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Cooking With Anadi
12K subscribers · molasses and spices that make coffee taste like gingerbread
Starbucks Gingerbread Syrup Recipe
I love wintertime - the cozy good vibes and all of the holiday treats and goodies! Of course, whenever you think of “gingerbread,” you think of the holiday season.
I’ve had some gingerbread lattes at coffee shops and I totally love to get them, in addition to just picking up coffee in the first place! However, the constant coffee shop trips do get expensive, and I feel really satisfied when I can make my own drink! Discovering a good Homemade Gingerbread Syrup really blew me away! It’s so quick and simple to make, and you’ll love the taste! Check out all the gingerbread-themed ideas later on in this post and put your heart on a plate for the holidays with this Gingerbread Syrup as part of your Live to Cook one-month cooking challenge! Get started on your cooking journey for free by signing up to my email newsletter, plus all of my latest recipes will be sent straight to your inbox!
To follow along with this Gingerbread Syrup recipe, be sure to watch the video! Please subscribe to my YouTube channel if you haven’t already and don’t forget to press the bell button to be notified when all of my video recipes go live! Let’s get to it!
What is Gingerbread Syrup for Coffee?▼
Gingerbread Syrup is a simple syrup, meaning that it is a very thin liquid sweetener, as opposed to other “classic” syrups which are thicker in consistency, including pancake syrup or maple syrup. The best use case for simple syrups is to sweeten drinks because the sugar is dissolved in water, whereas when you add granulated sugar, it can cause graininess, even if you stir vigorously!
You can flavor your simple syrups with with fruit, herbs, spices, and whatever sweeteners like you'd like! While simple syrups generally follow a 1 to 1 ratio of sugar to water, you can adjust this based on your preference.
Why Make This Gingerbread Syrup Recipe?
I really wouldn’t know why you’d buy it with the high prices these days and just the satisfaction of making it yourself! It always amazes me how easily these syrup recipes come together, and I quite enjoy making them myself! Check out some reasons why you’ll love this Gingerbread Syrup recipe!
- Cost effective: The gingerbread syrup from Amazon costs $13 CAD for about 800 mL. That’s quite a lot! My recipes makes close to 2 cups (close to 500 mL), and the net cost is probably a dollar or so!
- Fast: Depending on how much syrup you want to make, you can get this ready in about 5-10 minutes! Naturally, the more liquid you add, the longer it’ll take to mix all the sweeteners together. Regardless, this is still quick to whip up, so you can do it whenever you want!
- Multi-purpose: Check out plenty of ideas for how to use your syrup later on in this post!
- Natural ingredients: If you check out the store-bought syrups, there are preservatives and perhaps some other questionable ingredients. I’m using all-natural components in here that will make your tummy happy!
- Ability to personalize it: The option to make this recipe yours is definitely there! Add more or less sugar or molasses, more or less gingerbread spice, and just customize it to your taste.
- Suitable for all diets: This Gingerbread Syrup is made with gluten-free, vegetarian, vegan, dairy-free, and plant-based products, so everyone can enjoy this sweetener in their cakes, coffees, cereal and more!
What Do I Do if My Gingerbread Syrup is too Thin or too Thick?▼
If your Gingerbread Syrup ends up being too thin, then you can reduce it on low heat until it has thickened sufficiently. However, be sure to monitor the syrup closely or else it can easily turn into caramel.
On the other hand, if your syrup is too thick, simply add a small amount of hot water. Mix and heat gently until the consistency is to your preference.
How to Use Starbucks Gingerbread Syrup
Honestly you can use this Gingerbread Syrup recipe for anything you want to sweeten! Here’s just a handful of ideas to use up your syrup! As I describe in my free guide to get creative in the kitchen, Make Cooking Fun!, making a theme based around the ingredients you have on hand can open your eyes to so many new recipes! Hopefully this list will inspire you!
- Oats: It can be used to sweeten overnight oats or stovetop oats!
- Tea latte or hot tea: A splash to my Turmeric Chai Latte will add some additional heat and ginger notes - we already have some whole ginger in there, so it’ll be a very unique sweetness profile!
