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    Home » Recent Posts » Simple Syrups for Drinks

    Two Ingredient Coffee Syrup (Kahlua Substitute) 

    Published: Mar 14, 2023 · Updated: Mar 17, 2023 by Katy McAvoy

    I love when you share my recipes!

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    Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase using one of these links, I make a small commission.


    Jump to Recipe·Print Recipe

    A must-try for coffee lovers, this homemade coffee syrup only takes two ingredients to make and is perfect for having on hand to sweeten cold brew coffee or to add to hot cocoa or ice cream. 

    A bottle of coffee simple syrup.
    Jump to:
    • Ingredients 
    • How to Make Coffee Syrup
    • Ways to Brew Strong Coffee for this Syrup 
    • Recipe Tips
    • Try These Simple Syrup Recipes for Your Coffee
    • How to Use Coffee Flavored Simple Syrup 
    • FAQs and Substitutions 
    • More Delicious Recipes You’ll Love 
    • Print the Recipe Card 
    • Two Ingredient Coffee Syrup (Kahlua Substitute) 

    Coffee-flavored syrup can be difficult to find, especially in coffee shops. The assumption seems to be that coffee lovers want to add different flavors like caramel flavor or french vanilla to their drinks. But what if you just want to sweeten your coffee while letting the delicious flavors of the coffee itself shine? 

    Made with natural ingredients - and flavors completely controlled by you - this homemade coffee syrup is the best way to keep coffee drinks full of coffee flavoring, without being diluted by traditional simple syrup or other flavors. 

    Ingredients 

    Ingredients for coffee syrup.
    • Strong, brewed coffee
    • White sugar
    • Vanilla (optional)

    How to Make Coffee Syrup

    Brew a strong pot of dark roast coffee. 

    Whisk together hot coffee and sugar. Stir until sugar has dissolved. Add vanilla, if desired, and stir to incorporate. 

    A hand whisking together hot coffee and sugar.

    Allow coffee syrup to cool to room temperature. 

    Store in an airtight glass container in the refrigerator for 2-3 weeks. 

    A bottle of coffee simple syrup.

    Ways to Brew Strong Coffee for this Syrup 

    • Using a French press: Use dark roast - french roast or espresso roast - coffee. Add boiling water, stir the coffee grounds, and steep your coffee in the French press for 4-5 minutes before using in your syrup. 
    • Using a drop coffee machine: Buy whole bean, dark roast coffee and grind it on the fine or espresso grind setting. Place ¼ cup of coffee in the brew basket and add 2 cups of water for brewing. (Measure the water with a measuring cup, not the coffee pot or side measurement on the coffee maker.) 
    A coffee pot pouring coffee into a mug.

    Recipe Tips

    • Don’t swap the brewed coffee for instant coffee. This recipe relies heavily on brewed coffee for its flavor. 
    • Use a glass airtight container for storing your syrup. This will keep any flavors lingering in plastic containers out of your syrup. A mason jar or glass bottle with a lid works great. 

    Try These Simple Syrup Recipes for Your Coffee

    Pumpkin Spice Syrup
    Homemade Pumpkin Spice Syrup
    A glass jar of cinnamon simple syrup with a cup of coffee.
    Cinnamon Syrup for Coffee

    How to Use Coffee Flavored Simple Syrup 

    • My favorite way to use this syrup is in mocktails and cocktails, in place of Kahlua and other coffee flavored liqueurs. Sometimes I just don’t want/need the added alcohol, and this coffee syrup is an easy swap. Try this with my Peppermint Mocha Martini recipe. 
    • Use coffee syrup to sweeten cold brew coffee without diluting it. Mixing sugar into cold coffee often leads to a gritty drink, and using traditional simple syrup will reduce the coffee flavor in your cold coffee. Sweeten iced coffee or cold brewed coffee with this coffee syrup for a sweet treat with maximum coffee flavor. 
    • Add a splash of coffee syrup to your hot chocolate for a mocha flavor or use it to sweeten a mug of hot milk for a warm coffee milk treat. 
    • Add coffee-flavored syrup to chocolate ice cream and a splash of milk for a decadent mocha milkshake. 
    • Make coffee whipped cream for brownies or ice cream. Add 1-2 tablespoons of coffee syrup to ½ cup of heavy cream and whip with a mixer on high speed until desired consistency is reached. Coffee whipped cream is also delicious on Irish coffee (<--Try this recipe from my friend Susannah at Feast and West). 
    Coffee syrup being poured into a glass of iced coffee.

