Looking to add minty sweet flavor to coffee, tea, or other beverages? Homemade Peppermint Syrup is just the thing! With just three ingredients, it comes together in about 15 minutes.
Whether you’re making your favorite Starbucks drink at home or simply want to make a Mojito Mocktail, this peppermint syrup is easy to make, super flavorful, and so much cheaper than buying a bottled mint syrup.
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When you’ve got a hankering for a mint julep, peppermint iced tea, mojito, or Starbucks peppermint mocha, you can head out to a cafe or restaurant and pay a pretty penny…
or you can make one yourself!
Making your own coffee drinks and cool beverages is a great way to enjoy the good life and still keep some money in your pocket.
If you’re looking to make peppermint drinks, fizzy or flat, caffeinated or decaf, alcoholic or virgin, you’re going to want some peppermint syrup — and homemade is the way to go!
Why Make This
It’s easy. With just three ingredients, homemade peppermint syrup is a snap to prepare.
It’s economical. While using homegrown mint will likely get your costs even lower, making your own peppermint syrup with grocery store mint is still so much less expensive than that bottle. Starbucks peppermint syrup can cost almost $1/ounce. This recipe will save you 15 times over!
It’s delicious! Homemade peppermint syrup is so much more refreshing than commercial syrup. A mint-infused simple syrup brings the fresh, natural mint flavor without the chemicals.
Ingredients
Here’s what you’ll need to make your own homemade peppermint syrup:
sugar – I use a fine grind raw sugar which makes the syrup a light amber color. If you prefer a clearer syrup, you can use regular white granulated sugar. If it’s important to you to make the syrup vegan, pay attention to what kind of sugar you use.
fresh mint leaves – I’ve tasted different types of mint syrup and tested this several ways. For a clear, natural mint flavor, it’s best to use fresh mint leaves. You can use peppermint extract if you’re in a pinch (will likely be cheaper, too), but the flavor won’t be as clear and natural. Peppermint syrup made with extract tends to taste a bit fake, like a candy cane.
water – As in simple syrup, for this peppermint syrup recipe you need half the quantity of water that you use of sugar. This creates a thick syrup-style sweetener that dissolves well in both hot and cold drinks.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Here’s how to make your own peppermint syrup:
Combine the water and sugar in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the mint leaves and bring to a boil.
Boil for three minutes. Remove from heat.
Allow the mint to steep in the syrup as it cools. Strain out the leaves through a fine mesh sieve.
Store the syrup in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks or freeze for longer storage.
Add peppermint syrup to taste to coffee, tea, sodas, and mixed drinks.
FAQ & Recipe Costs
Depending on what sugar you use, peppermint syrup is vegan. You’ll want to use vegan-certified white sugar for your syrup.
Honey syrup is a nice alternative to sugar in mint syrup. Combine equal parts honey and water, add the mint leaves, boil, and allow to steep while it cools. Strain and store in the fridge or freeze for longer storage.
Both mint syrup and extract have a strong mint flavor. Peppermint syrup is sweetened while extract has no sweet flavor to it.
Recipe Costs
Knowing how much it costs you to prepare a recipe can help you decide if it’s the type of recipe to make regularly or one you might want to save for special occasions. Let’s crunch some numbers and see how this recipe pencils out.
sugar – $0.44
fresh mint – $1.00
While your costs may vary depending on where and how you shop, you can expect to pay about $1.44 for a big batch of Peppermint Syrup, about 9 cents/ounce, so much cheaper than a bottle of Starbucks peppermint syrup!
More Great Syrup Recipes
Peppermint Syrup
Instructions
- Combine the water and sugar in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the mint leaves and bring to a boil.
- Boil for three minutes. Remove from heat.
- Allow the mint to steep in the syrup as it cools. Strain out the leaves through a fine mesh sieve.
- Store the syrup in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks or freeze for longer storage.
Notes
Nutrition
This post was originally published on December 2, 2011. It has been updated for content and clarity.
Roberta
I’d like to make this as a Christmas gift. How does it keep?
Jessica Fisher
You’ll need to refrigerate it. I’ve never kept it longer than a week or two.
Danita
Does anyone know if you can use splenda instead of sugar to make this syrup?
Jessica Fisher
I have never cooked with splenda, so I don’t know. Hopefully, someone else will chime in.
Becca
I love to make an unsweetened mint tea. I have 18-20oz water bottles that I stick an 8-10 sprig of spearmint into and fill with water. I let that steep on the counter 24-36 hours. I usually make them in the morning while making my coffe and pull the mint out the next morning while making my coffee. Stick in the fridge and I have refreshing drinks ready to go.
kate
Holy God this stuff is amazing. Thank you for making my holidays happy and bright! I’m making this for gifts. cheers!
sarah k. @ the pajama chef
mmm, i miss fresh herbs now that it’s winter in the midwest. sad 🙁
over the summer i made a fruit salad w/ a very light mint sauce…it was great!
Kristy @ Almost On Purpose
Great recipes! The 2:1 ratio of sugar to water is the proportion, EVER. I think it was the first thing I learned to do in the kitchen with my mom. It’s great to use when making berry syrups in the summer, too!
Hope
Thanks for posting this. I made the mistake of planting mint in some of my flower beds and now I have – lots of mint – each year. I will be making this!
Jessica
@Hope, eww, yes. Mint is rather invasive, isn’t it. I think you have enough mint for life. Enjoy!
Charna scarpati
This recipe looks amazing. I been loving the mint hot cocoa
from Dunkin Donuts, but it can be so expensive.
Thanks for the recipe. I’m definitely going to try it.
Charna