- February 21, 2019
- "Book" Club
Homemade Keto Simple Syrup
An easy to make, classic simple syrup that’s low carb and keto friendly. This recipe is a versatile sweetener that can be used for cocktails, mixers, drinks, and homemade syrups without the carbs!
Bon Appeteach is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com. I only share products that I use and stand behind personally, have used, and would buy myself. Thanks for the support!
Updated: 2/09/2022
While I am clearly a huge foodie, you may not know that I also love a great craft cocktail too. After switching to a lower carb lifestyle back in 2017 to manage my PCOS, I felt like drinking some of my favorite cocktails was no longer in the cards.
Why? Because most drinks are chocked full with delicious sweeteners and liquors that are packed full of carbs.
While this makes a delicious cocktail, it wasn’t helping my health needs. I wanted to find a solution to this problem.
Luckily for you, I put several sweeteners to the test to find the perfect combination for a truly delicious zero carb traditional simple syrup.
With well over 75+ reviews on this recipe, it looks like you all agree with me too!
Not only are the syrups a great substitute for sweetening your favorite drink, but they have also helped me make other popular cocktail mixers sugar free (check out my Keto Kahlua and my homemade sugar free triple sec too).
Below I’ll walk you through how truly simple it is to make a keto syrup, give you tips on which sweeteners work and taste the best for this recipe, and all the culinary teacher tips for making drinks, flavored syrup combinations, and how to store it too. Let’s dive in!
“School” Supplies:
- Small Saucepan or Pot
- Measuring Cups/ Spoons
- Whisk
- Glass Jars for storage
“Class” Notes:
While this recipe is literally low carb sugar and water at it’s core, there are some “need to know” pointers I want to help walk you through. Scroll through the information below or jump to the recipe below!
What is simple syrup?
The idea behind simple syrup isn’t complicated, it’s just equal parts water to sugar (or in this case a low carb sweetener) that’s dissolved over heat and cooled.
What you do need to know about making a keto simple syrup however, is that not all low carb sweeteners will work for this process.
Simple syrups are a great way of using a pre-dissolved sweetener in things like coffee (especially iced), cocktails, and other refreshing drinks that you want to sweeten.
It’s naturally gluten free and when made with a low carb sweetener, it doesn’t spike your blood sugar either!
What sweeteners can I use to make a sugar free simple syrup recipe?
The properties of sugar alcohols (aka low carb sweeteners) are not the same as regular sugar.
Many will melt and dissolve perfectly well in water (or other liquids), but will recrystallize once they cool. Obviously this is not ideal for a syrup if this happens.
I often find that sweeteners like erythritol and monk fruit sweetener are usually the ones to not fully develop into a true “syrup” like consistency.
After cooking and dissolving in liquid they tend to have more of a chemical taste as well (in my opinion) and I DO NOT recommend them for this recipe.
The one traditional sugar replacement I do prefer for a low carb simple syrup is – Allulose.
It dissolves easily, poses less risk than Xylitol to animals (I do not keep it in my house for this reason), doesn’t require any thickening agents like xanthan gum when creating the syrup, and isn’t too sweet either.
What is allulose?
I have covered the properties of allulose extensively in other recipes here on my website and linked throughout this article.
Like I mentioned above, it dissolves easily and mimics properties of traditional sugar. That means it works great for browning, caramelizing, and in this case making syrup!
I buy mine in bulk on Amazon, but many stores are carrying it as well these days!
How do I make keto syrup?
- Add equal parts water to sweetener into a pot.
- Stir to dissolve and bring to a slow simmer.
- Once it is simmering, simply (pun intended) remove it from the heat and allow it to cool. You can leave it as is or choose to flavor your syrup at this point
How can I make flavored simple syrups?
The usual rule of thumb, is to (usually) add your flavor profile after you remove the syrup from the heat. This works best especially with herbs like mint and fresh berries.
I will allow the cinnamon sticks or whole ginger root to simmer in the mixture however, to help draw out the flavors.
It really comes down to how strong you want your syrup flavor to be (the longer you steep the stronger the flavor).
I’ve gotten creative with flavor profiles and even made smoke infused keto simple syrup, this keto pumpkin spice syrup for my coffee lovers out there, and a spicier hatch chili syrup for this low carb hatch chili margarita!
Fruit syrups are a little different. The blackberry syrup pictured throughout this post, was made by adding berries to the hot syrup (off the heat).
I used a potato masher to break the berries up and allowed it to steep. Once it hit room temperature, I strained it into a jar and discarded the pulp and seeds.
Pro Tip – Want to make maple syrup? Use double the amount of sweetener (2:1 ratio) and mix in maple extract when you take the syrup off the heat!
How do I store keto friendly syrups?
Store the syrups in the fridge. They should last a fairly long time (I haven’t tested the shelf life fully but as long as there is no mold, you’re good) if stored properly.
Use the syrups in a variety of cocktails like this fan favorite Keto Strawberry Lemonade Whiskey Smash, to keep them sugar free and lower in carbs!
Pro Tip- Add a splash of high proof vodka to your syrups. This helps preserve them for much longer in the fridge!
I hope you give this keto syrup recipe a try! Have fun with it and make it your own. The keto diet doesn’t have to be a difficult way of eating or drinking.
Save this recipe now over on Pinterest or bookmark it for later. Did you try this recipe? Tag me on social media so I can check it out too!
Homemade Keto Simple Syrup
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup Allulose Low Carb Sweetener
- 1 cup Water
- Splash of Vodka see notes in post
Instructions
- In a pot, combine the water and the low carb allulose sweetener. Stir with a whisk to dissolve and allow it come to a simmer.
- Once simmering fully (about 5 minutes), remove it from the heat and allow it to come to room temperature. If not adding flavor, leave as is.
- To add flavors- (like herbs, fruits, and spices) Steep them in the hot syrup off the heat until the syrup is fully cooled.
- Remove the items/ strain and place the syrup in a container or jar. Store in the fridge for longest shelf life.
- Preserve your syrups for longer by adding a splash of higher proof vodka to the mixture!
Trying this tonight with friends, along with the triple sec. (Assuming I can find allulose!)
Love those bottles and stoppers!
Would you share the source, please?
Hi Mary, I hope the cocktail making goes well for you! The bottles are from World Market. Here is the link to them -https://www.worldmarket.com/product/glass+oil+bottle+with+gold+stopper.do
When making orange liquor can you use orange extract along with or instead of the orange peel?
Hi! I haven’t tried it with the extract but I think you could do a combination of both if you wanted to (I wouldn’t recommend fully replacing it from the orange peel though).