If you’re craving something sweet or a little different than your usual standard coffee, adding syrup can help add decadence and excitement to your brew. With so many brands of syrups on the market, which is the best coffee syrup to use? Let’s take a look below.
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Our Top Pics for Best Coffee Syrup
Types of Syrups you Can Buy
When it comes to flavoured syrups there are a few different types you can usually find in store. But not all these syrups are made for coffee, so we’d recommend using a syrup specifically made for coffee or listed for use in coffee on the label. You won’t go skiing with rollerskates, right? So why would you want to put other syrups in your coffee, it’s a dangerous business and done at your own risk.
| Coffee Flavouring Syrups | When it comes to flavoured syrups there are a few different types you can usually find in store. But not all these syrups are made for coffee, so we’d recommend using a syrup made explicitly for coffee or listed for use in coffee on the label. You won’t go skiing with rollerskates, right? So why would you want to put other syrups in your coffee, it’s a dangerous business and done at your own risk. |
| Agave Syrup | Now, this could possibly work. It’s not likely to be a complete coffee disaster, it can add a bit of sweetness with hints of caramel to your cup but it will be pretty subtle. |
| Mixed Drink Syrups | These types of syrups are used for making cocktails, and they can be fruity in flavour or perhaps the well-known sour mix common in cocktails. We wouldn’t recommend using these no matter how desperate the situation unless you’re making a cocktail that contains coffee, even then it’s not likely to work out well so proceed with caution. Be careful as brands like Monin make both coffee and cocktail syrups so make sure you read the label before you take the plunge. |
| Concentrates | These often contain caffeine already, so unless you want to get the jitters deliberately, we won’t recommend this at all. |
| Dessert Syrup or Sauces | Well, the name says it all it’s made for your ice cream, not your coffee. Some might work with a stroke of luck, but they’re likely to be quite thick and can be hit and miss. |
| Cooking Syrups | Chefs will generally use these for cooking or baking. Common cooking syrups will be golden syrup or maple syrup. Even though maple syrup can work in a cup of coffee, golden syrup is not likely to make you go to coffee heaven. |
Common Coffee Syrup Flavours
The most common flavours are Vanilla, Hazelnut, Caramel, Mocha, Almond and Coconut. You also get other options such as pumpkin spice and peppermint.
How Much Coffee Syrup Should you Use?
Well, if you’re a bit of a maverick you can use as much as you like. It all depends on how heavily or lightly flavoured you’d like your drink to be.
Generally, the serving sizes are two tablespoons or four pumps for an 8 oz coffee. This will roughly add around 100 calories to your cup, depending on the syrup you’re using. For a 12 oz coffee, you can use 3 tablespoons or 6 pumps and for 16 oz 4 tablespoons or 8 pumps.
Our Pics for the Best Coffee Syrup
1. Monin – Organic Vanilla Syrup
- Vegan, Gluten-Free, GMO-Free, Organic
- No artificial flavours, sweeteners or ingredients
- Rich vanilla extract aroma with bold vanilla flavour derived from select Madagascar Vanilla beans; subtle caramel notes.
Monin was started in France by George Monin back in 1912. Monin was a flavour enthusiast and avid cook. He liked to experiment with different flavour combinations at home. With this natural curiosity and dissatisfaction with the range of flavours available for drinks, he started to test different combinations in his home kitchen. He later bottled and sold them across the country. Three generations later, Monin’s syrups are one of the world’s finest flavoured drinks syrups around.
You’ll find Monin Syrups in a wide variety of flavours, we particularly like that they have a range of organic syrups like the vanilla option we’ve listed here. It’s definitely our favourite and makes a great chai latte.
These syrups also support bee colonies through Monin’s syrup recycling initiative, which sends waste syrup to feed bees.
Monin makes sugar free syrups if you’re worried about the calories. There is bound to be syrup for everyone’s taste with their wide range.
