How to Make Simple Syrup

The easiest way to dress up everything from your morning coffee to cocktails at home? Homemade simple syrup! Learn how to make simple syrup, how to get creative with flavors, and how to use it.

Homemade simple syrups are one of my favorite entertaining tricks.

Simple syrups are unbelievably easy to make and even easier to customize with your favorite flavors. That means you can make a totally custom syrup for adding to your cocktails and mocktails at your next party.

I mean, how fun would it be to make a variety of flavored syrups and set them out with iced tea and lemonade so guests can make their own custom drinks at a baby shower or bridal shower?

If you’ve never made your own simple syrups before, I’m going to walk you through everything. Let’s talk about how to make simple syrup, how to store it, how to flavor it, and how to use it!

What is simple syrup?

Simple syrup is one of the most common ways of sweetening cocktails, but it has far more uses than just that!

Simple syrup is a mixture of water and sugar that is heated until the sugar dissolves. The most traditional version is made with equal parts water and sugar, usually granulated sugar (aka white sugar).

Simple syrup is a bartending staple because it can easily be mixed into drinks, unlike plain sugar which won’t dissolve in cold liquids. That makes it a much better option for sweetening and flavoring everything from iced tea and lemonade to cocktails.

How to make simple syrup

Before I walk you through some of the variations you can make, let’s talk about how to make two classic simple syrups: basic simple syrup and rich simple syrup.

Basic simple syrup

Basic simple syrup is made with a 1-to-1 ratio of granulated sugar to water. In this example (and in the recipe card below), I’m going to use 1 cup to equal 1 part.

Pour 1 cup of water into a small saucepan and place over medium-high heat. Once the water is warm, add 1 cup of granulated sugar and stir or whisk until the sugar is dissolved.

The water does not have to come to a boil, it just needs to be warm enough to dissolve the sugar. 

Once the sugar is dissolved, remove the saucepan from the heat and let the syrup cool. Transfer the syrup to a glass bottle, mason jar or other clean, airtight container and store in the fridge up to 1 month.

If you prefer, you can add the sugar to the water right away. It will just take a little longer to heat than heating the water by itself first.

Rich simple syrup

Rich simple syrup is a syrup made with twice as much sugar, giving you a thicker, sweeter syrup.

To make rich simple syrup, use a 2-to-1 ratio of sugar to water (2 parts sugar to 1 part water).

Again, add 1 cup of water to a small saucepan and heat it over medium-high heat. This time, add 2 cups of granulated sugar. Whisk until dissolved.

Let the syrup cool, then transfer to an airtight container and store in the fridge for 3-6 months. It will last longer than basic simple syrup due to the higher sugar content.

Flavor variations

Combining water and granulated sugar is just the beginning when it comes to simple syrup. Once you get the basic ratios down, you can create just about any flavor you want!

Simple syrup is an excellent blank canvas for all sorts of flavors, and this is where your pantry ingredients can really help!

Different sugars

You can change the flavor of your syrup just by using a different type of sugar or sweetener. Instead of granulated sugar, try using brown sugar, turbinado sugar, honey, or demerara sugar.

Use the same method, using 1 part water to 1 part sugar/sweetener and heating until the sugar is dissolved and well combined.

Fruit

I love using fresh or frozen fruit or fruit jam to make flavored syrups.

If you have fresh or frozen fruit, add the fruit to the sugar and water. Fruits such as berries can be left whole, while stone fruits, pineapple, melons, etc, should be diced first. I typically use around 1 cup of fruit to 1 cup sugar and 1 cup water.

Bring the mixture to a short boil and then reduce the heat to low and simmer for about 20 minutes.

Remove the pan from the heat and let it cool. During this time, the fruit will further steep into the syrup. Once cool, strain the fruit before storing the simple syrup. This is the method I use for making my cranberry simple syrup.

If you have fruit jam, add a few tablespoons of the jam to the sugar and water mixture and simmer on low for about 10 minutes before straining and transferring to a bottle or jar.

Purees, such as pumpkin puree, can simply be added to the sugar and water. An example of this is my pumpkin spice syrup.

Vegetables

Fruits aren’t the only produce that can get the simple syrup treatment! Vegetables such as jalapeños and cucumbers add a verdant (and sometimes spicy!) flavor to your homemade syrups.

Follow the same method as for using fresh fruit, making sure to thinly slice the vegetables first.

Citrus

For citrus fruits, such as lemon or grapefruit, use the citrus juice in place of water in the syrup. Depending on how tart/bitter you like your syrup to be, you may want to use a 2:1 sugar-to-juice ratio or replace only half of the water with the citrus juice.

After removing the pan from the heat, add some freshly grated zest and allow it to steep while the syrup cools.

Herbs

Herb-infused syrups bring a beautiful flavor to cocktails, lemonades, and more. For example, a thyme or rosemary simple syrup would be delicious in a cranberry mule.

To add fresh herbs to your syrups, heat the sugar and water. Once the sugar is fully dissolved, remove the saucepan from the heat. Add several sprigs of the herbs (rosemary, thyme, basil, mint, etc); cover the saucepan with a lid and allow the herb to steep while the simple syrup cools, about 30 minutes. Strain and store the simple syrup.

Spices

Don’t forget about spices! Vanilla syrup is incredible in everything from lemonade to coffee and tea, while warm spices make great additions to old fashioned cocktails, coffee, and more.

When possible, use whole spices, such as cinnamon sticks, whole cloves, star anise pods, cardamom pods, etc. For ginger, you can use slices of fresh ginger root or dried ginger pieces.

If you’re using vanilla, use a whole vanilla bean split in half with a sharp paring knife.

Add the spices to the sugar and water before bringing it to a simmer. Again, do not strain the syrup until after it has cooled to allow the mixture to steep.

Combining flavors

You can easily combine ingredients to make your own unique simple syrup recipe! Some ideas include:

• Strawberries + jalapeños
• Lemon + thyme
• Grapefruit + rosemary
• Peaches + vanilla
• Cucumber + mint
• Honey + vanilla
• Brown sugar + cinnamon

simple syrup Uses

We’ve already covered that simple syrups are perfect for using in drink recipes. Everything from cocktails and mocktails to iced tea and lemonade can benefit from a good simple syrup.

You can also use them in desserts! For example, flavored simple syrup makes a great cake soak, especially for layer cakes. You could even use them when making homemade whipped cream.

Try drizzling fruit syrups over pancakes and french toast or stirring them into plain yogurt for breakfast.

Frequently asked questions