This simple brown sugar syrup comes together in 5 minutes and has a deep caramel flavor! It’s great for coffee drinks or pancakes.
Here’s a next level secret for all your coffee drinks: Brown Sugar Syrup! Sure, you can sweeten your lattes and iced espresso with classic simple syrup. But this unique syrup adds even more flavor: its deep caramel flavor is intensely cozy, with notes of toffee and vanilla. It’s truly transforming! This Starbucks special takes only 5 minutes to mix up at home. Use it for so many other things: pancakes, waffles, oatmeal: you name it!
How to make brown sugar syrup
Brown sugar syrup is a variation on simple syrup: it’s a liquid sweetener made with equal parts brown sugar and water. Because of the molasses content, brown sugar syrup has a deep flavor with notes of caramel and toffee. It’s become popular for its use in Starbucks drinks, but it’s very easy to make at home. All you need is brown sugar! Here’s what to do:
- Combine sugar and water: Place ½ cup each brown sugar and water in a small saucepan on the stove.
- Heat until dissolved: Heat over medium heat for 1 to 2 minutes, stirring until fully dissolved. Do not simmer!
And that’s it! It comes together in no time. Dip your spoon in for a taste, and you’ll be amazed by the nuance in flavor.
Storing homemade brown sugar syrup
Store homemade syrup for up 1 month refrigerated. Best for storage is a glass bottle for easy pouring, or a glass mason jar. The flavor stays pretty constant over time, and it may last for even longer.
Ways to use brown sugar syrup in drinks
This brown sugar syrup is endlessly versatile, from Starbucks drinks to breakfast! We created it especially for our new Iced Brown Sugar Oat Milk Espresso (which we highly recommend). But there are so many ways to add delicious cozy nuance to drinks…and pancakes! Here are some coffee and tea drink ideas, then we’ll move on to breakfast:
- Iced Brown Sugar Oat Milk Espresso
- Iced Espresso
- Iced Latte
- Iced Cappuccino
- Tea Latte
- Chai Tea Latte
- Coffee Soda
- Iced Coffee or French Press Iced Coffee
- Almond Milk Latte or Oat Milk Latte
- Cold Brew Coffee
Or, use it on pancakes and waffles!
Brown sugar simple syrup works as a substitute for maple syrup! Maple syrup can be expensive, so this easy affordable option works like a charm. In fact, it tastes almost as good as the real thing! Here are some ideas for using this maple syrup substitute:
- Pancakes like Go-To Banana Pancakes, Almond Flour Pancakes, Oatmeal Pancakes, Applesauce Pancakes, Vegan Pancakes or Vegan Banana Pancakes
- Waffles like Perfect Waffles, Best Blueberry Waffles, Fluffy Gluten Free Waffles, or Pumpkin Waffles
- Oatmeal like Classic Oatmeal, Banana Baked Oatmeal, Everyday Baked Oatmeal, Vegan Oatmeal, Steel Cut Oats or Overnight Oats
More homemade syrup recipes
It’s so easy to make simple syrups at home! Here are more ideas for coffee drinks, cocktails, and breakfasts:
- Try Honey Syrup or classic Simple Syrup
- Make Vanilla Syrup or Demerara Syrup
- Try fruity syrups like Strawberry Syrup or Raspberry Syrup
- Add herbs for Lavender Simple Syrup, Rosemary Simple Syrup, Ginger Simple Syrup, or Mint Simple Syrup
This brown sugar syrup recipe is…
Vegetarian, vegan, plant-based, dairy-free and gluten-free.
Print
Brown Sugar Syrup
- Prep Time: 0 minutes
- Cook Time: 2 minutes
- Total Time: 2 minutes
- Yield: ¾ cup 1x
Description
This brown sugar syrup comes together in 5 minutes and has a deep caramel flavor! It’s great for coffee drinks or pancakes.
Ingredients
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ½ cup water
Instructions
- Add the brown sugar and water to saucepan and heat over medium heat.
- Stir until the sugar is dissolved (don’t simmer) for 1 to 2 minutes. Cool to room temperature before using. Stores in the refrigerator for 1 month.
- Category: Syrup
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Coffee
- Diet: Vegan
Keywords: Brown sugar syrup, brown sugar simple syrup, brown sugar syrup Starbucks
Let us know if you have any questions!
★★★★★
Can I use this syrup in my pecan pie?
I’ve never made a pecan pie! I’m not sure.
This is great. I tried it with my brown splenda, too, same ratios. It was great. Use it in tea to make tea lattes. Yum!
★★★★★
Can you leave it outside? Kind of like coffee shops?
I’m not certain, sorry!
I am a biologist. Yes you can leave it in the counter (that’s what I’m assuming you meant by “outside.”) However, it will not last as long, bc it has no preservatives. You can buy food grade preservatives (perfectly safe) online so I suggest you do that and add the preservative to your syrup. Then it can sit in the counter. Potassium sorbate is a good one. Follow instructions or Google how much to use
You specifically mentioned not to simmer, why? Does it do something bad like burn or separate?
If you want a thicker sauce you could lightly simmer, but don’t bring to heavy simmer which will change the flavor!
I am a biologist (specifically biochemist). Simmering will cause thebwater to evaporate, which will cause the sugar molecules to change structure and depending on how hot it got, when cooled will harden like candy or even worse, and more likely, be gritty as individual sugar molecules combines into candy crystals inside your syrup. Heating sugar produces candy, and you don’t want candy.
Are you supposed to bring to a boil? Or just warm it up?
No need to simmer or boil!
How do you get it to thicken up?
★★★★
This version stays relatively thin. You can simmer it for a few more minutes if you prefer a thicker texture.
Brown sugar syrup should not be stored in the fridge, it will recrystalize faster. Also, using equal parts water and burn sugar will yield a very watery, runny syrup. I usually put a cup or so brn sugar in a saucepan with just enough water to make the sugar fall flat in the pan. Simmer until dissolved. Only make small batches as it will recrystalize eventually Store in a cupboard.
★★★