Brown Sugar Syrup Recipe (Thick or Thin): Boba, Cocktails and Desserts

Brown sugar syrup is one of the most versatile ingredients ever. It is the key ingredient to many of our favourite treats—including your favourite bubble tea and Starbucks go-to orders.

With that being said, you'll no longer have to stop by the coffee shop or the nearest boba stall. Not after discovering that their secret ingredient is ridiculously easy to make.

You've come to the right place if you need a thick brown sugar syrup recipe for boba tea. We’ll teach you how to modify the thickness of the syrup to make it suitable for any other dish or beverage. Our recipe can also make DIY brown sugar syrup for cocktails.

Jump to:

• What Is Brown Sugar Syrup Made Of?
• Brown Sugar Syrup Ingredients
• How To Make Thick Brown Sugar Syrup
• Making It Thin
• Brown Sugar Syrup Recipe (Boba, Cocktails and Desserts)
• How To Store
• Syrup Without Brown Sugar
• Brown Sugar Syrup With Maple Syrup
• What Can You Use It For?
• Is brown sugar syrup artificial?
• Brown sugar syrup calories
• Variations

What Is Brown Sugar Syrup Made Of?

Brown sugar syrup is a simple syrup made of brown sugar and water. When the sugar is heated, it caramelises, turning it into a liquid sweetener.

This sweet syrup has a deep flavour with hints of caramel and toffee. Its rich flavour is due to the molasses content in brown sugar. It makes a great addition to several sweet concoctions.

Brown Sugar Syrup Ingredients

To make brown sugar syrup, you only need water and brown sugar. These are not hard to find since they are available in most grocery stores, and you will most likely have these ingredients on hand.

For our recipe, you can opt for either light or dark brown sugar. However, note that the light version will give a light caramel flavour. On the other hand, the caramel flavour from dark brown sugar is more robust. Adding two tablespoons of molasses to your preferred sugar can also create a stronger caramel flavour.

We recommend using dark brown sugar for a toffee-like flavour.

How To Make Thick Brown Sugar Syrup

If you're wondering how to make thick brown sugar syrup, simmer it for a little longer. You won't have to run to the grocery store for an additional ingredient. It gets thicker as you heat it over time, but don't cook it too long. Otherwise, you will have to deal with a hard and sticky mess in your pan.

The thick and gooey syrup is commonly used for drizzling. However, you can prepare the liquid sweetener with this consistency if you want to indulge in some waffles or pancakes.

Making It Thin

This sweetener can also be made thin and runny for drinks. If it is thicker than you wanted, add some water to the hot syrup before it fully cools. Mix one teaspoon of water into the syrup until the preferred consistency is achieved. You may also need to heat it on low as you do this to loosen up the consistency.

How To Store

To maintain the flavour and make your homemade sweetener last longer, store it in a glass jar or bottle. We also recommend using a funnel for easy pouring.

You can also store the sweetener in the refrigerator, making it last for a month. However, it may further thicken in the fridge, especially if you've prepared a thick syrup. Therefore, let it sit at room temperature or reheat it on low heat before serving.

Syrup Without Brown Sugar

An easy way to make homemade syrup without brown sugar is to use white sugar and molasses. As mentioned earlier, you can artificially create brown sugar with these two ingredients. Add two tablespoons of molasses to one cup of white sugar and mix it with one cup of water.

Brown Sugar Syrup With Maple Syrup

If you don't have molasses, you can also make brown sugar syrup with maple syrup. Combine a cup of granulated white sugar with a tablespoon of maple syrup to imitate brown sugar. Then, mix it with a cup of water. No worries; it will taste the same as the real thing.

What Can You Use It For?

You can use this two-ingredient sweetener for many dishes and beverages. Some examples include boba drinks, coffee, cocktails and pancakes! The drizzle of sweetness goes well with almost everything from breakfast to desserts.

Here are some treats that are popular with this syrup.

Boba Drinks

Boba drink, or bubble tea, typically consists of black tea, milk, and tapioca pearls covered in thin brown sugar syrup. Some boba places also serve the Instagram-worthy tiger milk tea by drizzling the sweetener into the cup.

So it is understandable why the world went crazy over this concoction when it was introduced in bubble tea shops. With our homemade DIY brown sugar recipe, you’ll make homemade boba quickly.

Coffee

Skip the plain white sugar and sweeten your coffee with this gooey sweetener. It gives your caffeine fix a richer taste and a caramel undertone. Hence, some people prefer this sweetener over regular white sugar in their coffee for the flavour. Mix it with milk or cream to make a delicious latte with a hint of caramel flavour.

Cocktails

You can also save the sweet drizzle for your weekend drinks! Interestingly, this lovely stuff is used in many popular cocktails such as Smash, Old Fashioned, Irish Coffee, and Caipirinha.

Of course, it works best in bourbon or whiskey-based drinks. However, you can add it to your favourite cocktails for a little sugary depth. So, this makes some easy scotch drinks for beginners.

Desserts

Thick brown sugar sweetener also tastes fantastic as a topping for desserts. It can be eaten with ice cream, puddings, and cakes. It also makes a tasty dipping sauce for snacks like pretzels and churros.

You will also find this sweetener works well for Japanese desserts like raindrop cake and warabi mochi.

Another way to sweeten your morning is to drizzle the sweetener over your pancakes and waffles. It makes an excellent alternative to maple syrup and honey. Therefore, having no maple syrup or honey shouldn’t stop you from enjoying your favourite breakfast.

Is brown sugar syrup artificial?

Brown sugar syrup is non-artificial. It does not contain white sugar, but it's not sugar-free. It also contains minerals like calcium, potassium, iron and magnesium. However, this does not make it significantly healthier than other syrups since the minerals are present in minuscule amounts.

Moreover, it can be artificial if you make it using refined brown sugar. The refined version is dyed white sugar mixed with cane molasses. On the other hand, you can only obtain the unprocessed form from sugar cane. Therefore, ensure you have raw and unrefined brown sugar to make a non-artificial sweetener.

Brown sugar syrup calories

A serving of this sweetener only contains around 50 calories. So, a drizzle or two can be considered a decent amount to satisfy your sugary cravings.

Variations

If you enjoy this homemade syrup, here are other variations of this simple syrup to try at home.

Apple Brown Sugar Syrup

This syrup has a hint of apple flavour but no apple. Instead, it combines brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cardamom. You'll enjoy it if you're a Starbucks' Apple Crisp Macchiato fan.

Brown Cinnamon

This syrup has a comforting nuance of flavour with a hint of cinnamon. It can be easily made by mixing a teaspoon of cinnamon with brown sugar and water.

Brown Butter

As the name suggests, this variation contains butter, giving it a sweet buttery flavour. Try it with some fresh pancakes or waffles. It'll take your breath away. 

Vanilla

This liquid sweetener consists of granulated sugar, water, and vanilla extract. It pairs well with coffee and tea.

Did you try this recipe? Please share it with us by tagging @honestfoodtalks on Instagram, and follow us for more tasty recipes.