Orange Simple Syrup

Bright citrus flavors abound in this sweet and tangy orange simple syrup. This easy to make, four ingredients syrup is a pretty orange color and is the perfect condition to a wide array of different beverages and foods. If you’re looking for a little tangy citrus sweetness, then this should be your go-to.

What is Orange Simple Syrup?

Orange simple syrup is a super easy to make four ingredient sweetener that is made from orange juice, orange peels and an equal ratio of sugar and water. The resulting syrup is a bright, tangy and sweet citrus flavor. It’s the perfect addition for a variety of different beverages from hot to cold as well as desserts and other foods.

Though simple syrups can be used on a wide variety of foods, they’re most commonly used in beverages. They’re a great substitution for regular sugar as they dissolve more easily and leave less gritty texture.

There’s a wide variety of easy to make flavored simple syrups that are made just like this one. A few include lemon simple syrup, coconut simple syrup and jalapeno simple syrup.

If you’d like to know some of the reasons why this recipe works so well, here are a few:

• Bursting with citrus. The flavor combination of tangy citrus with sweet sugar is classic. You get a little tart zest and then sweetness takes over.
• Only four ingredients. You only need four very simple ingredients for this recipe. Two of them you can get simply from a single orange and the other two are simply sugar and water.
• It’s easy to customize. It’s really easy to change the flavor in the syrup up to be exactly what you want whether it’s changing the sweetener or adding some herb or spice infusion in.

Equipment

• Saucepan
• Wooden Spoon (or any long handle spoon)
• Strainer
• Mason jar or Small Pyrex
• Measuring Cup
• Knife

Ingredients

• 1 cup Sugar
• 1 cup Water
• .5 Cup Orange Juice (pulp free)
• a few slices of Orange peel

Instructions

Step one

Gather up all of your ingredients including sugar, water, orange juice, orange peel, measuring cup, saucepan, wooden spoon and jar.

Step two

If you haven’t prepared your orange already do so now. Cut your orange into slices and pull some strips of peel off of them. You want to make sure to get all of the white pith off of the peel.

Toss three or four strips of orange peel into the saucepan.

Step three

Measure 1 cup of sugar and dump that into the pot.

Step four

Measure 0.5 cups of orange juice and dump that into the pot.

Step Five

Measure 1 cup of water and dump that into the pot.

Step Six

Place your pot on medium heat on top of the stove and simmer for around 10 minutes. Make sure to stir frequently during heating so that everything is evenly heated and does not burn on the bottom of the pot.

Step Seven

Once you have heated everything together, remove it from the stove. Then, pour it directly into your jar and place the lid on top.

Pop it into the refrigerator to give it time to cool and thicken. This usually takes about 2 hours.

How to Use

The list of uses for the syrup are a mile long. Here are just a few you can consider:

• Tea and coffee. You can put this in either hot or cold tea or coffee for a sweet flavor infusion to your favorite drink. This is a great way to make a fancy drink at home and not pay Starbucks price.
• Cocktails and mocktails. Add this to orange flavored mocktails or cocktails that have an orange flavor such as an orange margarita in order to get a sweet tangy flavor.
• Drizzle on breakfast. Add this over top of pancakes or waffles to sweeten and liven up your breakfast dishes.
• Moisten cake or sweetened desserts. Brush this on between cake layers to add a little sweet flavor and keep your cake moist. Or, drizzle it over sweet breads, muffins and other desserts.
• Make milk or hot chocolate. Add a few ounces of this to a full cup of milk to make an orange flavored milk. Or at a few ounces to a full cup of hot chocolate to make an orange flavored hot chocolate.

Variations

There are a few different ingredient changes and flavor variations you can make to this syrup. Check out these suggestions:

• Skip the orange juice or orange peels. Though most recipes for the syrup definitely call for orange peels, you can use either just the orange juice or just the orange peels if you prefer.
• Change the sweetener. You can change the flavor profile of the syrup a little bit by using different sweeteners such as honey or brown sugar which brings slightly different flavor complexities in.
• Change the texture. By adding a little cornstarch, about one teaspoon, or by adding a little additional sugar you can make this a thicker syrup which is better for adding to foods.
• Add orange zest. Replace the peels or do this in addition to them. Zest some orange directly into the mixture to infuse it with additional flavor.
• Add some additional flavors. There are a lot of different flavors that go well with orange flavor. You can add some of those in. Some examples include:
  • Ground cinnamon, one teaspoon.
  • Ground Ginger, one teaspoon.
  • Vanilla extract, one teaspoon
  • Rosemary, cilantro or basil, a few sprigs.

Top Tips & Storage

Make sure you follow the best process tips and storage tips to maximize your recipe:

• Use organic oranges. If possible, use organic oranges especially if you’re going to use the orange peel. Either way if it’s organic or conventional, it’s really important to rinse the peel well.
• Let the peel steep. You can actually leave the peel in the syrup as it cools in the fridge to continue to infuse that sweet and tangy orange flavor.
• Don’t boil it. It’s important to get this nice and hot at a good simmer, but not to let it get to a full rolling boil. If it starts to boil it can burn.
• Storage and freezing. Keep this for 2 to 4 weeks in an airtight container and the refrigerator. Or, if you won’t use it up in that time, freeze it by putting it in an ice cube tray. Once it’s frozen, pop the cubes out and put them into a freezer bag.

Even More Fruit Flavored Syrups

• Mango Simple Syrup
• Banana Syrup
• Watermelon Syrup

Recipe