Brown Sugar Simple Syrup adds rich flavor and caramel sweetness to your coffee drinks, cocktails, and desserts! With just 2 ingredients and less than 5 minutes, you will have a delicious syrup that can be used in a variety of ways.
Jump to:
What is Simple Syrup?
Simple syrup is essentially sugar in liquid form. Using a liquid sweetener is ideal for sweeteneding cold drinks, like Brown Sugar Oatmilk Shaken Espresso. It mixes in completely to a cold beverage instead of sitting on the bottom of the drink.
In keeping with its name, this syrup is so simple to make! It just takes two ingredients, sugar and water! This simple syrup recipe uses an equal ratio of sugar and water, so you can scale it up or down depending on how much you want to make.
When heated together the sugar dissolves into the water, creating a delicious syrup.
Ingredients
Brown Sugar: Classic simple syrup uses granulated white sugar. By replacing that with brown sugar you get a syrup that has a rich, caramelly flavor. You can use dark or light brown sugar. Dark brown sugar has more molasses and will result in a deep caramel flavor.
Water: If you drink your tap water then it is fine to use it when making syrup. Strong flavored water could alter the flavor of your syrup, so use filtered water if your tap water isn't great.
Instructions
- Heat the sugar and water on the stove until it begins to bubble.
- Once it starts bubbling turn the stove down to low heat and stir until the sugar is dissolved.
- Remove the pan from the burner and let it cool to room temperature.
How to Use
Here are some other ways that you can use this recipe:
- Sweeten coffee or tea
- Pour a few tablespoons over cake to add moisture
- Mix into cocktails
- Make poached apples or pears
- Stir into oatmeal
- Add to plain yogurt
- Use in place of maple syrup for pancakes and waffles
- As a substitute in recipes that call for demerara syrup
Flavor Variations
- Vanilla Brown Sugar - After removing from the stovetop, add 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract to the mixture. If you prefer using vanilla beans, slice one vanilla bean in half and scrape the seeds. Add the seeds and the pod to the pan before heating. Remove the vanilla bean pod before storing.
- Cinnamon Brown Sugar - Add 2 cinnamon sticks to the brown sugar and water while it cooks. Remove the cinnamon sticks before storing.
- Brown Sugar Citrus - Place the rind of an orange in the pan with the sugar and water before heating. Allow to steep in the syrup until the syrup has cooled, then remove.
- Brown Sugar Spice - Put your favorite assortment of spices (cinnamon stick, clove, allspice, grated nutmeg, slices of ginger) into a cheesecloth and tie with twine. Place the cheesecloth in the sugar water while the sugar dissolves. Once the mixture has cooled, remove and discard the cheesecloth and spices.
- I have not personally tried it, but I hear that substituting Swerve or Truvia's brown sugar blend are both great for a sugar-free brown sugar simple syrup!
FAQs
Refrigerate your brown sugar syrup in an airtight container for up to 30 days.
This recipe can be made as big or as small as you wish! Though for batches a quarter cup or smaller, I recommend boiling the water first and then adding the brown sugar, stirring until dissolved.
If the brown sugar and water mixture are left boiling for too long the liquid will become cloudy. To avoid this, reduce your burner to low heat once it has started to bubble, and stir until the sugar is dissolved.
If you drink your tap water then it should be fine to use for simple syrup. Just remember that the flavor of the water will impact the flavor of the syrup, so if you live in an area with unpleasant tasting water then it is best to use filtered water when making the simple syrup.
Recommended Recipes
Let me know how you like this recipe by leaving a review! And follow along on Instagram @stateofdinner for behind the scenes and to be among the first to know when new recipes post!
Recipe
Brown Sugar Simple Syrup
Recipe by:Ingredients
- 1 cup (200 grams) brown sugar
- 1 cup (240 grams) water
Instructions
- Heat the water and brown sugar in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat until the mixture begins to bubble. (Do not let it come to a full boil or the syrup will become cloudy.)
- Turn to low heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, and cook for several minutes, until the brown sugar has completely dissolved.
- Remove from heat and cool completely.
- Store refrigerated in an airtight container for up to one month.
Naomi
I enjoy how simple and easy this is to make at home. I'm definitely going to try adding orange peel and cinnamon to this! It's going to be a common thing in my fridge from now on.
Erin
I think you are going to love it with cinnamon and orange peel! Let me know!
Naomi Jasven
I love how easy this recipe is to make! It tastes so exactly like the actual Brown Sugar syrup at Starbucks!
Erin
Yes! Mission accomplished!