Basil Simple Syrup

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This basil simple syrup is an easy homemade syrup that is perfect for mixing into lemonade, tea or craft cocktails. Made with only 3 ingredients in less than 15 minutes.

Flavored simple syrup recipes are easy to make at home. For other herb based syrups, try this thyme simple syrup, this rosemary simple syrup or this lavender syrup.

For fruit flavored syrups, try this pineapple ginger syrup, this banana syrup, this peach syrup or this blackberry syrup.

Jump to:

• Recipe Highlights
• Ways to Use Basil Syrup
• Ingredients
• Equipment
• Instructions
• Storage
• Expert Tips
• FAQ
• 📖 Recipe

Recipe Highlights

• This recipe is a great way to use up leftover basil leaves and prevent them from going to waste.
• This basil syrup can be used in a variety of ways to make a number of creative drinks.
• It takes less than 15 minutes to make a large batch of this syrup.

Ways to Use Basil Syrup

Here are some ideas for ways to use this basil simple syrup:

• Cocktails: Any cocktail that uses regular simple syrup can be substituted for this basil syrup.
• Tea: This works well as a natural sweetener for tea. Try it with lemon ginger tea, black tea, or green tea.
• Summer Drinks: Add a spoonful to lemonade, iced fruity teas, or homemade sodas.
• Homemade Popsicles: Use this as a sweetener and flavoring for homemade popsicles.
• Fruit Salad: Drizzle a small amount over fresh fruit salad made of strawberries, blueberries, melon or pineapple.
• Ice Cream: Drizzle sparingly over vanilla ice cream or a fruit flavored sorbet.

Ingredients

• Basil: Use fresh basil leaves only. Dried basil will not work for this recipe. Any type of fresh basil will work such as Thai basil, lemon basil, purple basil, sweet basil or Genovese basil.
• Sugar: Granulated sugar works best for this recipe. You can substitute this with brown sugar, but it will add a slightly caramel flavor and give the syrup a darker color.
• Water: Water is the base of the syrup. Use filtered water if you have it.

Equipment

• A nonstick pan to make the syrup in.
• A spatula or whisk to stir the ingredients.
• A mason jar to store the syrup in.

Instructions

Step 1: Heat the basil, sugar and water on a saucepan over medium heat. Continue to heat for 5 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. It is ok if the syrup has a very gentle simmer, but don’t let it boil.

Step 2: Once the sugar has completely dissolved, strain out the basil leaves and let the syrup cool to room temperature before using it.

Storage

Fridge: Let the syrup fully cool to room temperature. Then, store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week.

Freezer: Freeze in a freezer safe container for 2 to 3 months. You can also freeze the syrup in an ice cube tray to store it in smaller portions. Before using, let the basil syrup thaw overnight in the fridge.

Expert Tips

• Don’t let the syrup boil. An occasional gentle simmer is ok, but boiling the syrup will cause too much water to evaporate. This results in a thick, gooey syrup.
• The syrup should be watery. The consistency of the simple syrup should almost be like water. If it is too thick, it was heated for too long at too high of a temperature.
• Gently press the leaves as they cook. Use the back of a wooden spoon or spatula to press the leaves as you make the syrup. This encourages the leaves to release their juices.

FAQ

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📖 Recipe