My easy Mint Simple Syrup recipe adds a splash of cool, refreshing flavor to all your favorite drinks and desserts. Best of all, you only need 3 ingredients and 5 minutes of active kitchen time to make a batch!
What’s cooler than being cool? Sweetening your favorite iced coffee or tea drinks with a drizzle of my homemade mint syrup! This fresh twist on coffee syrup is the perfect year-round upgrade to your at-home barista station, giving your drinks a fantastically frosty flavor profile.
If you’re a fan of peppermint syrup in the winter, I have a feeling you’re going to love this milder fresh mint syrup in the summer. Sure, you can use it to make Christmas-y favorites like my copycat Starbucks mint mocha, but unlike its extra-crisp cool-weather cousin, it’s also super yummy when paired with fruity flavors.
Add a splash to your peach iced tea or homemade lemonade, or use it to make a classic mint mojito. More of a coffee fan? Try using it to make my copycat Philz mint mojito. You can even drizzle it over a bowl of fresh berries or sliced stone fruit for a spectacularly speedy cookout side! No matter how you use it, this mint simple syrup is bound to make your day a little cooler.
Jump to:
What does it taste like?
Since we’re using real, fresh mint leaves, the flavor of this simple syrup is less sharp and icy-tasting as the kind made with peppermint extract. Instead, it’ll taste remarkably close to the fresh herbs in your garden—moderately sweet, slightly vegetal, with a cool finish.
Note that the type of mint you use will affect the final flavor—spearmint is sweeter than peppermint, chocolate mint has a cocoa undertone, pineapple mint is vaguely tropical. Have fun experimenting with different varieties to find your favorite!
Why You’ll Love This Simple Mint Syrup Recipe
- Quick & Simple - Just measure, mix, boil, steep and strain. While it’ll take over an hour from start to finish, your total active time spent in the kitchen is just 5 minutes or less!
- Only 3 Ingredients - And that’s including water! I don’t know about you, but a short ingredient list always makes a recipe feel more doable.
- Budget-Friendly - Rather than spending $10+ on a bottle of Starbucks or Torani syrup, making your own with just sugar and fresh mint is way cheaper. Plus, of all the herbs you can grow, mint is by far the most proliferative—in fact, you’re advised to only plant it in pots because it grows like wildfire!
Ingredients Needed
As promised, you only need a handful of ingredients to make this simple syrup infusion:
- Fresh Mint - Using real herbs gives our coffee syrup a lovely freshness. I typically use sweet spearmint, but any variety will work!
- Granulated Sugar - Plain white sugar has a neutral flavor profile, so the only thing you’ll taste is minty sweetness.
- Water - If possible, start with filtered water for the best results.
Substitutions
Need to make some tweaks? I’ve got you covered:
- Fresh Mint - If you don’t have any fresh mint on hand, try using a few bags of plain mint herbal tea instead. Alternatively, experiment with other fresh herbs like basil or tarragon for a slightly different vibe.
- Granulated Sugar - Pure cane sugar is a great 1:1 swap. You can also use brown sugar for more of a caramelly undertone.
How To Make Mint Simple Syrup
I have a feeling you’ll be pleasantly surprised by how little work you need to do to make a bottle of this minty sweetener. Here’s how it’s done:
Step 1: Measure & Mix. Add all ingredients to a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Make sure the sugar fully dissolves.
Step 2: Boil & Steep. Bring the mixture to a boil, then remove from heat. Allow to steep for 90 minutes.
Step 3: Strain the mint leaves from the syrup after steeping.
Step 4: Transfer to your preferred storage container and refrigerate for up to 2 weeks.
Optional Variations & Dietary Adjustments
- Sugar-Free - Get all the sweet, minty flavor without the calories or carbs! Just swap in your favorite cup-for-cup sugar replacement (e.g. monkfruit) for a diabetic-friendly mint syrup.
- Rich Syrup - If you’d like a thicker, more viscous simple syrup that’ll last for up to 6 months in the fridge (rather than 2 weeks), double the amount of sugar you add but leave the other ingredients the same.
- Extra Infusions - Consider introducing another layer of flavor with the addition of fruit (e.g. lime juice, fresh berries, watermelon), an herb (e.g. basil), or something vegetal (e.g. cucumbers).
