Do you love pancakes but hate the artificial ingredients in store-bought pancake syrup? If so, you'll love this easy homemade pancake syrup recipe. Made with just four simple ingredients, it's ready to serve in minutes.
So ditch the processed stuff and make your own delicious syrup at home. Homemade pancakes (and waffles and French toast)will never taste the same again.
Yes, I prefer to use pure maple syrup in our homestead kitchen because I'd rather use natural sweeteners whenever I can. The health benefits of natural maple syrup include several antioxidants. However, due to cost and availability, we can't always stock up on maple syrup.
I've experimented with strawberry, raspberry and rosehip syrups in the past. One of these years, we'll gather enough birch sap to make our own syrup, too.
In the meantime, if we can't get our hands on natural maple syrup, I like this easy homemade pancake syrup made with white sugar and brown sugar. Trust me, you'll want to experiment with new pancake recipes every week so you can use this syrup! It's also great on French toast, especially my new overnight eggnog French toast casserole over on my other site.
It's a fast and simple syrup recipe to make from scratch. It doesn't include high fructose corn syrup or baking soda, which are sometimes found in commercial syrups. Use this syrup on your favorite breakfast griddle recipes, on cornbread, or as a dessert topping.
How to Make Homemade Pancake Syrup With White Sugar and Brown Sugar
It takes 5 minutes to prepare and 10 minutes to cook with this easy recipe to make your own syrup. However, watch that pot closely. Otherwise, you could end up with very thick syrup and a big gooey mess on your hands.
Homemade Syrup Ingredients (makes about 2 ⅔ cup)
Here's what you'll need to make your pancake syrup at home.
- 1 cup white sugar
- 1 cup brown sugar
- ⅔ cup water
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract OR ½ teaspoon maple extract OR 1 teaspoon maple flavoring for an easy homemade maple syrup alternative
Directions for DIY Syrup
First, add white and brown sugar to a saucepan with ⅔ cup of room-temperature water. Whisk and continue to mix. Next, whisk well until everything is mixed together. Cook on medium heat until it starts to boil while continuing to whisk.
Now turn the heat to medium-low so that there are still plenty of bubbles. The syrup mixture should be at about 150°F ( 65 °C). Now add ½ teaspoon vanilla.
Then remove the sauce pan from the stovetop and allow it to cool. Transfer to an airtight container or glass jars until ready to use. Note: the homemade syrup will thicken as it cools.
There are so many ways to enjoy this homemade syrup. Drizzle it over some buttermilk pancakes, and make a special stack of waffles or French toast on a Sunday morning.
You could even enjoy it over vanilla ice cream any day of the week. No matter how you choose to enjoy it, this syrup will take your breakfast to the next level.
Homemade Syrup FAQs
I've received many questions and comments since I first published this post five years ago. Here are some of the most frequently asked questions I get about making your own syrup for waffles and pancakes.
What is pancake syrup made of?
Homemade pancake syrup is usually made of simple ingredients like white sugar, brown sugar, water, and various flavorings. Many recipes, like mine, use brown sugar, which gives the syrup a molasses-like taste. White sugar gives a lighter and more neutral taste. Vanilla extract, maple extract or a pinch of salt can also be used.
Can I make syrup with just brown sugar and water?
Brown sugar and water makes a basic pancake syrup. Mix one cup of brown sugar and ½ cup of water in a small pot on medium heat. Stir occasionally until the mixture thickens. This makes a pretty thick caramel sauce, which I find is better for topping sundaes than pancakes.
Is pancake syrup the same as maple syrup?
No, pancake syrup and maple syrup are not the same thing. Pancake syrup is usually made from sugar, water, and flavoring. Maple syrup is a natural product that's made from boiling down the sap of sugar maple trees.
Maple syrup has a pretty distinct flavor and contains no added ingredients. I much prefer maple syrup, or even birch syrup to pancake syrup, but in a pinch, my homemade syrup recipe works.
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Easy Homemade Pancake Syrup Recipe
Recipe
Easy Homemade Pancake Syrup Recipe
Learn how to make homemade pancake syrup with just a few simple ingredients. It's quick, easy and inexpensive!
Ingredients
- 1 cup white sugar
- 1 cup brown sugar
- ⅔ cup water
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract or ½ teaspoon maple extract or 1 teaspoon maple flavoring
Instructions
- add 1 cup white sugar and 1 cup brown sugar into a saucepan with ⅔ cup of room temperature water. Whisk and continue to mix together.
- Cook on medium heat until it starts to boil while continuing to whisk.
- Turn the heat to medium-low so that there are still plenty of bubbles. The syrup mixture should be at about 150°F ( 65 °C). Now add ½ teaspoon vanilla.
- Remove from heat and allow to cool.
- Transfer to glass jars or airtight containers.
We ran out of syrup and I had made a big batch of pancakes. Hopped on Pinterest and came across this recipe. I made more than what the recipe listed because it was going into our previous glass syrup jar from Costco which was 25oz. Came out perfect and tasty.
