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    Home » Recipes » Simple Syrups

    Orange Simple Syrup Recipe for Drinks (Cointreau Substitute)

    Modified: Mar 20, 2025 · Published: May 23, 2023 by Katy McAvoy

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    Skip to Recipe
    Orange Simple Syrup for Drinks.

    This quick orange simple syrup recipe skips the orange juice and uses orange peels to impart bright orange flavor in an easy sugar syrup. 

    A glass pitcher of orange simple syrup.
    Jump to:
    • What's in Orange Simple Syrup
    • How to Make Orange Simple Syrup (Step by Step)
    • Ways to use Homemade Orange Syrup 
    • Recipe Tips
    • Frequently Asked Questions 
    • Try These Other Flavored Simple Syrups
    • Print the Recipe Card
    • Orange Syrup Recipe for Drinks (Orange Liqueur Substitute)

    Homemade simple syrup is a quick way to up your drink-making game and an essential part of any home bar. It's an easy way to build flavor and adjust sweetness in your drinks. You can buy cocktail syrup in the store, but it is SO easy to make your own simple syrup. 

    Orange simple syrup is something I don't always think of making, but am so glad when it's in my refrigerator. It takes minimal time to put together and has so many uses. It's ideal as an orange liqueur substitute when creating mocktails or if you're wanting to lower the alcohol content in your favorite classic cocktails like margaritas or cosmopolitans. 

    Looking for Blue Curaçao Syrup? Get the recipe for this bright blue orange syrup over on my Blue Curaçao Syrup page.

    What's in Orange Simple Syrup

    Ingredients for orange syrup.
    • Orange - Choose a fresh, firm navel orange or Cara Cara orange.
    • Sugar - Cane sugar or beet sugar work best in this recipe.
    • Water - Use filtered water for the best flavor.

    How to Make Orange Simple Syrup (Step by Step)

    Sugar being poured into a small pot.

    In a small saucepan, heat water to a gentle boil over medium-high heat. Remove from heat, add sugar and stir until sugar dissolves.

    A hand using a vegetable peeler to peel an orange.

    Using a vegetable peeler, carefully peel a large piece of orange peel from the outside of an orange.

    Add orange peel and let the mixture cool to room temperature. 

    Taste your syrup. If you like the citrus flavor you have, remove the peel. If you want more, leave the orange peel in the syrup.

    Pour the syrup into a glass, airtight container.

    Orange simple syrup being poured into a glass container.

    Cover and store in the refrigerator. 

    If you left the peel in, remove and discard the orange peel after 24 hours. 

    Store syrup in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks. Discard if syrup turns cloudy or changes in color.

    A pitcher of orange syrup.

    Ways to use Homemade Orange Syrup 

    • Mix with sparkling water or club soda for homemade orange soda. 
    • Use it instead of orange liqueur to lower the alcohol content in your favorite margarita recipe. 
    • Combine with a little maple syrup and drizzle over pancakes or french toast. 
    • ​Blend with vanilla ice cream for a delicious milkshake.
    • Use it to sweeten iced tea. 
    A glass of homemade orange soda.

    Recipe Tips

    • Be careful when peeling the orange to avoid the white pith between the rind and the fruit. The white pitch is very bitter and if you push too hard while peeling your orange, that pith will come off with the orange peel and make your syrup bitter. 
    • Leave your orange peels whole. There is no need to grate orange zest into the syrup. It doesn't add any additional flavor and is more difficult to remove when the peel is done infusing.  
    • Use a fresh orange. Those oranges that have been hanging out in your fruit drawer for a month aren’t going to peel nicely and you’ll end up with thin pieces of peel that don’t have much citrus oil left in them. Use a fresh, firm orange with thick skin for this orange syrup recipe.
    • Don’t leave the orange peel in your syrup for more than two days. I recommend removing it after 24 hours because that's plenty of time to impart orange flavor. And when testing this recipe I didn’t notice much flavor different between 24 and 48 hours. What does happen after 48 hours is the peel starts to turn bitter and your syrup will begin taking on that bitter taste. 
    A glass bottle of orange syrup.

