Brown Sugar Simple Syrup (Starbucks Recipe Copycat)

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If you're a fan of the Starbucks Iced Brown Sugar Oatmilk Shaken Espresso, you'll want to try this homemade Brown Sugar Simple Syrup recipe. This recipe is so simple and easy, there's no reason to waste your money at the coffee shop anymore!

brown sugar simple syrup in pouring container with coffee mug in background

One of my favorite drinks to get at Starbucks is a Brown Sugar Oatmilk Latte. I prefer hot coffee drinks over cold ones. The cold version they have is called the Iced Brown Sugar Oatmilk Shaken Espresso.

I was craving this drink so much that I decided to try to create something similar at home, and I think I got pretty close!

This coffee beverage sweetener is a great addition for your brunch coffee bar. Serve along with other delicious brunch recipes such as my Spicy Avocado Toast, my French Toast with Captain Crunch or my Simple Breakfast Crepes.

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Ingredients
Instructions for making this Brown Sugar Simple Syrup
Substitutions
Variations
Equipment
Storage
FAQ
Pairing
📋 Recipe
Food safety
💬 Comments

Ingredients

Here is what you'll need to make this ridiculously simple recipe! It's basically a take on a classic simple syrup which is made of equal parts white sugar and water.

dark brown sugar - I prefer dark brown sugar over light brown sugar. Dark brown sugar has more molasses included, and gives it a richer almost caramel-like flavor.
water
maple syrup - this just gives an a little extra boost of flavor.
salt - this may sound like a strange ingredient, but it is needed. I always add a pinch of salt to all sweet recipes. When you add it in a small amount, it doesn't make the food item salty, it just brings out the depth of flavors and enhances them.

See recipe card for quantities.

Instructions for making this Brown Sugar Simple Syrup

Add the dark brown sugar and water to a small pot or sauce pan.

Add the maple syrup and salt to the sauce pan.

Stir and cook over medium-high heat until all sugar dissolves and syrup is free of any sugar crystals. Cool to room temperature. You can add directly to coffee or espresso, however, I like to add it to oat milk. You can use almond milk, or any other type of milk, but I like how creamy and frothy the oat milk gets.

pouring brown sugar syrup into oat milk in a glass

My favorite tool to get my oak milk super creamy and frothy is this cordless milk frother. Blend the brown sugar syrup and the oat milk until you have a large amount of foam on top. Pour the homemade syrup into your coffee or espresso (hot or cold) and enjoy!

frothing a glass of oat milk with brown sugar syrup added

pouring brown sugar syrup sweetened oat milk into a mug of hot coffee

Substitutions

There are not too many substitutions you can make with this recipe, but I'll list a few different types of sugars. Keep in mind, changing the sugar will alter the flavor and you won't really get the "brown sugar" part of the recipe - since that is really a key ingredient in this recipe.

White sugar - this will give you a sweet syrup, but will be lacking in the caramel-ish flavor that brown sugar has. If you have molasses, add a tablespoon or two to make up for the missing flavor. You could also increase the maple syrup, but you'll end up with a more maple flavor rather than brown sugar.
Light brown sugar - this will be the closest flavor to the dark brown sugar, but just a little less intense.
Turbinado sugar - very similar flavor to brown sugar, so this will work well. This is also not as intense as dark brown sugar with the caramel like flavor.
Coconut sugar - this is most similar to brown sugar, and will produce a similar flavor.

Variations

If you're feeling creative, add some additional flavorings to your syrup!

Spicy - it may sound weird, but I love a spicy/sweet cocktail or chocolate bar with chili peppers, so why not a coffee? Add a pinch of cayenne!
Vanilla - add some pure vanilla extract for an added flavor boost, or add real vanilla beans if you want to be extra.
Cinnamon - add some ground cinnamon powder for a fall coffee drink, or steep a couple of whole cinnamon sticks in the syrup.
Pumpkin pie spice - everyone loves pumpkin spice everything - make you're own PSL with this one!

Equipment

The equipment needed to make this is minimal.

Storage

Store this delicious brown sugar syrup in an airtight container in the refrigerator. I like to use a small mason jar (which makes a great homemade gift!). Homemade brown sugar syrup should last in the refrigerator for about one to two weeks if flavored, but up to four weeks just made as is in this recipe.

brown sugar syrup stored in a small glass mason jar next to the white pouring container

FAQ

How long will this brown sugar syrup last?

If you don't add extra flavoring, you can really keep this for up to four weeks in the refrigerator. If you add extra ingredients like vanilla or cinnamon, I would try to use it up within one to two weeks.

Pairing

closeup of brown sugar syrup in pouring container with coffee in background

These are my favorite dishes to serve with this copycat Starbucks brown sugar syrup:

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