Orange Simple Syrup

By
Danilo Alfaro
Danlio Alfaro
Danilo Alfaro
Danilo Alfaro has published more than 800 recipes and tutorials focused on making complicated culinary techniques approachable to home cooks.
Learn about The Spruce Eats' Editorial Process
Updated on 03/6/24
Tested by
Diana Rattray
Diana Rattray
Tested by Diana Rattray
Southern-cuisine expert and cookbook author Diana Rattray has created more than 5,000 recipes and articles in her 20 years as a food writer.
Learn about The Spruce Eats' Editorial Process
Prep: 5 mins
Cook: 5 mins
Total: 10 mins
Servings: 21 servings
Yield: 1 1/3 cups

Simple syrup is a solution of equal parts (by weight) sugar and water and its uses are myriad. You can use simple syrup to sweeten and add moisture to cakes and other desserts. It's also handy for sweetening cold drinks such as iced coffee and iced tea, because granulated sugar doesn't dissolve as well in cold drinks as it does in hot ones. There are also plenty of cocktails that use simple syrup, like the old-fashioned and the mojito. And it's as easy to do as the name implies.

Simple syrup is traditionally made by boiling the water and sugar until the sugar dissolves. The resulting syrup is then cooled and stored in a bottle or jar. You can infuse it with orange flavor by simmering orange peel in the syrup. It's nice when brushed onto the layers of a classic genoise cake, though there are many other uses for orange simple syrup as well. Consider it mixed into homemade herbal iced tea, drizzle it over vanilla ice cream, add a little bit to a salad dressing, or try it on top of pancakes: the possibilities are limitless.

Orange simple syrup in a glass jar, with oranges

The Spruce Eats / Ali Redmond
What You'll Need to Make This Orange Simple Syrup Recipe
A Great Saucepan
A Sharp Paring Knife
An Airtight Jar or Bottle

"The simple syrup was easy to make and turned out very good. It had light flavor and nice orange color and aroma, perfect for many cocktails. This would be a nice simple syrup to brush over a cake or quick bread, as it would add moisture and sweetness with a slight orange flavor." —Diana Rattray

Orange simple syrup in a glass jar with a cork topper
A Note From Our Recipe Tester

Ingredients

  • 8 ounces (1 cup) water, filtered or distilled

  • 8 ounces granulated sugar, about 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons

  • 3 oranges, bright orange peel only, sliced

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    Ingredients for orange simple syrup gathered

    The Spruce Eats / Ali Redmond

  2. In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, combine the water, sugar, and orange peels. Stir to combine.

    Water, sugar and orange peels in a pan

    The Spruce Eats / Ali Redmond

  3. Bring to a boil and cook until the sugar dissolves, stirring occasionally.

    Orange simple syrup ingredients in a pot

    The Spruce Eats / Ali Redmond

  4. Remove from heat, strain out the peels, and let the syrup cool.

    Orange peels strained through a sieve

    The Spruce Eats / Ali Redmond

  5. Transfer to a bottle or jar and cover it. Refrigerate.

    Orange simple syrup in a glass bottle

    The Spruce Eats / Ali Redmond

How To Store Orange Simple Syrup

  • Refrigerate flavored 1:1 simple syrup (equal parts sugar and water) in an airtight container for up to a month; it may keep longer. To tell if the simple syrup has spoiled, look for an off odor, cloudiness, or mold.
  • Freeze simple syrup in small containers or ice cube trays for longer storage.

Recipe Variation

Rich orange simple syrup: Increase the sugar to 16 ounces, or about 2 1/4 cups.


No-boil simple syrup: Just combine the sugar and cool water in a jar or bottle and let it sit for about 20 minutes, giving it a shake or stir every five minutes or so. This allows for zero cleanups, zero waiting for it to cool, and zero chance of sustaining second-degree burns. The boiled syrup will keep longer because boiling eradicates bacteria, but you can still infuse the syrup with flavor by stirring in citrus zest, sprigs of herbs such as rosemary or mint, etc. Refrigerate overnight and remove the infused aromatics. Store in the fridge for two weeks.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
55 Calories
0g Fat
14g Carbs
0g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 21
Amount per serving
Calories 55
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 0g 0%
Saturated Fat 0g 0%
Cholesterol 0mg 0%
Sodium 1mg 0%
Total Carbohydrate 14g 5%
Dietary Fiber 1g 2%
Total Sugars 13g
Protein 0g
Vitamin C 16mg 78%
Calcium 12mg 1%
Iron 0mg 0%
Potassium 44mg 1%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)