Simple syrup is one of the easiest ways to sweeten drinks and make desserts better.
You can use it in cocktails and mocktails like homemade lemonade and Lemon Drop shots—but it’s also a simple trick for keeping cakes moist, adding flavor to desserts, and leveling up basic recipes without much effort.
And here’s my rant: nothing gets my goat faster than seeing someone buy a bottle of simple syrup at the store.
It’s literally just sugar and water.
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Simple syrup is literally combining equal parts sugar and water and heating in a sauce pot until dissolved.
This liquid sweetener doesn't even have to be heated.
You can make simple syrup without heating by giving the sugar time to combine with the water.
Making this recipe with your own two paws, by the way, will you save you a lot of cash.
A 12.7 ounce bottle of sweetener on Amazon is $13.
Making it yourself costs $1.25 for 16 ounces. (I'm assuming you've got a four-pound bag of sugar that you paid $5 for. There are nine cups of sugar in a four pound bag. There are 2-¼ cups of sugar in a pound.)
Why You Should Make Your Own
- Cost-as noted above, you're going to save a lot of money making it yourself.
- Freshness: you can make as little or as much as you want and store it in the fridge. No bottles sitting around for months at a time.
- Control your final product. Maybe you want a thicker liquid or sweeter or less sweet? Just reduce or increase the sugar you use as desired. Maybe you're off sugar, you can make Stevia syrup or using another sugar alternative. Keep in mind you'll use less artificial sweetener as shown in a Stevia syrup ratio.
- Improved taste--this recipe dissolves quicker than regular granulated sugar in a glass of ice tea or lemonade or coffee. It also works in cocktails.
- Customize it. You can make liquid sweeteners with really any flavor imaginable. How about toasted marshmallow simple syrup? 😋
How To Make Sugar Syrup
Measure a cup of granulated sugar and eight ounces of water.
Pour both into a saucepan.
Heat until combined, about five minutes.
Package in a jar or bottle and store in the refrigerator for up to a month.
Perhaps label the jar with a tag or write the expiration date on a piece of tape and put it on the container because you won't likely remember when you made it.
How to Use Simple Syrup for Desserts
Simple syrup isn’t just for drinks. It's one of the easiest ways to improve your desserts.
- Brush it on cake layers to keep them soft and moist
- Soak sponge cakes so they don’t dry out
- Add flavor by infusing the syrup with lemon, vanilla, or mint.
- Fix dry cake by lightly brushing syrup over slices before serving
If you’ve ever had a cake from a bakery that stayed soft for days, there’s a good chance simple syrup was involved.
Make it using a one to one ratio. One cup of sugar to one cup of water. Or just equal parts sugar to water. If you want a small amount of syrup, use half cup of water to a half cup sugar.
Reduce the ratio so that you're using a two to one formula. Use two parts sugar to one part water. To make a thick sugar syrup, use two cups of granulated sugar to eight ounces (or one cup) of water.
For more drink recipes, I've got a list of 25 summer mocktails and my most popular drink recipe is Lemon Drop Martini (3-Ingredient Recipe with Limoncello).
Simple syrup contains roughly 100 calories per ounce. How many calories does vodka have?
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Recipe
Simple Syrup
Simple syrup is one of the easiest, cheapest recipes you can make. Use it to sweeten drinks and keep cakes moist, soft and full of flavor.s
Ingredients
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 8 ounces water
Instructions
- Combine sugar and water in a saucepot.
- Heat, stirring occasionally, until the sugar is completely dissolved. (about 5 minutes). Do not boil.
- Let cool.
- Store in a mason jar or a bottle in the refrigerator for up to one month.
Notes
If you don't have access to heat, you can just combine the sugar and water and let it sit, about an hour, until the sugar has dissolved.
Package it in a jar or bottle and give it a shake before using.
Store in the referigerator in a sealed jar for one month.
For desserts, brush simple syrup lightly over cake layers to keep them moist.
Try Lemon Poke Cake
Nutrition Information
Yield 8 Serving Size 1Amount Per Serving Calories 123Sodium 1mgCarbohydrates 31gSugar 31g
Nutrition informatiion is an estimate as I am not a registered dietician.
Ellen says
So easy to make and so many uses! I will be keeping this in my fridge so I have it at all times.
Jessica says
You're right about this being more economical than buying a bottle from the store. I couldn't believe how easy it is to make simple syrup at home. I don't think I'll ever pick a store-bought option again.