    FAQs and Substitutions 

    What other sugar can I use? 

    Pure cane sugar or beet sugar (white sugar is usually made with one or both of these) will give you the most true coffee taste. You can swap the white sugar for brown sugar to give it more of a coffee caramel syrup flavor. 

    Can I use artificial sweeteners in this recipe? 

    I don’t use artificial sweeteners, so I haven’t tested this recipe with those. If you do, let me know how it went in the comments. I’d love to know!

    How long does coffee syrup last? 

    When kept refrigerated in a sealed container, coffee syrup will keep for 2-3 weeks. Discard it if it begins to look cloudy or changes in appearance in any way. 

    How do I make coffee syrup thicker? 

    To make this coffee syrup thick enough to use on french toast, pancakes, or as ice cream topping, double the amount of sugar in the recipe to create rich coffee syrup. (Note: It will take quite a bit longer for all of that sugar to dissolve into the hot coffee, but you’ll still want to keep the temp low. Don’t turn up the heat, just keep stirring.) Once chilled, rich coffee flavored syrup will have the consistency of maple syrup. 

    A bottle of coffee syrup.

    More Delicious Recipes You’ll Love 

    • 4 Ingredient Espresso Vodka Martini (Video)
    • Coffee Old Fashioned is a Delicious Nightcap
    • All Natural Gingerbread Coffee Creamer
    • Apple French 75 Gin Cocktail
    • Quick Blueberry French 75 Cocktail is Perfect for Summer

    Print the Recipe Card 

    Print

    Two Ingredient Coffee Syrup (Kahlua Substitute) 

    A bottle of coffee syrup.
    Print Recipe
    Pin Recipe

    Ideal for sweetening iced coffee, or using as a replacement for coffee liqueur in cocktail recipes, this coffee syrup is delicious and very easy to make.

    • Author: Katy McAvoy
    • Prep Time: 5 min
    • Cook Time: 0 min
    • Total Time: 5 min
    • Yield: 12 oz 1x
    • Category: Simple Syrup
    • Method: Stir
    • Cuisine: American

    Ingredients

    Units Scale
    • 1 cup strong brewed coffee
    • 1 cup white sugar
    • 1 tsp vanilla (optional)

    Instructions

    Brew a strong pot of dark roast coffee.

    Combine 1 cup hot coffee with sugar and stir until sugar has dissolved. Add vanilla, if desired, and stir to incorporate.

    Allow coffee syrup to cool to room temperature.

    Store in an airtight glass container in the refrigerator for 2-3 weeks.

    Equipment

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    Keywords: coffee flavored syrup, non alcoholic kahlua, syrup from coffee

    Did you make this recipe?

    Share a photo and tag me @katymcavoy on Instagram! I can’t wait to see what you made!

    Simple Syrups for Drinks

    • A jar of mint simple syrup.
      How to Make Fresh Mint Simple Syrup
    • A jar of blackberry simple syrup.
      How to Make Blackberry Simple Syrup
    • A jar of grapefruit simple syrup.
      How to Make Grapefruit Simple Syrup for Drinks
    • A glass jar of cinnamon simple syrup.
      Homemade Cinnamon Simple Syrup for Coffee, Cocktails, and Mocktails

    I love when you share my recipes!

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    About Katy McAvoy

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

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    Katy McAvoy

    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 a couple hours of meal prep pays off for days. Follow me on Instagram to check out what I’m working on next!

    More about me →

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