A simple recipe for a gingerbread syrup that tastes so good in everything from gingerbread lattes to a cup of tea and sparkling water. It is fragrant with a deep, sweet and perfectly spiced flavour for the festive season.
Homemade Gingerbread Syrup For Drinks
‘Tis the season for holiday drinks! I love getting a chance to try new drinks that are flavoured with flavours from this time of year like sugar cookies, chestnuts, peppermint and gingerbread.
Making these drinks at home can be incredibly easy to do as well with the right kind of flavoured simple syrup.
Gingerbread syrup is a liquid sweetener that tastes similar to gingerbread. This simple syrup is an easy way to add this festive flavour to drinks during the holiday season. It can be used in lattes (tea or coffee), cocktails and more.
I may be biased but like almost anything else, homemade gingerbread syrup is definitely better than store bought syrup options. The flavours just taste more authentic when it is made with real ingredients and less artificial stuff and preservatives.
If you would like to try another festive simple syrup try my Sugar Cookie Syrup recipe, too.
What You’ll Love This Recipe
- Classic holiday flavour: Great way to customize holiday drinks and food.
- Easy to make: It is called simple syrup for a reason!
- Homemade gift idea: Bottle it up and give it family and friends for the holidays.
- Versatile: You can use this syrup for many different things, not just caffeinated drinks.
How to Use Gingerbread Syrup
Once you taste this festive simple syrup, you’ll want to find multiple ways to use it. Here are a few ideas to get started:
- Add to coffee or tea and top with warm milk to make gingerbread lattes
- Mix with sparkling water for alcohol for gingerbread cocktails or mocktails
- Pour over cakes and other desserts
- Flavour and spice up a cup of hot chocolate
- Serve on top of ice cream or frozen yogurt
- Add this syrup to pretty much any liquid for a delicious gingerbread flavour!
Ingredient Notes
Here are the ingredients that you need to make this festive syrup:
- Brown Sugar: I used dark brown sugar but light brown sugar works, too.
- Water: This recipe uses a standard water to sugar ratio for simple syrups.
- Molasses: Fancy or blackstrap molasses. This is an essential ingredient in gingerbread cookies and is a must for a rich gingerbread syrup.
- Ginger: Fresh ginger root makes a difference when it comes to flavour.
- Ground Spices: Cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg.
- Vanilla Extract: This adds a bit of warmth!
Easy Gingerbread Syrup Recipe
Ingredient measurements and full directions are in the printable recipe card below.
In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine brown sugar, water, molasses, fresh ginger, ground cinnamon, ground cloves and ground nutmeg. Bring this mixture to a boil.
Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Remove the saucepan from the heat. Stir in the vanilla extract then let the gingerbread simple syrup cool.
Strain the syrup and store it in an airtight container for up to 3 weeks in the refrigerator.
How to use this simple syrup: Sweeten and flavour tea, coffee, cocktails/mocktails and more. Add 1-2 tablespoons of gingerbread syrup per 1 cup or whatever your tastebuds prefer.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use ground ginger instead of fresh ginger?
If possible, I highly recommend using fresh ginger because it will result in a stronger ginger flavour. But, you can still use ground ginger if you don’t have fresh on hand or just prefer this option instead. Use 2 teaspoons of ground ginger in place of the fresh ginger in this recipe.
How do I store gingerbread syrup?
When the gingerbread simple syrup has cooled, store it in a cleaned, airtight container and place in the refrigerator. It will slightly thicken more as it remains chilled there, too. This syrup will last about 3 weeks if stored properly.
How much syrup do I use per drink?
The amount of syrup you will use may depend on the type of drink you are making. I like to add 1-2 tablespoons of gingerbread simple syrup per 1 cup. But, of course, you can adjust to taste.
More Homemade Syrups
If you’re looking for more recipes to make syrups at home for your drinks, check out the other ones I have linked below.
Gingerbread Syrup
Ingredients
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 cup water
- 3 tablespoons molasses
- 1 inch knob fresh ginger root peeled and sliced
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground cloves
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine brown sugar, water, molasses, fresh ginger, ground cinnamon, ground cloves and ground nutmeg. Bring this mixture to a boil.
- Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Remove the saucepan from the heat. Stir in the vanilla extract then let the gingerbread simple syrup cool.
- Strain the syrup and store it in an airtight container for up to 3 weeks in the refrigerator.