This homemade Brown Sugar Syrup is quick and easy to make, with just 3 common ingredients. It swirls perfectly into coffee, tea, cold drinks, and cocktails, sweetening the drinks with a deep caramel flavor. We especially like it in an Iced Brown Sugar Oatmilk Shaken Espresso!
Easy Brown Sugar Simple Syrup
This Brown Sugar Syrup recipe was inspired by one of our favorite Starbucks drinks, the Iced Brown Sugar Oatmilk Shaken Espresso. We like this flavorful syrup so much that it has earned a permanent spot in our daily coffee-making ingredients lineup!
The molasses in the brown sugar offers a deep, rich, warm flavor – almost like caramel – to this simple syrup. And since it’s a liquid, it combines flawlessly into drinks – even with iced coffee. It’s especially lovely in a Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew as the molasses and pumpkin flavors pair up so well.
And you don’t have to stop with classic coffee drinks. This is fantastic in coffee cocktails, like espresso martinis and Mexican coffee, and other non-coffee cocktails as well. It’s also pretty lovely in tea and chai. Really anything where you’re looking for a warmly flavored sweetener!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Here are a few reasons why we love this brown sugar syrup recipe:
- Quick & easy. With a quick-heating gas stovetop, I can create a batch of this syrup in about 5 minutes!
- Just 3 ingredients. Including water, there are just 3 ingredients needed to make this recipe!
- Budget-friendly. It’s way more cost-effective to make your own brown sugar syrup vs buying it from the store.
- Super versatile. This works perfectly for both hot and cold drinks, from your favorite Starbucks copycat recipes to cocktails to teas.
- Tastes delicious. While we always have classic simple syrup (made with granulated white sugar) on hand, this one sweetened with brown sugar has such wonderful flavor – it’s the one we like most!
- Incorporates perfectly. The brown sugar syrup swirls perfectly into drinks, unlike sugar granules that sit at the bottom of the glass/cup.
- A great homemade gift. If you have coffee and tea lovers in your life, this makes a super fun gift!
What You’ll Need
This simple syrup is easy to whip up anytime, because all you need is water, brown sugar, and a little salt.
See the recipe card below for exact measurements and full instructions.
- Water – The liquid base for any simple syrup.
- Brown sugar – I like to use dark brown sugar for its added flavor depth, as it’s made with roughly double the amount of molasses – so it will definitely give you a richer more caramel-toffee flavor. But you can substitute light brown sugar for a more subtle caramel taste.
- Kosher salt – Adding a pinch of salt enhances the caramel-toffee flavors of this syrup. It’s not outwardly noticeable and won’t make your drink taste “salty”, only extra delicious!
How to Make Starbucks Brown Sugar Syrup
It takes just a few minutes to prepare this brown sugar syrup. And then just let it cool to room temperature.
- Bring ingredients to a boil. Whisk together the three ingredients in a saucepan over high heat. Bring to a boil, whisking rapidly until the sugar dissolves. With a gas stovetop, this takes me only a few minutes.
- Remove from heat. Remove the saucepan from the heat and let the brown sugar simple syrup cool to room temperature. Then transfer it to a glass jar or container with a tight-fitting lid.
What If My Syrup Is Too Thick?
Brown sugar simple syrup is meant to be pretty thin and pourable. However, if you continue to boil it after the sugar dissolves, it will reduce and thicken. If you accidentally thicken it too much, reduce the heat to low and whisk in a little hot water at a time until it reaches your desired consistency.
Conversely, if you want a thicker brown sugar syrup for dessert or pancakes, just cook it longer.
Ways to Use Brown Sugar Simple Syrup
There are so many ways to use this brown sugar syrup! Here are a few of our favorites:
- In copycat Starbucks recipes like Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew and Iced Brown Sugar Oatmilk Shaken Espresso
- In coffee cocktails like Espresso Martini or Mexican Coffee
- To sweeten your coffee, tea, or chai
- In cocktails, especially ones made with bourbon or whiskey. If you like a little sweetness to your Old Fashioned or Manhattan, try adding a bit of this brown sugar syrup!
- In boba tea drinks
- Drizzled over ice cream
- In place of maple syrup on pancakes and waffles, or drizzled over crepes
How Long Will This Last?
The really great thing about brown sugar syrup is that once you make it, it keeps well for up to 4 weeks in the refrigerator. Just keep it stored in an airtight container – I recommend a glass jar with a tight sealing lid.
So you can make it once and add it to your coffee and cocktails every morning. If you’re big coffee drinkers like us, I definitely recommend just doubling the batch.
How to tell if the simple syrup has gone bad? If the brown sugar simple syrup takes on a cloudy appearance or if it appears that there’s a cloudy layer sitting on top of the syrup, it has gone bad and should be discarded.
More Homemade Syrup Recipes:
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Brown Sugar Syrup
Ingredients
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup packed dark brown sugar or substitute light brown sugar
- big pinch Morton kosher salt
Instructions
Nutrition Information:
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