Vanilla Syrup Substitute

If you’re out of vanilla syrup but need your daily latte fix, no worries! This homemade vanilla syrup substitute will come in clutch.

If you go to make your daily latte only to find out that you’re completely out of vanilla syrup, don’t panic!

It’s actually pretty easy to make a quick substitute, and I’m going to walk you through 4 methods so you can decide which is best for your situation!

Let’s dive in…

Video Tutorial

Here’s a quick video overview in case you like to learn by watch a demo. The full tutorial and a printable recipe are below!

Method 1: Sugar + Vanilla Extract

If you’re really in a hurry and want a super quick way to sweeten and flavor your drink, you can simply use granulated vane sugar and a few drops of vanilla extract!

For each pump of vanilla syrup, use ¾ teaspoon of sugar and a few drops of pure vanilla extract (about a scant ⅛ teaspoon).

So 2 pumps would be 1½ teaspoons of sugar, 3 pumps would be 2¼ teaspoons, and 4 pumps would be 3 teaspoons (or 1 tablespoon).

NOTE: Premade syrups usually don’t use pure vanilla extract. Instead, they use natural or artificial vanilla flavor. So if you really like that flavor profile, you’ll want to buy imitation vanilla flavoring instead.

Then you could pull your shot of espresso directly on top of the sugar and vanilla in the cup.

Pros + Cons:

Now the downside to this method is the sugar can sink to the bottom of the cup, and it tends to not get completely dissolved. You could give the espresso and sugar a bit of a mix after pulling the shot, but of course that would disturb the shot.

Also, this tend to work best with hot drinks, so keep that in mind.

But if you’re in a hurry and all out of vanilla syrup, using just these two simple ingredients could be a good option!

Method 2: Liquid Sweetener + Vanilla Extract

One way to mitigate the sugar-granules-at-the-bottom-of-the-cup problem is to use a liquid sweetener as the base.

Honey, maple syrup, agave syrup, and date syrup are a few examples of already-liquid sweeteners.

Simply add your sweetener of choice and a few drops of vanilla extract (about a scant ⅛ teaspoon) or vanilla paste to your mug.

Since the sweetener is liquid, you’ll want to use a little more of it to achieve the right sweetness level. However, liquid sweeteners tend to be sweeter than vanilla syrup, so I recommend using an amount that’s between the granulated sugar and the vanilla syrup.

So for each pump of syrup use 1 teaspoon of liquid sweetener and a few drops of vanilla extract. I wouldn’t go over ¼ teaspoon of vanilla extract per drink since it can start to take on an off flavor.

Pros + Cons:

The advantage to this method is you won’t have any sugar granules at the bottom of your drink.

But the downside is liquid sweeteners often don’t have a neutral flavor profile. So you’ll have a maple-vanilla or honey-vanilla flavored latte instead of just straight vanilla. But if that doesn’t bother you, this is a great option!

Also, these sweeteners tend to be thicker than store bought vanilla syrup, so they may not mix with the drink as easily.

Method 3: Single Serving of Vanilla Syrup

It’s actually super easy to make a single serving of vanilla syrup if you already have the ingredients on hand:

• Sugar: I like to use granulated sugar to let the flavor of the vanilla shine. But I’m sure you could use brown sugar as well.
• Warm Water: You want the water to be really warm or even a little hot to help the sugar dissolve. You’ll have a harder time getting the sugar fully mixed in if you use room temperature or cold water.
• Vanilla Extract: As I mentioned above, premade syrups often use artificial or natural flavorings. I prefer the flavor of pure vanilla extract, but if you like the taste of premade syrups you may want to source imitation vanilla flavor instead. You can also use vanilla bean paste as a 1:1 substitute for the vanilla extract to create a vanilla bean syrup!
• Salt (optional): I like to add a tiny (I mean really tiny) pinch of salt to help draw out the other flavors. But if you’re in a hurry you can leave it out!

The process is super simple:

1. Measure the desired amount of sugar (see note below) into a small container.
2. Add an equal amount of warm or hot water.
3. Whisk until the sugar is completely dissolved (a mini whisk is really handy here).
4. Add a few drops of vanilla extract (about ⅛ teaspoon tsp) and whisk to combine.

NOTE: For each pump of vanilla syrup, use ¾ teaspoon of sugar, ¾ teaspoon of warm water, and a few drops of vanilla extract (about a scant ⅛ teaspoon).

Pour into your mug of choice, and you’re good to go! You’ve got yourself a single serving of homemade syrup!

Of course you could save a step (and a dish) by making the vanilla syrup directly in the mug if your drink allows for it.

If you’re using the syrup for an iced coffee or one where the syrup needs to be added later in the process, it might be easier to just make it in a container with a spout.

NOTE: This same method can be used to make a single serving of plain simple syrup if you’re looking to sweeten our drink without adding any additional flavors.

Method 4: Homemade Vanilla Syrup

Now if you’d like to get serious about your homemade coffee shop drinks, make sure to check out my Homemade Vanilla Syrup recipe! I’ve got 3 different options for how to make it, including with vanilla bean paste, or whole vanilla beans.

Plus I talk about ways you can customize the flavor to really make your drinks your own!

It can be used to flavor drinks of course, but it’d also be wonderful on ice cream, pancakes, French toast, etc.!

Now you can flavor your favorite drinks even if you’ve run out of vanilla syrup!

FAQ

Can you use vanilla extract as vanilla syrup? No, vanilla extract is not a good substitute for vanilla syrup. Vanilla syrup is sweetened, so if you just use vanilla extract your drink will not taste the same.

More Syrup Recipes:

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