they didn't stick! Maybe cooling them in the fridge helped and thanks for the tips, Gabriella 🙂
Gwen
How often do you use these drops per hour/day
[email protected]
Hi Gwen, they may be used as often as you need them. They are made with all-natural ingredients so there's no harm in eating as many as you want, except for maybe a stomach ache from all the honey (aka sugar)