Recipes with Simple Syrup

Want to learn how to make recipes with simple syrup? Whether you’re mixing up a cocktail, sweetening your iced coffee, or brushing a flavored simple syrup on a cake, homemade simple syrup is one of the best ways to add sweetness to your favorite drinks and recipes.

Read on for everything you need to know about how to make simple syrup, including a basic recipe for simple syrup and plenty of ideas for recipes with simple syrup. Or just hit that Jump to Recipe button, and let’s make homemade simple syrup!

glass jar of simple syrup next to small bowl of sugar.
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What is simple syrup?

Simple syrup is just a sugar dissolved in water. Because it’s liquid, simple syrups blend easily into cold drinks, quite unlike what happens when you add white sugar directly into an iced coffee!

 

Ingredients

four small bowls containing demerara sugar, brown sugar, granulated sugar and honey.

Classic simple syrup recipes call for combining equal volumes, like 1 cup of sugar and 1 cup of water. This is a so-called 1 to 1 simple syrup ratio, sometimes written as 1:1.

You can use any type of sugar for simple syrup. Leave the white sugar behind and make a honey simple syrup recipe, brown sugar simple syrup, or use demerara sugar, an unrefined brown sugar that makes a fabulously rich demerara simple syrup!

Please see the recipe card below for complete information on ingredients and quantities.

Variations and substitutions

  • Make a rich simple syrup with a 2 to 1 simple syrup using twice as much sugar as water. A rich simple syrup is more concentrated and will last longer in your refrigerator.
  • Make flavored simple syrups by infusing your homemade syrup with herbs, spices, fruit or fruit peels.

Recipe tips and tricks

There’s nothing complicated about making homemade simple syrup. Combine equal amounts of honey and water in a small pot and heat on low heat just until your sugar or honey dissolves into the water.

Once the sugar has dissolved, remove the pot from the heat. Add any flavor elements you want to make a flavored simple syrup.

Once the simple syrup is cool, strain your homemade simple syrup into a clean jar. The jar doesn’t have to be sterilized like if you were canning because it’ll only be in the refrigerator a few weeks.

Cocktails with simple syrups

Now that you’ve made one homemade simple syrup, now it’s time to have fun! Here are some other suggestions for cocktails that use flavored simple syrups:

pink cocktail with egg white foam and blackberry garnish with small carafe of purplish red syrup, lemons, and blackberries in background.

Other recipes with simple syrups

You can use your simple syrups in non-alcoholic drinks like iced tea and flavored lemonades. Or use it to sweeten coffee drinks like my Mocktail Espresso Martini.

Sugar syrups are also often used to add moisture to multi-layer cakes or the top of a loaf cake. Some times the sugar syrup is water-based, but your soaking syrup also can be sweetened coffee or lemon juice or any of a number of liquids.

For whichever use, these syrups are made in the exact same way as a simple syrup in cocktails. Here are some examples of my cake recipes that use sugar syrups:

glass jar of simple syrup next to small bowl of sugar.

Recipe FAQs

Does simple syrup go bad?

Yes, over time – usually a week or two – homemade simple syrup will start to grow bacteria or mold, even in the refrigerator. If it’s cloudy, toss it and make a new batch.

Can I freeze simple syrups?

You can try to freeze your homemade simple syrup in an ice cube tray. Know that they will take longer to freeze than plain water or they may never freeze completely because the dissolved sugar lowers the freezing point.

Check out other gin cocktails and mixed drinks that use a classic sugar syrup, like:

Love cocktails and want to explore more? Read all about classic cocktails and bartender basics, check out my list of essential bar tools for cocktails at home, and join this year’s 52 weeks of cocktails challenge!

Love this recipe? Please leave a 5-heart 💜💜💜💜💜 rating in the recipe card below. Let me know how much you loved it, or any problems you had, in the comments section further down.

Recipe

How to Make Simple Syrup

5 from 1 vote
Category: Drinks
Cuisine: Unspecified
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes
Servings: 8
Calories: 32kcal
It is so easy to make homemade simple syrups for cocktails and cakes. Make a classic simple syrup, a honey simple syrup, or check out the variations below. And don't be afraid to experiment with making flavored simple syrups in the flavors that you love!
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Ingredients

  • ¼ cup water
  • ¼ cup granulated sugar or brown sugar, demerara, honey, etc.

Instructions

  • Combine the water and sugar or honey in a small pot and heat over low heat until the sugar dissolves into the water completely.
    ¼ cup water, ¼ cup granulated sugar
  • Pour into a small jar and let cool.
  • Store in the refrigerator for one to two weeks.

Notes

You can scale up or down this 1:1 simple syrup recipe as you desire.
Heat the sugar and water over low heat. Do not let your simple syrup come to a boil or you may end up with caramel instead of simple syrup. You can also make simple syrup in the refrigerator, but it will take much longer for the sugar to dissolve.
You can make flavored simple syrups by steeping herbs, spices, or fruit in your sugar and water solution as it cools. Strain out the flavor makers before storing in the refrigerator.

Nutrition

Calories: 32kcal | Carbohydrates: 9g | Protein: 1g | Sodium: 1mg | Potassium: 6mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 1mg | Iron: 1mg
Love this recipe?Mention @Uglyducklingbakery or tag #uglyducklingbakery!

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