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!
I tried this recipe and after 53 minutes I also had hard candy. Bitter hard candy at that. It seems obvious that the temperature was too high (I used the lowest gas setting). I was stirring it consistently UNTIL it started bubbling at the edges. Once it started to foam I added one tbsp of lemon juice, stirred through the foam about 4-5 times, then repeated with the second. After that I didn’t touch it until it was done. It was foamy the entire cook time. I used cane sugar, but it was like dark molasses as soon as it hit the boil. It seemed to have skipped the golden colour (I added ingredients to .2 of a gram so I know I got that right). Was my technique with stirring okay? Anything else you could see that could have gone wrong?
Hi Michael, yes it definitely sounds like even your lowest setting is much too high. But also going by cooking time is tricky because every stove is different and the type of cookware you’re using can also impact the length of time until the syrup is done. For that reason I strongly recommend using a thermometer. That way you can get the syrup to the exact right temperature to know when it’s done and it removes any guesswork.
248 F degrees was the sweet spot for me.
why is there lemon juice in this? Does the acid do something to the sugar? I used a thermometer to not over cook, some water needs to remain in the syrup. It was really simple to make.
Citric acid added to enhance inversion of sucrose.
As a ‘standalone’ Citrus Syrup, then it’s not actually that bad, but as an expat, excited about once again tasting the golden nectar that has long been missing from my life, I couldn’t help but feel disappointment of this tasting nothing like golden syrup. A lot of recipes look delish on here, and i can’t wait to try some of them out, but this won’t be one I repeat.
Hi Andrew, thanks for the feedback. I’m sorry that this wasn’t what you expected and I can understand that. Please understand that commercial golden syrup uses industrial equipment that cannot be replicated at home and as such is not going to taste exactly the same. This homemade version is basically as close to the store-bought version as homemade can get. Depending on where they live, many people don’t have easy access to Tate & Lyle golden syrup and this homemade version makes it possible for them to create a caramelized syrup that is identical in texture that functions as a good substitute. Regarding the citrus flavor, please also note that I provide the option of using citric acid instead.
Maybe cut back on the lemon. I found online another recipe for golden syrup that just called for a slice of lemon to be dropped in the boiling sugar. A lemon slice would contain at most maybe a drop or two of lemon juice. And wouldn’t impart much of a lemon taste.
Tastes of lemon and not as rich or sweet as Lyles in side by side comparison. Used organic bottled lemon juice with no additives at 2 tablespoons per your recipe.
I tried to make this and sadly cooked it for too long. Before I try again, I have a question for those who have actually made it successfully:
Does it really TASTE like Golden Syrup? Golden Syrup has a unique flavor(similar to how brown sugar has a unique flavor that is hard to replicate without molasses).I’m just wondering if it’s worth a second try, I’d hate to waste the ingredients if it’s not really the same flavor-wise. Thanks for any help anyone can give with an answer.
in cooks school we used to make our own syrup by adding maple extract to the sugar and water recipe we made ours in steam heated copper kettle we made 1 five gallon milk can.
I live at 8,000 feet elevation. What temperature should the thermometer get to?
Hi Janet, I have little experience with high elevation cooking so I’m really not sure.
Does this have to be made in a nonstick pot?
Hi Anna, no it doesn’t. I use my regular stainless steel pot.
Hi everyone! I’m making this for the first time since I’m a huge Harry Potter fan I bought a cook book that’s called the “unofficial Harry Potter cook book” and it has a recipe for treacle tart but I couldn’t find golden syrup anywhere here in Pennsylvania. I am trying this recipe out but had to use granulated sugar as I didn’t have time to go buy cane sugar and just wanted to add that if you use granulated sugar it has to caramelize longer than an hour. At the hour mark I checked it and it was a very light amber color so I let it simmer for an extra 20 minutes and now it’s perfect! Thank you for this easy recipe it’s amazingly simple and good. Now on to finish my treacle tart!
That’s fantastic, Jeffrey, I’m so glad it was a success and thanks for the feedback about the granulated sugar!
Is there any substitute for the cane sugar, as there is a cane sugar allergy in the family?
Hi Joan, you can use regular granulated sugar (made from sugar beets) instead.
Thanks for the recipe. I cut down on the cooking time by half. I heat half the sugar with 1 tbsp of water, burn it to slightly darker amber color, add remaining water and sugar. Throw in sliced lemon into the syrup n cook until it thickens.
Granulated sugar in the US is made from sugarcane, not sugar beets. The UK uses sugar beets. Chemically, the sugar they produce is identical.
I’m sorry Paula, but we also make sugar from Sugar beets here in the US. Michigan for one, is a state that grows a lot of sugar beets. 50 to 60% of our sugar is made from Sugar beets.
Pretty sure this is just a caramel sauce, I think Golden syrup is a bit more complicated than that
Amazing that you took the time to write this comment and not just google a caramel sauce recipe. Because you would’ve learnt that this is exactly what golden syrup is and absolutely not what caramel sauce is.
No, caramel sauce has dairy and is the one that’s (slightly) more complicated than this.
This recipe created hard candy for me. Anyone else have this issue?
Hi Nicole, that happens when it’s cooked too long. I strongly recommend using a candy or instant read thermometer to ensure you achieve the right consistency.
If it cooks too long, cooks at too high of a temp too quickly, or if sugar granules re-enter the syrup usually from the edges of the pan (it can create a ‘seed’ that hardens the sugar) or if you agitate it too much from over stirring you will get hard candy. Sugar can be a challenge for even experienced bakers and confectioners to get right every time so I would try it again if the first time (or first couple of times) didn’t work out.
A recipe that we love that uses syrup is Sticky Pudding.
In the bottom of a flat casserole dish add 2-3 tablespoons of syrup, and a tablespoon of quince paste (membrillo). Cover with Victoria sponge mix and bake. When the top looks ready, turn the heat down for 10 mins to make sure the middle is cooked. The syrup bubbles up through the cake mix, and is yummy!
Tips for serving syrup:
1. Heat a spoon over gas just just before you scoop the syrup – it will then slip of the spoon.
2. Pour from the tin, and use a knife to slice through the drizzle as it leaves the tin. Rotate to catch the drips.
That sounds yummy, David, I especially like the addition of the quince. Thanks for sharing!
I made this a few days ago and it turned out great, but I thought I might add a few comments for other rookies. I used a half cup of brown sugar, as suggested in the recipe. While I think it added nicely to the flavor, it was hard to tell when the syrup reached the correct “amber-ness” as I’d never made this before. I’d suggest making it once with plain white sugar to see how it works. Also, I had to reheat and add about 1/2 cup of water to thin it out after cooling. It looked right when it was hot, but it thickened up a LOT as it cooled! I used the syrup in my first ever batch of Anzac biscuits, which were also a success.
Thank you, Rick, I’m happy it was a success! Thanks also for the feedback, I’ve added a note to recipe about the increased need of using a digital thermometer if you’re using some brown sugar.
Hi! Any ideas to prevent the syrup from thickening that much? I will try this for the first time as I have a rye bread recipe that calls for golden syrup/corn dark syrup and both are virtually impossible to be found where I live. Thank you!
Hi Santiago, the only way to ensure that is to use a thermometer, something I highly recommend, otherwise it’s a bit of a guessing game! If your syrup turns out too thick you can easily “rescue” it though by reheating it and stirring in a little water.
Thank you, Kimberly! I will let you know how it turns out.
Easy add more water