5 Homemade Coffee Syrups for Iced Coffee (Easy Café-Style Flavors)
Flavored coffee at a café can cost a lot, and most of that price is the syrup. The good news is that coffee syrup is just sugar, water, and a flavor, so you can make it at home in about 10 minutes.
These 5 homemade syrups cover the most popular flavors: vanilla, caramel, brown sugar, cinnamon, and chocolate. Each recipe makes about a cup, keeps in the fridge, and works in iced coffee, hot coffee, lattes, and more.
Vanilla Syrup
Vanilla is the syrup you will reach for most often. It adds a smooth, sweet, fragrant flavor to iced coffee without changing the taste of the coffee itself.
Homemade vanilla syrup takes about 10 minutes and costs a fraction of the bottled kind. Nutrition below is per tablespoon.
- Ready in about 10 minutes
- Works in almost any coffee drink
- Real vanilla flavor
- Needs time to cool before using
- Use pure vanilla extract for the best taste
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract (or 1 split vanilla bean)
- Add the water and sugar to a small saucepan over medium heat.
- Stir until the sugar has completely dissolved, then simmer for 2 minutes.
- Remove from the heat and let it cool for 10 minutes, then stir in the vanilla.
- Pour into a clean jar and store in the fridge.
Caramel Syrup
Caramel syrup is rich, golden, and slightly toasty. A spoonful turns plain iced coffee into a café-style caramel drink.
Hot sugar can burn and splatter, so go slowly and keep your face back when adding the water. Nutrition below is per tablespoon.
- Deep, toasty caramel flavor
- A little goes a long way
- Great for drizzling inside the glass
- Hot sugar is dangerous, so take care
- Takes a little attention to get the color right
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup water
- 1/2 cup hot water
- Pinch of salt
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Stir the sugar and 1/4 cup water in a saucepan over medium heat until dissolved. Stop stirring and let it boil until it turns a deep amber color, about 8 to 10 minutes.
- Remove from the heat. Standing back, slowly pour in the hot water. It will bubble and spit, so be careful.
- Stir in the salt and vanilla, then return to low heat for 1 minute to smooth out any hardened bits.
- Cool completely, then pour into a jar and refrigerate.
Brown Sugar Syrup
Brown sugar syrup tastes like soft caramel and molasses. It is the base of the famous brown sugar shaken espresso and works well in any iced latte.
It is the easiest syrup here and needs no special technique. Nutrition below is per tablespoon.
- Easiest syrup on the list
- Rich molasses flavor
- Only 2 ingredients
- Darker color changes the look of light drinks
- Use dark brown sugar for the strongest flavor
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup packed dark brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)
- Add the water and brown sugar to a saucepan over medium heat.
- Stir until the sugar dissolves and the syrup comes to a gentle simmer, about 3 minutes.
- Remove from the heat, stir in the vanilla, and let it cool.
- Pour into a jar and store in the fridge.
Cinnamon Syrup
Cinnamon syrup is warm, spicy, and cozy. It gives iced coffee a flavor like a cinnamon roll without any extra sweetness from frosting.
Whole cinnamon sticks give the cleanest flavor and the best color. Nutrition below is per tablespoon.
- Warm, aromatic flavor
- Whole sticks keep it clear and smooth
- Great for fall and winter drinks
- Needs 20 minutes of steeping
- Cinnamon sticks can vary in strength
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 3 cinnamon sticks
- Add the water, sugar, and cinnamon sticks to a saucepan over medium heat.
- Stir until the sugar dissolves, then simmer gently for 10 minutes.
- Remove from the heat and let the sticks steep for 20 minutes.
- Strain into a jar and refrigerate.
Chocolate Syrup
Homemade chocolate syrup is glossy and rich, and it tastes far more like real chocolate than the squeeze bottle. It turns iced coffee into a mocha.
It thickens a little as it cools, so do not worry if it looks thin in the pan. Nutrition below is per tablespoon.
- Deep chocolate flavor
- Thickens as it cools
- Useful for desserts too
- Needs constant whisking so it does not clump
- Keeps for a shorter time than other syrups
- 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup water
- Pinch of salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Whisk the cocoa powder, sugar, water, and salt in a saucepan until smooth.
- Bring to a gentle boil over medium heat, then simmer for 5 minutes, whisking often.
- Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla.
- Cool completely, then pour into a jar and refrigerate.
Tips for the Best Results
Use a clean jar with a lid and keep every syrup in the fridge.
Most syrups keep for about 2 weeks. Chocolate syrup is best used within 2 weeks too.
Start with 1 to 2 tablespoons per drink, then adjust to taste.
Shake or stir the jar before using, since the syrup can settle.
Complete Shopping List
- Granulated sugar
- Dark brown sugar
- Pure vanilla extract
- Unsweetened cocoa powder
- Salt
- Cinnamon sticks
- Small saucepan
- Whisk
- Fine strainer
- Clean glass jars with lids
Frequently Asked Questions
Kept in a clean, sealed jar in the fridge, they stay good for about 2 weeks.
Start with 1 to 2 tablespoons for a regular cup of coffee, then add more to taste.
You can, but the syrup will be thinner and will not keep as long.
Yes. All five work in hot coffee, lattes, and even in tea or milk.
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