Serving Suggestions
As with all my coffee flavoring syrups, this simple mint syrup recipe is super versatile. Here are just a few ideas of how to use it:
- Mint Lemonade - Introducing the cool flavor of mint against the tart-sweet backdrop of any kind of citrus-ade gives it a grown-up feel.
- Minty Iced Tea - Turn regular iced tea into a sweet, minty treat by stirring in some of this simple syrup.
- Mint Cocktails - Use this recipe for making mint juleps, mint mojitos, or other mint-infused libations on the fly.
- Mint Whipped Cream - Add a few pumps of mint syrup to your whipped cream dispenser for a fun, refreshing twist on regular chantilly.
- Cake Queen - Before frosting your layer cakes, drizzle on a generous amount of mint simple syrup to help keep them extra moist and tender. It's particularly good with vanilla and chocolate cakes!
Recipe Success Tips
- Grow Your Own Mint - Rather than spending $3+ on a little clamshell with a few dinky sprigs of mint, buy yourself a live plant for about $5 and plant it in a pot on your deck or windowsill. Mint grows notoriously fast, so you should have an endless supply if you keep it well-pruned and watered. Also, don’t plant it directly in the ground unless you’re prepared for an entire mint garden—this hearty herb will take over before you know it!
- Be Patient - Giving the mint simple syrup a full hour and a half to steep is essential for extracting a rich, minty flavor. Don’t try to rush it, or your simple syrup will taste a little lacking.
- Smart Storage - I highly recommend investing in a syrup bottle or squeeze bottle with a closeable nozzle top so you can easily use the syrup when you want it—no sticky jars or countertops required.
FAQs
Generally speaking, regular infused simple syrups like this mint syrup should keep for about 2 weeks in the fridge. It will eventually go bad and grow mold. For longer storage, try making the “rich syrup” variation listed above.
Yes, mint syrup should be refrigerated when not in use to keep it fresher for longer. (Plus, ants!! 🐜) It should last for 2 weeks in the fridge. You can also freeze it for up to 6 months (or longer, though the flavor will deteriorate over time).
Yes! Sugar is a natural preservative, but when diluted in water to make simple syrup, it creates a cozy environment for bacteria and mold to thrive—especially if it’s left at room temperature. Make sure to keep it under constant refrigeration to stave off spoilage, and consider making “rich syrup” (listed under “optional variations” above) to increase the shelf life.
Homemade Mint Syrup Nutrition
As with all simple syrups, this minty marvel is pure carbs—18 grams of carbohydrates per 2-tablespoon serving, all 18 of which come from added sugar. It also packs 71 calories per serving—unsurprising given the sugar content. If you’d like to reduce the carbohydrates and calories, replace some or all of the sugar with the sugar-free alternative of your choice.
While I’d definitely place this coffee syrup in the “treats” column—meaning you should consume it in moderation—as an RDN, I’d argue that the homemade version is healthier than most store-bought options. Why? The DIY version is made with real sugar and real mint, with none of the artificial colors, flavors or preservatives the pre-bottled stuff contains.
If you’re concerned about sugar crashes, you can always use less of the syrup (or make a reduced-sugar or sugar-free version). I also recommend pairing your minty drinks with fiber-full snacks—think oatmeal, fresh fruit, or veggies—to help regulate your blood sugar. Enjoy!
Total nutritional content per serving is:
- Calories: 71 calories
- Total Fat: 0 grams
- Protein: 0 grams
- Sodium: 0 mg
- Carbohydrates: 18 grams
- Sugar: 18 grams
*This nutritional information is an estimate and calculated based on the ingredients used to create the recipe. The nutritional value of your ingredients may differ slightly. Furthermore, this food is not intended to prevent, diagnose, cure, or treat any disease.
Other Simple Syrup Recipes
Homemade Mint Simple Syrup
Equipment
- 1 medium saucepan
Ingredients
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup chopped fresh mint leaves
Instructions
- Add all ingredients to a medium saucepan and heat over medium heat, stirring occasionally.
- Bring to a boil, then remove from heat and allow the mixture to steep for 90 minutes.
- After 90 minutes, strain the mint leaves from the syrup, squeezing any excess syrup out of the mint leaves as you strain it. Discard the pulp and transfer the mint syrup to a syrup bottle or other container. Store in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
Notes
Nutrition
xoxo Megan
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