- Cafe lattes or cappuccinos: Switch up your other winter-themed drinks such as the Caramel Brûlée Latte or Eggnog Latte with a touch of gingerbread syrup as well!
- Iced drinks: I first made this Gingerbread Syrup for my Iced Gingerbread Chai Latte! However, feel free to throw it into any cold beverage, such as a modification to my Iced Brown Sugar Shaken Espresso or Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew!
- Hot chocolate: This will add a cozy touch to my Decadent White Hot Chocolate or S’mores Hot Chocolate!
- Smoothies
- Pancakes
- Baked goods: This would be a really unique sweetener to brownie batter, such as in my Espresso Peppermint Mocha Brownies, or even add a couple of tablespoons in the filling of my No-Bake Nutella Cream Cheese Pie!
- Yogurt
- Milkshakes
- Soda
- Cocktails
- Ice cream
Tools Needed to Make Gingerbread Syrup
Ingredients for Gingerbread Syrup
Check out all ingredient quantities in the FULL PRINTABLE RECIPE CARD by scrolling to the bottom of this post, or by pressing the “Jump to Recipe” button. You can also use the recipe card to scale the recipe based on how much Gingerbread Syrup, you’re looking to make, whether just a little portion or a big batch to enjoy plenty of gingerbread delights!
- Vanilla extract: You don’t NEED it, but I always find with my desserts and coffee the aroma that comes from vanilla really makes such a difference! Definitely worthwhile to add!
- Brown sugar: You can use either light or brown sugar here. This will add sweetness to the syrup, which is why the syrup itself is a sweetener! You can use any sweetener you want, but I find the brown sugar complements the gingerbread feeling we’re going for.
- Water: Using hot water will help the process be faster!
- Molasses: The byproduct of refining sugar is molasses, where the juice from the sugarcane is boiled down to crystallize the sugar. The granulated sugar crystals is what we use in our every day baking and cooking, and the thick liquid that remains is molasses. I’m using “fancy” molasses, which is also known as “true” molasses. Fancy molasses is light in color because it is extracted sooner in the boiling process. Fancy molasses is perfectly sweet, making it a wonderful addition to your baking. Do NOT use blackstrap molasses - this is bitter and is better saved for savory recipes. The molasses add some extra dimension and texture to the syrup.
- Gingerbread spice: You can follow my recipe to make a batch of Gingerbread Spice, or you can simply add in ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, ground cloves, ground cardamom, white pepper and black pepper.
How to Make Gingerbread Syrup
In a saucepan, add the water and brown sugar and turn on the heat. Whisk well and warm the mixture until the brown sugar has completely dissolved.
Once dissolved, add the molasses and gently warm for 1-2 minutes.
Add the gingerbread spice, vanilla extract and mix well.
Turn off the heat and pour out the gingerbread syrup into a mason jar for storage. Allow to cool before using.
How to STore Simple Gingerbread Syrup▼
All you need to do is transfer the Gingerbread Syrup in an airtight container. You could also pour it into a mason jar! When you’re ready to serve your syrup, you can spoon it into your drink, dessert batter, or over any other sweet treat.
You could also transfer the brown sugar syrup into a squeeze bottle and squirt it into food and drink. If you really want to feel like you’re a Starbucks barista, get a glass syrup bottle and a pump!
How Long will Gingerbread syrup Last?▼
You can keep your Gingerbread Syrup in the fridge for about a month.
Other Sauces & Syrups for Coffee
- Quick Vanilla Syrup for Coffee
- Simple Caramel Sauce
- 3-Ingredient Brown Sugar Syrup
- Cafe Mocha Chocolate Syrup
- Starbucks Pumpkin Sauce
Warmed, Never Boiled, and Not a Grain of White Sugar
A standard simple syrup recipe starts with equal parts white sugar and water and brings the pan to a boil. This one does neither. The sugar here is 1/2 cup of brown sugar against 1/2 cup of water, so the ratio is a true 1:1 the way any homemade simple syrup would be, but there is no granulated white sugar anywhere in it, and the pan never boils. You warm the water and brown sugar and whisk only until the sugar has completely dissolved, then add the 2 tablespoons of fancy molasses and gently warm it for another minute or two. That is the entire cook time on the card: eight minutes.
