3-Ingredient Starbucks Brown Sugar Syrup

easy recipesquick recipesessentialsdesserts

Apr 28

Written By Anadi Misra

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Love adding brown sugar syrup when you’re at the coffee shop? You’ve already got everything to make it at home! This **3-Ingredient Starbucks Brown Sugar Syrup** recipe can be made in just a couple of minutes, it’s all-natural, and tastes amazing!

3-Ingredient Starbucks Brown Sugar Syrup

If you frequent coffee shops often (especially Starbucks), then you must know how popular syrups are, and I think Brown Sugar Syrup may be the most popular one! However, if you want to buy a bottle for home use, they’re super pricey and not very natural!

Are you guilty of letting your brown sugar go solid? I have to admit that I am, and I don’t think I’ve ever finished a package of brown sugar without having to waste some because it solidified too much. Tip: A brown sugar saver definitely helps, but you do need to soak it!

Anyway, the best way to ensure your brown sugar won’t solidify is to use it up! As I mention in my Make Cooking Fun! free guide, having an awareness of what’s in your pantry can motivate you to try out new creations. As the name of this recipe suggests, this 3-Ingredient Starbucks Brown Sugar Syrup is centred around brown sugar! You can use a good amount of brown sugar in this simple syrup recipe, so no worries there! Furthermore, once you have this brown sugar syrup prepared, this opens the door to so many delicious creations! I give many serving suggestions later on in this post. Definitely feel free to try out as many of them as you’d like, and they can be part of your Live to Cook one-month cooking challenge! You can get started for free by signing up to my newsletter, plus you’ll never miss out on an exciting new recipe on the blog!

To see how fast and easy it is to make our Simple Brown Sugar Syrup recipe, check out the video at the bottom of this post! Please subscribe to my YouTube channel if you haven’t already and be sure to hit the bell button to be notified when all of my video recipes go live! Let’s make some syrup!

What is Brown Sugar?

Brown sugar is made from sugarcane, where the stalks are cut and crushed by rollers to extract its juices. After clarifying the juice and evaporating the water, you’re left with sugar crystals crystallized, and the sugar crystals are coated in molasses. In fact, you can actually make your own brown sugar by mixing 1 cup of granulated white sugar with 1 tablespoon of molasses, stirring until you achieve an even colour and texture.

Brown sugar yields a caramel and sweet flavour as opposed to the simple sweetness of white sugar. Furthermore, you’ll notice it’s more dense. Brown sugar is an excellent sweetener for desserts such as cakes, cupcakes, cookies, but also savoury recipes, such as in barbecue sauces, in Chinese cooking such as in stir fry sauces, or even in Jamaican cooking such as in Jerk marinade, like in my Pepper Steak and Air Fryer Jerk Chicken Wings. Brown sugar is a versatile sweetener because since molasses can absorb water, the baked goods that are sweetened with it can retain their moisture well - because no one wants a dry cake or cookie! Keep in mind that because brown sugar contains extra moisture than regular white sugar, it’ll be heavier than white sugar. In other words, one cup of brown sugar is 220 grams compared to the 200 grams of white sugar. Furthermore, you always want to measure your brown sugar tightly packed to ensure you are using the correct amount!

Typically, we know about simply “light brown sugar” and “dark brown sugar.” The only difference between the two is that the latter has more molasses in it (double the amount), so it will produce a more caramel flavour. However, are many varieties of brown sugar than simply light and dark - there’s a whole spectrum, including jaggery you may have seen used in Indian recipes!

What is Brown Sugar Syrup?

Brown Sugar Syrup is a type of simple syrup that is a sweetener for drinks such as tea and coffee. Simple syrups are very thin liquid sweeteners in contrast to thicker “classic” syrups, such as pancake syrup or maple syrup. Simple syrups are ideal for drinks because the sugar is dissolved in water. Adding granulated sugar requires lots of stirring, and even if you try your best your drink may still be grainy. Simple syrups are designed to add the sweetness and blend right in with your beverage!

Simple syrups are flavoured with fruit, herbs, spices, and sweeteners! Generally, simple syrup recipes follow a 1 to 1 ratio of sugar to water, but you can add more or less sweetener depending on your preference.

Why Make Easy Brown Sugar Syrup?

