About This 5 Minute Simple Syrup Recipe
This quick and easy simple syrup recipe takes less than 5 minutes to make, and is perfect for soaking cakes and making cocktails and drinks! The recipe uses just two ingredients: sugar and water. You probably have everything you need to make this homemade simple syrup at home—no trip to the grocery store needed!
Looking for a fun coffee drink to make with this 5 minute simple syrup recipe? Check out these unique drink recipes on Hummingbird High: Iced Strawberry Matcha Latte and Vietnamese Egg Coffee. And for you Starbucks lovers, I’ve got some popular copycat recipes: Vanilla Sweet Cream Cold Foam and Iced Pistachio Latte.
Ingredients and Substitutions
Here’s everything you need to make this 5 minute simple syrup recipe:
Be sure to head to the recipe card to see the exact quantities of everything needed! Now, let’s talk about key ingredients and any potential substitutions:
Ingredient Sources and Substitutions
I recommend using granulated sugar to make my simple syrup. Doing so makes a classic, colorless simple syrup that’s perfect for soaking cakes and stirring into colorful cocktails.
That being said, you can also use any type of sugar you have on hand. You can use a coarse sugar like Demarara or turbinado sugar; however, because these sugars have larger crystals, the recipe will require more whisking and a slightly longer cook time.
You can also use brown sugar. Either light or brown sugar will work in the recipe. But using a dark colored sugar means that your syrup will turn out slightly tan or brown in color, which could then affect the color of whatever you’re using the simple syrup for. It might be worth avoiding if you’re soaking a white cake or making a clear cocktail.
How To Make The Recipe
Here are the basic steps to make this easy simple syrup recipe from scratch:
- Prep the ingredients (Prep Time: < 5 minutes).
Prep for this recipe is very easy. All you need to do is measure out the water and sugar. That’s it! - Make the simple syrup. (Work Time: 5 minutes)
To make the simple syrup, whisk together the water and sugar and cook to a boil over medium-heat. Bringing the ingredients to a boil is the most time consuming part of the recipe. However, it should still take less than 5 minutes!
Below are photos of some key steps in this 5 minute simple syrup recipe:
Ikea KORKEN Bottle With Stopper
I like using these Ikea KORKEN Bottles when making syrups and extracts. Although the bottles have an official capacity of 5 ounces, I’ve found I can fit 6 ounces in there easily!
Recipe Troubleshooting & FAQ
Help! The sugar didn’t dissolve when I whisked it with water. What did I do wrong?
Don’t panic! Because the recipe uses a 1:1 ratio of water and sugar, it can be hard to dissolve the sugar at first. But the sugar will dissolve as you heat up the mixture and whisk continuously as you do so.
However, if you’d like to dissolve the sugar completely before cooking everything into a syrup, no worries! Just boil the water before combining it with the sugar. But I personally just skip this step because it adds unnecessary prep time.
Help! My simple syrup wasn’t clear. It had a slight brown color. What did I do wrong?
Either you used brown sugar (see Ingredients section above), or you overcooked the syrup.
The slight brown color comes from overcooking the syrup and accidentally beginning the caramelization process. But don’t worry! The syrup still tastes fine and works in plenty of drink and cake recipes.
Get the Recipe:
5 Minute Simple Syrup Recipe
Servings: 6 ounces (¾ cup)
This 5 minute simple syrup recipe uses just two ingredients—sugar and water—and comes together quickly and easily. It’s perfect for coffee, cocktails, and soaking cakes.
Prevent your screen from going dark
-
Whisk the water and sugar to combine. In a medium, heavy-bottomed saucepan, whisk together the water and sugar to begin dissolving the sugar. The water should turn cloudy, but don’t worry if the sugar doesn’t fully dissolve—that’ll happen in the next step!
-
Cook the mixture into a syrup. Cook over medium-high heat, whisking continuously until the sugar dissolves and the mixture starts to boil, about 3 minutes. Once the mixture comes to a boil, continue to whisk and cook at a very low boil for another minute, reducing the heat as necessary.
-
Cool and store. Remove the saucepan from the heat and cool to room temperature on a wire rack. Once cool, use a funnel to pour the syrup into an airtight bottle with a resealable cap. The homemade simple syrup will store in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
buy the book
Weeknight Baking:
Recipes to Fit your Schedule
Over the past several years of running Hummingbird High, I kept a crucial aspect of my life hidden from my readers: I had a full-time, extremely demanding job in the tech world. In my debut cookbook, Weeknight Baking, I finally reveal the secrets to baking delicious desserts on a tight schedule.
