This homemade Vanilla Simple Syrup is super easy to make and infuses everything it's added to with a sweet vanilla flavor.
With only three ingredients that can be found in the pantry, this sweetener is a great way to make coffee-house worthy lattes or customize your favorite cocktails with a hit of vanilla.
As a huge fan of making cocktails at home, I love the classic recipes but sometimes I like to change them up a bit.
Flavored simple syrups are a great way to do that. This homemade simple syrup recipe adds bold vanilla flavor to any cocktail or drink recipe.
Like my strawberry simple syrup and basil simple syrup, these recipes are easy to make ahead so you can customize your favorite recipes with ease.
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Ingredients
Once you know the basic simple syrup recipe, you can modify to add lots of other flavors and make tasty combinations to use in coffee, iced tea and more.
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
In a saucepan, add the sugar and vanilla extract. Add water and stir to combine.
Over medium heat, stir the simple syrup with vanilla to dissolve the sugar.
Allow the mixture to come to a boil then remove from heat. Let cool for about 20 minutes then pour into a glass jar and allow to cool completely.
How to Use It In Recipes
When adding the Vanilla Extract Simple Syrup to recipes, simply use it wherever regular simple syrup is listed.
If simple syrup is not listed, start with a teaspoon then taste. Because simple syrup is a concentrated way to add sweetness, you will want to make sure you aren't making it too sweet.
Substitutions
- Sugar - instead of white sugar you can use brown sugar or sugar substitute like monk fruit. The flavors will vary slightly from the original recipe.
- Vanilla - instead of vanilla extract, you can use vanilla bean. Just slice open the vanilla bean, lengthwise. Use your knife to open the pod and scrape out the bean seeds and put them in the sugar water as you do with the extract above.
Equipment
A medium sized saucepan and wooden spoon are the only things you need to make this flavored syrup!
A glass jar is an easy way to store it once it's ready to use.
Storage
Vanilla Extract Simple Syrup should be kept in an air-tight container in the refrigerator. While regular simple syrup lasts for about a mont, flavored simple syrup should only be kept for about 1-2 weeks.
Top tips
You can use this vanilla syrup as a base and add other flavors that you think would work well together. We know cinnamon and vanilla are tasty together. But you can also add other spices.
You can also pair it with herbs or flowers like lavender. Maple, almond, cherry and orange are other flavors that you can combine with vanilla.
You can modify the amount of sugar you add in order to make the simple syrup less sweet. I typically do 1 cup water to ½ cup sugar because I like to add more for flavor without oversweetening everything.
And if you don't want to add any sweetness to a cocktail but still want vanilla flavor, just add a dash of vanilla extract right to the recipe. I do this in my Winter Daiquiri and it's delicious!
Flavor all your coffee drinks and cocktails with this easy Vanilla Simple Syrup. It's easy to make ahead and keep on hand for making tasty drinks at home.
Related Recipe
Vanilla Simple Syrup
Ingredients
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup white sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- To a medium saucepan add water, sugar and vanilla extract.
- Bring to a boil, stirring consistently until the sugar is dissolved.
- Remove from heat and let cool for about 20 minutes.
- Pour into a glass jar and cool completely.
- Store in the refrigerator in an air-tight container for up to 2 weeks.
Notes
- Want to make this less sweet so the vanilla flavor really shines through? Cut back on the amount of sugar used.
- To make the syrup thicker and more concentrated, let it boil for a few minutes to cook off some of the water.
- If you don't like sweet drinks, start by adding 1 teaspoon, taste and add more as needed.
- This Vanilla Simple Syrup is great for coffee, iced tea cocktails and mocktails.
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