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    Home » Beverages

    Homemade Peppermint Syrup

    Published: Jan 29, 2022 · Modified: Dec 17, 2022 by Jessica Fisher

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    mint syrup in glass pitcher on wood board with text overlay.

    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. Be sure to try your hand at this Homemade Ginger Syrup Recipe, too.

    small glass pitcher of mint syrup on wood board with sprigs of fresh mint. this …
    Jump to:
    • Why Make This
    • Ingredients
    • Step-by-Step Instructions
    • FAQ & Recipe Costs
    • More Great Syrup Recipes
    • Tell us what you think!
    • Peppermint Syrup

    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:

    bowl of sugar next to clear cup of water and bowl of mint leaves on a black table.

    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:

    sugar and water in saucepan.
    mint leaves added to sauce pan of water and sugar.
    boiling mint syrup over medium heat.
    letting the syrup steep with mint while it cools.

    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.

    mint syrup in saucepan next to strainer and glass pitcher.
    strained mint in pitcher next to empty saucepan and sieve on black table.

    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

    Is peppermint syrup vegan?

    Depending on what sugar you use, peppermint syrup is vegan. You’ll want to use vegan-certified white sugar for your syrup.

    Can you make mint syrup without sugar?

    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.

    What’s the difference between peppermint syrup and peppermint extract?

    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!

    sideview of peppermint syrup in glass pitcher with sprigs of fresh mint nearby on black table.

    More Great Syrup Recipes

    • two bottles of chocolate syrup on a plaid mat.
      Homemade Chocolate Syrup Recipe (77 cents/batch)
    • glass of chocolate milk and syrup
      Homemade Mocha Chocolate Syrup Recipe
    • A pitcher of simple syrup next to tea
      Simple Syrup Recipe (Only 2 Ingredients!)
    • ginger syrup bottles next to hunk of ginger root.
      Homemade Ginger Syrup Recipe
    white spoon and fork on a teal plate logo.

    Tell us what you think!

    We love to hear your experiences with Good Cheap Eats. Click the STARS on the recipe card or leave a STARRED comment to let us know what you think of the recipe.

    sideview of pitcher of peppermint syrup with fresh mint leaves.
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    5 from 1 vote

    Peppermint Syrup

    Peppermint Syrup is delicious for flavoring hot or cold drinks or using to add minty flavor to any number of desserts
    Prep Time5 minutes mins
    Cook Time9 minutes mins
    Total Time14 minutes mins
    Course: Sauces
    Cuisine: American
    Diet: Gluten Free, Vegetarian
    Servings: 16 oz
    Calories: 97kcal
    Author: Jessica Fisher
    Cost: $3
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Ingredients

    • 1 cup water
    • 2 cups granulated sugar
    • 1 bunch fresh mint leaves chopped
    US Customary – Metric

    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

    I use natural granulated sugar which gives the syrup an amber color. If you’d like a clearer syrup, use white sugar.
    For Chocolate Mint Syrup: whisk in ½ cup cocoa powder with sugar before adding the water and chopped mint. Add ¼ teaspoon salt after straining the syrup.
    If you don’t have fresh mint: you can use ¼ teaspoon peppermint extract or more to taste, however keep in mind that the flavor will taste a bit artificial by comparison.
    Nutritional values are approximate and based on 1 ounce (2 tablespoons) of syrup.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 97kcal | Carbohydrates: 25g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 1mg | Potassium: 2mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 25g | Vitamin A: 11IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 1mg | Iron: 1mg
    Tried this Recipe? Tell us what you think!Your reviews help us develop better recipes and give newcomers the confidence to try your favorites. Scroll down to leave a starred comment.

    This post was originally published on December 2, 2011. It has been updated for content and clarity.

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Roberta

      November 07, 2016 at 9:03 am

      I’d like to make this as a Christmas gift. How does it keep?

      Reply
      • Jessica Fisher

        November 07, 2016 at 8:27 pm

        You’ll need to refrigerate it. I’ve never kept it longer than a week or two.

        Reply
    2. Danita

      September 29, 2013 at 5:16 am

      Does anyone know if you can use splenda instead of sugar to make this syrup?

      Reply
      • Jessica Fisher

        September 29, 2013 at 12:46 pm

        I have never cooked with splenda, so I don’t know. Hopefully, someone else will chime in.

        Reply
    3. Becca

      July 24, 2013 at 2:50 pm

      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.

      Reply
    4. kate

      December 16, 2011 at 8:15 pm

      Holy God this stuff is amazing. Thank you for making my holidays happy and bright! I’m making this for gifts. cheers!

      Reply
    5. sarah k. @ the pajama chef

      December 03, 2011 at 7:34 pm

      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!

      Reply
    6. Kristy @ Almost On Purpose

      December 02, 2011 at 6:48 am

      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!

      Reply
    7. Hope

      December 02, 2011 at 4:52 am

      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!

      Reply
      • Jessica

        December 02, 2011 at 4:55 am

        @Hope, eww, yes. Mint is rather invasive, isn’t it. I think you have enough mint for life. Enjoy!

        Reply
    8. Charna scarpati

      December 02, 2011 at 3:35 am

      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

      Reply

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