Hello, everyone! We can find raspberries all year round these days, but there is something about fresh raspberries ripening in the garden or nature. In Norway, where I live, you can find many wild raspberries in nature, and you can pick them. There are some hiking places close to my place where I could find many wild raspberry bushes with red and plump raspberries! When it’s the raspberry season and if you are lucky enough to have a basketful of raspberries, you are inspired to make lots of recipes with raspberries. If you still have a lot of raspberries after trying out my raspberry gelato and raspberry sorbet recipes, then this raspberry cheong recipe is for you. This is a Korean raw raspberry syrup that can last for a while.
Then let me tell you a little bit about raspberry cheong! 
You’ll need more raspberries than you think to make raspberry cheong, as they shrink a lot by volume when you mash them!
Introduction to Raspberry Cheong Recipe
Raspberry cheong is a natural way to preserve raspberries without using heat. It captures the flavors, scents, colors, and nutrition of fresh raspberries. You can use the raspberry cheong to flavor dishes or use it as a natural sweetener for drinks. Here are some of the reasons why trying out the raspberry cheong recipe is a good idea!
Benefits of Raspberry Cheong
- Preserves raspberries longer
- Rich in nutrients and flavors
- Can be used for many Korean desserts and drinks
I will delve more into detail later, but let me tell you a little bit about cheong first.
Introduction to Cheong
Cheong is a Korean preservation method that mixes sugar with fresh fruits, often mashed.
Unlike jam, where you need to cook the fruits, you use fresh fruits to preserve with Cheong. That makes the fruit cheong taste fresher and stronger than regular jam. For that reason, we call Cheong a “fruit extract” in Korea.
Cheong is also different from regular syrup, as you would let the sugar and fruit mix ferment when making Cheong. Depending on the type of fruits and the recipes, the cheong might have a shorter shelf life or can last for several years.
Basics of Cheong Syrup | With Any Fruits and Vegetables
Learn the basics of making cheong syrup, a delicious, healthy, and raw Korean syrup. You can make it with any kind of fruits and vegetables with expert tips!
Here are some of the popular cheong varieties in Korea.
Varieties of Cheong
- Strawberry Cheong
- Lemon Cheong
- Blueberry Cheong
- Tangerine Cheong
- Maesil Cheong
- Maesil Cheong (Korean green plum cheong)
- Cherry Cheong
- Apple Cheong
I have detailed posts about the varieties of cheong below, so check it out ❤️
Usage of Cheong
You can make any cheong with almost any fruit. There are also many different ways to use your cheong! Here are the top four ways to use cheong.
1. Homemade Drinks
First and foremost, the most common way to use cheong is to make homemade soft drinks with it. It’s so simple. Take a few spoons of liquid from the cheong and mix it with either cold or hot water to your liking.
It’s so nice to make cold homemade drinks in the summer and hot homemade drinks in the winter.
2. Homemade Alcohol
As I told you, as cheong is a natural way to preserve fruits, sometimes it becomes alcohol or vinegar… However, you can decide to make homemade alcohol just as you make cheong, like my blueberry soju! It is natural, fragrant, and has amazing flavors.
While making a cheong, you can mix it with pure alcohol. Then you leave it for several months, and there you have it! You have your own homemade alcohol. This is how you make Korean plum wine. When I move to the big house of my dreams, I want to make my own homemade alcohol using this method.
3. Homemade Latte
There are many lattes in Korea. And one of the most popular lattes is a strawberry latte, which has strawberry cheong as the ingredient.
Strawberry cheong is the star ingredient of the strawberry latte. I shared my strawberry latte recipe inspired by the Starbucks menu, which you can make with this strawberry cheong.
You mix cheong with some plant milk. Pour it into a cup filled with ice, and there is your luxurious homemade Korean latte!
4. A Topping for Yogurt and Ice Cream
Last but not least, you can use cheong as a topping for yogurt or vanilla ice cream!
Both the fruit pulp and the syrup can be used.
Raspberries in Season
Raspberries in season are so amazing! Even if you don’t have a garden or find raspberry bushes in nature to pick raspberries, you can buy raspberries during the season at stores. They taste better! So when are raspberries ready? If you are living in temperate regions, raspberries are in season from June to August. If you live in a colder climate like I do, then you can find raspberries in season from July to September.
