Brown Sugar Butter Syrup

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Brown sugar and butter simmer together and create a caramel toffee flavored homemade syrup like nothing you’ve ever tasted.

This sauce is no substitute for maple syrup, brown sugar and butter homemade syrup is awesome all by itself.

brown sugar syrup with butter

I drizzled this syrup over some Banana Nut Oatmeal last week and my boys liked it so much, they requested it on their oatmeal again the very next morning. I couldn’t resist making a batch of our favorite waffles for the last of the syrup.

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This syrup is on par with our family’s beloved Waffle Sauce; it’s an entirely different kind of deliciousness and I already love it. If you enjoy homemade sauces and syrups as much as we do, you’ll want to try this awesome Buttermilk Syrup too, for another terrific homemade syrup option.

Creamy, rich, peanut butter syrup makes a fantastic topping for your favorite stack of homemade pancakes or waffles.

When my friend Rebecca told me about her recipe for Brown Sugar Butter Pancake and Waffle Syrup, I was immediately taken back to childhood when my mom used to make a simple sugar homemade syrup for our pancakes. This version, oh Mom forgive me, this version puts that one to shame times about 1000.

This is one instance where butter not only makes it better, but it transforms the recipe into something that will take your breath away with its deliciousness.

Your kitchen will smell amazing and you might even be left without words to describe it.

homemade syrup with brown sugar and butter

How To Make Homemade Syrup

  1. Combine the sugar and water in a medium-size saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring until the sugar has dissolved. Lower the heat to medium and allow the mixture to boil for 4 minutes.
  2. Add the butter and stir until the butter has dissolved. Remove from the heat and add the extract if desired.
  3. Let the syrup cool for 5 minutes before transferring to a pitcher or jar for storage. Serve immediately or store tightly covered in the refrigerator for up to a month.
homemade syrup in pan on stove - starting to bubble and boil
homemade syrup in pan on stove - thick and almost ready to serve

Homemade Syrup

This syrup will keep nicely in the fridge for at least a couple of weeks. (This is in theory though – as ours has honestly never lasted that long.) I typically make a double recipe and stash some at the back of the fridge to use next time we’re making pancakes or waffles.

To reheat, remove the lid and microwave in 15-second intervals, stirring in between until hot. Or place on a folded washcloth in a pan of water, bring to a simmer and using a hot pad, swirl the jar every so often until the syrup has warmed.

homemade syrup in white pitcher next to stack of pancakes

For over 20 years now, I’ve held fast to our family’s favorite pancake recipe. And, yes, I still think that recipe is truly the best ever classic pancake recipe, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t plenty more awesome pancakes to enjoy.

Fluffy, slightly tangy, Buttermilk Pancakes are a great addition to your weekend brunch. This recipe reminds me of our favorite diner here in Columbus and I have been making these pancakes more often than any others this year.

Banana Pancakes filled with irresistible bits of sweet coconut and chewy pecans have been my middle son’s favorite for a while now. If your household is anything like mine, you’ll need to hide a few bananas from the rest of the family now to let them ripen for a pancake breakfast this weekend.

I know–light and fluffy aren’t two words you’d typically think of to describe Whole Wheat Pancakes, which have a reputation for being dense and chewy. Light and fluffy is, however, the perfect way to describe these Whole Wheat Pancakes.

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brown sugar syrup with butter

Brown Sugar Butter Syrup

4.84 from 161 votes
Brown sugar and butter simmer together and create a caramel toffee flavored homemade syrup like nothing you've ever tasted.
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 10 minutes
Servings: 12 servings

Ingredients 

  • 2 cups brown sugar
  • 1 cup water
  • ½ cup butter
  • Optional: ¼ teaspoon vanilla or maple extract

Instructions

  • Combine the sugar and water in a medium-sized saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring until the sugar has dissolved. Lower the heat to medium and allow the mixture to boil for 4 minutes.
  • Add the butter and stir until the butter has dissolved. Remove from the heat and add the extract if desired.
  • Let the syrup cool for 5 minutes before transferring to a pitcher or jar for storage. Serve immediately or store tightly covered in the refrigerator for up to a month.

Notes

To reheat, remove the lid and microwave in 15-second intervals, stirring in between until hot. Or place on a folded washcloth in a pan of water, bring to a simmer and using a hot pad, swirl the jar every so often until the syrup has warmed.

Nutrition

Calories: 207kcal · Carbohydrates: 36g · Protein: 1g · Fat: 8g · Saturated Fat: 5g · Cholesterol: 20mg · Sodium: 79mg · Potassium: 49mg · Sugar: 36g · Vitamin A: 236IU · Calcium: 33mg · Iron: 1mg
Tried this recipe?Mention @barefeetkitchen or tag #barefeetkitchen!

