15 Delicious Ways To Use Mulberries

Mulberries are curious little fruits. They technically aren't berries, grow on trees instead of bushes, and come in a variety of colors. They must be foraged carefully, don't store for very long, and are nearly impossible (and expensive) to buy in stores. So what's the appeal? Experts Ho Chi Ming, Executive Chef at Renaissance Bengaluru Race Course Hotel; Greg Wagner, a communications and marketing specialist at Nebraska Game and Parks Commission; and Alan Bergo, a James Beard Award-winning chef, author, show host, and forager, explain what the appeal of mulberries is, and why you should become just as big fans of them as they are.

Mulberries are versatile and tasty, and have plenty of different uses. From pairing them with meat to mixing them into pancakes, the little fruits offer many ways to brighten and elevate your dishes. They're a rare ingredient that you can't just go and buy, making them a hot commodity sure to leave people asking for more. If you're lucky enough to live near some mulberry trees and you're able to forage them, here are some delicious ways to use them.

If you're looking for a sweet way to add mulberries to just about any food, mulberry jam may be your, well, jam! Making mulberry jam is a fun, sweet way to use the berry-like fruits without limiting their use. From spreading it on sandwiches to sweetening plain Greek yogurt, jam offers a versatile way to use mulberries. 

What's more, it also stores incredibly well. Mulberries are notorious for not lasting very long. "They are rarely sold in stores because they perish quickly," Greg Wagner said. Turning them into jam ensures that you'll have the wonderful taste for weeks to come. 

Although it takes more time, making jam at home is simpler than most people realize. While sterilizing your jar makes the jam shelf-stable and therefore last longer, you can also skip this step if you plan to enjoy it as soon as possible. While it won't last as long as shelf-stable jam, it will last longer than just the mulberries themselves. Once you've got the fruits, you can use a mulberry-specific jam recipe, or use any recipe you're familiar with and sub in mulberries.

Mulberry pie is an all-around favorite, especially among our experts. Both Greg Wagner and Alan Bergo shared that their favorite way to use mulberries is in pie. While there are specific mulberry pie recipes out there, you can also use them in place of other berries. According to Wagner, one interesting thing about the fruit is that you can use it similarly to blueberries or blackberries, "though they generally have a milder acidity," he added. If you are feeling adventurous or have a family pie recipe that needs a bit of an upgrade, swapping another fruit out for mulberries is a good way to shake things up with a guaranteed delicious outcome.

One thing to note when cooking with mulberries is that they come in a variety of colors. "Ripe mulberries appear in black, white, and red varieties — each offering its own distinctive flavour profile and nutritional benefits," Ho Chi Ming said. Bergo added that they're different from other fruits because their flavor can vary greatly depending on the tree. It's important to keep these things in mind when cooking with mulberries to achieve the desired flavor in your dish.

Mulberry ice cream is a great way to cool off after foraging for the fruit. Harvesting mulberries is both rewarding and affordable, but it can be physically demanding. Alan Bergo's first recommendation is to find a tree with a lot of ripe fruit. He suggested choosing "an area where you or a friend can climb the tree high enough to shake the branches and cause the ripe fruit to fall on a tarp that you've situated under the tree. Doing this I've harvested over twenty pounds of food in around an hour an a half," Bergo said.

After a workout like that, you will definitely be ready for a scoop or two of homemade mulberry ice cream. Of course, you can simply enjoy any ice cream with fresh mulberries on top, but if you want to ensure you taste the combination of sweet and tart in every bite, homemade mulberry ice cream is the way to go. Making ice cream at home is easy, and you don't even need a fancy machine. Just grab your freshly harvested fruit, a mixer, and some basic ingredients, and you'll have refreshing, creamy mulberry ice cream in minutes.

If you're looking for a fun way to elevate a classic dessert, look no further than mulberry cheesecake. There are a few ways to incorporate the fruit into cheesecake. One way is to keep it simple and garnish your cheesecake with fresh mulberries. Their juicy, sweet, and tart flavor pairs perfectly with the dessert's creaminess. Ho Chi Ming said fresh mulberries serve as a vibrant topping for desserts. "Their natural sweetness and acidity really brighten a dish," he said.

You can also use mulberries to make a compote or syrup to drizzle on top of your cheesecake. If you love an extra-sweet dessert, this is a good option. The final possibility is to bake the mulberries into the cheesecake itself. You can either mix a compote into the batter or simply stir in whole pieces. No matter which way you choose to combine mulberries and cheesecake, you won't be sorry.

While mulberries will help spruce up your cheesecake, it's still important to have a flavorful base. You can ensure your dessert matches the fruit's wonderful taste by avoiding these common mistakes when baking cheesecake.

