Homemade Sugar Free Vanilla Syrup

How does easy, sweet and guilt free sound for a homemade sugar free vanilla syrup?

I couldn’t believe I had been buying vanilla syrup from the grocery store when this simple, quick recipe was all I actually needed. This recipe is so versatile it’s almost more of a guideline than a strict recipe you need to follow. It doesn’t matter your skill level in the kitchen because anyone can make this recipe and I mean ANYONE!

Keep in mind, I am going to list this recipe as sugar free from the start. But If you’d rather use sugar as your sweetener, that doesn’t mean you need to look for another recipe. Go ahead and use what you have on hand, I know it’ll turn out very similar and just as sweet.

What 3 ingredients will I need for this sugar free vanilla syrup?

• Water: doesn’t matter the type or temperature because we will use the stove to boil this mixture
• Sugar free sweetener: my favorite sweetener is called Gentle Sweet, made by Trim Healthy Naturals brand. *No this is not a sponsored post, this is a personal favorite of mine*
• Vanilla: what I have on hand is a basic vanilla extract but vanilla bean paste or an actual vanilla bean would give an even better flavor to your syrup

How fast does this homemade vanilla syrup come together?

Less than 8 minutes in total! 

All you’ll be doing is adding your water and sweetener to a medium size pot on the stove. Mix the sweetener into the water until it dissolves and wait for the water to bubble to a boil.

Once it’s boiling, wait a minute or two, just to ensure all the bits of sweetener have fully dissolved. After that, take the pot off the heat.

Next you’ll measure out and add your vanilla extract to the pot. You now have a homemade vanilla syrup! 

The final step is to let this cool down before you add this to a jar and store in the fridge. This homemade vanilla syrup will last in the fridge for a month, but if you start using this syrup everyday, I’m sure it won’t last that long. 

Do I only use this sugar free vanilla syrup for coffee drinks?

Absolutely not! 

The obvious choice is to use this syrup in your morning coffee. My favorite way to use this syrup is in my iced latte. Try this recipe for yourself and let me know how you like it.

When I first got started making this homemade vanilla syrup, I primarily used it for drinks but the more I used it, the more I realized it had other possibilities. Here are some other ways you can use this syrup to sweeten your recipes.

• Tea: one of my favorite ways to use this syrup is to make a hot London Fog, also know as an Earl Grey latte
• Cakes: after baking a cake, go ahead and allow the cake sponge to cool and then drizzle this syrup over the sponge to add additional sweetness and moisture
• Yogurt: Buying the plain greek yogurt tubs usually cost less than the individual servings of yogurt. Add this syrup to the yogurt for a perfectly sweetened snack
• Smoothies: a dash of this syrup will go perfect in any smoothie recipe you have
• Homemade Ice Cream: next time you go to make a batch of ice cream, add this syrup to it and make a sugar free ice cream

Can this sugar free syrup be a different flavor?

This recipe could easily be modified for different flavors. Have you seen the extract aisle at the grocery store? Go ahead and try substituting the vanilla extract for any of these flavors. 

Keep in mind that the most common extracts are made from an alcohol solution where the flavoring element is soaked in alcohol for a long period of time. Some extracts might do better in this simple syrup recipe than others. 

Personally, I’m always looking to make something that tastes as close to the real thing as I can. The following flavors would taste closer to the actual flavor due to how the extract itself tastes.

• Peppermint
• Almond
• Maple
• Caramel
• Hazelnut
• Orange
• Cinnamon

What if I don’t want to buy Gentle Sweet for this recipe?

Gentle Sweet is a favorite sweetener at our house. It’s flavor is perfect for cakes, syrups and makes a great iced tea. If you have another sugar free sweetener in your home, go ahead and use what you have. Just be sure to look up how much of your sugar free sweetener will equal a cup of regular sugar.

If you’re interested in trying Gentle Sweet, I personally recommend it. I buy this item monthly and love this blend of sugar free sweeteners because it doesn’t give that fresh after taste like some others do. The brand is called Trim Healthy Naturals and you can purchase yours using this link here. *Not a sponsored post, just a personal favorite*

If you’re uncomfortable using sugar free sweeteners, you can use a minimally processed sugar as a one to one substitute. I would recommend choosing a quality sugar and avoid the basic white sugar. Modern day food processing will always remove and reduce any micronutrients we could benefit from. 

That being said, all forms of minimally processed sugars like honey, maple syrup and cane sugar have such a small amount of micronutrients that it’s hard to argue they are the ‘better’ form of sugar for humans. So to sum it up, just use what you have on hand and be wise about how often you use this syrup if you decide to use any form of sugar.

Purpose of the Plate

Making a sugar free vanilla syrup is so simple, no one needs to be buying it from the store. We all have different skills in the kitchen and also have different schedules. Time, energy and resources are important and we need to use them wisely. 

Ordering a sugar free vanilla syrup might be as easy as a single click, but there is a wait time for that. Why not make this simple, easy recipe and start sweetening your recipes right away? Plate on Purpose is a website where we encourage people to get back into the kitchen. Making recipes from home is the best way to manage the foods in our diets and it’s a way of reconnecting with our families. What memories do you have that include a family member making you something out of the kitchen?