How to make brown sugar syrup?

Have you ever had your favorite beverage and found some undissolved sugar granules at the bottom of the cup after you finished it? It always happens to us.

If you’re a regular coffee or tea drinker, you’ll know that it’s not always easy to completely dissolve sugar, especially when mixed into a cold drink.

For this reason, it’s always great to have some sugar syrup on hand to sweeten your drinks, which is not only a great time-saving solution, but also extremely delicious.

A commonly used sweetening syrup is brown sugar syrup, made from brown sugar. It has a very caramel flavor due to the presence of molasses, and it makes a difference in milky teas and coffee drinks.

You can easily find ready-made brown sugar syrup at the supermarket, but what if we told you that you can make it yourself at home with just 2 basic ingredients?

How is brown sugar syrup made?

Brown sugar syrup is made by mixing brown sugar in water and simmering it, making it easy to add to a variety of beverages, especially cold ones.

Read on for a simple brown sugar syrup recipe, how to make some boba, and other ways to use it to sweeten your dishes and drinks.

Homemade Brown Sugar Syrup

Making homemade sugar syrup is incredibly easy, and if you haven’t done it before, you should give it a try.

Here are some reasons why it’s always better to make your own delicious brown sugar syrup:

• It is very easy to make and only requires 2-3 ingredients, all of which you can easily find in your kitchen.
• It’s not expensive to make and is much cheaper than buying bottles of sugar syrup at the store.
• You can experiment with the flavors to make all kinds of drinks and add ingredients to your liking.

Brown sugar syrup recipe

To make brown sugar syrup, you need two basic ingredients:

• Brown sugar
• Water

Instructions for making brown sugar syrup

1. Mix equal parts of water and brown sugar in a saucepan.
2. Bring the mixture to a boil over low heat and stir until the sugar is completely dissolved.
3. Remove the saucepan from the heat and allow the syrup to cool.
4. The syrup will thicken slightly as it cools. Then pour it into a glass jar with a tight lid.
5. Store the syrup in the fridge, where it will keep for about 4-6 weeks.

The great thing about this recipe is that you can easily adapt it to suit your needs by making a larger or smaller batch. All you have to do is use equal amounts of water and brown sugar. That is all.

If you want a stronger caramel flavor, we suggest using dark brown sugar or adding about 2 tablespoons of molasses to light brown sugar to make it stronger.

Light brown sugar vs. Dark

Making brown sugar syrup is a fairly easy process that only requires 2 ingredients: brown sugar and water.

Although this couldn’t be easier, you may be wondering what kind of brown sugar you should use for your syrup. Light brown or dark brown?

Well, it is a matter of taste and your personal preference.

Refined brown sugar is made by combining plain white sugar with molasses, and the main difference between the two variants of brown sugar is the amount of molasses present in each.

Dark brown sugar contains almost twice the amount of molasses as light brown sugar and has an extra rich color and flavor.

When used to make syrup, brown sugar imparts a richer, more delicious caramel flavor compared to light brown sugar, while making drinks slightly darker.

Keep in mind, however, that while it’s okay to swap them out when making syrup, that’s not always the case when using them in baking.

How to make brown sugar syrup for boba

Of the many flavors of boba or bubble tea, brown sugar is one of the most popular in boba coffee shops around the world.

The sweet and caramel flavor of the brown sugar syrup, combined with the herbal flavors of the tea, makes it stand out from the rest, and it all comes down to the right consistency of the syrup.

To make brown sugar boba syrup, you need the same 2 ingredients: brown sugar and water. But there is a catch. This recipe uses dark brown sugar and different ratios of water and sugar.

The ratio of the ingredients plays a crucial role in this recipe, as more water can make the syrup less flavorful and concentrated, and can also alter its consistency.

Instructions for making brown sugar syrup for boba tea

1. Take 4 cups of brown sugar and 2 cups of water.
2. Add the two ingredients to a nonstick pot and set the heat to medium.
3. Mix them well while the pot is heating up so that everything is well incorporated.
4. Keep a close eye on the mixture, as it can burn quickly.
5. When the mixture starts to bubble, mix it for another minute.
6. Lower the heat and let it cook slowly.
7. Let it cook until it reaches the desired consistency, similar to that of maple syrup. Don’t make it too thick like honey as it would make it difficult to mix into a cup of cold boba.
8. When you are satisfied with the consistency, turn off the heat and allow it to cool.
9. Store it in an airtight glass bottle.

To make your brown sugar syrup more unique, you can add additional ingredients to the mix. Mixing 1 teaspoon of cinnamon powder with the brown sugar will give it an unmistakable flavor. Other flavor enhancers are vanilla and nutmeg.

To add flavor, you can use a little vanilla extract or mix 1 teaspoon of nutmeg with the brown sugar before mixing it with the water.

Brown Sugar Syrup Uses

Brown sugar syrup is the liquefied form of brown sugar that is often used to sweeten hot tea and coffee, as well as cold drinks such as cocktails, iced tea, boba tea, iced coffee, and lemonade.

Being a liquid, it is much easier to mix into drinks than regular brown sugar.

However, this delicious syrup isn’t just for drinks, it can also be used to sweeten other foods, such as fruit and baked goods. You can drizzle it on your favorite desserts or use it as a glaze.

