No-Fail Vanilla Syrup (3 Ingredients)
Updated Apr 13, 2025
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Flavor and sweeten coffee and tea with this homemade vanilla simple syrup that’s simple to make at home with 3 ingredients in 5 minutes. It’s perfect for making Starbucks drinks at home.
Vanilla Simple Syrup
The best way to flavor and sweeten drinks is with simple syrup. Simple syrup is a liquid sweetener made by dissolving sugar into water. Vanilla simple syrup adds vanilla to the sugar and water.
This vanilla syrup uses vanilla extract to flavor and it’s incredibly easy to make at home for a fraction of the cost of store-bought. Use high-quality vanilla extract to get a better tasting syrup.
Note from Jee
The one simple syrup I think everyone should have available at all times is vanilla syrup. It’s so versatile!
I use it to make vanilla lattes, whipped creams, and cold foams. The vanilla isn’t overpowering so it’s more like a flavor enhancer.
Make a batch and add it to your morning coffee!
Recipe Summary
- Vanilla syrup is a simple syrup with vanilla extract. There’s only 3 ingredients: sugar, water, and vanilla extract.
- This recipe makes a cup of vanilla syrup which can be used to flavor and sweeten your coffee or tea.
- Use vanilla syrup to flavor hot and iced drinks and to flavor whipped creams and cold foams.
RELATED: 17 Simple Syrup Recipes
Ingredient Notes
- Vanilla extract: Not all brands are the same when it comes to vanilla extract. The low cost options taste like chemicals so you should splurge if you can. A little goes a long way and a bottle will last a while.
- Sugar: Use regular white sugar or cane sugar. You can use brown sugar but it’ll take a little longer to dissolve.
- Water: Filtered water is best for a better tasting syrup.
For full ingredients and detailed instructions, please see the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Put sugar and water in a saucepan and simmer on low heat. Stir to make sure sugar dissolves completely. Take off heat and add vanilla extract. Let cool.
Step 2: Pour vanilla syrup into an airtight container. The syrup will keep for up to 2 weeks in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Expert Tips
- Don’t cook the vanilla extract since it can lose flavor. Only add it at the end after the dissolved sugar and water is off the heat.
- There’s no need to bring the sugar and water to a boil. Heating the water just hot enough to dissolve the sugar is enough.
- Make caffeine-free kid-friend vanilla drink. Stir 1-2 tablespoons of vanilla syrup into a cup of warm milk to make a vanilla latte without any coffee.
- Add some syrup to sparkling water to make your own vanilla soda.
Related
If you tried this Vanilla Syrup recipe, please leave a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ star rating and let me know how you like it in the comments below.
No-Fail Vanilla Simple Syrup
Ingredients
- ¾ cup water
- ¾ cup sugar
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Put sugar and water in a saucepan and simmer.Stir to make sure sugar dissolves completely.
- Take off heat and add vanilla extract.
- Pour syrup into an airtight container.The syrup will keep for up to 2 weeks in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Notes
- Don’t cook the vanilla extract since it can lose flavor. Only add it at the end after the dissolved sugar and water is off the heat.
- There’s no need to bring the sugar and water to a boil. Heating the water just hot enough to dissolve the sugar is enough.
- Recipe makes 1 cup (16 tablespoons) of vanilla syrup. To flavor and sweeten drinks, use 1-2 tablespoons of syrup per 1 cup serving.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
