This homemade caramel coffee syrup brings the perfect touch of sweetness and rich caramel flavor to your favorite coffee drinks and more! Made with simple ingredients, this syrup has a smooth, velvety texture that blends seamlessly into both hot and iced coffees. It’s easy to make, takes just minutes on the stovetop, and is a fantastic way to elevate your daily coffee with a delicious caramel twist!
As a former Starbucks barista, I can confirm this syrup is just like the one you'd get at your local Starbucks! Sure, you could buy their syrups in store, but it’s way cheaper and so easy to make it at home. It only takes 5 minutes on the stovetop, and you can add it to your coffee right away. The best part? It dissolves perfectly in both hot and cold coffee - no more gritty sugar or syrup settling at the bottom. The flavor is amazing! I always make double batches because I go through it so fast.
With this simple syrup recipe, you can skip the vanilla extract and customize the flavor however you like! Try peppermint, raspberry, coconut, orange - the options are endless. Or, leave it unflavored for a simple liquid sugar or "classic" syrup, perfect for sweetening your coffee without crunching on granulated sugar on the bottom of your cup!
Ingredient Notes
- Granulated sugar
- Water
- Vanilla extract: Use pure vanilla extract (not imitation) for best flavor.
See recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and easy-to-follow instructions.
Substitutions & Variations
- Swap out the vanilla extract with any other extract to create a variety of flavored coffee syrups! Try almond, hazelnut, coconut, or even peppermint to switch up your coffee game. The possibilities are endless!
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📋 Recipe
Caramel Coffee Syrup
Ingredients
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup water
- 3 tbs vanilla extract
Instructions
- In a small saucepan, heat sugar and water and whisk well until all sugar is completely dissolved. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla extract.
- Pour into a syrup bottle or any sealed container. Store in the refrigerator for longer shelf life.
Notes
Nutrition
The provided nutritional information is an estimate per serving. Accuracy is not guaranteed.
Valora says
I came here looking for a caramel syrup recipe and find a vanilla syrup recipe instead. Go figure. In the world I live in, a vanilla syrup NEVER tastes like caramel. It doesn't even make sense that 'less vanilla extract, ... would taste like vanilla' but if you use MORE vanilla it will taste like caramel. Huh? Vanilla is vanilla ... More vanilla just means MORE vanilla flavor. Ours is a family of vanilla lovers ... I've made our own natural vanilla extract for over 20 years ... it NEVER tastes like caramel! I guess you must use an artificial vanilla extract ... or ... it's a fact that if you think something tastes a certain way, it will ... regardless if it's what you think it is or not. I'm sure this is yummy and delicious - but it's not caramel and never will be.
Thank you to Jan for the idea of using caramel extract ... that's just the kind of inspiration I was looking for! I was curious if someone had figured a way to get the caramel flavor in a syrup without having to brown the sugar first (why I came here) and reading the suggestion for caramel extract was a 'Duh!' moment! Thanks again!
Janice says
Wow! So good! I used this with cold brewed coffee (the only way to go with iced coffee) and it was amazing. Added a little cream and milk.
Maya says
So where does the actual caramel come into play here? All you've made is a simple syrup with the addition of some vanilla extract. It's vanilla syrup. Nothing caramel about it. Now if you had cooked the syrup to around 350-360 degrees on a candy thermometer, removed from heat, added water back to it to get back to a syrup consistency at room temperature and added some vanilla to further enhance the flavor, then I'd say you might have something. What you describe though has nothing to do with caramel and if that's what you've been adding to your coffee then it's nothing more than vanilla coffee.
Jessica says
Thank you for your opinion Maya and I agree that it isn't technically "caramel", but the amount of vanilla extract makes it taste like a caramel syrup. If there was less vanilla extract, then it would taste like vanilla. I used to work at Starbucks and this syrup tastes (and looks) exactly like their caramel syrup and that is what I was going for.
becky says
Thank you for sharing this. I just made it and I can't wait to try it in my coffee tomorrow! It was so simple! Way better than going through all the effort of caramelizing the sugar, and possibly burning it and making a mess. And it looks delicious!
Jessica says
Awesome!! Yes, it is much easier than all of that caramel nonsense! 😉 How did you like it?
Christina Peeler says
Theres actually a caramel extract . Can you use that to get more of the caramel flavor?
michelle says
Yes I tried the syrup recipe and it was delicious and I also think that what Maya said was rude . Maybe she should take her candy thermometer and....quit bashing on a recipe she hasn't even tried yet!!!
Jessica says
Thank you so much Michelle! <3
Jan says
I totally agree with you. I make mine similarly, but use Watkin's caramel extract, no vanilla. One time I ran out of Watkin's caramel extract & used just plain vanilla extract - there was a definite difference (not nearly as good). If you truly want caramel flavor use caramel extract. You can get Watkin's caramel extract for about $3.49 at jrwatkins.com. I order 2 at a time. My iced coffee would not be the same without it!