Simple Syrup Recipe
Posted Jun 13, 2025
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This simple syrup recipe is an easy recipe perfect for coffee or cocktails. Made with 2 ingredients (or 3 if you want vanilla simple syrup) in 5 minutes, it’s a great recipe to have on hand for ice coffee, cold brew, etc.
This homemade simple syrup recipe is a an easy and delicious way to sweeten cold brew coffee, iced coffee, iced tea or your favorite cocktails.
In this recipe, sugar is dissolved in water so that it is easily and evenly mixed into cold drinks. You can choose to flavor it with vanilla (or your favorite extract) or keep it plain.
Simple syrup keeps well in the refrigerator, so you can make it once and use it in your coffee all month long.
Simple Syrup Recipe: Ingredients & Substitutions
- Water. I recommend filtered water for the best results.
- Granulated sugar. Organic cane sugar or white sugar are great choices. You can also use brown sugar for a different flavor.
- Vanilla extract. We add vanilla extract to use in iced coffee or cold brew coffee and it’s delicious. You can use different extracts (like lavender extract, coconut, etc.) to make different flavors.
How to Make Simple Syrup
Let’s walk through this simple syrup recipe together, and don’t forget to watch the video.
Really, all we are doing is dissolving sugar in water so that it is easier to mix into cold drinks without imparting a gritty texture!
Begin by adding water and sugar to a small saucepan.
Then, bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat.
Boil and whisk until the sugar is dissolved.
If desired, remove from heat and add ½ tsp vanilla extract (great for making vanilla iced coffee or vanilla cold brew).
Then, transfer the simple syrup to a glass jar or bottle and store in the refrigerator for up to 1 month.
Serve
We use this simple syrup to sweeten iced coffee or cold brew coffee. Here are additional ways to use it:
- Sweeten cocktails or mocktails like old fashioned, martinis, etc.
- Use it to sweeten iced tea or to make lemonade.
We love to serve this in our morning coffee with our favorite breakfast recipes.
Store
Store simple syrup in an airtight, glass contianer in the refrigerator for up to 1 month.
Simple Syrup Recipe FAQS
By heating the sugar and water together, the sugar molecules dissolve in the water. This creates a sweetener that is easily mixed into drinks of any temperature (hot or cold) and dissolves completely for even sweetening.
It is 1 part water, 1 part sugar.
This recipe lasts for 1 month when store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Simple syrup is done when the sugar is completely dissolved and this mixture is clear (not cloudy).
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Simple Syrup Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup water
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract (optional)
Instructions
- Add water and sugar to a small saucepan.
- Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat.
- Boil and whisk until the sugar is dissolved.
- If desired, remove from heat and add ½ tsp vanilla (great for making vanilla iced coffee).
- Transfer the syrup to a glass jar and store in the refrigerator for up to 1 month.
Video
Notes
- Water. I recommend filtered water for the best results.
- Granulated sugar. Organic cane sugar or white sugar are great choices. You can also use brown sugar for a different flavor.
- Vanilla extract. We add vanilla extract to use in iced coffee or cold brew coffee and it’s delicious. You can use different extracts (like lavender extract, coconut, etc.) to make different flavors.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
