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Learn how to make infused simple syrups at home using herbs, fruit, vegetables, spices, and so much more. These naturally flavored syrups are incredibly versatile, easy to make, and simple, just as the name suggests.
If you've ever added a spoonful of sugar or a squeeze of honey to an iced drink, it generally all congregates at the bottom and doesn't mix well throughout the drink.
When sugar is made into a syrup, it seamlessly mixes in. This is why many cold drinks like cocktails, mocktails, and iced lattes use simple syrup as the sweetener. But they're also great for warm drinks as well as desserts.
Simple syrup is incredibly versatility depending on what you intend to do with it. For example:
- Add fresh fruit or vegetables to infuse their flavor before straining the syrup.
- Use fresh or dried herbs and spices.
- Switch up the type of sweetener for different flavor profiles.
- Or do a combination of any of the above.
How to Make Simple Syrup
Simple syrup is typically made using white granulated sugar, but the options are endless. I love using organic cane sugar, but you can also use brown sugar (light or dark), coconut sugar, raw sugar, turbinado sugar, honey, maple syrup, molasses, and so on.
A basic simple syrup is made by heating equal parts (1:1 ratio) of water and sugar in a small saucepan over medium-hight heat and stirring until the sugar has dissolved. Then remove the saucepan from the heat and let it cool to room temperature before storing it in the fridge.
If you're infusing your syrup, once the sugar has dissolved, reduce the heat to a simmer, add your flavoring ingredients of choice and simmer them for ten minutes in the syrup while stirring occasionally. Then, pour the syrup through a fine-mesh sieve and let it cool to room temperature. Store the infused syrup in the fridge until ready to use.
Variations
There are a variety of ingredients you can use to infuse natural flavor into your syrups but here are a few ideas to get you started:
- Citrus peels - orange, lemon, lime, grapefruit, Meyer lemon, etc.
- Whole or ground spices - the options are endless: cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, allspice, clove, pumpkin spice and more. Just look in your spice cupboard and see what you can come up with.
- Dried flowers - so as rosebud, chamomile, hibiscus or lavender, which is delicious in lemonade. just make sure to use culinary grade.
- Fresh or frozen fruit - apples, pears, berries (strawberry, blackberry, blueberry, raspberry) cherries, peaches, plums, or nectarines. These taste amazing in homemade Italian cream sodas.
- Spicy peppers - give it a kick by using jalapenos or serrano peppers.
- Chopped vegetables - fennel, beets, cucumber, carrots, celery, etc.
- Fresh herbs - such as thyme, rosemary, sage, or tarragon. Or try basil or mint in frozen watermelon margaritas.
- Fruit or vegetable juice - swap out some of the water for juice.
- Tea bags - just like you infuse tea in water, you can also infuse it into simple syrup.
- Vanilla bean - drizzle on ice cream, blueberry pancakes, or waffles.
How to Store It
Store simple syrup in a tightly sealed glass jar in the fridge for 2-4 weeks. Depending on if what you used for the infusion will determine how long it'll last. The sugar in the syrup helps to preserve it, but when fresh fruits or vegetables are added, it reduces the shelf life to about two and a half weeks.
To make it last longer, pour your syrup into a silicone ice cube tray and once frozen, pop them into a freezer safe bag where they'll last for up to 6 months.
Equipment
To make simple syrup, you'll need a saucepan, a fine mesh sieve, spatula or whisk, and a glass jar to store in it. If pouring into a narrow neck bottle, a silicone funnel is also helpful.
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Infused Simple Syrups
Ingredients
Basic Simple Syrup
- ½ cup water
- ½ cup sweetener of choice
Citrus Simple Syrup
- ¼ cup lemon, lime, orange, or grapefruit juice
- ¼ cup water
- ½ cup organic cane sugar or sweetener of choice
Basil Simple Syrup
- ½ cup water
- ½ cup organic cane sugar or sweetener of choice
- 1 cup basil leaves and stems stems optional
Instructions
- Heat the water and sugar in a small saucepan over medium-high heat, and stir until the sugar dissolves. If making plain simple syrup, transfer to a glass jar and let it come to room temperature before storing in the fridge for up to 4 weeks.
- If infusing your syrup, once the sugar has dissolved, reduce the heat to a simmer, add your ingredients of choice and simmer them for ten minutes while stirring occasionally. Then, pour the syrup through a fine-mesh sieve and let it cool to room temperature. Store the infused syrup in the fridge for 2-3 weeks or up to 6 months in the freezer.
- Makes ¾ cup of syrup. Feel free to scale the recipe up as needed.
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