This Hibiscus Simple Syrup is the perfect floral syrup for cocktails, mocktails, and lattes, or a great sweetener for any iced teas or lemonades. It only has 3 ingredients and takes 20 minutes to make, plus it's freezer-friendly! The beautiful pink hibiscus makes this a great syrup for Valentine's Day or Mother's Day drinks!
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Why You'll Love This Hibiscus Syrup
Delicious and beautiful - This syrup has an amazing floral flavor, and its deep pink color will turn every drink a beautiful shade of pink. A Hibiscus Margarita is my absolute favorite drink to make with it! It's perfect for spring, summer, and any Valentine's Day or Mother's Day cocktails and drinks!
Easy and simple - This syrup is so easy to make at home and you can easily make it ahead of time. It calls for just 3 ingredients, and it can be ready in just 20 minutes. It's freezer-friendly, and you can follow the recipe to make other flavors as well!
Lots of uses - Besides cocktails and mocktails, hibiscus syrup is amazing in hot or iced tea, lemonades, and sparkling water, or drizzled on ice cream or pancakes.
Ingredients
- Dried hibiscus flower - Hibiscus is high in antioxidants, and it gives this syrup a beautiful bright pink color and a delicious floral flavor. You can use either dried hibiscus petals or hibiscus tea bags.
- Granulated sugar - The best options are cane sugar or white sugar. I like cane sugar because it's less processed than white sugar but still very neutral in taste.
- Water - Simple syrups are always made with water and sugar in a 1:1 ratio. Use filtered water whenever possible. Tap water tends to give the syrup an off taste.
- Vanilla extract - This is totally optional; it just adds that little something, and it compliments the hibiscus flavor really well. You can use pure vanilla extract and vanilla bean paste interchangeably.
Variations and Substitutions
- Different flowers - You could follow the recipe using any other type of edible dried flower or tea bag. I have a separate post for Rose Simple Syrup (with rose water), but you could also use lavender, elderflower, or orange blossoms (I use orange blossom water).
- Spices - You could add different spices to the syrup, like a cinnamon stick or fresh ginger. Be careful not to overdo it because those can be very potent, you don't want them to overpower the hibiscus.
- Different sugar - You can use other granulated sugar like white sugar or coconut sugar. Liquid sugar, like maple syrup, honey, or agave works too, if you prefer. Keep in mind that the syrup will have a different flavor if you use a stronger-tasting sugar.
- Sugar-free - You can use a sugar-free substitute that can be used in a 1:1 ratio instead of regular sugar. This will change the flavor of the syrup and probably its shelf life because sugar acts as a preservative here.
How to Make Hibiscus Syrup
- Bring water to a boil in a medium saucepan on the stove.
- Take it off the heat and add dried hibiscus flowers or hibiscus tea bags.
- Let the tea steep for 10-15 minutes.
- Take the hibiscus flowers or tea bags out. If the flowers fall apart, use a fine mesh strainer to strain them out.
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- Add cane sugar to the hibiscus tea and bring it to a boil, stirring constantly until the sugar dissolves so it doesn't burn.
- Lower the heat and simmer the mixture for 10 minutes.
- Allow the syrup to cool slightly before transferring it to a glass jar or an airtight container. Wait for the syrup to cool completely before closing the jar. Store the syrup in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
How to Use the Syrup
- Cocktails - This syrup makes the prettiest pink cocktails! Think hibiscus mojito, margaritas, or daiquiris. I like adding it to drinks with tequila, gin, vodka, or white rum and anything with florals or berries. It shines in this Hibiscus Margarita, but it's also delicious in this Raspberry Margarita! You could also try it in this Lavender Gin Cocktail instead of the lavender syrup.
- Mocktails - Try it in my Blueberry Mocktail or my Blackberry Mocktail! It works really well in any berry or sweet fruity mocktails.
