Learn how to make this tasty Lemon Simple Syrup with this timeless old fashioned recipe. The perfect homemade copycat Torani or Monin syrup great for cocktails, teas, sodas, and other drinks. You won't want to miss this easy recipe that adds a splash of sweet and tart lemon flavor to your favorite dishes.
This is such a delicious and versatile recipe. Use it all year long to flavor any drink or add it to a cake. It's a great spring and summer time flavor!
Lemon syrup is loved for it's tangy, refreshing, and versatile nature. We especially love it because it adds a burst of bright citrus flavor to any dish creations. Its acidity from the lemons balances the sweetness from the sugar, making it an ideal addition to desserts, beverages, and savory dishes.
You can even use this simple recipe with any lemonade detox cleanse. This can also be compared to Korean Lemon Chung.
Lemon syrup can be used to enhance the flavor of cakes, pancakes, waffles, and cocktails. It can also be drizzled over fresh fruit, used as a marinade for chicken or fish, or mixed into salad dressings. This recipe is one of our favorites to add to a salad dressings during the summer!
We love simple syrups, especially when they are copycat Starbucks flavors! You won't want to miss our Brown Sugar Simple Syrup, Vanilla Simple Syrup, Caramel Syrup, or Peppermint Syrup.
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Why We Love This Recipe
- Refreshing Flavor- We love this a vibrant and tangy flavor that is both refreshing and invigorating. The zesty and citrusy taste adds a burst of freshness to various dishes.
- Versatility- This is an incredibly versatile. It can be used in a wide range of recipes, from desserts to beverages and savory dishes. Its ability to enhance the taste of different foods and drinks makes it a popular choice among cooks and mixologists.
- Balance of Sweetness and Tart- We feel like we found the perfect balance between sweetness and tart. The combination of tartness and sweetness adds complexity to dishes and drinks, making them more enjoyable and well-rounded.
- Natural and Fresh- We made this recipe using fresh lemon juice, which contributes to its authentic and vibrant flavor. You can use lemon juice from the bottle if needed.
- Allergy Friendly-This is a really allergy friendly recipe. It is gluten free, dairy free, vegan, and vegetarian. It is not sugar free!
- Party Favorite- This can be added to any line up of syrups to make for a fun soda bar, or hot chocolate bar.
Ingredients
This recipe on calls for 2 ingredients. Believe it or not, it's that simple to make.
- Fresh Lemons- Use fresh lemon juice for a fresh and natural taste. You can use other bottle lemon juices if needed for similar results.
- Granulated White Sugar- The second ingredient to this recipe is sugar! It adds that sweet flavor to the those tart lemons have a perfectly balanced syrup.
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
- Pour lemon juice and sugar into a small sauce pan.
2. Mix together until the sugar is dissolved. Turn the stove on to medium heat.
3. Bring the mixture to a simmer and immediately stop stirring. Let simmer for 1 minute.
4. Remove from the heat and let cool. Then add the syrup to a container you can close like a mason jar.
Hint: Don't stir it once the sugar is dissolved. This will help it stabilize better so that it will last longer before crystallizing.
Substitutions
This recipe is naturally gluten free, vegan, vegetarian, and dairy free.
- Honey- Use honey in part with the sugar. Substitute half of the sugar for honey. Note the syrup will no longer be vegan if you use honey.
- Reduced Sugar - While we don't recommend substituting the sugar you can also use your favorite sugar substitute in part or fully for a sugar free or reduced sugar syrup. If you use a sugar free substitute, the consistency may change due to the lack of sugar properties.
- Meyer- Use meyer lemon juice instead of fresh squeezed lemons.
Variations
- Ginger - For a lemon ginger flavor add 1 inch of fresh ginger at the beginning- remove before transferring to a jar.
- Honey Ginger- Add 1 inch thick ginger before simmering. Also use half sugar the sugar and replace with honey.
- Lavender - Add 2-3 drops food safe lavender essential oil after removing from heat.
- Basil- Before bringing to a simmer, add 6-8 basil leaves. Remove the leaves before pouring into a jar.
- Rosemary- Use 1 drop food safe high quality rosemary essential oil after the syrup cools.
Helpful Hints
If you want this to be a thick syrup you can use for pancakes, waffles, crepes, or drizzle on a cake or other pastry, you can thicken it up!Simply double the sugar and then follow the directions as normal. This will give you a thicker consistency you want for a breakfast or dessert syrup.
How to Serve
- For Cake-This taste great in lemon cakes, use it as syrup infused cake.
- For pancakes- Make lemon pancakes by doubling the sugar, which make it thicker, and then add it to the top of your favorite pancakes.
Equipment
For the best results you will only need a small sauce pan and a mixing spoon. This simple recipe doesn't require a lot of equipment!
Storage
Store in an air tight container at room temperature for 2 months. If you doubled the recipe, the lemon simple syrup will crystalize more quickly than the standard recipe.
Top tip
be careful while heating this one! During my recipe testing I had it boil over pretty bad and it made a sticky mess. Make sure it's at a very gentle simmer.
FAQ
This is a super simple recipe that only requires 2 ingredients! Simply mix together sugar and lemon juice in a saucepan. Bring to a simmer and then let cool!
Make your simple syrup by adding lemon juice and sugar to a sauce pan. Bring to a simmer and then cool. Add that mixture in with 4 cups water and 1 cup ice blended together in a blender for lemonade.
Making lemon syrup is easy! Mix together sugar and lemon juice. If you want it thicker, double the sugar. Bring the mixture to a simmer and then let cool. Once cool you can enjoy with sodas, over pancakes and waffles, or in teas.
Related
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
Pairing
These are my favorite dishes to serve with Lemon Simple Syrup:
Recipe
Lemon Simple Syrup
Equipment
- 1 Sauce Pan small
Ingredients
- ¾ cup lemon juice fresh squeezed for best results
- ¾ cup sugar
Instructions
- Juice fresh lemons until you have ¾ cup lemon juice. This will take 4-10 lemons depending on size and juiciness. Add lemon juice and sugar to a small saucepan over medium high heat. Stir until sugar dissolves. Bring mixture to a simmer and simmer for one minute, not stirring. Keep an eye on it, it has a tendency to boil over.
- Remove from heat and allow to cool before transferring to another container.
Notes
- This yields around 1 ¼ cups syrup
- Once the sugar is completely dissolved, stop stirring. This will help it last longer before crystallizing.
- Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 months.
- For a thicker "pancake syrup" double the sugar and make as directed. This thick syrup is less stable and will likely crystallize in a few weeks.
Andrea
This lemon simple syrup is so good and I use it for so many things! It's a great copycat torani syrup and I used the thickening variation to use on pancakes.