Specifications: Allergen Free, Dairy Free, Gluten Free, Halal, Kosher, No Artificial Colors, No Artificial Flavors, No Artificial Ingredients, No Artificial Preservatives, No Artificial Sweeteners, Non-GMO, Organic, Vegan, & Clean Label
2. Torani Variety Pack Caramel, French Vanilla, Vanilla & Hazelnut
- No artificial flavours, sweeteners or ingredients
- Variety pack includes 1 bottle of each: Caramel Classic, French Vanilla, Vanilla & Hazelnut Classic
Torani started in 1925 with just five syrups and have since grown their portfolio to over 150 sold around the world. To pick the flavours they produce, they study trends around the world to see what people like best. The essence of these flavours is then captured and bottled to spice up our favourite drinks.
The company is a Certified B Corporation, which means they are committed to being a source for good. They proudly stand to be a conscious for-profit company that advocates opportunities for all.
We love this variety pack as it’s the perfect buy if you’d like to explore a few different coffee flavours. The pack includes Caramel, French Vanilla and Vanilla Hazelnut. Just imagine all the beautiful drinks you can make with these punchy bottles of syrupy nectar.
COFFEE FLAVOR VARIETY PACK: Perfect for making your own flavoured lattes, mochas & cappuccinos, this variety pack includes 1 bottle of each: Caramel Classic, French Vanilla, Vanilla & Hazelnut Classic
3. Ghirardelli Caramel Flavored Sauce
- Contains dairy
Ghiradelli is a slightly different syrup from the others as it contains corn syrup rather than cane sugar, cream and skimmed milk. The company specialise in a range of confectionery products and was started in 1817 by Domenico Ghirardelli an Italian exotic foods importer. Ghirardelli started out as an apprentice at a local candy maker and later sailed to America to open a general store in Stockton, California. Here he offered supplies and confections to minors in the area.
This particular syrup is more of a sauce than syrup, but it makes a beautiful and decadent Latte. Two tablespoons of this sauce aren’t much more calorific than any of the other syrups.
It’s a nice and thick sauce that comes in a squeezy bottle and make incredible macchiatos and can even top your ice cream so it’s a good multi-tasking sauce. This is so good you might never want to go back to a coffee shop for a macchiato, be warned! It’s buttery and sweet, a true delight.
Perfectly formulated for use in espresso-based drinks, this sauce is also great as ice cream or dessert topping
4. Starbucks Starbuck Variety Syrup 4pk
- The variety pack contains Vanilla, Caramel and Hazelnut
There is absolutely no way that we can put a list of coffee syrups together without mentioning Starbucks. They have been inspiring different flavoured lattes for longer than we care to remember and are good syrups even if you’re not a fan of Starbucks coffee. In fact, they might be one of the biggest drivers of the world’s obsession with flavoured coffees. These are naturally flavoured and made to elevate your cuppa.
If you’d like to explore a few different flavours, then this variety pack is a good start, or you can get the single syrups in Caramel, Hazelnut, Sugar-Free Vanilla or regular Vanilla if you choose. They also do Caramel and Mocha sauces.
The Starbucks branded syrups contain natural flavours and will help you make your favourite Starbucks inspired drinks at home. Mix it with an original Starbucks coffee, and you’re all branded up and superfan ready.
Bring home signature Starbucks café flavour with Starbucks Naturally Flavored syrups and sauces. Elevate your morning coffee
5. DaVinci Gourmet Chocolate Syrup
- No artificial sweeteners or flavours
DaVinci Gourmet was set up in 1989 in the coffee district of Seattle, you’ll know that a little company called Starbucks also famously started there. We all know the folks from Seattle like their coffee, as it’s inspired a few coffee-related products and brands over the years.
The company funds projects in coffee-growing regions that benefit grower communities and have an ethical sourcing model that empowers women, coffee producers. So if you’d like to add the essence of a fierce female force to your cup, this is the syrup for you.
You’ll find DaVinci syrups in a wide range of flavours, but this particular one is a chocoholic’s favourite pick. It’s a cane sugar-based syrup that contains natural flavours.
COMMITTED TO EXCELLENCE SINCE 1989: Since our founding in Seattle, Washington, DaVinci has created gourmet quality syrups for cafés, restaurants, & home kitchens. We focus on delivering consistently high-quality beverage solutions to all our customers.
