Raspberry Simple Syrup

This easy three ingredient raspberry simple syrup is perfect for cocktails, coffee, topping cakes and cheesecakes, Italian sodas, and so much more! It’s a sugar based syrup naturally flavored with fresh or frozen raspberries. You’ll never want to buy a flavored syrup again!

While raspberries are great for snacking, they’re just as good as a flavor. Their tart/sweet flavor contrast is a striking flavor that tends to play well with others. Raspberry pairs well with chocolate, vanilla, mint, and pretty much any other fruit.

That’s why raspberry simple syrup is a great recipe to have on hand. It’s versatile and useful, and you can use whatever raspberries you have on hand, fresh or frozen. And you’re bound to have the other ingredients (just water and sugar) in your kitchen.

How to Use Raspberry Simple Syrup

Raspberry Simple Syrup, how shall I use thee? Let me count the ways… And there are a LOT of them. Shakespeare might even run out of words. And when he tasted how much better this is than the bottles from the store? Well, he would definitely be speechless.

• Cocktails and Mocktails — This is one of the most popular ways to use flavored simple syrup. Add your raspberry syrup to margaritas, martinis, mojitos, and more. And I’ve just run out of M cocktails.
  
• Coffee or Hot Chocolate — I would recommend starting out with 1-2 tablespoons of syrup in a mugful of your hot beverage of choice, then adding more to taste.
  
• Topping Pancakes and Waffles — Breakfast and brunch just got even tastier. Maybe try it on some sourdough pancakes?
  
• Italian Sodas — if you’ve got some kind of water that bubbles on hand, mix it with a bit of raspberry syrup, and voila! You’ve got an Italian Soda.
  
• Flavor Cakes and Cupcakes — Simple syrup is often brushed onto layer cakes or cupcakes to keep them moist. With raspberry simple syrup, you can add flavor too!
  
• Drizzle some over Ice Cream — A scoop of high-quality vanilla, a few chunks of dark chocolate, and a drizzle of raspberry syrup, and you have a first-class, delicious dessert.

Ingredients List

There are only 3, if you count the water. And is that even an ingredients?

• Raspberries — You can use fresh or frozen raspberries, either works great for this recipe! The syrup may take a few extra minutes if you use frozen, since they have to thaw before beginning to cook down.
  
  Simple syrup is also a great way to use raspberries that are on the old side. Make sure they don’t have any mold, but mushy or wrinkly berries work great. Hurray for reducing food waste!
  
• Sugar — Any kind of granulated sugar will work for this recipe. I like to use organic cane sugar, which has a light beige color. If you use white sugar, your simple syrup will be clear, rather than the off-white color in the pictures.
  
• Water — This needs no explanation, right? I like to use filtered to make sure there are no flavors influencing your syrup, but any H2o will the do the job.

Equipment Needed

This is a simple recipe to make, and uses just a few tools that you most likely have in your kitchen.

• Small to medium pan — Make sure this is big enough that you can simmer the syrup without it spilling all over your stove top. That’s no fun to clean up-don’t ask how I know.
• Wooden spoon or rubber spatula — You’ll need to stir the syrup regularly while it cooks. Use something heat proof and with a long handle to keep your hands away from the steam.
• Potato masher or large fork — True confession, I’ve never owned a potato masher. Which means I always opt for the fork, but if you prefer the masher, go for it!
• Fine mesh sieve — This will be used for straining the bits of raspberry from the syrup after cooking.
• Bowl — This is to place underneath the sieve to catch the syrup when it’s being strained.
• A glass jar or container for storing — check out the section below for more tips and tricks on storing your raspberry syrup to keep it fresh and tasty as long as possible.

How to Make the Raspberry Syrup

In a small to medium pot, mix together the water and sugar. Cook them together over medium heat, stirring frequently, until the sugar has dissolved. This should take about 3 minutes, give or take.

Add the raspberries, and use a potato masher or large fork to smash them. You’ll have lots of bits of raspberry and seeds floating in the pot.

Return the syrup to the heat and bring it back to an energetic simmer over medium heat, stirring frequently. You may have to reduce the heat to keep it from boiling over.

Cook the syrup for another 7 minutes, stirring frequently, then remove it from the heat. For thicker syrup, continue cooking for another 2-3 minutes. Pour it through a fine mesh sieve into a bowl.

Transfer the syrup to a container with a lid, then place it in the refrigerator to cool completely. It’s now ready to use however you’d like!

Storage Tips

Your raspberry syrup will keep for up to three weeks if stored properly. It needs to be kept refrigerated in an airtight container or jar when it’s not being used.

Also, make sure that the container it’s in is very clean–you don’t want any residue contaminating the syrup and causing it to spoil or develop unpleasant flavors. You can even boil the container before using it to ensure that it’s completely clean.

Recipe Tips, Notes, and Questions

• The longer you cook your syrup, the thicker it will be. If you want a thinner syrup for drinks, boil it for the recommended time. If you want a thicker syrup for topping pancakes, cheesecakes, or ice cream, boil for another 2-3 minutes.
• Keep in mind that the syrup will continue to thicken as it cools, so take it off the heat while it’s still thinner than you want your final syrup.

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