September is National Honey Month! What better way to kick it off than with a simple, yet super versatile way to use honey?

This honey simple syrup is just that, SIMPLE! It only uses two ingredients and takes less than 10 minutes to make.

Simple Syrup Uses

If you’ve ever tried to mix sugar or honey into a cold drink, you’d know the sugar either settles on the bottom or the honey gets stringy, separates… then settles on the bottom!  A simple syrup is the perfect solution.

Simple syrup is most popularly used in cocktails like mojitos, daquiris or old fashions. However, simple syrups are also amazing in:

• Iced tea or iced coffee
• Whipped cream
• Marinades or sauces
• Vinaigrettes
• Drizzled over fruit
• Brushed/poured over cakes to retain moisture and add flavor

(I may or may not have included recipes to a couple of these, below.  You will have to keep reading to find out!)

Traditional simple syrup

Most simple syrups combine white sugar and water…A TON of white sugar, equivalent to about a 1:1 ratio of water.  You’d combine the mixture over low heat until all the sugar has completely dissolved in the water.  Still simple, still versatile, but imagine the havoc all that sugar does to your body!

Enter in honey simple syrup.

Honey Simple Syrup

Honey is a great alternative to sugar allowing you to keep the sweetness but adding in the health benefits of honey.

Like Creamed Honey, a honey simple syrup is a great way to revitalize honey you may have had for a while that’s started to get incredibly thick or even has just begun to crystallize.

When using honey, it’s important to know which type of honey is best for your desired outcome.  A general rule of thumb is that a darker honey will have a more robust taste, while a lighter honey will have a milder taste.  Take caution when using a light honey though.  Since raw honey tends to lose its color during high processing, you'd want to make sure that the honey you use has not been overly pasteurized.

How to Add Flavor to Honey Simple Syrup?

Why be basic? You can add several ingredients to spice up or enhance your honey simple syrup.

• Infused honey – Obviously!  Replace regular raw honey with an already infused honey for the quickest way to turn your honey simple syrup up a notch or two.
• Tea Bags – If I love anything as much as a honey infusion, it’s a tea infusion!  Replace the water in the honey simple syrup recipe for a soothing surprise.
• Berries & Fresh Fruit – Clean, then mash or muddle berries and fruit to enhance your honey simple syrup into a delightful fruit compote sauce.
• Fruit Peels – You can add fruit peels or citrus zest to add flavor, complexity, and a visual appeal to your honey simple syrup.
• Herbs & Spices – The possibilities are limitless here. Add spices and herbs like cardamom, ginger, chili pepper, cinnamon, rosemary, or vanilla to give any honey simple syrup a unique and delightful flavor profile.
• Extracts – Vanilla, lemon, orange, mint, or any other readily available extract is also an amazing way to add flavor to your honey simple syrup.
• Flowers – Flowers aren't just for visual and aromatic appeal.  Make sure they are edible, but flowers like hibiscus, rose, lavender and chamomile give a subtle flavor and energetic appeal to any infusion.

Infusing Honey Simple Syrup

When infusing a honey simple syrup with herbs, spices, or flowers, wait until the honey has completely dissolved in the water before adding anything else in.  Also, if desired, you will need to strain out the spices before storing the honey simple syrup in a container.

Now that that’s out of the way, let’s get into these honey simple syrup recipes!

Honey Simple Syrup Recipes

To start, I’ll be turning a standard honey simple syrup recipe into a Vanilla Honey Simple Syrup by using SIIKA’s Yaayo honey.  Yaayo combines Madagascar Vanilla Beans and Lavender with raw honey for an immensely satisfying gourmand experience.  

Vanilla Honey Simple Syrup

Materials

• Medium Saucepan
• Heat-resistant spoon
• Bottle to store
• Funnel (optional)

Ingredients

• 6 ounces SIIKA Yaayo honey  
• 3 ounces water

For a more liquid simple syrup, like those used in cocktails, use equal parts honey and water.

Instructions

1. Gently heat water in saucepan to simmer.
2. Remove from heat.
3. Add honey, stirring consistently until honey is completely combined with the water (about 2-3 minutes).
4. Let cool to room temperature before transferring to glass bottle.

Honey Syrup for Pancakes & Waffles

Materials

• Medium Saucepan
• Stirring spoon
• Airtight glass jar

Ingredients 

• 3 cups Vanilla Honey Simple Syrup
• 1/2 cup butter

Instructions

1. In a medium saucepan, combine the honey simple syrup and butter over low heat.
2. Stir until butter has dissolved.
3. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature before transferring to a jar for storage.

If you would like a thicker syrup, repeat steps, adding more honey

Blueberry Mojito with Honey Simple Syrup

Materials

• Tall Glass
• Muddler

Ingredients

• 1 oz of honey simple syrup
• 1 key lime, juiced
• 1/2 cup blueberries
• 2-3 sprigs of mint
• 2 oz of rum (or substitute with sparkling water or kombucha to make it alcohol-free)
• Crushed ice
• Garnish (optional)

 Instructions

1. In a tall glass, muddle blueberries and mint.
2. Add honey simple syrup, lime juice, rum, and crushed ice.
3. Shake or stir well.

Strawberry Soda with Honey Simple Syrup

Materials

• Tall Glass
• Stirring Spoon

Ingredients

• ½ cup strawberries
• 1 cup honey simple syrup
• Carbonated water
• Crushed ice

Instructions

1. Wash and cut strawberries into halves.
2. In a tall glass, mash strawberries.
3. Add simple syrup and carbonated water.
4. Stir well.
5. Add ice, as desired.

Vanilla Whipped Cream with Honey Simple Syrup

Materials

• Whisk and/or mixer with whisk attachment
• Glass mixing bowl

Ingredients

• 1 cup heavy cream cold
• 2 tablespoons Vanilla Honey Simple Syrup
• 1/8 teaspoon salt

Instructions

1. Add all the ingredients into the glass bowl.
2. Whisk on medium-low until foamy (about 1 minute*).
3. Increase speed to high. Whip until soft peaks start to form (about 1-2 minutes*).

*Whisking by hand will take a few minutes longer

Can be stored in the refrigerator for 7-10 days.

How to Store Honey Simple Syrup

Depending on the amount of water used, honey simple syrup can store 3-4 weeks in the refrigerator.  A thicker honey simple syrup, with a greater honey to water ratio, will preserve much longer than a thinner honey simple syrup, so please keep that in mind when deciding usage.

Since honey is self-preserving, most honey simple syrups can last over a month if refrigerated and stored in an airtight container.  However, if you added fresh fruit to your honey simple syrup, its recommended to use within 2-3 weeks.

 

I’d love to know if you tried any of these recipes or honey simple syrup infusions!