Sweeten Your Coffee With Date Syrup or Honey Simple Syrup

Skip the sugar with these easy recipes for homemade coffee sweeteners. Learn how to make these delicious sugar alternatives to give your brew the sweetness it needs—without the sugar crash.

2 min read

Erin Meister

Apr 30, 2021

If you’re looking to cut back on processed sugar but still need a little of the edge taken off your morning brew, never fear: Making a small batch of sweet stuff is a breeze, and with ingredients like dates (high in certain B vitamins and iron) and honey (high in antioxidants), can even add a little extra zing to the start of your day.

Date Syrup Recipe

This natural sweetener captures the caramel notes of sweet dried dates and is a perfect complement to hot or iced coffee. It is thinner than honey but can be reduced for a slightly more viscous texture; it should be fine to use either way. The process of making it leaves behind a paste that can be mixed with finely chopped nuts and spread over toast or nibbled with cheese. Store the paste in a small OXO Smart Seal Container(Opens in a new window) for freshness.

Date Syrup

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Ingredients

Date Syrup:
1 lb pitted, dried Medjool dates
4 cups water

Directions:

1.
Chop or cut the dates finely using either well-oiled kitchen shears or a sharp knife.
2.
In a medium saucepan, bring the date pieces and water to a steady simmer over medium heat and stir the mixture occasionally for 25–30 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand to cool slightly, 30–40 minutes.
3.
Using a food processor, blend the mixture until smooth, 2–3 minutes.
4.
To strain out the remaining solids, place two layers of fine-mesh cheesecloth in the sieve over a mixing bowl, and pour the puréed date mixture into the well of the strainers. To strain, pull the sides of the cheesecloth together to make a kind of ball, then squeeze and twist the mixture to extrude the liquid syrup.
5.
Using a small funnel, transfer the syrup into OXO Chef’s Squeeze Bottles for easy use; store the remaining date paste in a small OXO Smart Seal Container.
6.
The syrup and paste can be stored in the refrigerator for 3–4 weeks.

Honey Simple Syrup Recipe

While most simple syrups are made from white sugar, they can also easily be made with honey, which is normally a bit too thick to pour into something like iced coffee. Thinning out the goopy honey also allows you to add infusions or other flavors, which makes the syrup taste like a special occasion without necessarily overpowering the coffee drink.

Honey Simple Syrup

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Ingredients

Honey Simple Syrup:
8 ounces filtered honey
8 ounces water
1 cinnamon stick (optional), 1 start anise pod (optional), or 1 tsp lavender in a tea ball or small satchel/cheesecloth

Directions:

1.
To make the base syrup, gently heat water and honey in a small saucepan over medium-low, stirring until combined thoroughly. (To make an infusion, remove the honey syrup from the heat and add your flavoring spice, herbs, or florals. Let sit until cool, at least 20–30 minutes.
2.
Remove the flavoring element with a slotted spoon before transferring the liquid.) Once the syrup is cool, slowly transfer it to an OXO Chef’s Squeeze Bottle using a funnel.
3.
Store up to two weeks in the refrigerator.

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OXO Chef's Squeeze Bottles - 2 piece set
OXO Chef's Squeeze Bottles - 2 piece set
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Stainless Steel Pro 3.5 Qt Sauce Pan + Cover
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OXO Chef's Squeeze Bottles - 2 piece set

OXO Chef's Squeeze Bottles - 2 piece set

$11.99
Stainless Steel Pro 3.5 Qt Sauce Pan + Cover

Stainless Steel Pro 3.5 Qt Sauce Pan + Cover

$79.99

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