Why buy a brown sugar syrup when you can make it yourself? You can literally make it on demand in just a couple of minutes or make a large batch so you’ve got it on hand if you plan on using it regularly. Here’s why you gotta try this Starbucks Brown Sugar Syrup Recipe!

Budget-friendly: Purchasing a prepared syrup at the store can cost you close to $15CAD. That’s a lot for under 1 L! On the other hand, a kilogram of brown sugar only costs about $3, and water is free. The amount of vanilla used in here will be pretty negligible, so making your own brown sugar syrup will amount to just a couple of cents! Crazy right? Plus it tastes incredible!
Quick: If you want to make syrup fresh every time instead of preparing a large batch, then you definitely can! It takes about 2-5 minutes to make, depending on how much you’re making. The more you make, the longer it takes for the mixture to simmer, but it really won’t be much longer at all.
Versatile: Typically Brown Sugar Syrup is used in coffee drinks, but I’ll give you ideas for how to use it below! I bet this will be your new favourite sweetener!
3 basic ingredients: There are only 3 ingredients that I’m sure you already have at home. There are no added chemicals - all natural pantry staples! Your body will thank you!
Customizable: You can honestly switch up this simple base Brown Sugar Syrup recipe in so many ways! I’ll tell you how to mix it up to make it truly your own and to give off different flavours based on how you want to use this!
Suitable for all diets: It’s gluten-free, vegetarian, vegan, dairy-free, and plant-based, so this can be used by everyone!

Can I Use Brown Sugar Alone Instead of Brown Sugar?

Technically you could, but they have different uses. Brown Sugar Syrup is liquid and the amount of sweetness by weight is less than brown sugar. Additionally, I’ve got a hint of vanilla in the syrup, so it’ll add aroma to whatever you’re using this syrup in. Powdered brown sugar absorbs water and will take longer to mix than the syrup, plus it’ll be more concentrated whereas the syrup is diluted. As a result, it’s not a direct substitute, and if a recipe calls for syrup, I recommend you go for syrup for best results.

Should I Use Light Or Brown Sugar?

It doesn’t really matter which type of brown sugar you use for the Brown Sugar Syrup. Simply use what you already have on hand! I’ve used light brown sugar here, but dark brown sugar will have a more concentrated caramel flavour. Experiment to see which one you prefer! Keep in mind that you may not be able to use light and brown sugar interchangeably in cooking and baking recipes.

Is Brown Sugar Syrup an Artificial Sweetener?

No, it’s not. We’ve got pure vanilla extract, water, and brown sugar. Brown sugar is not a refined sweetener because it is made up of molasses and sugar crystals with less processing. Keep in mind that because this is not an artificial sweetener, there are calories, so if you watch your sugar and/or caloric intake, be mindful! However, using a small amount won’t add too many calories to your food or beverage.

What if My Brown Sugar Syrup is TOo Thick? Too Thin?

In case the syrup is too thin, you can reduce it on low heat until it has thickened sufficiently. Keep a close eye though since the syrup can quickly turn into caramel.

If the syrup is too thicken, you can add a small amount of hot water. Mix and heat gently until the consistency is to your preference.

How to Use Starbucks Brown Sugar Syrup

You can use your syrup in so many ways! It’s totally multi-purpose and can be used in basically anything that needs a sweetener! It’s convenient to use and you can easily adjust based on your preference. Here’s my list of ideas - comment below how you like to use your vanilla syrup and if there’s anything I missed!

Oats: It can be used to sweeten overnight oats or stovetop oats!
Tea latte or hot tea: A splash in my Dirty Chai Latte would be amazing!
Cafe lattes or cappuccinos: This could work in my Sugar Cookie Latte, Cafe Mocha, Eggnog Latte, or Cocoa Cappuccino.
Iced coffee: The main inspiration for this syrup recipe was Iced Brown Sugar Shaken Espresso recipe! However, you can certainly also use it in my Eggnog Dalgona Coffee if you want!
Hot chocolate: Try it out in my Decadent White Hot Chocolate or S’mores Hot Chocolate!
Smoothies
Pancakes
Baked goods: To try sweeten up the batter of your Gluten-Free Fudgy Banana Brownies or Pumpkin Spice Latte Cupcakes.
Yogurt
Milkshakes
Soda
Cocktails
Ice cream

Ingredients for Simple Brown Sugar Syrup

All ingredient quantities are available in the FULL PRINTABLE RECIPE CARD at the bottom of this post. The recipe card will also let you scale the recipe based on if you want enough Simple Brown Sugar Syrup for a single serving or for a large batch.

