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This recipe for simple syrup is super easy to make. It involves a tiny bit of cooking, but it’s so easy you could do it on a hotplate. If you’ve ever boiled water, you were halfway there.

Why make your own simple syrup?

You can buy good simple syrup from the store. Unlike sour mix, bottled simple syrup doesn’t get complaints about flavor. The homemade simple syrup won’t necessarily taste better.

But it’s quick, easy and cheap to make it yourself. A whole lot like making lemonade. A bottle will last up to one month in a glass jar in the fridge. And here’s the most exciting part: you can make flavored simple syrup.

Bottle of simple syrup on table — Homemade simple syrup in Bormiolo Rocco glass flask

Not just for cocktails

You may think mainly of simple syrup for cocktails, but it’s a great sweetener for lots of other things. It’s perfect for turning unsweetened iced tea into sweet tea at the table.

It’s also delicious for sweetening iced coffee. You can use in place of corn syrup in recipes. Just don’t substitute it for dry sugar in baking because that might not work.

How to flavor homemade simple syrup

There are a few ways to go about flavoring your syrup.

Cook herbs or zest in with it to infuse their flavors. You can add mint, citrus peel, rosemary, ginger root, basil, etc.
Cook fruit in with it – berries, orange slices, pieces of apple, and more. You may need to strain it afterwards to remove peels or seeds.
Add a drop or two of an extract. Vanilla, rum, mint, coconut, cinnamon, etc.

Simple Syrup Recipe

Name: Simple Syrup Recipe
Prep time: 1 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 11 min
Yield: 1
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1 cup water; 1 cup sugar (any type, including brown)

Yield: 1 batch

Prep Time: 1 minute

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 11 minutes

It's so easy to make simple syrup at home. You just need equal parts granulated sugar and water, which you cook together until the sugar is dissolved.