Brown Butter Vanilla Syrup
Brown Butter Vanilla Syrup is made by cooking brown butter with a rich and sweet brown sugar vanilla syrup. Brown butter is nutty and rich and it pairs so well with this syrup to make the best sweetener for coffees, matcha lattes, or pancakes! It’s made with 4 ingredients in 30 minutes.
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Why This Recipe is So Good
Brown butter makes everything better! It’s easily made by cooking a stick of butter until the butter has started to brown. It has the most delicious nutty flavor and smell and it truly adds so much flavor to any dish and especially this brown butter vanilla syrup.
This brown butter syrup elevates your favorite drinks and desserts. Served over pancakes or waffles or used in coffee or matcha lattes, the nutty brown butter and the sweet richness of the brown sugar create a dreamy treat that you’ll love and want to enjoy again and again.
Recipe Ingredients
- Butter – Use unsalted butter so you can control the amount of salt; otherwise, your syrup might be too salty when used in coffee or other drinks.
- Brown sugar – Adds a rich caramel flavor and thickens this syrup up nicely. If you don’t have brown sugar, add ½ teaspoon of molasses to white sugar or cane sugar to achieve a similar flavor.
- Vanilla bean paste – Always my go-to over vanilla extract because the paste has sooooo much flavor and doesn’t have that alcohol taste. Make sure to add it at the end of the cooking so the flavor doesn’t dissipate.
- Pinch of salt – To balance out the sweetness of the brown sugar and the richness of the browned butter.
How to Make Brown Butter Syrup
All ingredients, measurements, and instructions are in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Make browned butter
Heat butter in a small pot over medium heat. Cook until the butter has melted and starts to foam up. Make sure to stir frequently. Once it starts to foam, the butter will start to brown, stir, and continue cooking until there are browned bits at the bottom of the pot. Remove from the heat then allow to cool.
Make brown sugar vanilla syrup
In a medium sauce pot, heat filtered water and brown sugar until it reaches a gentle simmer. Pour in the browned butter, including the browned bits at the bottom, then continue cooking for another 5 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat, then allow it to cool to room temperature before transferring to a storage container. Enjoy in coffee, matcha lattes, or served over stacks of pancakes or waffles.
Looking For More Recipes?
- Brown Sugar Vanilla Syrup
- Honey Lavender Simple Syrup
- Basil Simple Syrup
- Dragon Fruit Simple Syrup
- Passionfruit Simple Syrup Using Frozen Puree
- Blueberry Simple Syrup
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Brown Butter Vanilla Syrup
Equipment
- Small pot
- medium pot
Ingredients
- ½ cup butter unsalted
- 2 cups brown sugar
- 1 cup filtered water
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
- 1 pinch salt
Instructions
Make brown butter
- Heat the butter in a small pot over medium heat until it starts to become foamy and turns a golden brown color. This takes about 10 minutes. Stir occasionally and reduce the heat if the mixture is bubbling too much. Once the butter starts to foam, it will brown very quickly and can easily burn, so keep a close eye on it. Remove from the heat.½ cup butter
Make brown sugar syrup
- In a medium pot, stir together brown sugar and water. Heat on medium heat until the syrup has come to a gentle simmer. This takes about 10 minutes. Next, add the browned butter, including the browned bits at the bottom(lots of flavor!), then continue cooking for another 10 minutes.2 cups brown sugar, 1 cup filtered water
- Remove the pot from the heat, then stir in the vanilla bean paste or extract and a pinch of salt. Allow your syrup to cool, then pour it into a mason jar or an airtight container. Use immediately or store in the refrigerator until you’re ready to use it.1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract, 1 pinch salt
Notes
How To Store/ Make Ahead
Store in the fridge in an airtight container for up to a month. Reheat in the microwave or over the stove until warm.Tips and Tricks
- Syrup will thicken as it cools.
- Stir and reheat to incorporate the butter into the syrup. After about a week, I like to discard the butter. By this point, the butter flavor is all throughout the syrup anyway, and sometimes the butter on top can have a weird flavor after a week.
- Add vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste at the end of the cooking so the flavor doesn’t dissipate.
