Homemade coffee syrup calculator
Pick a flavor and tell us how many drinks you want to sweeten (or how much syrup to make). You'll get a scaled ingredient list, the method and how long it keeps.
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Every recipe starts from a base batch made with 1 cup of water, then scales up or down to the amount you need. Sugar adds volume as it dissolves, so a 1:1 simple syrup made with 1 cup of sugar and 1 cup of water gives you about 1½ cups of syrup, not 2. The calculator accounts for that (and for a little evaporation in simmered syrups), so "12 drinks" really does make about enough for 12 drinks.
How much syrup per coffee?
Most café drinks use roughly 1 to 2 tablespoons (15 to 30 ml) of syrup in a 12 oz drink. Start with 1 tablespoon, taste, and add more. Homemade syrups often taste stronger than bottled ones because the flavor is fresher, so you may need less than you think.
Simple syrup ratios: 1:1 vs 2:1
- 1:1 simple syrup (equal parts sugar and water by volume) is the everyday coffee syrup. It mixes instantly into iced drinks and is easy to measure.
- 2:1 rich simple syrup (two parts sugar to one part water) is sweeter and thicker. Use about half as much per drink, and it tends to keep longer in the fridge.
Measuring by weight? 1 cup of granulated sugar is about 200 g and 1 cup of packed brown sugar about 220 g. The calculator shows both cups and grams.
Flavored syrups at a glance
| Syrup | Base per 1 cup water | Great in |
|---|---|---|
| Vanilla | 1 cup sugar + 1 tbsp vanilla extract | Lattes, sweet cream cold foam |
| Brown sugar | 1 cup packed brown sugar + pinch of salt | Shaken espresso with oat milk |
| Cinnamon | 1 cup sugar + 3 cinnamon sticks | Cold brew, cappuccinos |
| Pumpkin spice | 1 cup sugar + ½ cup pumpkin purée + 1½ tsp pumpkin pie spice | Autumn lattes |
| Honey | 1 cup honey + 1 cup hot water | Iced lattes, tea |
| Banana | 1 cup sugar + 1 ripe banana | Banana cold foam, iced lattes |
Add extracts like vanilla after you take the pan off the heat. Boiling drives off the aroma you paid for.
Other sweeteners
You can make coffee syrups with more than white sugar:
- Demerara or turbinado sugar gives a light caramel flavor. Use it like brown sugar.
- Maple syrup is already a syrup. Stir a little straight into a latte, or warm it with a cinnamon stick for a quick maple spice syrup.
- Honey is thick and can seize in cold drinks, which is why honey syrup (honey thinned with hot water) mixes so much better.
- Sugar-free sweeteners behave differently from sugar: some don't dissolve or thicken the same way and many don't preserve as well. Follow the maker's directions, make small batches and keep them cold.
How long does homemade syrup last?
As general guidance, keep homemade syrups in a clean, sealed bottle in the fridge:
- 1:1 simple syrup: about 1 month.
- 2:1 rich syrup: longer, often up to around 3 months, because the higher sugar content slows spoilage.
- Vanilla, cinnamon, brown sugar and honey syrups: about 2 to 4 weeks.
- Syrups with fresh fruit or purée (banana, pumpkin): about 1 week.
Sterilize the bottle with boiling water first, always use a clean spoon, and throw the syrup out if it turns cloudy, smells fermented or shows any mold. When in doubt, make smaller batches: that's exactly what the calculator is for.
Put your syrup to work
Stir it into a homemade latte, whip it into cold foam (banana syrup makes an excellent banana cold foam), or shake brown sugar syrup with espresso and ice. Want the recipes on your counter? Our printable coffee recipe cards include twelve café drinks, from maple oat lattes to iced horchata lattes: find them on the gifts page.
Related guides
Questions people ask
What is the ratio for simple syrup for coffee?
Standard simple syrup is 1:1: equal parts sugar and water by volume, for example 1 cup of each. Rich simple syrup is 2:1 sugar to water.
How much syrup do you put in a latte?
Usually 1 to 2 tablespoons (15 to 30 ml) for a 12 oz latte. Start with 1 tablespoon and adjust to taste.
How long does homemade vanilla syrup last?
Stored in a clean, sealed bottle in the fridge, homemade vanilla syrup generally keeps about 2 to 4 weeks. Discard it if it turns cloudy or smells off.
Can I use brown sugar for simple syrup?
Yes. Use 1 cup of packed brown sugar to 1 cup of water and simmer for a few minutes. A pinch of salt makes it taste like caramel.
Do I need to boil simple syrup?
No. Just warm it until the sugar dissolves. Simmering is only needed for infused syrups like cinnamon, banana or pumpkin spice.
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