If you love raspberries like I do, here are some other raspberry recipes you can make with fresh raspberries!
Health Benefits of Raspberries
We won’t cook the raspberries in the cheong recipe with heat, which will preserve most of the nutritional benefits of the raspberries. Here are some health benefits of raspberries you may reap.
- Great for managing weight for low-calorie and high-fiber diets
- Antioxidant powerhouse
- Cancer protection
- Healthy skin
- Low-calorie and high-fiber: 53 kcal per 100 g (3.5 oz), 7 g of fiber
Key Ingredients for Cheong
To make a cheong, you need two simple ingredients: quality sugar and fresh fruits.
1. Quality Organic Sugar
Using high-quality organic sugar like this will determine the final result of the cheong.
Great sugar can not only preserve and ferment better, but also taste better! Not only that, but using organic sugar is a great way to save our planet. There are a lot of pesticides used in growing regular sugar crops.
2. Fresh Raspberries
To make the best cheong, I recommend using fresh raspberries. If you could find wild raspberries in the forest or pick some from your own garden, that’s even better! But by using fresh raspberries, you can preserve lots of nutrients like vitamin C and other antioxidants, as well as flavors, scents, and colors.
3. Allulose Fiber Syrup
My Normal Keto Allulose 17.1 Fl Oz – Allulose, Monk Fruit and Stevia Blend
Allulose syrup is used in Korean kitchens a lot. It adds sweetness to food with fewer calories, and it has fiber, which slows down the blood sugar spikes and hinders the sugar from being absorbed into our bodies.
When used in making cheongs, allulose syrup helps to accelerate the process. If you use only sugar, it takes longer to dissolve the sugar (sometimes it doesn’t dissolve at all!), and the syrup can have a high amount of sugar.
Pouring allulose syrup can also help the cheong to ferment well instead of being spoiled, as the liquid prevents the virus from entering the cheong.
Raspberry Cheong | How to Make Korean Raw Raspberry Syrup
Raspberry Cheong
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- In a washing bowl, put the raspberries. Add lukewarm water to the bowl until the raspberries submerge.
- Sprinkle the baking soda in the bowl, and add vinegar to the water. Mix.
- Wash raspberries with a gentle motion. Raspberries are very soft and can be mushed easily.
- Take out the raspberries from the water and drain the water well. Leave the raspberries on a towel and let them dry thoroughly.
- In a pot, add water again. Take the glass jar you want to put your tangerine cheong in and put it upside down. Bring it to a boil.
- Do not put a glass jar straight into boiling water. It can break the glass. Put the glass in the pot first, then bring it to a boil slowly.
- Slowly bring the water to a boil. Let the glass jar be disinfected with boiling water. Once the water starts to boil, turn down the heat to medium-high. Let it boil for about 5 minutes.
- Take out the glass jar and let it completely dry.
- Add all the dried raspberries to the disinfected glass jar. Add sugar in between the raspberries.
- Mash the raspberries with a dry wooden spatula so the raspberry juices ooze out and the sugar is well mixed.
- Then pour the syrup on top. The syrup will drip down to the bottom naturally. Close the jar.
- Leave the jar in a cool, dark place for several days. Check your raspberry cheong and mix thoroughly every day until the sugar dissolves.
- Store the syrup in a separate jar or bottle. Store it in the fridge for up to 3 months. It can naturally ferment as time passes. Enjoy!
How to Store Raspberry Cheong | Korean Raw Raspberry Syrup
1. Store in the Fridge
You can store cheong somewhere dark and chill, like a cold basement, but it is best to store it in the fridge. It is especially important if you want to keep your raspberry syrup fresh and sweet. It will start to ferment naturally even in the fridge. If the cheong is stored at a warmer temperature, it will make the fermentation process quicker.
2. Strain Seeds
After 3 months of storing raspberry cheong, you can strain out the seeds. Leaving the seeds for longer than 3 months can make the syrup bitter from the seeds. It can also spoil the raspberry cheong.
3. Cover Syrup or Sugar on Top
This is one of the most important tips that applies to all kinds of cheongs. Make sure to cover the raspberry cheong with raspberry syrup. In other words, the liquid from the cheong should cover the top. This process ensures no bacteria in the air get into the cheong, which can spoil our precious cheong!
