How to Make Smooth Caramel Syrup for Coffee at Home

If you enjoy flavoring your coffee at home, you’ll love this caramel syrup. It’s fat-free, dairy-free, and simple to make.

With only four ingredients the caramel flavor really shines. If you want a sauce for ice cream instead, try the blood orange caramel sauce recipe in my other dessert sauce collection.

I small, clear glass jar full of amber liquid with a spoon held over the jar drizzling some back down into it.

More coffee syrup recipes to try: white chocolate sauce and butterscotch coffee syrup.

Caramel Syrup, At a Glance

✔️Skill Level: Intermediate
✔️Skills: Caramelizing Sugar
✔️Type: Flavored Syrup for Coffee
✔️Number of Ingredients: 4
✔️Prep Time: 5 minutes
✔️Cook Time: 10 minutes
✔️Yield: about 1 cup of syrup (8 oz)

Jump Straight to the Recipe

Easy, delicious, and so pretty in the jar.

Reader Jane

Testing the Recipe, for Those Who Are Interested

If you want just the recipe, skip down to the recipe section. For readers curious about testing: I made three batches using the same total sugar (150 grams / about 3/4 cup) but varied how much was caramelized versus kept as simple syrup.

Batch one caramelized half the sugar and made simple syrup with the rest. Batch two caramelized all the sugar and stopped the cooking with hot water. Batch three combined the two approaches (about 113 g caramelized, 37 g dissolved in simple syrup).

I tasted all three in steamed milk and black coffee. The blended approach (batch three) delivered the most pronounced caramel without bitterness. Caramelizing all the sugar produced strong caramel flavor but left a bitter edge that’s harder to tame without dairy. If you prefer a sweeter, milder caramel, use a 50/50 split between caramelized sugar and simple syrup.

How to Make Caramel Syrup for Coffee

Here’s the straightforward method:

Make a simple syrup from a portion of the sugar and water.
Caramelize the remaining sugar in a separate pan.
Carefully add the hot simple syrup to the caramel to stop the cooking, then boil briefly.
Finish with vanilla and cool.

The trickiest step is caramelizing sugar. If you’ve never done this before, cook over medium heat so the sugar changes color more slowly and you have time to react. Higher heat speeds the process but increases the risk of overshooting and creating bitterness. Swirl the pan occasionally and add the hot simple syrup as soon as the caramel reaches the desired honey color.

A series of 9 images of sugar boiling, showing how the color eventually darkens to a beautiful honey color. The last image shows pouring a hot simple syrup into the caramelized sugar to stop the cooking and set the color.

Jenni Says: Add the simple syrup carefully; the caramel will hiss and splatter. Use a pan with a long handle so your hand stays well away from the steam when you pour.

How Much To Use?

A horizontal image of a glass jar of caramel syrup and a coffee mug.

I typically use between 1/2 and 1 ounce of syrup per mug. For an 8 oz cup, try 1 1/2 teaspoons to 1 tablespoon (about 7–14 grams). The caramel notes come through even if you add milk or cream.

More Coffee Syrups

If you’re building a coffee bar at home, consider sugar cookie syrup, white chocolate sauce for a white mocha, or butterscotch syrup for a cozy fall flavor. Pumpkin spice syrup is another crowd-pleaser for seasonal drinks.

Questions?

If you have questions about the recipe, leave a comment on the post and I’ll respond. You’re also welcome to ask in my Facebook group, Fearless Kitchen Fun. For a more immediate question, email me at the address listed below and I’ll reply as soon as I can.

Email Jenni

A Note About Measurements

My recipes use weight measurements for accuracy, including liquids unless otherwise noted. For consistent results I recommend using a kitchen scale — it makes baking and cleanup quicker and easier.

I personally use and recommend the Escali Primo digital kitchen scale for home use.

A square image of a small, clear glass jar of amber caramel syrup and a coffee cup.

Caramel Syrup Recipe

Jennifer Field

The aim is to achieve strong caramel flavor without bitterness by caramelizing most—but not all—of the sugar and balancing with a pinch of salt and a splash of vanilla.

Prep Time 5 mins

Cook Time 10 mins

Total Time 15 mins

Course Coffee Creamer

Cuisine American

Servings 8 servings

Calories 73 kcal

Ingredients

150 grams granulated sugar 5.3 oz, or about 3/4 cup, divided
200 grams water 7 oz or 1 cup minus 2 Tablespoons, divided
pinch salt
½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

In a small pan, combine 37 grams of sugar (about 3 Tablespoons) with 100 grams (scant 1/2 cup) water.
Add a pinch of salt and heat to a boil. Stir until the sugar dissolves, then boil about 30 seconds. Remove from heat and keep the syrup nearby, hot.
In a medium pan, combine the remaining sugar (113 grams) and 50 grams water. Heat over medium, stirring so the sugar moistens and begins to dissolve.
Bring to a boil and cook until the sugar caramelizes to a honey color, about 10 minutes. Gently swirl the pan for even caramelization. When the color is right, remove from heat and carefully pour the reserved hot syrup into the caramel to stop the cooking.
Return to heat and stir until any seized caramel dissolves. Boil about 90 seconds.
Remove from heat, stir in vanilla, then pour into a clean jar and cool. Store in the refrigerator up to two weeks.

Notes

To make a more assertive caramel, caramelize all the sugar and stop the cooking with the entire amount of water—bring that water to a boil first to reduce spatter and pour carefully from a handled pan.

For a sweeter, milder syrup for steamed milk, caramelize only half the sugar and use the rest for the simple syrup.

Nutrition

Calories: 73
Carbohydrates: 19 g
Fat: 0.1 g

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And there you have it — a delicious, easy-to-make caramel syrup for coffee. Enjoy, and thanks for spending time here. Take care, y’all.