- Lemonades, sodas, and tea - Try it in this Iced Raspberry Passion Tea Lemonade or this Butterfly Pea Flower Lemonade. It's also delicious in plain sparkling water or club soda with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice. You can use it to sweeten both hot and iced tea. It's so good with black tea or anything with berries, rosehip, rose petals, lemongrass, or orange!
- Lattes - While it may not be the best syrup for coffee, you can try it in this pretty Blue Butterfly Pea Flower Latte made with blue matcha! I haven't tried it with regular matcha, but I can imagine it'd be delicious in a Matcha Lemonade!
- Food - You can drizzle the syrup over pancakes, waffles, ice cream, yogurt, or desserts. Brush it on warm cake layers to add moisture and floral flavor to the cake!
Storing
Refrigerator: You can store the syrup in a glass jar or an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. Keep in mind that sugar acts as a preservative here. If you use a sugar-free substitute, the syrup won't last as long. Discard the syrup if it develops a change in color, flavor, smell, or texture.
Freezer: Freeze the syrup in a freezer-safe container for 3-4 months or longer when stored properly. I like using small containers and pre-measuring the syrup, so I always know how much to defrost. I don't recommend freezing it in an ice cube tray because it doesn't freeze fully, so it never forms syrup cubes.
Defrosting: To make the syrup pourable, defrost it in the fridge for an hour or so. The sugar in the syrup prevents the syrup from freezing completely solid, so it will be scoopable straight from the freezer, but it will be very thick.
FAQs
Yes! Find plain 100% hibiscus tea, and use 4 tea bags instead of dried hibiscus flowers.
I like combining it with lemon, lime, orange, berries, rose, rosehip, mint, or lemongrass.
Always buy dried flowers that are food-grade. If you're not sure where to find them or which to buy, hibiscus tea bags are always the safest choice!
Other Floral Simple Syrups
There are endless flavor variations for simple syrups, but below are a few of my favorites made with either flowers or herbs, perfect for any time of the year! Head over to the Flavored Simple Syrups to see all the latest ones!
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Print📖 Recipe
Hibiscus Simple Syrup
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 10 mins
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 10-12 1x
- Category: Syrups
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegan
Description
This Hibiscus Simple Syrup has a beautiful pink color, and it's the perfect floral syrup for cocktails, mocktails, and lattes. You can even drizzle it over ice cream or desserts! So easy to make and freezer-friendly!
Ingredients
- 1 cup water
- 8-10 dried hibiscus flowers or 4 hibiscus tea bags
- 1 cup cane sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract (optional)
Instructions
- Bring water to a boil in a medium saucepan on the stove.
- Take it off the heat and add dried hibiscus flowers or hibiscus tea bags.
- Let the tea steep for 10-15 minutes.
- Take the hibiscus flowers or tea bags out. If the flowers fall apart, use a fine mesh strainer to strain them out.
- Add cane sugar to the hibiscus tea and bring it back to a boil, stirring constantly until the sugar dissolves so it doesn't burn.
- Lower the heat and simmer the mixture for 10 minutes.
- Take the syrup off the heat and stir in vanilla extract if using.
- Allow the syrup to cool slightly before transferring it to a glass jar or an airtight container. Wait for the syrup to cool completely before closing the jar. Store the syrup in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
Notes
Refrigerator: Store the syrup in a glass jar or an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
Freezer: Store the syrup in a freezer-safe container in the freezer for 3-4 months. The sugar prevents the syrup from freezing solid, so the syrup should be scoopable straight from the freezer. You can also transfer it to the fridge for an hour or so to defrost completely.
How to use it: Add it to cocktails, mocktails, lemonade, sodas, hot tea, iced tea, or any other drink. Drizzle it on pancakes, waffles, ice cream, yogurt, or oatmeal. You can also brush it on warm layers of cake to add moisture and floral flavor.
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Jenna says
Tried this the other day in a margarita and in an iced matcha this morning. It was delicious!