Homemade Gingerbread Syrup for Lattes, Tea and More
They say it’s the simple things that bring us the most joy, and one of those things for me is the one cup of coffee I have every morning. I love adding flavors to my coffee, but don’t feel good about buying flavored beans (what’s it flavored with???) or super sugary flavored creamers. It’s incredibly simple to make your own flavored syrups so you can control not only the ingredients but how much and what kind of sweetener you use. My Homemade Gingerbread Syrup is super-simple to make and is delicious not only in coffee, but in teas (think gingerbread tea latte) or drizzled over hot cereal.
Pumpkin Spice Latte fan? Got you covered there too with this lower-sugar DIY version!
Here’s What You Need to Make Homemade Gingerbread Syrup
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup sugar OR equivalent other sweetener of your choice
- 2-3 Tbsp minced fresh ginger OR ¼ cup diced crystalized ginger
- 3 cinnamon sticks
- 2 tsp. whole allspice berries
- 1 tsp. whole cloves
- ¾ tsp. whole black peppercorns
- ½ tsp. ground nutmeg
- 5 whole cardamom pods OR ½ tsp. ground cardamom
- 1-3 Tbsp. molasses, to taste
- Additional whole slices crystalized ginger, optional
Ingredient Notes:
- You can certainly use ground spices instead of whole. I always use whole spices, so I’m not sure of the equivalent amounts if you use ground. But a little tinkering is half the fun of cooking! Also, if you use ground spices, you’ll need to strain your finished syrup thru cheesecloth or a coffee filter (unless you’re into spice sludge in the bottom of your cup).
- However, if you use ground cinnamon instead of the whole sticks, do not add the ground cinnamon until the end! For some reason adding ground cinnamon to the syrup before you bring it to a boil creates a weird, gelatinous sludge. To avoid this, add the cinnamon after the syrup has cooled to lukewarm.
- I use organic cane sugar when I make this, so the instructions will reflect that. If you like to use stevia or another low-glycemic sweetener simply sub that in as appropriate.
- Don’t have all the spices called for? Just use what you have and like!
Here’s What to Do to Make Homemade Gingerbread Syrup:
Prep the Ingredients
Chop up whichever form of ginger you are using. Then coarsely grind the spices in a mortar and pestle or old coffee grinder. You don’t want dust, simply a coarse mixture like above.
Side note: I love my IMUSA Molcajete. It works great, and you can find it inexpensively at Target, Walmart or Bed Bath & Beyond.
Simmer the Syrup
Combine the sugar, water, ginger and spice mixture in a small saucepan. (The molasses will be added later) Bring mixture just to a gentle boil, turn heat to low and barely simmer 10 minutes. Don’t boil the mixture, you’re looking for just a hint of a simmer so you don’t scorch the spices.
After the simmer time, turn the heat off, cover the pan and let the mixture cool and steep for 2 hours.
Strain and Add Final Touches
For my flavored syrups I like to repurpose an old vinegar bottle that has a small spout topper, but any bottle with a small opening at the top will do. A jar with a small opening keeps things neat and controlled when using the syrup!
If you used crystalized ginger, the ginger flavor will be more mellow. In that case, I like to pop a few whole slices of crystalized ginger in the bottle (see above) to keep the syrup peppy. And don’t ask me how I know this, but when the syrup is finished, those spice-soaked pieces of ginger are delicious!
Here’s where you’ll add the molasses to taste. Molasses can be a real flavor bully, so add it to your syrup one tablespoon at a time and give it a taste as you go. I will say the smokey flavor of molasses goes well with coffee. If coffee drinks are primarily where you will be using the syrup, you can go for it with the full 3 Tbsp. If you’ll be drizzling it over the kiddos’ morning oatmeal, you may want to keep it lighter.
Place a funnel in your bottle and rest a small strainer inside it. Pour the syrup thru the strainer and voila, you have a bottle of delicious homemade gingerbread syrup!
Enjoy!
Don’t forget to pin this recipe for later!
Homemade Gingerbread Syrup
Ingredients
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup sugar
- OR equivalent other sweetener of your choice
- 2-3 Tbsp minced fresh ginger
- OR ¼ cup diced crystalized ginger
- 3 cinnamon sticks
- 2 tsp. whole allspice berries
- 1 tsp. whole cloves
- ¾ tsp. whole black peppercorns
- ½ tsp. ground nutmeg
- 5 whole cardamom pods
- OR ½ tsp. ground cardamom
- 2-3 Tbsp. molasses - to taste
- 3 additional whole slices crystalized ginger - optional
Instructions
- Chop up whichever form of ginger you are using. Then coarsely grind the spices in a mortar and pestle or old coffee grinder. You don’t want dust, simply a coarse mixture like above.
- Combine the sugar, water, ginger and spice mixture in a small saucepan. (The molasses will be added later) Bring mixture just to a gentle boil, turn heat to low and barely simmer 10 minutes. Don’t boil the mixture, you’re looking for just a hint of a simmer so you don’t scorch the spices.
- After the simmer time, turn the heat off, cover the pan and let the mixture cool and steep for 2 hours.
- For my flavored syrups I like to repurpose an old vinegar bottle that has a small spout topper, but any bottle with a small opening at the top will do. A jar with a small opening keeps things neat and controlled when using the syrup!
- If you used crystalized ginger, the ginger flavor will be more mellow. In that case, I like to pop a few whole slices of crystalized ginger in the bottle to keep the syrup peppy.
- Here’s where you’ll add the molasses to taste. Molasses can be a real flavor bully, so add it to your syrup one tablespoon at a time and give it a taste as you go.
Notes
You can certainly use ground spices instead of whole. You’ll just need to strain your finished syrup thru cheesecloth or a coffee filter (unless you’re into spice sludge in the bottom of your cup).
However, if you use ground cinnamon instead of the whole sticks, do not add the ground cinnamon until the end! For some reason adding ground cinnamon to the syrup before you bring it to a boil creates a weird, gelatinous sludge. To avoid this, add the cinnamon after the syrup has cooled to lukewarm.
I use organic cane sugar when I make this, so the instructions will reflect that. If you like to use stevia or another low-glycemic sweetener simply sub that in as appropriate.
Don’t have all the spices called for? Just use what you have and like!