The short answer: to make caramel syrup, heat 200 g sugar with 60 ml water and 1 teaspoon lemon juice without stirring until it turns deep amber, about 180 to 190 °C (355 to 375 °F). Take it off the heat and carefully whisk in 180 ml hot water and a pinch of salt. Cool it, bottle it, and keep it in the fridge for up to 1 month.
Caramel syrup is burnt sugar, stopped at the right moment and thinned with water so it pours. It is what café caramel lattes are made with. Homemade caramel syrup costs pennies and tastes darker and less sweet than the bottled kind. Two things go wrong: the sugar turns gritty, or it burns. This recipe stops both.
| At a glance | |
|---|---|
| Time | 20 minutes, plus cooling |
| Makes | About 300 ml (1¼ cups) |
| Colour to aim for | Deep amber, like a copper coin |
| Keeps | Up to 1 month in the fridge |
Ingredients
- 200 g (1 cup) white sugar
- 60 ml (¼ cup) water, for the caramel
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice, or 1 teaspoon corn syrup
- 180 ml (¾ cup) hot water, to finish
- A pinch of salt; ½ teaspoon flaky salt for salted caramel syrup
- Optional: ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Use a light-coloured, heavy pan of about 2 litres. You need to see the colour, and the caramel bubbles up when the water goes in.
How to make caramel syrup
- Dissolve. Put the sugar, 60 ml water and lemon juice in the pan. Stir once over medium heat until the sugar is wet and dissolving. Then stop stirring for good.
- Boil. Turn the heat to medium-high and let it boil. If you see sugar crystals on the sides, brush them down with a pastry brush dipped in water.
- Colour. After 8 to 12 minutes the syrup turns straw yellow, then gold. Turn the heat to low and swirl the pan gently. Stop at deep amber, about 180 to 190 °C (355 to 375 °F), when it smells of toffee.
- Add the water. Take the pan off the heat. Stand back and pour in the 180 ml hot water in a slow stream, whisking. It hisses, steams and bubbles up hard for a few seconds. Keep whisking until it is smooth.
- Season and cool. Whisk in the salt and vanilla. If any hard caramel is left, put the pan back on low heat and stir until it melts. Cool, then pour into a clean bottle.
Why caramel syrup crystallises, and how to stop it
Sugar wants to turn back into crystals. One stray grain on the side of the pan can set off a chain, and the whole pan turns cloudy and sandy. Three habits stop it:
- Add acid or corn syrup. Lemon juice splits some of the sugar into two other sugars. Corn syrup adds them directly. Both get in the way of crystals. America's Test Kitchen prefers corn syrup; lemon juice works well enough for a syrup.
- Stop stirring once it boils. A spoon splashes syrup onto the dry sides of the pan, where crystals start. Swirl the pan instead.
- Wash down the sides. A wet pastry brush rinses stray grains back into the syrup. A lid for the first 2 minutes of boiling does the same job with steam.
If it does crystallise in the pan, add 60 ml of water and heat it gently until it melts. Then start the boil again.
How dark to take it
| Colour | About | Tastes |
|---|---|---|
| Pale gold | 170 °C (340 °F) | Sweet, mild, buttery |
| Deep amber | 180 to 190 °C (355 to 375 °F) | Toffee, a little bitter: the one for coffee |
| Dark mahogany | Above 190 °C (375 °F) | Bitter, smoky |
Colour can fool you under warm kitchen lights. A probe thermometer is the surest test. Without one, drip a little onto a white plate to see the true colour.
How to use caramel syrup
- Caramel latte: 15 to 20 ml (1 tablespoon or a little more) in a mug of hot milk and a double espresso.
- Iced coffee: stir it into our cold brew coffee before the ice goes in.
- Hot chocolate: a spoonful stirred in at the end.
- Pancakes and waffles: warm it and pour it on instead of maple syrup.
- Ice cream: drizzle it on cold. It turns slightly chewy.
- Cake soak: brush it over a warm sponge or banana bread.
Want a softer, toasty sweetness? Try brown sugar syrup, or pair this with our vanilla syrup for a caramel vanilla latte.
How long caramel syrup keeps
- Fridge: in a clean, closed glass bottle for up to 1 month.
- Let it cool first: hot syrup can crack a cold bottle. Pour it in when it is barely warm.
- If it thickens: cold makes it thicker. Stand the bottle in warm water for a few minutes.
- Throw it away if it smells sour, turns cloudy or shows any mould.
Common mistakes
- Stirring the boiling syrup: it crystallises. Swirl, do not stir.
- A dark pan: you cannot see amber turn to burnt. Use stainless steel or enamel.
- Walking away: amber turns to burnt in under a minute. Stay at the stove from the first gold.
- Cold water at the end: it makes the caramel seize into hard lumps and spit more. Use hot water.
- Leaning over the pan: caramel is far hotter than boiling water and the steam burns. Pour at arm's length and keep children away.
Questions
How do you make caramel syrup for coffee?
Cook 200 g sugar with 60 ml water and 1 teaspoon lemon juice, without stirring, to deep amber. Off the heat, whisk in 180 ml hot water and a pinch of salt. Use 15 to 20 ml per latte.
Why did my caramel syrup turn gritty?
Sugar crystals formed, usually from stirring once it boiled or from grains stuck to the sides of the pan. Add lemon juice or corn syrup, swirl instead of stirring, and brush the sides with water.
How long does homemade caramel syrup last?
Up to 1 month in a clean, closed bottle in the fridge. Throw it away if it smells sour or grows mould.
Is caramel syrup the same as caramel sauce?
No. Caramel sauce is made with cream and butter and is thick. Caramel syrup is made with water, so it is thin and mixes straight into coffee.
Can I make salted caramel syrup?
Yes. Whisk ½ teaspoon of flaky salt into the finished syrup, taste, and add more a pinch at a time.