The reason to keep it under a boil is the molasses. Fancy molasses has already been cooked down once, and boiling it a second time turns it bitter and drives off the aromatics in the spice blend you are making this gingerbread simple syrup for in the first place. The card simply says brown sugar, so light or dark both work. Dark brown sugar carries more molasses of its own, so it will deepen the color and the edge of the finished syrup, which is worth knowing before you reach for it on top of the molasses that is already going in.
Every Spice Goes In Ground, and What One Batch Actually Gives You
There is not a whole spice in this recipe. The gingerbread spice blend is eight ground spices - 2 tablespoons ground ginger, 2 tablespoons cinnamon, 1 tablespoon ground nutmeg, 1 teaspoon green cardamom powder, 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves, 1/4 teaspoon allspice, and 1/2 teaspoon each of white and black pepper - and 1 tablespoon of that blend is what carries the gingerbread flavor into the syrup. No allspice berries, no cinnamon stick, no whole cloves. That is deliberate, and it is why there is no straining step at the end: ground warm spices stay suspended in the jar instead of sitting in it waiting to be fished out. The two peppers are the part nobody expects, and they are what keep it from tasting like plain spiced sugar.
One batch comes to close to 2 cups, which the recipe card splits into 16 servings of roughly 2 tablespoons each. The nutrition information on the card works out to 29 calories a serving, 8 g of carbohydrates and 7 g of sugar, with 3 mg of sodium and no fat or protein. There is no dairy anywhere in the jar, so the card carries no calcium figure at all. It gets poured into a mason jar to cool and then lives in the fridge, which is also what makes it the easiest thing on this site to hand somebody as a gift. Gingerbread is a lot of people's favorite holiday flavor, and at that time of year a jar of christmas syrup lands better than another candle. Label it with the date you made it.
Let me know what you think of this recipe in the comments! If you’ve tried this recipe, be sure to post it on social media and tag it with #cookingwithanadi and mention me @cooking.with.anadi. Thank you!
Recipe by Anadi Misra
Make your drinks extraordinary with this easy gingerbread syrup recipe. Warm, spiced, and ready in minutes, it transforms coffee, lattes, and more into cozy seasonal treats.
Stovetop
Rate this recipe ✦
8 min
Cook
8 min
Total
16
servings
makes 2 cups
easy
Level
Ingredients
Ingredients
Tap any quantity to scale
For the gingerbread syrup
- (5 ml) vanilla extractShop →
- (110 g) brown sugarShop →
- (30 ml) fancy molassesShop →
- (120 ml) water
- (8 g) gingerbread spice (see below) · make your ownShop →
Instructions
For the gingerbread spice
- 1
To make this gingerbread spice recipe, all you need to do is mix all the spices together in a plate or shake the ingredients together in an airtight jar.
To make this gingerbread spice recipe, all you need to do is mix all the spices together in a plate or shake the ingredients together in an airtight jar.
For the gingerbread syrup
- 1
In a saucepan, add the water and brown sugar, and turn on the heat. Whisk well and warm the mixture until the brown sugar has completely dissolved.
In a saucepan, add the water and brown sugar, and turn on the heat. Whisk well and warm the mixture until the brown sugar has completely dissolved.
- 2
Once dissolved, add the molasses and gently warm for 1-2 minutes.
Once dissolved, add the molasses and gently warm for 1-2 minutes.
- 3
Add the gingerbread spice and vanilla extract and mix well.
Add the gingerbread spice and vanilla extract and mix well.
- 4
Turn off the heat and pour the gingerbread syrup into a mason jar for storage. Allow to cool before using.
Turn off the heat and pour the gingerbread syrup into a mason jar for storage. Allow to cool before using.
Nutrition per serving
29
Calories
0g
Protein
8g
Carbs
0g
Fat
0g
Fiber
7g
Sugar
3mg
Sodium
Did you make this recipe? Tag @cooking.with.anadi on Instagram and hashtag it #cookingwithanadi
Tested & written in Anadi’s kitchen
Recipe history
- April 16, 2026 — Reworked and refreshed for the 2026 relaunch — new photography, restructured and standardized ingredients & instructions.
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