This 5-minute honey simple syrup recipe is great to have on hand for homemade coffee drinks and cocktails. Made with just 2 ingredients, it offers the same natural sweetness as honey with a thinner texture that blends smoothly into any drink, hot or cold!
If you love a good honey latte or a classic bee's knees cocktail, this liquid honey is about to be your best friend. It's the kind of recipe that's so easy you barely need a recipe, but every bit as useful and versatile as traditional simple syrup.
All you'll need to make it is honey and water, so there's no reason you can't have a jar sitting in your fridge in a few minutes!
Recipe Highlights
- Quick and Easy: From start to finish, it takes about 5 minutes.
- Two Simple Ingredients: All you need is honey and water!
- Versatile: Unlike standard honey, honey syrup has a thin, fluid consistency that allows it to mix smoothly into any beverage. Try making it with different types of honey (like wildflower or clover), or add your own twist by incorporating lavender, cinnamon, or other flavors!
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Simple Syrup Ratios
This recipe is made almost identically to regular simple syrup; we'll just swap the granulated sugar for honey. For general purposes, I usually make this using a 1:1 ratio of honey to water (by volume). However, for a richer and slightly thicker syrup with a more pronounced honey flavor, you can increase the honey to a 2:1 ratio.
How to Make Honey Simple Syrup
- Step 1: Combine honey and water in a small saucepan and place on the stove over medium-low to medium heat, stirring constantly until the honey has dissolved.
- Step 2: Pour into an airtight glass jar or similar container and store in the refrigerator.
Recipe Tip!
To preserve all of the nutritional benefits of honey in this recipe, make sure your syrup never comes to a boil. Remove your pot from the stove as soon as the honey and water are fully and smoothly combined.
Microwave Method
Don't want to bother with the stove? You can also make this syrup in the microwave:
- Stir together honey and water in a microwave-safe jar. Microwave for 60 seconds.
- Stir again and microwave for additional 30-second increments (as needed) until the honey has dissolved and the syrup is smooth. Cover and refrigerate.
Flavor Variations
You can add just about any flavor you'd like to this honey simple syrup! Here are a few additions that I think would work particularly well:
- Vanilla Bean
- Cinnamon
- Lavender Buds
- Sea Salt
- Orange Peel
- Fresh Rosemary
Ingredients like ground cinnamon, vanilla bean powder, or sea salt can simply be mixed in after the syrup is done cooking. For whole ingredients like vanilla pods or fresh herbs, add them to the warm syrup, cover, and let steep for about 1 hour. Strain before transferring to your storage container.
Honey Syrup Uses
My favorite way to use this syrup is in a coffee recipe. Use it to sweeten honey lattes, cappuccinos, cold foam - you name it! The lavender variation suggested above would be great in my vanilla lavender coffee, or steep in some fresh mint for a spin on my iced mint coffee. Tea lovers can use it in a chai latte!
Similarly, you can also use honey syrup for cocktails, like a Gold Rush (bourbon), Penicillin (scotch), or my slightly sweet twist on a gin rickey. It's fantastic for this purpose since its thinner consistency mixes easily into iced drinks.
And finally, for a less common (but equally useful) option, try brushing this honey syrup on your homemade cakes prior to frosting them. This will help keep your cakes moist while adding subtle flavor - my kumquat cake or carrot bundt cake recipes would be great choices here! You can use this technique for other baked goods like muffins and scones as well.
Recipe FAQs
Yes. The high sugar content and low moisture content of honey is what makes it naturally shelf-stable. Added water makes honey syrup more susceptible to spoilage, so refrigeration is necessary.
Yes. If stored properly in an airtight container in the refrigerator, this syrup should stay fresh for at least a month, or longer if made using a 2:1 ratio of honey to water. Throw it out if it starts to look cloudy or you see any signs of mold.
No. Honey (and honey syrup) both contain carbohydrates that can raise blood sugar and therefore are not considered keto.
More 5 Minute (or Less!) Recipes
Recipe Card
Honey Syrup (Liquid Honey)
Ingredients
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup honey
Instructions
Stovetop Method
- Combine honey and water in a small saucepan and place on the stove over medium-low to medium heat, stirring constantly until the honey has dissolved.1 cup water |1 cup honey
- Pour into an airtight glass jar or similar container and store in the refrigerator.
Microwave Method
- Stir together honey and water in a microwave-safe jar. Microwave for 60 seconds.1 cup water |1 cup honey
- Stir again and microwave for additional 30-second increments (as needed) until the honey has dissolved and the syrup is smooth. Cover and refrigerate.
Notes
"Rich" Honey Syrup
- Make a "rich" syrup by using 2 parts honey to 1 part water. This variation will be slightly thicker and have a bolder honey flavor.
Shelf Life
- Honey syrup can be kept in the refrigerator for at least 1 month, or as long as it is not cloudy and does not show signs of mold. Syrup made using a 2:1 ratio of honey to water will last longer (3-6 months).
Nutrition
Nutrition information is an estimate per serving, calculated using standard ingredients. Actual values may vary based on brands used, measurement methods, and more.
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