    Frequently Asked Questions 

    What kind of orange should I use in this orange simple syrup recipe?

    Choose your favorite type of orange. Most of the flavor difference in oranges comes from the flesh inside the orange, so whether you use a navel orange, a Cara Cara orange, or a mandarin orange, the flavor of the syrup will be pretty much the same. 

    What can I use instead of white sugar? 

    Whether you use beet sugar or cane sugar, choosing white sugar is the only way to get a strong, clean orange flavor. Using any other kind of sweetener, even raw sugar, will alter the flavor of the syrup and change how much of the orange flavor comes through.

    How long will the syrup last?

    When stored in the refrigerator (with the orange peel removed) orange syrup will keep for up to 3 weeks. Discard it if the syrup becomes cloudy or changes in color in any way.

    Why isn’t the syrup orange colored? 

    The color of the peel doesn’t impart color in the hot syrup. So while you may see a slight yellow tint to your syrup from the citrus oil in the orange peel, it will never turn the artificial bright orange color we’re used to seeing in orange-flavored drinks. You will need to add food coloring to your orange syrup if it’s important to you to achieve that bright color.

    Try These Other Flavored Simple Syrups

    Homemade simple syrups are an easy way to add a variety of flavors to your cocktails and mocktails. Try strawberry syrup in cold milk, grapefruit simple syrup in a margarita, mixed berry syrup in lemonade, or blackberry syrup in iced tea.

    Strawberry Syrup in a glass bottle.
    Strawberry Syrup
    A jar of grapefruit simple syrup.
    Grapefruit Syrup

    Print the Recipe Card

    A glass pitcher of orange simple syrup.

    Orange Syrup Recipe for Drinks (Orange Liqueur Substitute)

    Katy McAvoy
    This quick and easy orange simple syrup recipe is full of fresh orange flavor and is ideal for adding to cocktails and mocktails.
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    Print Recipe SaveSaved! Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 5 minutes mins
    Cook Time 10 minutes mins
    Total Time 15 minutes mins
    Servings 12 oz

    Equipment

    • Glass Bottles
    • Small Saucepan
    • Vegetable Peeler

    Ingredients
      

    • 1 - 3 inch piece orange peel
    • 1 cup sugar
    • 1 cup water

    Instructions
     

    • In a small pot, heat water to boiling over medium heat.
    • Remove from heat, add sugar and stir until sugar has completely dissolved.
    • Using a vegetable peeler, carefully peel a large piece of orange peel from the outside of an orange.
    • Add orange peel and let the mixture cool to room temperature.
    • Taste your syrup. If you like the citrus flavor you have, remove the peel. If you want more, leave the orange peel in the syrup.
    • Pour the syrup into an airtight glass container.
    • Cover and store in the refrigerator.
    • If you left the peel in, remove and discard the orange peel after 24 hours.
    • Store syrup in a glass jar in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks. Discard if syrup turns cloudy or changes in color.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1ounceCalories: 64kcalCarbohydrates: 17gProtein: 0.003gFat: 0.1gSodium: 1mgPotassium: 1mgFiber: 0.02gSugar: 17gVitamin A: 1IUVitamin C: 0.3mgCalcium: 1mgIron: 0.01mg
    Tried this recipe?Let me know how it was!

    About Katy McAvoy

    Katy is the author, photographer, home cook, mixologist, and Michigander behind MittenGirl.com and Homemade Happy Hour. Since 2017, she's been crafting recipes for easy-to-make cocktails and delicious snacks while sharing her love of all things Michigan (a.k.a. The Mitten)!

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    Katy McAvoy, mixologist and photographer

    Hi! I’m Katy (she/her). I’m an author, photographer, home cook, mixologist, Michigander, and lover of all things food and drink. I never turn down a good happy hour and believe that everyone deserves a delicious drink. Follow me on Instagram to check out what I’m working on next!

    More about me →

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