Vanilla Simple Syrup (Coffeehouse)

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This Vanilla Simple Syrup Recipe is the perfect Starbucks Copycat and perfect for coffee, mixed drinks, Italian sodas and more! Learn how to make vanilla syrup in the comfort of your own home without needing to buy Torani or other. See below for our sugar free instructions.

Vanilla Simple Syrup is popular year-round. It is mostly used for coffee, and sometimes cocktails/ mocktails, but we love to use it in Italian Cream Sodas (try mixing raspberry with it- our favorite!). We also like adding it to hot chocolate for a little more depth of flavor. My kids even put it on their pancakes, but I prefer a thicker pancake syrup on mine.

This was inspired by my Peppermint Syrup and our Brown Sugar Syrup recipes on this site, and pairs well with our Oat Milk Hot Chocolate and add a splash to our Peanut Butter Overnight Oats. Or add it to our Nature's Cereal!

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Why You'll Love This Recipe
Why Homemade Syrup?
Ingredients
Instructions
Substitutions
Variations
Ways to Use:
Equipment
Storage
Top tip
FAQ
Also Try:
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Vanilla Simple Syrup (Coffeehouse)
Food safety

Why You'll Love This Recipe

Quick and Easy - this syrup is SO easy to make. Even if you have zero cooking experience, you can make this recipe
Allergy Friendly - with only 3 ingredients, this is top 8 free without any substitutions, making it a win for everyone in your life with food allergies
Party Friendly - this is so perfect to serve with a Hot Chocolate Bar, Mix Drinks Bar, Coffee Bar, Italian Soda Bar, regular Soda Bar and more.
Original Friend, Coworker or Neighbor Gift - put it in a cute container and put a little bow and label on it and you have a very nice homemade gift!
Versatile - the possibilities are truly endless with the vanilla syrup. Coffee, tea, hot chocolate, mocktails, mix drinks, Italian sodas, basically any drink you can think of, splash some in a smoothie or into some overnight oats. Pancakes and waffles (it's a little thin, but my kids do it, see below in our "variations" section to make it as pancake syrup).
Inexpensive - a high quality product at a fraction of the price.

Why Homemade Syrup?

The most obvious: it costs less. A lot less. Homemade syrup is very cheap to make. Also: It's extremely easy to make homemade syrup and they only use basic ingredients. For me the biggest reason is that there are only 3 ingredients, and one of them is water! I don't like putting all the preservatives and food dyes in my body when I can help it. I also like that I can add a little extra (or less!) vanilla and tailor it to my particular liking.

Ingredients

Make your Vanilla Syrup with just 3 easy ingredients!

water - I used filtered, but regular tap water works great too.
sugar - regular, granulated white sugar
vanilla - pure vanilla is HIGHLY recommended for this recipe. It does make a big difference in something like this where the vanilla is the prominent flavor.

See recipe card for quantities.

Instructions

1. Place water in a small saucepan (I used a 1.5 quart size) over medium high heat. Pour in the sugar.

2. Using a silicone spatula or wooden spoon, stir until sugar dissolves. Once sugar is dissolved, do not stir again.

3. Bring the sugar water to a boil then boil for 1 minute (still not stirring).

4. Remove from heat (still not stirring) and let sit 1-2 minutes, then stir in the vanilla.

Hint: Don't make this on high heat. Be patient and use medium high heat. It won't take much longer and will allow for plenty of time for the sugar to dissolve before it starts boiling.

Substitutions

Sugar Free - substitute in 1 cup of zero/low calorie sweetener, such as allulose. When making sugar free, do Not bring to a boil. Heat over medium heat until steam begins to rise. Stir in the vanilla, then allow to cool to room temperature, then place in the fridge. The syrup will thicken as it cools.
Other extract - you can use other extracts to make other types of syrup.
Vanilla Bean Paste - use ½ Tablespoon vanilla bean paste for an even richer flavor.

Variations

French Vanilla - use a French Vanilla extract instead of regular pure vanilla.
Vanilla Bean- add a small amount of vanilla beans (about ⅛ teaspoon) at the same time as the vanilla. Can add or more to taste.
Vanilla Spice- add a pinch of cinnamon and an even smaller pinch of cloves for an aromatic vanilla spice syrup.
Vanilla Pancake Syrup - use 1 ½ cups sugar instead of 1 cup. Follow the rest of the directions and ingredients as stated.

See this Peppermint Syrup on my website.

Ways to Use:

Hot Chocolate - try it with our Oat Milk Hot Chocolate
Latte- make a vanilla latte or add it to our caffeine free Pink Beetroot Latte
Other Cold Coffees or cold brews
Drizzle it over some Greek yogurt and Homemade Granola
Use it to make Italian Sodas
Add it to your favorite soda for a creamy vanilla flavor- we love it in root beer
Drizzle it over some mixed berries or Nature's Cereal
Mixed drinks, cocktails, and mocktails
Make our pancake variation and pour it over pancakes and waffles and french toast.
Brush it over a freshly baked vanilla cake
Sweeten up your favorite herbal tea with it
Experiment using it as a sweetener replacement in things like smoothies and oatmeal.

Equipment

Storage

Store in the refrigerator for about a month. After a month or so, it will start to crystalize.

We do not recommend freezing this recipe.

Top tip

Don't stir the syrup too much. Once the sugar is dissolved, there is no reason to keep stirring. Stirring while it's boiling will result in syrup that crystalizes over time.

FAQ

How to Make Vanilla Syrup for Coffee

In a saucepan over medium-high heat, stir water and sugar until sugar is dissolved. Don't stir again. Bring to a boil and boil 1 minute. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla.

How to Make Starbucks Vanilla Syrup

Heat water and sugar in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir until the sugar is dissolved. Bring to a boil and boil for one minute. Remove from heat. Stir in pure vanilla extract.

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