Hi Randie! Try heating it gently over a low heat and give it a good mixing. It should return to the regular "syrupy" consistency. 🙂
This was so easy and so yummy! But after sitting in a glass jar overnight half of it has crystallized in the bottom of the jar. Did I do something wrong?
I gave it a try, and it turned out great! The blend of white and brown sugar and vanilla is so good! Plus, it's healthier with natural flavorings.
Just ran out of pancake syrup and this was absolutely perfect! Much better than any store-bought ones and it's fast and simple to make!
Don't you hate it when the kids use the last of something and don't add it to the grocery list? Well, that's what happened with the maple syrup at our house.Thankfully, this homemade pancake syrup was fast and easy to make and just as good! The next time I make it, I'm going to try using my homemade lavender simple syrup for part of the sugars. Wish me luck!
I used maple flavoring instead of vanilla extract, and it gave the syrup a delicious maple taste. So simple yet so delicious! Highly recommend!
What I loved about this recipe was the ability to make a vanilla (or other flavor syrup) my son dislikes the flavor of maple so I was excited to try a variation on traditional syrup. The vanilla version is a BIG HIT! Thanks!
Perfect!
So glad you liked the recipe, Taylor. Maybe you'll have a chance to try tapping trees for maple syrup this year. 🙂
So glad you liked it, Kezia!
Just made it and it definitely tastes better than store brought! Thanks for sharing 🙂
It's my pleasure! Enjoy. 🙂
Awesome recipe thank you for sharing!!
This homemade pancake syrup looks so simple to make. I used to make our own syrup and need to try this again. Thanks for sharing.
This was amazing and super easy to make too! Definitely making it again!
OMG this recipe is such a lifesaver! Your instructions were easy to follow and our pancake syrup turned out amazing!
This is such an awesome way to save money for us. Maple syrup is crazy expensive where we live, but pancakes just aren't the same without syrup. Love this easy recipe!
For it not to crystallized up your water to 1 cup of water instead of 2/3 Cup.
Just made this so happy I found this with having 7 kids this definitely came in handy and I definitely used almond extract
Tried this syrup recipe yesterday and it turned out really well! It's so easy and the result has the perfect balance of sweetness. My kids loved it and now they're convinced I'm a pancake master.
Hi Frank - you could try using almond or vanilla extract if you like!
How do you add different flavors
Hi Norma! Thank you for your comment. While I've never had this recipe crystalize, I have had that happen with my strawberry syrup and was advised to NOT turn the heat up. Instead, to add 10 minutes to the simmer time. Give that a try and let me know how it goes. Love the idea of adding the vanilla and almond extract too!
I followed this to a T, since it was easy enough. I had the same result as Kathleen. My syrup, crytalized and separated once it cooled down. I didn't have maple extract, so I used vanilla and a couple drops of almond extract and it tasted phenomenal. It just didn't turn into the nice syrup like you show in the picture. I even had it up to 150°. I don't what went wrong and I don't know about try it again. ????
Ooooh, I just knew it couldn't be that hard right? I ran out of syrup this morning and didn't feel like making a trip.... so took your recipe to make homemade pancake syrup and boom - super delicious, easy peasy. My kids were so impressed, lol!!
Hi Holly - I haven't tried this yet, but I should think so.
Can this syrup be canned and stored long term?
Hi Kathleen! Hmm. We never have leftovers, lol. But try putting it in a small saucepan and heating it up on low.
Sounds good. Will be trying it. Can tthis be canned for later!
Thank you for posting your recipe. I made my syrup like this many years ago. Over time I lost my recipe and although I could remember the ingredients, I could not remember how much water. I do have a question, though. When measuring the brown sugar, is it loosely spooned, loosely packed or tightly packed???? Thanks again for sharing your recipe and your way of life with us. God bless!!!!
The taste was good. But after you put it in the fridge the sugar solidifies. Is there anything I can do to make it like a syrup? Thank you
Hi Janet! I would guestimate about two weeks....although it never lasts that long around here before the kids get to it!
How long does this syrup last in the refrigerator?
Hi Kourtney - we only keep it for 48 hours in our pantry in the summer. Otherwise, into the fridge it goes! Honestly, we rarely have any left......
How long will the extra syrup last in a glass jar with a lid in the pantry?
Wow, this was way easier than I thought. We had run out at home, and I'm so glad I came across this recipe. Will be adding to our monthly brunch rotation now!
This is so yummy! I always thought making my own syrup would be daunting, but it's simple and I love being able to customize it.
I had no idea making syrup was this easy! MIND BLOWN! I'm adding this to our homeschool calendar for a fun activity!
Wow! I didn't realize how easy it was to make homemade pancake syrup. It tasted so much better than the kind in a bottle.
Delicious pancake syrup! The kids loved it and want to have it again!
I had no idea it was so easy to make homemade syrup and even my teens liked it!