Four Homemade Coffee Syrups and My Favorite Cold Brew.
Humor me while I talk about sugar and water please.
Late last night I was all prepared to tell you about chicken today. It was the plan. But then I was all… it’s Monday. Coffee Monday. Who cares how simple? We must discuss.
These syrups. We gotta talk about them.
I made homemade vanilla bean syrup. Traditional and easily loved by me. Cinnamon brown sugar syrup – because earlier this winter I was losing my mind over the dunkin donut’s flavor. Homemade almond syrup, because anything amaretto flavored makes me nutty. Pun intended. And my real – but shocking – favorite: fresh blackberry syrup. GAH. I love it so much.
I don’t care much for raspberry flavored things, but the idea of blackberry? I was all over that. It is SO good. And you can obviously use these syrups for other things, I mean this is embarrassing because they are literally just flavored simple syrups.
But, like, why haven’t I been doing this for a year?
Ever since making this fresh mint syrup for iced coffee, I’ve been read-my-lips-OBSESSED with making homemade coffee syrups. And even though I lost my taste for coffee a few weeks after sharing it, I was still so in love with the whole coffee experience that I wanted to KEEP drinking it. Kind of like how I forced myself to drink it in the first place.
The problem was that I’d go get some and no matter how small the size was, I’d only take a few sips and have to be done. Just couldn’t do it. I did go a few weeks completely without a drop of coffee, but then the taste came back to me and I’ve thoroughly been enjoying it – iced only.
Sometimes I’ll still head out and get coffee – though I’ve never been able to finish one, so it’s much better if I just make it at home. And EASIER! And cheaper. Says my raging basic Starbucks addiction.
Back in April I also shared a cold brew concentrate method with that but over the months have been loving this one below so much more. It’s kind of a major pain to grind the beans but I tell you: the flavor is so much better. I’ve done regular and decaf beans. I’ve experimented over and over with using filtered versus unfiltered water and surprisingly prefer the filtered. I didn’t think it would make a difference, but it does. TOTALLY. Is it less acidic? Are my taste buds just in overdrive? Either way, I’m finding it WORTH IT.
Big deal for this person.
Also, I find it easiest to just use a bowl or a pitcher. I have a Toddy, but it’s rather obtrusive and, well, the real issue is that my husband LOATHES coffee and the scent so much that if it’s in his view or if he gets one whiff, he throws a major tantrum. I think that’s weird because even though I’ve spent most of my life hating coffee, the scent always brought me back to my childhood and gives me warm and cozy nostalgic feelings.
My not-so-secret love for the blackberry syrup comes partially from the color. It kind of tints your coffee (if you’re using cream) to a purpleish-fuschia color and I think it’s gorgeous.
Leave it to me to like a drink for the color. I mean, it tastes great too but just look. It’s PINK. Or red. Whatever.
So I’m just in love with this idea of homemade syrups and multiple syrups, and having them on hand so you can have little coffee parties with pals. The syrup mixes into iced coffee beautifully – but after a while some will settle on the bottom just as it would with iced coffee you order out. My simple solution is adorable mixers. It works in hot coffee perfectly and I can’t get enough. And it can work in other things too – like even making some almond hot chocolate and all that jazz. But let’s not talk about that in summer.
Now please go make this for a million friends. (invite me.)
Four Homemade Coffee Syrups and My Favorite Cold Brew
Ingredients
my favorite cold brew coffee
- 1 cup whole coffee beans
- 5 cups filtered water, this made a HUGE difference in how I liked iced coffee at home!
- regular ice or coffee ice cubes
vanilla bean syrup
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/3 cup water
- 1 vanilla bean, seeds scraped
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
blackberry syrup
- 2 cups fresh blackberries
- 1/3 cup water
- 1/3 cup sugar
cinnamon brown sugar syrup
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/3 cup water
almond syrup
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/3 cup water
- 1 teaspoon pure almond extract
Instructions
my favorite cold brew coffee
- First things first: coarsely grind the coffee beans! Yeah, this is annoying. For a year I’d try to make coldbrew coffee with already ground beans, and grinding them definitely is better. I used my grinder thing for my vitamix. Just make sure they are COARSELY ground, this way you won’t have granules floating in your drink (which is one of the worse things ever in life, in my opinion). Once the beans a freshly ground, add them to a large bowl or pitcher/container/jar. Add the water and stir to mix. Let this mixture sit overnight in the fridge. I have heard both ways: at room temperature and overnight. I prefer it from the fridge. (Also as a note, sometimes I made this in my french press too. I just don’t have a huge one.)
- The next morning, strain the coffee through a few layers of cheesecloth or a coffee filter. It’s key to reduce the granules. Now you have your coffee! Fill a glass with ice, add your desired amount of coffee and cream/milk – then go to town with the syrups. Note: the syrups should be stored in a sealed container in the fridge. They should last a week or two!
vanilla bean syrup
- Combine the sugar, water, scraped vanilla beans, whole bean and extract in a small saucepan over medium heat. Whisk constantly until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is bubbling. Reduce the heat to low and cook for 1 to 2 minutes. Let cool completely before storing in a jar. I usually don’t remove the vanilla pod and just leave it in for flavor. You can remove it if you wish!
blackberry syrup
- Add the blackberries to a blender with the water. Puree until completely smooth and blended, then strain over a fine mesh sieve into a bowl – so all you have is blackberry juice. Combine the juice and sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat. Whisk constantly until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is bubbling. Reduce the heat to low and cook for 1 to 2 minutes. Let cool completely before storing in a jar. This syrup can get extra sweet due to the flavor of your berries, so feel free to play along with water and sugar ratios.
cinnamon brown sugar syrup
- Combine the sugar, cinnamon and water in a small saucepan over medium heat. Whisk constantly until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is bubbling. Reduce the heat to low and cook for 1 to 2 minutes. Let cool completely before storing in a jar.
almond syrup
- Combine the sugar, water and extract in a small saucepan over medium heat. Whisk constantly until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is bubbling. Reduce the heat to low and cook for 1 to 2 minutes. Let cool completely before storing in a jar.