To make flavored brown sugar syrup, you can add common ingredients like vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, mint, and lemon to make specialty drinks, flavored iced coffees and teas, and milk frothers.

You can also use it as a topping for fresh cut fruit, cakes, pancakes, other baked goods, and ice cream.

How to preserve brown sugar syrup?

The best way to store homemade brown sugar syrup is in a glass jar with a tight-fitting lid. It will help keep your syrup fresh and make cleanup much easier, especially if it spills over the edges.

If stored in a glass jar, the brown sugar syrup will last between 1 and 3 months, depending on the conditions in which it is stored.

Ideally, store it in the refrigerator once it has cooled completely. Also, after using it, be sure to put it back in the fridge to prevent it from spoiling and ruining all your work.

Other types of syrups

You can make a delicious syrup not only with brown sugar, but also with regular sugar or honey, which can be perfect for drinks, cocktails, cakes, and other baked goods.

Just like making brown sugar syrup, making basic sugar syrup requires two ingredients: sugar and water. You can start with equal parts sugar and water and add more sugar if you want a sweeter, richer taste.

Honey syrup is also a great idea to sweeten your drinks, since the honey itself is thick and does not dissolve in the drink, especially if it is cold.

To make a simple honey syrup, use a 1:1 ratio of honey and water for a milder syrup, or increase the amount of honey to twice the amount of water for a stronger, sweeter honey flavor.

You can experiment with different types of honey for your syrup. Clover honey would give a smooth and sweet flavor, while orange blossom honey would add a nice citrus touch to your favorite cocktails.

To make a flavored sugar syrup, you have to combine equal parts of water and sugar and then add the flavorings of your choice.

You can add some citrus zest to the mixture to make a nice flavored syrup with citrus or spices of your choice, such as cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, and star anise.

Related questions

Now that we’ve covered how to make the perfect brown sugar syrup for your drinks, here are some additional questions we thought you might have:

How do you thicken brown sugar syrup?

If you think your brown sugar syrup has a runny consistency, don’t worry, there is a simple solution to fix the problem.

Simmer the brown sugar syrup on the stove for an additional 5-10 minutes to allow more water to evaporate and make it thicker. Although, keep in mind that the syrup thickens a bit when it cools and keeps it in the fridge too.

When you reduce the syrup and make it thicker, the final yield is often lower, so it’s a good idea to make a larger batch.

What is in Starbucks brown sugar syrup?

Starbucks Brown Sugar Syrup contains the ingredients used to make Simple Brown Sugar Syrup, but with a few additional ingredients.

Ingredients include invert sugar and brown sugar, water, natural flavors, salt, and preservatives.

The salt makes it ideal for strong drinks like coffee, since it reduces the bitterness and increases the perception of sweetness in the syrup.

Can the syrup be frozen?

Yes, you can freeze simple syrup in an airtight container to keep for up to a year. The choice of container is crucial, as it will prevent freezer burn and ensure that it can be used again.

If your syrup is a thinner 1:1 consistency, it can be frozen. However, a thicker, richer syrup is unlikely to freeze completely due to its high sugar content.

What are the best substitutes for brown sugar?

If you want to make brown sugar syrup and you don’t have brown sugar available, you can use one of its many substitutes to sweeten your food and drinks.

The best substitute is to use white sugar with molasses. Just mix 1 tablespoon of molasses with 1 cup of white granulated sugar to make your own brown sugar.

You can adjust the amount of molasses based on how dark or light you want your brown sugar to be.

You can also combine 1 tablespoon of maple syrup with 1 cup of white granulated sugar to make a nearly perfect brown sugar substitute.

You can also use a little coconut sugar instead of brown sugar in a 1:1 ratio, swap it out for a little honey, maple syrup, agave nectar, or raw sugars like turbinado or demerara, which have mild flavors caramel similar to brown sugar.

Is brown sugar healthier than white?

White sugar goes through a purification process that removes a brown syrup known as molasses, giving it its white color.

Brown sugar, on the other hand, is produced by mixing white sugar with molasses or by subjecting it to less processing to preserve its molasses.

Contrary to popular belief, the nutritional differences between the two are negligible, with brown sugar containing slightly more nutrients and fewer calories.

Both are used in different ways of cooking, but they can also be substituted for one another, although it can affect the color, flavor, and texture of the final product.

When it comes to choosing between the two, it all comes down to your personal preference, as neither is better than the other when it comes to a healthier choice.

Regardless of the type of sugar you use, you should limit your intake, as it is a major contributor to the obesity epidemic and a major cause of heart disease and diabetes.

What is the healthiest sugar syrup?

While sugar syrups made with white and brown sugar taste amazing and take your drinks to the next level, they are the worst for your health.

We know that white and brown sugar are about the same when it comes to nutritional value and health benefits (if any). So are there healthy sugar syrups?

Yes, the healthiest sugar syrup is stevia syrup, which is a zero-calorie, sugar-free alternative to simple sugar syrups.

Made from stevia leaves, stevia syrup is the perfect sweetener for your teas, coffees, mocktails and any other drink.

To prepare stevia syrup, you have to bring water to a boil in a small saucepan and add stevia powder to it. Let it simmer until the stevia has completely dissolved.

Remove from heat and allow to cool completely before transferring to a jar and storing in the fridge for later use.