How To Make Golden Syrup
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If you have a recipe that calls for Golden Syrup and you don’t have it, there’s no need to rush to the store or special order it – this tutorial will show you how to make golden syrup right in your kitchen! Just 3 ingredients, 99% hands off, and it keeps for months!
What Is Golden Syrup?
Golden Syrup is something you may not have heard of unless you’re into British baking. But it’s an indispensable ingredient when it comes to making a number of traditional British recipes. And its versatility extends far beyond that (ideas on ways to use it below). Golden syrup (also known as light treacle) is a thick amber-colored inverted sugar syrup comprised of sugar, water and citric acid. It has a deep caramelized, buttery flavor and has been a kitchen staple in Great Britain for over a century. It’s also popular in Australia and New Zealand.
You’ve probably see the the iconic green and gold cans of Lyle’s Golden Syrup. In 2006 it made history when it was entered into the Guinness World Book of Records for having the world’s oldest branding and packaging. The design and appearance of the cans have remained consistent for nearly 140 years.
This syrup is very thick (significantly thicker than corn syrup) and drizzles slowly. In more recent years Lyle’s has also made their product available in squeeze bottles for convenience to use at the table.
Golden Syrup vs. Corn Syrup
They are not the same: the ingredients, the process, the flavor and the texture are different. Golden syrup is made from sugar whereas corn syrup is made from corn and they are made using different processes. Corn syrup (whether light or dark) isn’t as thick and basically tastes like thick sugar water, lacking any depth of flavor (many people, including myself, think its cloyingly, sickly sweet). In contrast, golden syrup is thicker and has very deep caramelized, buttery, and complex flavor notes. There is no equivalent in the U.S. and substituting corn syrup will not yield the same flavor results.
How Do You Use Golden Syrup?
Golden syrup is very versatile and historically has been used in both sweet and savory applications though today it’s mostly used in baking and desserts. Anything that calls for corn syrup can be substituted with golden syrup for a far superior flavor. (As one example, try it in your next pecan pie to take it to a new flavor level!) You can use your homemade golden syrup as a substitute for any liquid sweetener. Here are a few ways you can use it:
- Cookies/Biscuits (ANZAC Biscuits from Australia/New Zealand are a famous and delicious example)
- Fudge, Chocolates and Candies
- Ice Cream & Sorbets
- British Flapjacks
- Brandy Snaps
- Gingerbread (like my English Parkin)
- Treacle Tart and Treacle Pudding
- Butter Tarts
- Drizzled over pancakes, waffles, oatmeal and porridge
- Drizzled over fruit salads or yogurt
- In savory marinades for a touch of sweetness
- Used in place of simple syrup in drinks
- Baked Apples or Baked Pears
How To Make Golden Syrup
Let’s get started!
This homemade golden syrup recipe is extremely easy to make using just 3 ingredients and is 99% hands off. This recipe makes about 20 ounces (about 3 cups) and don’t worry if you think that’s more than you’ll need for a while because this stuff keeps for several months at room temperature. But if you prefer you can also half this recipe.
Put the sugar and water in a heavy-bottomed saucepan, stir to combine, and bring to a boil, stirring regularly to prevent burning, and stir very gently to avoid splashing the liquid up the sides of the saucepan. Gently stir in the lemon juice.
Reduce the heat to a VERY low and gentle simmer (I use “3” on my induction cooktop). Leave the saucepan uncovered. DO NOT STIR the syrup again.
Let it gently simmer until it is a rich amber color. This will take upwards of an hour. Do not increase the heat to rush the process – caramelizing sugar is a low and slow process.
Once the syrup is a rich amber color turn off the heat, let it sit for a few minutes, then pour the hot syrup into a glass jar and let it cool completely before closing the jar with a secure lid.
Note: The syrup will be runny while it’s hot but will thicken as it cools.
Store your syrup at room temperature in an airtight glass jar with a sealable lid. It will keep for many months.
Enjoy!
