What Is Brown Sugar Syrup? The Sweet Secret!

It’s no secret what is brown sugar syrup, it’s the sweet that adds an earthy and caramel taste to tea and coffee drinks and can be used just as much in your drinks as it can on your breakfast plate!

For the quick answer, brown sugar syrup is a simple syrup made of water and brown sugar in equal proportions and mixed together.

Keep reading for the more in depth answer, its used and details of how to make it and the different types of brown sugar that you can use!

What Is Brown Sugar Syrup?

Brown sugar syrup, or more accurately called brown sugar simple syrup, is a simple and obvious variation of regular simple syrup. It’s a liquid sweetener that is made with water and brown sugar in equal ratios.

The 1:1 ratio can be altered to a 1.5:1 or a 2:1 with twice as much brown sugar as water. As you increase the ratio, you will need to use 26.27% less (for 2:1 ratio) as the solution is 26.27% sweeter, not twice as sweet.

Advantages of using a higher ratio is that your syrup will last longer, and you can coat the inside of your glass with tiger stripes.

Due to the molasses brown sugar syrup has a deep earthy flavor with caramel and toffee notes. It’s popular in Starbucks drinks and incredibly easy to make your own as all that is needed is brown sugar and water!

Read: How many calories in brown sugar syrup Starbucks?

What Are The Ingredients In Brown Sugar Syrup?

There are only two ingredients in simple syrup, water and brown sugar. That is all that is needed to make this tasty sweet syrup.

It is not absolute that you must heat your water, but heating helps to get more sugar dissolved and quicker. Also, the heat will help to caramelize the sugar. That is key, caramelize but not burn.

This is a tip that you won’t see anywhere else:

When heating your water, use a thermometer to ensure that it doesn’t raise above 55C (130F) as your sugar will burn at 60C (140F). The goal is to caramelize the sugar not burn it. If your sugar goes beyond 60C (140F), you will end up with some slightly burnt notes and an imperfect brown sugar syrup.

Different Types Of Brown Sugar That Are Used In Brown Sugar Syrup

There are a few different types of brown sugar that you can use to make brown sugar syrup at home. Naturally, the different types will alter the flavor of your sugar syrup slightly.

Light Brown Sugar

The most popular type used and matches Starbucks brown sugar simple syrup perfectly when a dash of salt and maple syrup are used in the recipe. It’s made with white sugar and has a small amount of molasses.

Dark Brown Sugar

This is a brown sugar that is similar to light brown sugar but has more molasses and a stronger, earthier flavor.

Jaggery

This is an unrefined cane sugar that is popular in South East Asian cooking recipes. Palm sap and date Jaggery are popular variations. Cane sugar is juiced, strained then boiled until a caramel paste is formed. You’ll see Jaggery as bricks. Very earth.

Muscovado

The darkest of all dark brown sugars. It’s moist, rich and full of molasses. It’s robust and has a texture that is similar to wet sand. Peculiarly it has an almost bitter taste.

Turbinado

Turbinado is also known as raw sugar and is less processed than 100% pure cane sugar. It only contains a small amount of molasses and has fewer molasses than even light brown sugar.

Piloncillo

This is a popular brown sugar used in Latin American Recipes. It’s a dark cane sugar sold in cones and produces a neat and tasty smokey flavor that is great for hot drinks like coffee and churros.

Demerara

Demerara sugar is frequently used to shower baked goods to produce a sparkly and dramatic finish due to the large crystal-like granules. Very similar to Turbinado sugar but has a slightly stronger hint of molasses in its flavor.

Okinawa Sugar

Also known as black sugar. Black sugar begins its life as white sugar and is sugarcane that is boiled to remove the sugar. The resulting syrup is left to dry, which produces a dense dry solid block. It’s rich, very rich in caramel flavors, making a great addition to lattes, flat whites, cappuccinos and other coffee drinks with milk.

Read: How many calories in Starbucks apple brown sugar syrup?

How To Make Homemade Brown Sugar Syrup For Coffee

Brown sugar syrup is an easy syrup that can be made in around 5 minutes.

Gather your ingredients, the brown sugar of your choice and water. At Latte Love Brew we encourage the use of high quality ingredients as you will get significantly better results.

Weigh 150 grams (5 Oz) of brown sugar and measure 150 ml (5 Oz) of mineral or filtered water.

Add your two ingredients to a saucepan and heat at a low to medium heat and heat your water and sugar mix and stir well. Monitor the temperature and make sure that it does not go above 55C (130F).

Once your sugar water solution reaches 55C (130F), take it off the heat and stir until all the sugar has dissolved. I dip my saucepan in a basin of cold water to cool the bottom and ensure that the temperature does not continue to rise.

Once fully dissolved, let your solution cool down completely before decanting to an airtight container.

Brown Sugar Syrup In Coffee Drinks

Brown sugar syrup is very versatile and can be used just as much in your breakfast pancakes as much as it can in a Starbucks drink made at home.