{originally published 1/18/14 – recipe notes and photos updated 11/24/22}

homemade syrup with brown sugar and butter

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Mary Younkin

Mary Younkin

Hi, I’m Mary. I’m the author, cook, photographer, and travel lover behind the scenes here at Barefeet In The Kitchen. I'm also the author of three cookbooks dedicated to making cooking from scratch as simple as possible.

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  1. Robin says

    I have not made this yet and will update when I do, but have a question – does the butter separate so much that it would be unattractive in a jar as a gift? I am making a cinnamon oatmeal pancake mix to give out this Christmas along with bacon I picked up from a smokehouse, and wanted to include a homemade syrup along with it. This sounds perfect, just wondering how it will look in a jar?

    • Mary Younkin says

      It doesn’t separate when you’re making it, or when it is room temperature and you’re pouring it into jars, Robin. But when it has been chilled and is stored in the fridge, yes, it does. It will recombine perfectly, but the butter will rise to the top when it is cold from the fridge. If you want to gift it, I’d probably warm it briefly just to shake it smooth again before gifting it. (and tell the recipient to simply warm it before serving, after storing it in the fridge)

  2. Cody says

    The syrup was tasty, but it came out with an very unattractive bile-green color. I don’t know why it did but fortunately I’m the only one eating it so it’s not a big deal.5 stars

    • Cody says

      I think it may be because the vanilla extract I used was past expiry 😬 I had been recently using it successfully for making other stuff though, so I’m not sure. It may also have been from me not cleaning the skillet enough (it had been used to make garlic chicken). At any rate, I figure it was probably an error on my end and not the recipe.5 stars

  3. Jada says

    Made this for my family at Christmas and they absolutely loved it! It was a little thin until it cooled and then got thicker. Thank you so much! No store open on Christmas Day and this literally saved breakfast!5 stars

  4. Aliyah says

    Just made this and it was delicious! I made french toast for my siblings only to realize we were nearly out of syrup! Literally had to make another batch because my brothers liked it so much! Thank you!5 stars

  5. Nancy Joy Lamb says

    Mine was delicious, but like many of the other posts, it was very runny. So I tried it again with just 3/4 cups of water, and it was great.

    • Mary Younkin says

      I am glad you found a way to make it work for you. The key is making sure you cook it long enough on the stove top as well so that you cook off enough liquid. It will thicken as it cools as well.

  6. Jennifer says

    I live in Germany and pancake syrup is hard to come by so I tried this recipe out tonight.

    Like some others I had the problem of it being too watery, even after letting it sit and cool, so I put it back on the burner and let it reduce some more.

    It was really good and funnily enough it tasted like candied walnuts after I let it reduce.
    Not the goal, but it was yummy.

    I’ll make it again but next time with half white sugar and half brown.

    Thanks for the recipe!4 stars

  7. Monica says

    Delicious. I made pancakes for my babies, and I didn’t realize we were out of syrup. Whipped this up real fast and it was a HIT!!!5 stars

  8. Steph says

    My teenage son made himself some pancakes and realized we were out of syrup. He made this himself and turned out great! Thank you!5 stars

  9. Martha Peters says

    My mom never bought syrup at the grocery store and always used this recipe. But she figured out how to feed 3 kids, 2 adults on $20.00 a week too. Real maple syrup is normally thin and runny, so if a thick syrup is desired, would corn syrup and less water do the trick?5 stars

  10. Lucy Brown says

    I made this the first time because I was out of syrup but now I make it because it’s my favorite. Delicious, quick and easy. It tastes even better than regular syrup. I dissolved a tablespoon of cornstarch in 1/4 cup of water and added it while it was boiling to thicken it up. It worked nicely. Thanks for sharing the recipe.5 stars

  11. Ellen says

    Wow. We really love this. I always thought we were real maple syrup purists but we ran out and I had already made pancakes, so I made some of this. Not only was it super fabulous, but everyone liked it better than regular maple syrup!! This can save some money too as real maple syrup is SO expensive. Thanks for this idea.5 stars

  12. Hanna Slind says

    Realized I didn’t have syrup so came on Google to make my own. Made this recipe and it was delicious, a little runny but I can deal with it.

    Also how long can it be left in “storage for later use”?5 stars

  13. Lucy Brown says

    I made this the first time because I was out of syrup now I make it because it’s my favorite. Its quick and easy and so delicious on pancakes. I dissolved a tablespoon of cornstarch in a bit of cool water and poured it in while the syrup was boiling and it thickened nicely. My family loves it. Thank you for sharing.5 stars

  14. Aileen says

    Absolutely delicious! I tend to make breakfast for my family everyday and recently we’ve run out of maple syrup so I’m really glad I came across this recipe. They really liked it, so I’ll definitely be looking for more recipes in the future!5 stars