Similar to pie, cobbler offers a sweet way to enjoy mulberries in a baked good. Their naturally sugary flavor makes for a delicious dessert ingredient. In fact, Greg Wagner pointed out that mulberries are "generally much sweeter [than blackberries] with a more intense, somewhat honey-like flavor." If you're looking to get in a fruity, sweet treat, mulberry cobbler is the dessert for you.

If you need to cook up a homemade dessert quickly or just need a bite as soon as possible, you can whip up an easy three-ingredient cobbler with cake mix instead of making it from scratch. Simply pour your mulberries into your baking dish, dump your cake mix of choice on top, add some butter over the fruit mixture, then bake and enjoy. This dump cake saves you time and energy, and gives you a delicious way to use your mulberries.

While many argue that fruit does not belong on pizza (looking at you, pineapple), if it's accompanied with the right toppings and cheese, it can actually be a great way to brighten and freshen things up. Because of the mulberries' sweet flavor profile, they pair great with ricotta. The light, mild cheese pairs well with the sweet yet tart taste of mulberries, making it the perfect option for your sweet-and-salty pizza creation. 

If this combination isn't for you, you can save your pizza (and subsequent addition of mulberries) for dessert! The appeal of customizing traditional pizza also applies to dessert pizza. Chocolate, sweet yogurt, fruit, marshmallows, and candy are all popular toppings. Adding fruit also helps lighten up the flavor and brings a burst of freshness. If you want to develop the flavors further, you can try grilling the mulberries to caramelize and give them a smoky flavor. Because mulberries are smaller, softer fruits, it's best to either wrap them in parchment paper and foil, throw them in a grill basket, or put them on a skewer before tossing them on the grill.

Salad is delicious and versatile, yet it can get repetitive if you're not switching up your ingredients. One way to ensure your greens aren't boring is by adding mulberries. Similar to other berries in terms of size and texture, mulberries are easy to sprinkle into your salad for a juicy burst of flavor. "They instantly add freshness and help create a quick, effortless meal," Ho Chi Ming said.

Along with livening up your salad, mulberries are versatile enough to pair with many other common ingredients. "Their natural acidity and tartness also make them a wonderful complement to proteins," Ming added. While fresh and dried mulberries make great additions to salads, both Alan Bergo and Ming mentioned that they are also good for salad dressings and vinaigrettes. "If you have bruised fruit, which is common when you shake them from a tree, they can be used to make an excellent homemade vinegar or an infused vinegar," Bergo described.

Ming pointed out that mulberries also add a plethora of nutrients and antioxidants to your salad. They are high in fiber, low in fat, and full of vitamins and minerals. What these fruits lack in size, they make up for with their immense nutritional value, making them a powerful and tasty addition to your next salad.

Want to take the edge off after spending the afternoon foraging for fruit? Enjoy a refreshing mulberry cocktail. Their sweet, acidic flavor brings a fresh, unique taste to libations. Mulberries also enhance the visual appeal of your drinks by adding a splash of color.

There are a few ways to use the fruits in your cocktails. You can make them into a syrup, muddle them, or use them as a garnish. Mulberries pair well with various types of liquor and make a fun addition to many cocktails. From a classic mulberry bramble to a mulberry mojito, using mulberries in cocktails will help elevate your drinks to the next level.

Mulberries also make great additions to mocktails. According to Ho Chi Ming, their distinct notes shine in whatever they are used in. "Their flavour strikes a beautiful balance — sweet with just the right hint of tartness," he said. Using mulberries in your mocktails will ensure that the drinks are never boring and just as flavorful as their alcoholic counterparts.

Mornings can be tough. One way to make them a little more enjoyable is by adding mulberries to your oatmeal. Oats and oatmeal by themselves are high in nutritional value. They are packed with vitamins and minerals, rich in antioxidants, and a good source of high-quality protein and fiber. Although plain oatmeal is already a nutritious meal, there are plenty of other ways to add more flavor and nutrition to your next bowl.

One of the many ways to make your oatmeal as tasty and healthy as possible is by adding fruit. Throwing in fresh mulberries or a mix of mulberries and other fruits will naturally sweeten it. This means you can enjoy a nice bowl with a sweet touch without reaching for refined sugars. Ho Chi Ming said incorporating mulberries into your diet "is an easy and delicious way to enjoy both flavour and nourishment."

Just because breakfast is the most important meal of the day doesn't mean it has to be boring. One way to make this meal a bit more interesting is by making juicy, colorful mulberry pancakes. Because of their naturally sugary flavor, they pair well with sweet dishes. Just like blueberries, you can mix mulberries right into your pancake batter or top off your flapjack stack with some fresh pieces. Either way, incorporating the fruits into your pancakes will add a spurt of tangy sweetness, extra nutrition, and a splash of color to your breakfast.

