Easy brown sugar syrup for milk tea
An easy 2-3 ingredients brown sugar syrup recipe for milk tea and Starbucks drinks that can be made with light brown, dark brown and even WHITE sugar! This recipe helps you save money and is naturally vegan and Gluten-Free. I'll be showing you how to make a flavoured, thinner version for Starbucks drinks and the thicker, caramel-like one to create "tiger stripes"for Taiwanese milk tea!
- Prep time
- 5 min
- Cook time
- 10 min
- Yield
- 1 serving
- Difficulty
- MEDIUM
Ingredients
Quantities are shown as originally provided.
- 1 Cup brown sugar
- ½ Cup water
- ½ tablespoons lime juice (optional: to prevent crystallisation. Substitute: lemon juice or 1 teaspoon of corn syrup or honey)
- 1 Cup light brown sugar (Substitute: 1 Cup white sugar + 1 Tablespoon of molasses.)
- ⅔ Cup maple syrup
- 10 Tablespoons water (This is equal to ½ Cup of water + 2 Tablespoons)
- 1 Cinnamon stick (Make sure it's true Ceylon cinnamon and not Cassia- Ceylon has thinner "quills")
- Salt, pinch
Instructions
- 1
Add the sugar to the pan and spread it out. Pour the water and lime juice onto the sugar- keep the rest by the side of the pot. Sugar can get very hot so be careful! (Note: DO NOT STIR if you don't want the syrup to crystallise.)
- 2
Carefully heat over medium fire- you want to see the sugar melting at this stage and it will be bubbling. Once bubbling, you can reduce the fire to low.
- 3
As we are not stirring, we need to pay attention and ensure the sugar doesn't burn- observe the sides of the sugar on the pot. if you see burning, use a damp heat-proof baking brush to brush off the burnt sugar.
- 4
Simmer for up to 5 minutes- if not, your sauce will be too thin for the "tiger stripes". (You can simmer for a shorter period of time if you are happy with the sauce's consistency. Don't simmer for any longer than 5 minutes or your sauce will be too thick to use- don't forget, it will continue thickening as it cools.)
- 5
Switch off the fire, allow to cool, then store in an airtight container. The syrup should be as thick as molasses now. (Sterilise the jar if you want to extend the shelf life of the syrup.)
- 6
The syrup should last 2-3 weeks in the fridge but make sure there's no mold/ weird smells before using.
- 7
Add all the ingredients to a small pot and cook over medium heat for 2-3 minutes, till the sugar dissolves.
- 8
Allow the syrup to cool then transfer everything (including the cinnamon stick) to an airtight glass bottle. (Sterilise if you want the syrup to last for longer.)
- 9
Refrigerate- remove the cinnamon stick after 24hours. The syrup should last 1-2 weeks in the fridge but make sure there's no mold/ weird smells before using.