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Made with pantry ingredients and full of fresh orange flavor, Blue Curaçao Syrup is easy to make at home and a delicious addition to your home bar drinks.
Jump to:
- What's in Blue Curaçao Syrup
- How to Make Blue Curaçao Syrup at Home (Step by Step)
- How to use Blue Curaçao Syrup
- What Kind Of Oranges Should I Use?
- Looking for More Simple Syrup Recipes?
- Can I use Natural Blue Food Coloring?
- Try These Tropical Drink Recipes
- Print the Recipe Card
- Blue Curaçao Syrup Recipe (Non Alcoholic)
There are so many fun, colorful drinks out there - many of which are made with blue Curaçao syrup. This orange flavored syrup has a delicious citrus flavor from fresh citrus fruit.
Many types of Blue Curaçao in your local store fall into the category of orange liqueur, an alcoholic liquor that tastes a lot like triple sec. This recipe for homemade blue curacao syrup is an alcohol free syrup that can be used in a variety of alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks, like my Blue Lagoon Mocktail recipe.
It's also delicious in alcoholic recipes. Swap out alcoholic blue curacao for this version to lower the amount of alcohol in your cocktail without sacrificing any flavor.
Perfect for blue drinks at baby showers or backyard BBQs (or just a hot summer day!), this citrus syrup is delicious in a glass with soda water and ice cubes. (Add a little white rum or vodka for a boozy version.)
What's in Blue Curaçao Syrup
- Fresh Oranges - You’ll need both orange peel and the juice from the oranges for this recipe. Choose fresh, firm fruit and use it soon after purchasing it. (See my note below for more on oranges.)
- White Sugar - Pure cane sugar or beet sugar is best for this recipe. Other sugars will add in their own flavor and can overwhelm the sweet orange flavor in this syrup.
- Fresh Lemon - There are very few ingredients in this syrup, so squeeze fresh citrus here. You’ll need less than half of a lemon for this recipe. You can swap it out for lime juice if you don't have any lemons on hand.
- Blue Food Coloring - I used the little blue dropper bottle from McCormick when testing this recipe, but choose your favorite brand. Food coloring amounts in the recipe are based on liquid food coloring, so use your best judgment if you’re using gel coloring. For natural blue food coloring, you can use Blue Spirulina Powder. (I buy it on Amazon.)
How to Make Blue Curaçao Syrup at Home (Step by Step)
Peel the oranges, careful to get only the outer peel and not the bitter white pith below.
Cut the oranges in half and juice them into the pan.
Combine sugar, water, orange juice, and lemon juice in a small pot.
Bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring until the sugar has dissolved.
Add in the orange peels.
Remove from heat and allow the mixture to cool for 30 minutes.
Strain syrup through a fine mesh strainer to remove the orange peels and any pulp from the juice. Stir in food coloring.
Pour into a glass, airtight container (like a mason jar or glass bottle) with a lid.
Store your blue curaçao syrup in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks.
Note: Your syrup will likely be a darker blue color and not quite as clear as the Blue Curaçao Torani Syrup or Monin Syrup. Using fresh orange juice is what causes the color and clarity to be different than the store-bought blue syrup. If you want your syrup to look more like store-bought, reduce the juice to one orange.
How to use Blue Curaçao Syrup
- Mix it into a glass of lemonade for Blue Curaçao Lemonade.
- In a Blue Lagoon Cocktail (in place of the blue curaçao liqueur).
- In a refreshing Blue Mojito with rum and mint.
- Mix it with pineapple juice and club soda for a delicious non-alcoholic tropical, blue drink.
- In non-alcoholic cocktails like my Blue Lagoon Mocktail.
- Make a Blue Hawaiian Cocktail with rum and pineapple.
What Kind Of Oranges Should I Use?
Technically this should be made from curaçao oranges (hence the name!), but I’ve never seen those in the stores in Michigan. I used naval oranges for this recipe. Cara Cara oranges are also delicious in this syrup.
Keep in mind, you’re getting all of the orange flavor from the fruit you select. Choose oranges you’ve bought recently, the sweeter and more in season, the better. Oranges that have been hanging out in the fridge for a while have lost a lot of the oil in their peel. They’ll be tougher to peel and not as flavorful.
Looking for More Simple Syrup Recipes?
Homemade simple syrups are easy to make and one of the best ways to level up your drinks game. This quick lemon simple syrup is ideal in iced tea and mocktails. Or try a mint simple syrup that adds a delicious twist to hot chocolate and coffee.
Can I use Natural Blue Food Coloring?
Yes!! For natural blue food coloring, you can use Blue Spirulina Powder. (I buy it on Amazon.) You only need about ¼ of a teaspoon of the powder to color this entire batch of syrup. Just use it in place of the drops of blue food coloring in the recipe.
I’ve seen recipes using butterfly pea flowers to color the syrup, but I would not recommend this. Since the flowers turn purple when added to citrus, you need to use alkaline water and keep the pH of the syrup balanced in order to keep the flowers from turning the syrup purple instead of blue.
Try These Tropical Drink Recipes
Print the Recipe Card
Blue Curaçao Syrup Recipe (Non Alcoholic)
Ingredients
- 2 large oranges peels and juice
- 1 cups sugar
- 1 cup water
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 2-3 drops of blue food coloring
Instructions
- Peel the oranges, careful to get only the outer peel and not the bitter white pith below.
- Cut the oranges in half and juice them into the pan.
- Combine sugar, water, orange juice, and lemon juice in a small pot.
- Bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring until the sugar has dissolved.
- Add in the orange peels.
- Remove from heat and allow the mixture to cool for 30 minutes.
- Strain syrup through a fine mesh strainer to remove the orange peels and any pulp from the juice. Stir in food coloring.
- Pour into a glass, airtight container (like a mason jar or glass bottle) with a lid.
- Store your blue curaçao syrup in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks.
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