6. Jordan’s Skinny Mixes Classic Coffee Syrup Trio Sugar-Free
- 0 Calories. 0 Sugar. 0 Carbs. Keto-Friendly, Gluten-Free, Kosher
- Variety back contains Salted Caramel Syrup, Vanilla Syrup and Mocha Syrup
If you’re worried about the sugar and calories, then Jordan’s Skinny Mixes is the perfect coffee syrup. They make a range of syrups but without the unwanted calories. Jordan started around 10 years ago with a simple mission in mind to create a skinny Margarita. Since then the company innovated to make a whole range of other syrups that are Gluten-Free, Kosher and made in the USA.
You’ll be pleased to know that they also make whipped foam toppings that contain 0 sugar, 0 calories and 0 carbs. So you can even add a nice whipped foam topping to your favourite latte or mocha without the guilt! It’s a win-win, right?
We love that they do a variety pack as it’s a great way to beat boredom and explore the flavours they have to offer.
Even though these syrups are low calories they do contain artificial flavours and sweeteners. So yes, there will always be a tradeoff when trying to get the same sweetness of traditional syrups without the calories. You will have to pick your poison, as it has an artificial sweetener taste to a degree.
- HEALTHY DRINK RECIPES: Simply add Skinny Syrup to your coffee of choice for the perfect, guilt-free drink.
What About a Syrup Pump Dispenser?
If you’d like to be all fancy and dispense your syrup with a pump, there is no reason why you can’t do that. Although keep in mind that the shelf life of your syrup will be shorter so if you’re using your syrup every once in a while it might not be the best idea. The pump can also get sticky and become painful to clean if not used regularly.
But if you’re a heavy coffee syrup user you can either buy the syrup bottles with the pump included already, some of the Torani bottles are sold with a pump, or buy the pump separately as below.
How Healthy is Flavoured Coffee Really?
If you’re going for a syrup to flavour your coffee it’s probably not the healthiest drink as the syrups will contain quite a lot of sugar and are likely to add around 100 calories, depending on the brand, to your cup of coffee.
That said you can buy sugar-free syrups that are low in calories, see Jordan’s, Starbucks, Monin and DaVinci in the list above as they all make sugar-free syrups. These are usually made with artificial sweeteners. As you know these sweeteners can’t always be classed as a healthy alternative as they can still cause your blood sugar levels to rise and they can be harmful to your body.
The other option is to buy flavoured coffee. A naturally flavoured coffee will have a more subtle flavour, but is healthier and won’t contain the extra calories. These coffees are flavoured using spices or in some cases oils. There are some flavoured coffees still made with Propylene Glycol, which aren’t good in high doses but still better for your waistline if you have them on occasion.
Two of our Favourite Flavoured Coffee Recipes
Salted Caramel Latte
Ingredients:
- 2 tablespoons of Salted Caramel syrup
- 200 ml steam frothed full-fat milk
- 1 single espresso
Method:
- Add the syrup and espresso to your cup, stir till the syrup is dissolved
- Top with the steam frothed milk
- Garnish with a drizzle of the caramel syrup
Vegan Vanilla and Almond Milk Latte
Ingredients:
- 2 tablespoons of Monin’s Organic Vanilla syrup
- 200 ml steam frothed Almond Milk
- 1 single espresso
Method:
- Add the syrup and espresso to your cup, stir till the syrup is dissolved
- Top with the steam frothed almond milk
- Garnish with a sprinkle of cinnamon
FAQs
What is Coffee Syrups Typically Made Of?
The different brands of syrups will vary. Most of the syrups are made with cane sugar and either natural or artificial flavourings and a preservative. Some contain corn syrup. Others, usually the low calory or skinny syrups, are sweetened with artificial sweeteners.
Syrups such as the Ghirardelli brand contains cream as well as skimmed milk.
Is Monin or Torani Better?
We’re of the opinion that Monin Syrups are better than Torani, but they are also more expensive. Monin’s shelf life is also a little shorter than Torani.
What Syrups do Coffee Shops Use?
This will vary between shops but many of them tend to use Monin Syrups. But you can find any of the syrups listed above in coffee shops.
What coffee syrups does Starbucks use?
Starbucks has its own branded coffee syrups that are made by Fontana. You can buy these syrups from Amazon and most supermarkets.
Last update on 2022-07-24 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API