Brown Sugar Syrup (Recipe and Uses)
How to Make Brown Sugar Syrup (And What to Do With it) – Learn the simple steps for making a delightfully sweet syrup that’s perfect for adding to hot drinks, cold drinks, and more!
Why We Love This Recipe
Earthy, malty sweet, and deliciously robust brown sugar is a cooking staple in many desserts and savory recipes. But oh, it does so much more! For example, a simple homemade Brown Sugar Syrup is terrific to elevate cooked dishes – and is the perfect sweetener for hot and cold drinks!
Using brown sugar in place of granulated sugar in classic simple syrup means the syrup will have a deeper more rustic flavor. Therefore, anything you add it to will have a greater depth of flavor! This has become popular at coffee houses and cocktail bars but you can make it and use it at home just as easily.
You only need 2 ingredients and 5 minutes to make the easiest simple syrup and add some fanciness to your favorite beverages and sweet dishes. So skip the Starbucks line and keep reading for the easy recipe steps, plus LOTS of fantastic suggestions for what to do with simple syrup made with brown sugar!
Recipe Ingredients
For this easy “How To” recipe you only need your choice of dark or light brown sugar and water.
Wondering: What is the Difference?
Brown sugar gets its distinct flavor and color from the addition of molasses to the raw sugar. Dark brown sugar has more molasses in it, and therefore has a deeper color and sweet flavor.
Light brown sugar, on the other hand, has less molasses. So it’s lighter in color and molasses-y taste, but is still quite sweet, almost like a more earthy granulate white sugar.
How to Make Brown Sugar Simple Syrup
Set a small sauce pot over medium-high heat. Add 1 cup of water to the pot followed by 1 cup of packed brown sugar.
Stir well, then allow the mixture to come to a boil. Once boiling, stir and set the timer for 1 minute. When the timer goes off, remove it from the heat.
Get the Complete (Printable) Brown Sugar Syrup Recipe Below. Enjoy!
Allow the brown sugar syrup to cool completely. Then use immediately or transfer to an airtight container and store in the fridge.
Suggestions for How to Use Brown Sugar Syrup
Use brown sugar syrup in place of regular simple syrup, or any other liquid sweetener in all of your favorite hot and cold beverages. Use it in place of dried granulated sweeteners as well, especially for chilled drinks… It stirs in perfectly and dissolves instantly!
Here are just a few of the nearly infinite number of drinks this warm and sweet syrup pairs perfectly with:
Cold Beverages –
- Iced Coffee (of course!)
- Sweet Tea
- Mulled Lemonade
- Homemade Apple Cider
- Horchata
- Pineapple Sugar Cane Water
Hot Beverages –
Alcoholic Drinks –
- The Champ Bourbon Cocktail
- Mint Julep
- Apple Ginger Buck Cocktail
- Apple Butter Rum Cocktail
- Mulled Wine
- Hot Apple Cider Wassail
- Orange Clove Hot Toddy
- Sweet Team Old Fashioned Cocktail
And you’ve got to try our Brown Sugar Bourbon Cocktail recipe! Just combine these bar staples in a tumbler glass:
- 3 ounces bourbon
- 2 ounces ginger ale
- 1 ounce brown sugar syrup
Gently stir, and garnish with a lemon slice.
Other Uses for Brown Sugar Syrup
But don’t just stop at beverages! Use this better-than-Starbucks brown sugar syrup to replace honey or maple syrup on popular breakfast items. (It is especially handy when food allergies or picky eaters are involved.) Or include it as a light sweetener in salad dressings.
Incorporate this brown sugar syrup recipe into any of these sweet and savory dishes:
- Classic Homemade Pancakes
- Applejack Dutch Baby
- Simple Waffle Recipe
- Coconut Macadamia Nut Waffles
- Air Fryer French Toast
- Blackberry Honeydew Salad
- Grilled Corn Salad
- Fried Goat Cheese Salad
- Quick Maple Glazed Carrots
- Oven Roasted Vegetables
Frequently Asked Questions
Absolutely! You can make a brown sugar simple syrup with equal parts sugar and water! This simple syrup will taste a little bit differently than classic simple syrup, since brown sugar has more of a caramelized flavor, but it is still super delicious!
Simple syrup will continue to thicken as you cook it on the stovetop. For a syrup that blends beautifully into hot and cold drinks, I highly recommend that you do not cook it into a thick maple syrup-like substance.
If it isn’t thickening at all, keep cooking it on a low simmer for another minute or two. Keep in mind that it will also thicken ever so slightly once it cools.
Once it cools completely, transfer the syrup to a container with a lid and keep it in the fridge for up to 4 weeks.
Looking for More Easy 5 Minute Fixes? Be Sure to Also Try:
- How to Make Buttermilk
- Flavored Sugar Recipes
- Raspberry Maple Syrup
- How to Pick a Watermelon
- Bruleed Grapefruit
Brown Sugar Syrup (Recipe and Uses!)
Ingredients
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup brown sugar packed (light brown or dark brown)
Instructions
- Set a small sauce pot over medium-high heat. Add 1 cup of water to the pot followed by 1 cup of packed brown sugar. Stir well, then allow the mixture to come to a boil.
- Once boiling, stir and set the timer for 1 minute. When the timer goes off, remove from heat.
- Allow the brown sugar syrup to cool completely before using or storing.
Video
Notes
- 3 ounces bourbon
- 2 ounces ginger ale
- 1 ounce brown sugar syrup
- Lemon slice
Perfect for all of my summer cocktails! Thank you so much for this, so easy to make.
Yum!! I want to add it in everything!! I am excited to try it in some of the meals you listed! We have tried it in hot drinks & boy, it adds so much flavor!
This brown sugar syrup is indeed delightful and delicious! I love adding it to my milktea and it is satisfying!
great use of brown sugar syrup in this cocktail, thank you, and saving this one for the weekend, and also a nice alternative sweetener to simple syrup