To make mulberry pancakes, you can either use a premade mix or try your hand at making them from scratch. Contrary to popular belief, making pancakes from scratch isn't too time-consuming and only takes a few ingredients. Whichever method you use, mulberries will still make a great addition. After putting the fruits into your pancakes, it'll be hard to go back.

Whether you make smoothies solely for the taste, or you're packing them full of fruits and veggies for their health benefits, mulberries are a great addition. Not only will their sweet flavor enhance the taste, but they will also bump up the nutritional value.

With added supplements and the use of fresh fruits and vegetables, making smoothies can get expensive. Be warned: if you plan to use mulberries in your smoothies, they could be a costly ingredient. "They're occasionally sold commercially frozen, but the price is exorbitant and can reach $20-30 for a single pound," Alan Bergo detailed. While store-bought mulberries may run you a pretty penny, foraging for them yourself can help keep the cost down. According to Bergo, one of the many appeals of using foraged mulberries in cooking is the fact that you can get them for free. If you're looking for a budget-friendly way to pack your smoothies with nutrients while boosting flavor, picking local mulberries is a great option.

Using mulberries to make syrup is a fun way to change up the sweet, sticky classic. Because the most time-effective way to forage mulberries is by shaking them out of trees, the falling fruit is also more susceptible to bruising. Alan Bergo mentioned that this bruising can shorten their shelf life. "Bruising can cause them to deteriorate and start to ferment or mold much quicker than other berries where the structural integrity isn't compromised by harvesting," he said.

One of the best ways to use those bruised mulberries is by making syrup, which will keep their flavor alive and well without having to worry that they'll go bad. Lucky for you, making it at home is super easy, and the fruit syrup only takes three ingredients. Just combine sugar, mulberries, and water in a saucepan and simmer until they thicken into syrup. Making mulberry syrup allows you to incorporate the fruit's flavor into just about anything. You can use it to top pancakes and waffles, stir it into drinks, and even add it to marinades. When you have mulberry syrup at your fingertips, the only thing that can limit its uses is your imagination.

Another way to use mulberries is by adding them to granola. The best way to do this is to dry your mulberries so they'll store well with the granola. You can do this by putting them in a dehydrator and drying them on the fruit setting. You can also bake them in the oven at a low temperature for a few hours, periodically checking on them until they reach your desired level of dryness. 

One of the biggest draws of making granola is the fact that it is fully customizable. You can experiment with ingredients or different store-bought mixes and find the recipe that works best for you. If you can't part ways with your favorite premade granola, simply add mulberries to the mix. Otherwise, you can make your granola from scratch and add the dried mulberries before baking. Whether you're making it from scratch or using store-bought, toasting the granola in the air fryer will help crisp it up and can cut the cooking time in half.

After you're done making your granola, there are plenty of ways to enjoy it. You can snack on it by itself or use it as a topping on your favorite breakfast bowls. If you want mulberry flavor that packs a punch, you can add mulberry granola to top your mulberry smoothies or oatmeal!

Snacking on mulberries themselves is perfectly reasonable. Who could resist those sweet, refreshing little bundles of juice (and joy)? However, if you want to make your mulberry snacktime a little heartier and more filling, you can add them to your favorite berry muffin recipe. Adding mulberries to your muffins will deliver a burst of sweet, tart juiciness.

Contrary to their name, mulberries aren't botanically classified as berries (and neither are raspberries or blackberries). "Mulberries are one of those delightful fruits that always surprise people," Ho Chi Ming said. They are technically aggregate fruits, meaning "each mulberry is not just one fruit but a cluster of many tiny, juice‑filled druplets woven together," Ming explained. 

No matter their botanical classification, mulberries are still a flavorful addition to your muffins. Their flavor makes them great additions to sweet dishes, and muffins are no exception. Mulberries pair well with cinnamon, vanilla, citrus, chocolate, and nuts, all of which are popular components of muffins. Although their name may be slightly misleading, you won't regret adding mulberries to your next batch.

With their bright exterior, it may be no shock that mulberries are a summer fruit. Because they thrive in warm weather, it's also the perfect excuse to throw some meat on the grill to pair with your mulberries.

The natural acidity of the berry-like fruit makes it a great complement to proteins. "One of my favorite dishes to prepare, especially when I want to impress guests, is a five-spice duck dim sum paired with dried mulberries and finished with a chili-spiked mulberry glaze," Ho Chi Ming described. "It is a vibrant combination of flavours that truly showcases the versatility of this fruit." 

When cooked down, mulberries are easy and flavorful to turn into compotes, sauces, glazes, and vinaigrettes, he continued. While you can use cooked-down mulberries as a marinade or glaze for your meat, the dried fruits also pair well with any rich proteins. "Each form — fresh, cooked, or dried — brings a unique depth of flavour, allowing mulberries to elevate dishes in completely different ways," Ming said.