Homemade vanilla syrup!

I have always loved making my own drinks at home. Mocktails, lattes, tea blends, you name it. A big part of my drink creations is the syrup! Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE going to a coffee shop and getting a drink made for me. But when you’re trying to save money, homemade is best! This morning I was craving a vanilla chai latte, so I thought I’d share how I make my homemade vanilla syrup. It’s so easy and delicious, you’ll never want to use store bought syrup again!

First you want to start off with a simple syrup! Combine 1 cup of granulated white sugar and 1 cup of water in a pot, and bring it to a simmer over medium heat. Make sure to stir it occasionally so the sugar dissolves. Let it simmer for about 10 minutes, or until you start to notice the syrup getting thicker. Next, remove the pot from the heat and stir in 1 tablespoon of pure vanilla extract. Yes I know, that’s a lot of vanilla! I personally like really strong flavours, but if you want a lighter tasting syrup, you can cut the vanilla in half. I also like to add vanilla beans for even more flavour, so I scrape out half of a vanilla bean pod and stir that in as well. Let it cool, then pour the syrup into a mason jar and refrigerate. That’s it! You can keep it in the fridge for up to two weeks, but it’s typically gone after a week in our house😂

Once you start making your own syrups, it can become addictive! I’ve made brown sugar syrup, caramel, pumpkin spice, fruit based syrups like strawberry and peach, and flower infused syrups like lilac and dandelion. The possibilities are endless. One of our favourites is lemonade I make with freshly squeezed lemons and a homemade blueberry syrup, which now that I’m mentioning it, come blueberry season I’ll have to post a recipe for that too!

Here’s that vanilla chai latte I was talking about! Let me know if you try this recipe, hope you enjoy it as much as I do!☕️