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How To Make Golden Syrup
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cups water (300 ml)
- 4 cups (800 g) cane sugar (for a deeper flavor you can substitute a little bit of brown sugar if desired but will need to use a digital thermometer *see Note)
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice (either fresh or bottled will work but fresh produces a better flavor)
- OR 1/2 teaspoon citric acid (this can be used instead of lemon juice if you wish to avoid a lemon flavor, however it tends to be slightly bitter)
Instructions
- Place the sugar and water in a saucepan and stir to combine. Bring it to a boil, stirring regularly to prevent burning until the sugar is dissolved. Stir very gently to prevent sugar water from splashing up the sides of the saucepan. Once boiling gently stir in the lemon juice or citric acid. Reduce the heat to a very low and gentle simmer (I use "3" on my induction cooktop but this will vary from cooktop to cooktop) Leave the saucepan uncovered. DO NOT STIR the syrup again. Let it simmer on very low for 40-60 minutes or longer until the sugar is a rich amber color. If you're using a thermometer the temperature should be about 240-250 degrees F.Note: If your syrup is too thick and stiff you can reheat it, adding a little bit of water. If your syrup is too runny then you need to let the syrup caramelize longer.
- Turn off the heat, let it sit for a few minutes, then pour the hot syrup into a glass jar and let it cool completely before closing the jar with tight sealing lid.Store your golden syrup at room temperature where it will keep for several months. This makes approximately 3 cups of golden syrup.
Notes
Nutrition
Hi, I’m Kimberly Killebrew and welcome to Daring Gourmet where you'll find delicious originals, revitalized classics, and simply downright good eats from around the world! Originally from Germany, later raised in England, world-traveled, and now living in the U.S., from my globally-influenced kitchen I invite you to tour the world through your taste buds!
Can I use stevia instead of sugar? Not supposed to eat sugar? Thank you
Hi Diane, sugar caramelizes and thickens when heated resulting in this syrup. An alternative sweetener like stevia will not caramelize or thicken unfortunately.
I am making this for the first time and the syrup is no long boiling it’s just still, the temperature is 245 and going to let it cook a little longer but not seeing anything like a simmer
I tested it with two different thermometers both say 245
Is this normal?
Hi Kurt, I can’t say that I’ve experienced that before. But if you’re syrup is a dark amber color like in the pictures it’s ready.
Hi… I used your recipe and it was very easy to follow. The picture references for colour changes were a great help. In reading the comments, I was sure to bring my syrup to the proper temperature 240-250. After cooling in the jar, the colour is quite dark. Is this normal? I was hoping to make sponge toffee with it but don’t want to ruin that candy if I’ve ruined this syrup somehow. Thanks for your help!
Hi Lisa, the longer you simmer it and the higher the temperature, the darker it becomes. So yes, that’s very normal. My golden syrup in the photos is quite dark as well and that’s with a lot of bright lighting. As long as your golden syrup is runny and not so hard that you can’t scoop or pour it out you’re good to go!
Hi Kimberly, Thanks so much for such a quick response! It scoops like yours in the pictures so, I think I’m good. It also tastes ah-may-zing! Thanks for everything!
Hi Kimberley
I’m British but I live in Poland and golden syrup is not available except from one or two specialist shops (where it costs a small fortune) so I was eager to try your recipe.
It was so much fun, watching the sugar/water suddenly clear when it boils is miraculous and I’m now fascinated by sugar chemistry!!
Sure it doesn’t taste the same as Lyle’s but I didn’t expect it to.
The reason for this is that Lyles uses a more complex process rather than a particular source of sugar. Basically their process is to chemically split the sugar into glucose and fructose, then make a syrup of each and blend the result to create a more complex flavour. As an analogy, think of the difference between Single Malt and Blended Scotch Whisky.
As you can imagine, their process is pretty much impossible to replicate in a home kitchen unless it comes with a chemistry lab.
Anyway – thanks again so much for posting this
Hello! I have two questions. 1. If I do half white sugar and half brown sugar, should the brown sugar be packed? And 2. Which is best, the fresh lemon juice or citric acid?
