Simple Syrups You Can Make at Home (7 Easy Recipes)

Simple syrup is one of those kitchen fundamentals that sounds fancier than it is. At its core, simple syrup is nothing more than sugar dissolved in water, a liquid sweetener that blends seamlessly into cold drinks in a way that granulated sugar never could. But once you understand the basic ratio, homemade simple syrups open the door to a whole world of flavored variations that can transform a glass of iced tea, a weekend cocktail, or a morning latte into something genuinely special.

The good news is that making simple syrups at home requires almost no equipment, no special skills, and usually takes under fifteen minutes. It is also one of the more frugal kitchen habits you can pick up: a batch costs pennies to make and easily replaces the overpriced flavored syrups sold at coffee shops and specialty stores. Here are seven easy simple syrup recipes to get you started, beginning with the one that belongs in every home kitchen.

The Classic Simple Syrup Recipe

Before you experiment with flavors, it helps to have the base simple syrup recipe down cold. Combine equal parts sugar and water in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir gently until the sugar fully dissolves, then remove from heat and let it cool completely before transferring to a jar or bottle. That is genuinely it.

For a slightly richer, more viscous simple syrup that works beautifully in cocktails and coffee drinks, use a 2:1 ratio of sugar to water. This rich simple syrup has a deeper sweetness and a longer shelf life, lasting up to a month in the refrigerator.

Store any homemade simple syrup in a clean glass jar or squeeze bottle and keep it refrigerated. Most flavored simple syrups will stay fresh for two to three weeks.

Vanilla Simple Syrup

Vanilla simple syrup is arguably the most useful flavored syrup you can make, and the homemade version tastes nothing like the artificial stuff sold in coffee shops. A bottle of vanilla syrup at a cafe can run four to eight dollars; making your own costs a fraction of that and yields far more. It is warm, floral, and genuinely complex, not just sweet with a vague vanilla scent.

What you need:

• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup water
• 2 vanilla beans, split lengthwise and seeds scraped (or 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract)

Combine the sugar, water, vanilla beans, and scraped seeds in a small saucepan. Heat over medium, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Reduce the heat and let the vanilla simple syrup simmer gently for about five minutes so the vanilla has time to infuse. Remove from heat and let it cool in the pan with the vanilla beans still in it. The longer the beans sit, the more intense the flavor. Strain before bottling.

If you are using vanilla extract instead of beans, simply make your plain simple syrup and stir in the extract off the heat once the sugar has dissolved. The flavor will be lighter but still lovely.

Use vanilla simple syrup in iced coffee and lattes, stir it into lemonade, add a splash to sparkling water with a squeeze of citrus, or use it anywhere you want a soft, rounded sweetness.

Lavender Simple Syrup

Lavender simple syrup sounds like it belongs in a boutique spa menu, but it is shockingly easy to make and pairs with more things than you might expect. Use culinary-grade dried lavender, which you can find at most natural grocery stores.

Bring one cup each of sugar and water to a simmer, then add two tablespoons of dried lavender buds. Let the simple syrup steep off the heat for twenty minutes, then strain through a fine mesh sieve. The result is a pale purple syrup with a soft floral flavor that works beautifully in lemonade, Earl Grey iced tea, gin cocktails, and sparkling water.

A little goes a long way. Start with half an ounce in a drink before adding more.

Honey Simple Syrup

Honey can be tricky to mix into cold drinks because it is thick and slow to dissolve. Making a honey simple syrup solves that problem entirely. Combine one part honey with one part warm water and stir until fully blended. No heat required, though you can warm them gently on the stove if you prefer.

Honey simple syrup brings a floral depth that plain sugar syrup cannot replicate, and it carries the character of whatever honey you use. Clover honey makes a mild, versatile simple syrup. Buckwheat honey is bold and almost molasses-like. Orange blossom honey adds a delicate citrus note.

This simple syrup is wonderful in whiskey cocktails, hot toddies, iced green tea, and anywhere you want sweetness with a little personality.

Mint Simple Syrup

Fresh mint simple syrup is summer in a bottle. Bring one cup of sugar and one cup of water to a simmer, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Remove from heat and add a large handful of fresh mint leaves, about half a cup loosely packed. Let the simple syrup steep for thirty minutes, then strain. It will be a soft green color and smell impossibly fresh.

Use mint simple syrup in lemonade, iced tea, mojitos, or mixed into sparkling water over a lot of ice. It also works surprisingly well drizzled over fruit salad or stirred into a yogurt parfait if you have leftovers.

Ginger Simple Syrup

For anyone who loves a spicy kick, ginger simple syrup is the most rewarding of the bunch. Peel and thinly slice about three ounces of fresh ginger root. Combine it with one cup of sugar and one cup of water in a saucepan and bring to a simmer. Cook for fifteen minutes, then remove from heat and let the simple syrup steep for another thirty minutes before straining.

The result is bright, fiery, and deeply aromatic. Use ginger simple syrup to make a quick homemade ginger ale by mixing a few tablespoons with sparkling water and a squeeze of lime. It is also excellent in dark and stormy cocktails, hot lemon drinks when you are feeling under the weather, and poured over vanilla ice cream.

Rhubarb Simple Syrup

Rhubarb simple syrup is one of the most visually striking syrups you can make at home, and it is a frugal way to use up rhubarb stalks that might otherwise go to waste at the end of the season. The syrup turns a brilliant deep pink without any added coloring, and its flavor is tart, fruity, and just a little wild.

Chop three or four stalks of fresh rhubarb into rough one-inch pieces. Combine them with one cup of sugar and one cup of water in a saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Cook for about fifteen minutes, stirring occasionally, until the rhubarb has completely broken down and the liquid is deeply colored. Remove from heat and strain through a fine mesh sieve, pressing the solids gently to extract as much liquid as possible. Do not skip the pressing; that is where the richest flavor lives.

The finished rhubarb simple syrup is tart enough to balance sweet cocktails and sparkling drinks beautifully. Stir it into lemonade for a pink drink that tastes far more interesting than it looks. Mix it with prosecco or sparkling water for a quick spritz. It is also excellent in a gin or vodka sour, where its natural tartness does the work that lemon juice usually handles. If you grow rhubarb in your garden, this syrup costs almost nothing to make and is one of the better money-saving tricks for turning a bumper crop into something useful all summer long.