Did you make this recipe?
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I appreciate you so much!
Okay. I’m done being boring with coffee now. Swear.
238 Comments on “Four Homemade Coffee Syrups and My Favorite Cold Brew.”
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i love vanilla bean syrup but i’m not understand which vanilla should i use ..?
Ideally, scape the seeds from a vanilla bean AND use half a teaspoon of pure vanilla extract per one half a cup of water and a third of a cup of sugar.
What kind of coffee beans do you use for cold brew. I’ve been having trouble finding the right roast for iced coffe/cold brew.
Recommend coffee beans for cold brew is dark roast
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Omg the cinnamon and brown sugar one is amazing. I grated fresh cinnamon and used that so good!! Thanks for the recipes
how long ca you store the syrups for?
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Wow! I had heard of cold brewed iced tea but not coffee! Now that I live in Florida my daily coffee(s) can be a bother in the summer, but I do love iced coffee and these syrups sound yum! Just discovered you but now I am subscribing – can’t wait to see what you do next ;-)
I use the same recipe, but have discovered the magic of using a nut milk bag to hold the coffee. It is basically like a giant tea bag, and saves me from having to filter the brew. SO GOOD!
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I make almond-vanilla syrup using Madhava 5, which is a combo of low-glycemic sweeteners. I put it in a pump bottle and I add an ounce of vodka as a preservative per 16 ounces of syrup. It can also be refrigerated. Next I want to try using Madhava 5 for a caramel-bourbon syrup. I have the natural extracts, but I’m nervous about how much extract to use for 16 oz.
i would like to know how to prepared Chocolate hazelnut coffee syrup ….
Bourbon coffee Syrup,Cinnamon Almond Coffee Syrup… and one more Vanilla Almond Coffee Syrup..please if you can…thnks
Chefajay,
India
I made a cinnamon, vanilla, almond. It’s amazing! 1 cup water, 1 cup splenda, 2 tsp cinnamon, 3 tsp vanilla extract, 1 tsp almond extract. It can be made with sugar in the same amount.
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Tried the cinnamon one, it was so good. It is the best iced coffee I have ever made at home. ❤
Very old post now, but seriously… if a grown person is throwing tantrums over another person’s beverage choice, that person is being very badly behaved and needs some therapy. That’s controlling behavior. That’s not behavior to model for a child, and it’s not something that makes a healthy relationship.
I’m not a fan of my spouse’s hot sauces or stinky cheese preferences, but I’m not putting them in my body and I don’t have to clean up after sauce production. It’s unreasonable to throw tantrums because the other person likes something not to one’s taste.
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Hi!! I just found this post! I’m wondering if the ratios would be the same for sugar substitutes (like Pyure or Swerve)?? Would you be able to answer that for me!? Thank you!!
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Thanks for the recipes. I’ve been making my Brd brew in a quart size jar, which has cup measurements on the outside. I fill it to 3 cups, add 6 tablespoons of coffee and let it sit overnight. In the morning I simply pour it directly into a new filter in my regular drip coffee maker (I do it slowly because the filter fills up). Once it’s dripped into in the carafe, I rinse out the original jar and pour it back in there and store in the fridge.
It’s very easy.
*Cold brew. Sorry, I was having issues typing.
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Hi! Currently obsessed with the cinnamon brown sugar and vanilla bean syrups. Was wondering if you have a pumpkin spice syrup recipe for this upcoming fall season?? Thank you!
Do the syrups need to be refrigerated?
Hi was wondering how long this syrup last for and is their anyway to water can it to make it last longer
it lasts a few weeks in the fridge!
Thank you so much for sharing! Can’t wait to try making some of your syrup recipes. Recently made cold brew and also bought a Royal nitro brew apparatus. We love the nitro so these syrups will be so fun to make! Thanks!
these are all so good really recommend
Can you use swerve etc in place of regular sugar/brown sugar for a keto friendly version?
How long does the syrup stay fresh ?
Also Is refrigeration needed?
I have tested your recipe to reduce my acidity after taking coffee, basically i take coffee at morning and midnight but it is increasing
my acidity day by day, i see some other post about is coffee acidic? Where they describe its only have 4-5 pH level, is it true?
I don’t think coffee pH level is 4-5, Now a days i am getting bored for this problem, even medicine is not working, Also i am caffeine addicted now days.
Not possible to stop drinking coffee, Do you have any other solution?
Previously i read your cold brew concentrate method, But it is better than that, and Yes, You are true it is less acidic, I have problem with drinking coffee.
But i can’t leave coffee at all and i can’t drink coffee several time because of acidity.