Thank you! I’m looking forward to using this to make marshmallows.
Hi Dina, white sugar is generally more dense than brown sugar so yes, I’d go ahead and pack the brown. Both lemon juice and citric acid work equally well, it largely comes down to whether you want the lemon flavor or not. Happy cooking!
Have just made thus. I ed 2 cups white sugar and 2 cups golden brown sugar. The consistency is lovely. It tastez just like Rogers Golden Syrup, which is the one available in Canada. GREAT directions!
Thank you, Steph, I’m happy it was a success!
Hi I was wondering if I could use baking powder or baking soda instead of lemon juice or citric acid. I am from Oshkosh, Wisconsin in the United States and really love this recipe and Thank You.
Thank you, Martin! The purpose for adding the lemon juice or citric acid is that they are acidic. Baking soda is alkaline and baking powder is only very weakly acidic, so neither is an adequate substitute.
Hi Kimberly, thanks for the recipe 😊 I want to make a syrup which is as thick as golden syrup but clear. Is it the caramelisation process that brings the thickness or could I take it off the hob once the sugar is dissolved? I’ve been making toffee popcorn but would like to add some colour to the toffee. With the syrup being a caramel colour it would take away from the added colour. Hope that makes sense!
Hi Luke, yes it’s the caramelization process that turns the color golden but it’s also that same process that enables the sugar/water mixture to thicken into syrup. In other words, it you simply heat the mixture until the sugar is dissolved it will not thicken.
Growing up my Mum used Lyle’s Golden Syrup often so I was glad to find this recipe. I made a batch and it turned out great but it does not taste the same as the Lyle’s Golden Syrup I have. I was wondering if you knew what makes the subtle difference between this recipe and the Lyle’s version.
I wonder if this is because this recipe uses white sugar instead of cane sugar. Cane sugar is less refined and has some of the molasses flavor. That would make it taste differently when caramelized.
Danielle, I don’t specify white sugar over cane sugar in this recipe. I specifically leave it open because you can use either.
Fantastic recipe! Thank you! I was looking for an alternative to corn syrup for making caramel and honeycomb candy. I halved the recipe and it worked the very first try! The pictures were especially helpful for determining when the syrup was getting close to temperature. A 1/4 cup swapped perfectly for the corn syrup in the recipe for caramel sauce.
Thank you, Lindsay, I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Oops, I meant Kimberly, not Daniella.
Hi Daniella, I am making this now and substituted just 1/2 cup granulated sugar with light brown sugar so it already started out with a nice caramel color. I am using a thermometer which I have to altitude adjust. So 225F is my 240F. It still looks a little thin but I don’t want to overcook it. Should I just cook a few minutes longer?
Hi Lisa, you can take a spoon of syrup out, put it on a plate and stick it in the fridge or freezer to cool down for a few minutes to test the consistency and then decide whether it needs to simmer a little longer. If the syrup is too thin simmer it longer, if it is too thick you can reheat and stir in a little water.
Hi. My syrup has been on a low heat for 60 min. And it’s a very light golden color. Any recommendations what to do next? Do I up the heat? And how much longer do I wait? I also think I added more lemon juice on accident. Because I halved the recipe I but did 1 1/2 tablespoons of lemon juice.
Hi Daniela, it sounds like the heat was a little too low so yes, increase the heat a little bit and cook it some more. Use a thermometer to ensure it gets to the right temp, between 240-250 F.
I made this and the syrup dried like a chewy candy, a bit hard and not like a syrup. Did I cook it too long? How to do I fix this?
Hi Parker, yes it was cooked for too long. It needs to cook until it reaches a temp of 240-250 F to get the right consistency. You can fix it by reheating it and adding a little water to thin it out.
Its not even done simmering yet and smells and looks so good! I plan on using this for pecan pie, so I took the option of swapping in brown sugar to heart – 3 cups white and 1 brown. Looking very delicious so far, albeit hard to tell if its changing color. I think its going to be so much more flavorful than Karo for this pie!