I used to spoil my cheong by not submerging my cheong in the syrup. I hope you don’t make the same mistake I did. 😅
Summary of Raspberry Cheong Recipe
I hope you liked this raspberry cheong recipe! This is a gorgeous raw syrup. You can use it in many ways and in many recipes, and I love it. So fragrant and colorful, making this raspberry cheong is also a fun process.
I hope you enjoy making the raspberry cheong as well, and I will see you soon with another interesting and delicious recipe. Until then, you can check out other cheong recipes on my blog below.
My Other Raspberry Recipes
Best Raspberry Sorbet Recipe | Ninja Creami | With Lemon
Try this best raspberry sorbet recipe using the Ninja Creami Ice Cream Machine. So delicious, smooth, and refreshing! This dark ruby-red sorbet is perfect for summer.
Raspberry Gelato Recipe | Vegan-Friendly Fruit Ice Cream Recipe
Try this raspberry gelato recipe that can also be made vegan! It’s so flavorful, dense, and, believe it or not, healthy! Make this no-sugar, no-fat gelato.
More About Other Cheong
Maesil Cheong | Raw Korean Plum Extract | Syrup Recipe & Uses
Maesil cheong is a delicious, fragrant, tart, fresh, and sweet raw Korean syrup made with a Korean plum called maesil. Learn the recipe and what to use it for.
1. Maesil Cheong 매실청
Maesil is a Korean plum, but we usually pick them when they are unripe, green, and hard.
One of the most popular uses of maesil in Korean cuisine is to make a cheong out of it.
Maesil cheong is used in soft drinks, sweet tea, and cooking in Korea.
Growing up, my mom always used Maesil Cheong instead of sugar when cooking. It is a very common practice in Korea to use Cheong, especially Maesil Cheong, in stews, soups, and more to substitute sugar.
With some Cheong, like Maesil Cheong, you can let it ferment and become slightly sour like vinegar.
The sweet and sour taste of Cheong balances a lot of dishes so well, and it is much more nutritious to cook with than to use sugar.
Maesil cheong can ferment, become lightly sour like vinegar, or develop into alcohol!
2. Citrus Cheong
Many citrus varieties are growing in South Korea.
The further south you go in South Korea, the more abundant the citrus fruits are! Jeju Island, which is the southernmost island of South Korea, is known for so many clementines and other citrus fruits like Dekopon (한라봉) and Setoka (천혜향).
As many citrus fruits are harvested during the harvest season, citrus preservatives such as marmalade and citrus cheong are naturally developed.
Marmalade is sweet, thick, and has a hint of citrus scent. In comparison, citrus cheong has a punch of sweet and sour taste from citrus flavors and scents! It truly is the citrus extract.
The most popular citrus cheongs include clementines, oranges, grapefruit, and lemon cheongs.
Lemon Cheong Recipe | How to Make Korean Raw Lemon Syrup
This zesty, citrusy, and vibrant lemon cheong recipe can be used in so many Korean cuisines! Learn how to make Korean raw lemon syrup packed with vitamin C.
Tangerine Cheong Recipe | How to Make Korean Tangerine Syrup
Try this Korean tangerine cheong recipe. You can get both the zesty, sweet tangerine syrup and the marmalade in one recipe! Learn more.
3. Grape Cheong
This might not be as popular as citrus or Maesil cheong, but some people still like to make this grape cheong.
I also made it in Norway with the grapes I harvested from my sister-in-law’s mother-in-law’s garden.
Some people even make balsamic vinegar or wine out of grape cheong!
4. Blueberry Cheong
Blueberry Cheong Recipe | How to Make Korean Blueberry Syrup
Make raw Korean syrup with the superfood blueberries! Here is the blueberry cheong recipe you’ve been waiting for.
5. Apple Cheong
Apple Cheong Recipe | How to Make Apple Syrup
Apple cheong is a Korean raw apple syrup that is packed with sweet and tart flavors. Make apple cheong with any kind of apple with this recipe. Learn more.
Affiliate Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate, I may earn from qualifying purchases at no additional cost to you if you choose to purchase the recommended product. The support allows me to continue working on my research and provide the best information for you. Please rest assured that I only give my honest opinions and recommendations.
Leave a Reply