Simple Homemade Rosemary Syrup

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Easy to make at home in just minutes, this 3-ingredient rosemary syrup adds a lovely woodsy aroma to teas, cocktails, and more.

Rosemary syrup in a glass container.

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Recipe Highlights

  • Homemade rosemary syrup only takes 3 ingredients to make at home. Fresh rosemary sprigs, sugar, and water is all you need.
  • Rosemary is an aromatic herb that gives this simple syrup a woodsy flavor with notes of pine and lemon. It’s especially popular in the fall and winter months and adds a botanical, herbaceous aroma to dishes and drinks.
  • Rosemary syrup can be used to sweeten and flavor iced drinks. Syrups dissolve completely into the beverage and won’t leave a grainy texture.
  • This recipe makes 1 cup of syrup, which is enough to sweeten 8 drinks when 2 tablespoons are used in each serving.

RELATED: Ginger Syrup

Ingredient Notes

Simple Homemade Rosemary Syrup ingredients in measuring cups and labeled.
  • Rosemary sprigs: Using fresh rosemary gives this simple syrup the strongest flavor. The herb can be found in the produce section at the supermarket all year round.
  • Sugar: White sugar is used in this recipe, but brown sugar can be substituted. Just note that the syrup will be a different color.
  • Water: For the best tasting syrup, use filtered water.

For full ingredients and detailed instructions, please see the recipe card at the bottom of the post.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Rosemary, sugar, and water in a saucepan.

Step 1: Combine all ingredients in a saucepan. Simmer, then turn off heat.

Stir to make sure sugar dissolves completely.

Pouring rosemary syrup into a container.

Step 2: Strain and pour syrup into an airtight container.

My Glass Bottle Pick

Photo Credit: amazon.com

These airtight glass bottles are great for storing syrup.
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Simple Homemade Rosemary Syrup in clear bottle.

Serving Suggestions

  • This syrup is great for adding flavor to beverages like iced teas and lemonades.
  • Cranberry and rosemary are a classic pairing. Add this syrup to cranberry juice and top with club soda to make a fun, fizzy drink.
  • Rosemary complements ginger nicely as well. Use it to sweeten ginger tea or combine it with ginger beer.

Expert Tips

  • Fresh rosemary gives this syrup the best flavor. When selecting the herb at the supermarket, look for sprigs that are dark green in color with no yellowing or spots.
  • There’s no need to take the leaves off the stem. Steeping the whole rosemary sprig will make it easy to strain and clean up.
  • When stored in an airtight container, rosemary syrup will keep for up to 2 weeks in the fridge.
  • Simple syrups can be frozen for future use. Pour into an ice cube tray and pop one out whenever you need it. This rosemary syrup will keep for up to 3 months in the freezer.

RELATED: Hibiscus Syrup

Questions You May Have

Does rosemary syrup need to be refrigerated?

Yes! Like all simple syrups, this rosemary one should be stored in the fridge, which helps make it last longer.

Should you let simple syrup boil?

It’s best to simmer and cook simple syrup as low heat. Boiling will cause the water to evaporate too quickly and change the water to sugar ratio, which is ideally 1:1.

Why is my simple syrup cloudy?

Simple syrup should be clear. If it’s cloudy, then it has most likely gone bad and you should toss it.

Simple Homemade Rosemary Syrup poured into iced tea in clear glass.

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5 from 1 vote

Simple Rosemary Syrup

By: Jee Choe
Easy to make at home in just minutes, this 3-ingredient rosemary syrup adds a lovely woodsy aroma to teas, cocktails, and more.
Prep Time: 2 minutes
Cook Time: 6 minutes
Total Time: 8 minutes
Yield: 8 servings

Ingredients 

  • ¾ cup water
  • ¾ cup sugar
  • 5 sprigs rosemary

Instructions 

  • Put all ingredients in a saucepan and simmer until the sugar dissolves.
    Stir to make sure sugar dissolves completely.
  • Turn off the heat and let cool.
  • Strain out the rosemary sprigs and pour syrup into an airtight container.
    Use a funnel to help pour neatly into the bottle. The syrup will keep for up to 2 weeks in the refrigerator.

Notes

  • Fresh rosemary gives this syrup the best flavor. When selecting the herb at the supermarket, look for sprigs that are dark green in color with no yellowing or spots.
  • There’s no need to take the leaves off the stem. Steeping the whole rosemary sprig will make it easy to strain and clean up.
  • White sugar is used in this recipe, but brown sugar can be substituted. Just note that the syrup will be a different color.
  • For the best tasting syrup, use filtered water.
  • This syrup is great for adding flavor to beverages like iced teas and lemonades.
  • Rosemary complements ginger nicely as well. Use it to sweeten ginger tea or combine it with ginger beer.
  • Cranberry and rosemary are a classic pairing. Add this syrup to cranberry juice and top with club soda to make a fun, fizzy drink.
  • When stored in an airtight container, rosemary syrup will keep for up to 2 weeks in the fridge.
  • Simple syrups can be frozen for future use. Pour into an ice cube tray and pop one out whenever you need it. This rosemary syrup will keep for up to 3 months in the freezer.
  • This recipe makes one cup (16 tablespoons) of rosemary syrup, which is enough to add 2 tablespoons of the syrup to flavor and sweeten about 8 drinks.

Nutrition

Calories: 72Carbohydrates: 19gProtein: 0.003gFat: 0.1gSaturated Fat: 0.01gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.001gMonounsaturated Fat: 0.003gSodium: 1mgPotassium: 1mgFiber: 0.03gSugar: 19gVitamin A: 2IUVitamin C: 0.04mgCalcium: 2mgIron: 0.03mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Drinks
Cuisine: American
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