Vanilla extract: Not entirely necessary, but I just love to add vanilla into my coffee drinks and baked goods, so I really do recommend you throw a little bit in to enhance the aroma and flavour!
Brown sugar: Light or dark brown sugar work just as well here.
Water: Using hot water will help the process be faster!

Equipment Needed For Brown Sugar Syrup

You don’t need any fancy tools here! Let’s review what you’ll need to make Starbucks Brown Sugar Syrup.

How to Make Simple Brown Sugar Syrup

In a saucepan, add the water and brown sugar and turn on the heat.

Whisk well and warm the mixture until the brown sugar has completely dissolved.

Once dissolved, add the vanilla extract, turn off the heat and pour out the brown sugar syrup into a mason jar for storage.

Variations of Brown Sugar Syrup

Want to add some more flavour to your Brown Sugar Syrup? Here are some ideas to customize the syrup depending on how rich you want the flavour!

Cinnamon: Add a whole cinnamon stick or ground cinnamon.
Ginger: Ginger powder or a piece of whole ginger to add some fragrance to the brown sugar syrup.
Pumpkin Spice: A pinch to bring fall flavours to your brown sugar syrup.
Apple Spice: For another fall flavour variation.
Maple syrup: Oh Canada! You can add some maple syrup to get an even richer flavour and more sweetness.
Butter: If you want a buttery brown sugar syrup that would be so incredible in brownies, then definitely add a bit of butter to the mixture! For a cookie butter experience, definitely be sure to add a touch of almond extract, it really makes a difference!
Green cardamom pods: I love green cardamom in all of my Indian treats! I definitely recommend adding a couple of pods with your sugar to experience something truly special!
Masala chai spice: You can check my Masala Chai Recipe to see how I make that spice blend - it’ll add some heat to your syrup which would be amazing for tea!

How to STore Simple Brown Sugar Syrup

Simply store your Brown Sugar Syrup in an airtight container. You could also pour it into a mason jar! When you’re ready to serve your syrup, you can spoon it into your drink, dessert batter, or over any other sweet treat.

You could also transfer the brown sugar syrup into a squeeze bottle and squirt it into food and drink. If you really want to feel like you’re a Starbucks barista, get a glass syrup bottle and a pump!

How Long will 3-Ingredient Brown Sugar Syrup Last?

Your Starbucks Brown Sugar Syrup will last about a month in the fridge.

Other Sweet Sauce Recipes

Watch How to Make 3-Ingredient Starbucks Brown Sugar Syrup Here:

Let me know what you think of this recipe in the comments! If you’ve tried this recipe, be sure to post it on social media and tag it with #cookingwithanadi and mention me @cookingwithanadi. Thank you!

brown sugar syrup, brown sugar simple syrup, simple syrup recipe, brown sugar syrup recipe

drinks, essentials

American

Yield: 1 Cup

Author: Anadi

Better Than Starbucks Iced Brown Sugar Shaken Espressohttps://youtu.be/2JUBqGHS_TILearn how to make a Starbucks Brown Sugar Shaken Espresso at home! This Starbucks brown sugar shaken espresso recipe will show how to make a homemade simple brown sugar syrup and how to prepare the iced shaken espresso in just 10 minutes.2023-04-28

3-Ingredient Starbucks Brown Sugar Syrup

Love adding brown sugar syrup when you’re at the coffee shop? You’ve already got everything to make it at home! This 3-Ingredient Starbucks Brown Sugar Syrup recipe can be made in just a couple of minutes, it’s all-natural, and tastes amazing!

Cook time: 5 MinTotal time: 5 Min

Cook ModePrevent screen from turning off

Ingredients

1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 Cup brown sugar
1/2 Cup water

Instructions

In a saucepan, add the water and brown sugar and turn on the heat. Whisk well and warm the mixture until the brown sugar has completely dissolved.
Once dissolved, add the vanilla extract, turn off the heat and pour out the brown sugar syrup into a mason jar for storage.