Here are some drinks that you can use it in:

• Iced Espresso.
• Iced Cappuccino.
• Iced Brown Sugar Oat Milk Espresso.
• Iced Latte.
• Chai Tea Latte.
• Tea Latte.
• Iced Coffee.
• Cold Brew Coffee.
• Almond Milk Latte.
• Almond Milk Flat White.
• Oat Milk Latte.
• Almond Milk Latte.
• Coconut Milk Latte.
• Soy Latte.
• Boba Milk Tea.
• Tiger Milk Tea.
• Brown Sugar Milk Tea.
• Boba Tea of all kinds.

There are many more uses for brown sugar syrup.

Read: Brown sugar syrup

What Else Can You Use It For?

You can use this liquid sweetener for cocktails as well as tea and coffee drinks. Its use goes beyond the use in beverages as you can drizzle it on your pancakes, ice cream and various desserts and use it to make tasty refreshers.

It goes well with everything, and even has its use in Irish coffee, Caipirinha and bourbon whiskey drinks and is a great addition to a Scotch on the rock.

Puddings, cakes, pretzels, churros, and even as a sweet dipping sauce.

Where you can use maple syrup, or what you would consider using maple syrup with, you can also use brown sugar syrup.

It’s neat and simple on waffles too!

Brown sugar syrup calories

A single serving of two teaspoons has 5 grams of sugar and 20 calories. If you are looking for the amount of calories in the Starbucks brown sugar syrup, it’s a half pump and has 2.5 grams of sugar and 10 calories per pump.

Storing Your Homemade Brown Sugar Syrup

Your homemade brown sugar syrup should keep well for about a month when you store it in your fridge. Store it well and in an airtight glass container. Since your recipe does not contain preservatives, it is best that you keep it in your fridge and store it under optimal conditions.

Frequently Asked Questions About What Is Brown Sugar Syrup?

What Is The Brown Sugar Syrup At Starbucks?

The Starbucks brown sugar syrup is a delicious brown sugar simple syrup made with light brown sugar dissolved in an equal amount of water with preservatives and natural flavors. The result is a sugar syrup that is rich in molasses, producing a caramel like taste. It’s used in iced drinks upon request and features in their brown sugar oat milk shaken espresso.

Is Brown Sugar And Syrup The Same?

No, syrup and simple syrup are made using fruits, sugar and herbs to create the specific taste that is desired. Naturally the range of flavors vary depending on what is used to make the syrup.

Syrups, including simple syrup, can be made with regular sugar mixed with an equal amount of water. This simple syrup base can form the base of many other flavors. For example, using cinnamon sticks to make a cinnamon flavored syrup, vanilla pods can be used to make a vanilla syrup.

Brown sugar is a sucrose-based sugar which is brown in color due to the molasses. Traditionally, brown sugar is unrefined.

Can I Use Brown Sugar Instead Of Syrup?

Yes, brown sugar is a great replacement for regular syrup and other simple syrups. It has a consistency that is very similar to maple syrup, which makes it a great alternative. It has a deeper flavor that white sugar syrup can’t achieve.

What Is The Best Substitute For Brown Sugar Syrup?

There are a few good substitutes for brown sugar syrup that you can try. The three best in my opinion are:

• Maple syrup.
• Agave.
• Honey.

How To Buy Brown Sugar Syrup From Starbucks?

You can simply ask the barista at Starbucks. If you can buy their Brown sugar syrup or check them out on Amazon where there are many sellers and many different brands of brown sugar syrup.

Is Sugar Syrup Same As Honey?

Honey bees have the ability to store sugar syrup just as they store honey. The key difference is they can’t change sugar syrup into honey. Honey is made from nectar while syrup is made from sugar and water.

What Is Simple Syrup Made From Brown Sugar Called?

A Demerara simple syrup is a simple syrup made with Demerara sugar, which is a 100% unrefined sugar with deep earthy molasses and caramel flavor. It’s great in coffee and cocktails and even some tasty baking recipes.

Which Is Healthier Brown Sugar Or Maple Syrup?

Male syrup has more iron, calcium, zinc, copper, potassium, manganese and magnesium than brown sugar, making it healthier for you and your overall well-being.

Final Thoughts – What Is Brown Sugar Syrup?

It is pretty clear what is brown sugar syrup, is; it is a tasty addition to many coffee drinks that is incredibly easy to make at home.

It’s worth experimenting with the recipe and trying different types of brown sugar and trying it in all kinds of coffee drinks and cocktails to get that perfect coffee with rich, earthy flavors blended well with the flavor of your coffee.

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Derek Marshall

Derek Marshall, a certified barista by the Specialty Coffee Association possesses over two decades of experience in specialty coffee shops. He holds professional certifications for coffee brewing and barista skills. Derek is also an author with authoritative books covering various coffee topics including specialty coffee, sustainability and coffee, coffee brewing, coffee recipes, coffee cocktails and books focusing on Brazilian coffee, Vietnamese coffee, Indonesian coffee and Malaysian coffee. As a barista for over two decades, Derek Marshall has worked in specialty coffee shops across the United Kingdom, Spain, Thailand, Malaysia, Cambodia, Indonesia, and Vietnam. His expertise extends to the distinct coffee cultures, specialty beverages, and brewing techniques of each nation. Functioning as a coffee consultant, Derek charges US$50 per hour. To learn more about Derek Marshall and Latte Love Brew, visit his About Me Page. For coffee inquiries, contact him at +34-639-410-375 or Derek@LatteLoveBrew.com, mentioning your name and location