“Old-fashioned pancake syrup made with simple ingredients! A delicious butter-maple flavor that’s kid-approved!”
Watch me make this homemade pancake syrup from start to finish!
When it comes to pancake syrup my boys are SO DOGGONE PICKY!! I use to get whatever was on sale but not anymore. Now it HAS to be the Log Cabin brand or this homemade butter-maple pancake syrup recipe. KIDS!
Thankfully, this pancake syrup has simple ingredients so it’s really nothing to whip up a batch if I find myself out of Log Cabin! I actually prefer homemade pancake syrup but sometimes the laziness gets the best of me. I grew up on nothing but from-scratch pancake syrup. I actually remember the first time I had store-bought pancake syrup.
I went to my cousin’s house and they had Mrs. Butterworths. I thought that container was the best thing ever! However, the taste was just…ok. Sorta blah and flat compared to the rich, buttery, smooth goodness that I was used to.
Have you ever had homemade pancake syrup? It’s really easy to get spoiled and not want anything else after you’ve had a good from-scratch pancake syrup. I adore this pancake syrup recipe. It’s very simular to the old-fashioned kind my grandmother makes only with the addition of brown sugar and more maple! This syrup is so rich, smooth and with a slight creaminess to the texture thanks to the butter!
It’s amazing what butter does to this pancake syrup recipe! I’m using both vanilla and maple extract since I really like these to guys together. It’s really fun to play around with different extracts. Coconut extract is really good when served with banana pancakes.
There’s no corn syrup in this recipe which means you’ll need to heat it up the next time you want to use it. That is if you don’t eat the entire batch in one sitting. Hey, we’ve done that plenty of times! That’s just how delicious this syrup is!
I hope that you enjoy this tried and true, old-fashioned pancake syrup recipe just as much as we do in my house!
Homemade Pancake Syrup (Butter-Maple)
Ingredients
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup brown sugar packed
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 teaspoon maple
Instructions
- In a nonstick pot, over medium heat, stir together water, brown sugar, and white sugar.
- Bring to a simmer and stir in cream of tartar and salt.
- Bring to a very light boil and cook for about 8 minutes or until coats the back of the spoon. Stirring frequently. (Be careful not to burn the mixture. Reduce heat if needed.)
- Once thickened, remove from heat and stir in butter.
- Once butter has melted stir in vanilla extract and maple extract.
- Pour syrup into a serving dish.
- Let syrup cool slightly, which will allow it to thicken up even more.
- Serve.
- Store in the fridge. (syrup will solidify, microwave to reheat)
Video
Adapted from Grandma Barb’s butter syrup recipe
Looking for something to use with this pancake syrup?
Excellent recipe! My husband loves it. It’s easy to make and stores well. After I cook it up I let it cool slightly and then pour it in 6 oz size Mason jars I have. I put one in the fridge and the others in the freezer. There’s only 2 of us so that supply lasts us for a few months.
What does the cream of tarter do? I’ve never seen that in syrup. I love your recipes, especially when I find one similar to my great grandmothers with little difference.
Can the salt be omitted?
Do you omit the salt when you bake cookies? NO! Salt enhances any sweet recipe.
I tried this recipe and I have to say it tastes delicious!! Mine turned out a little runny tough. Suggestions on how to make it thicker?
You didn’t simmer it long enough. Its like a candy recipe, needs to reach (almost) soft ball stage to thicken.
I used this recipe after my kid requested pancakes and I had just run out of Log Cabin! I used what I had on hand and made it exactly as is except I didn’t have Maple extract. It was still good but I can’t wait to make it again so I can enjoy it the way this recipe is intended for. Thank you so much for sharing!
Hi. I don’t have maple extract either. How much vanilla extract did you use?
Your syrup won’t be maple syrup without adding the flavor. At any grocery store in the spice aisle!
hi. do i have to use maple?
Its a recipe for MAPLE syrup!
Just made the pancakes and syrup. ?.OMG we loved it, so yummy I will never buy store syrup again. I love that the pancake batter is thick and not runny, make the best pancakes. We used my own buttermilk reserved from our home made butter . Thanks for all yours wonderful recipes.
Instead of maple syrup can I add Treacle Monique?
This is by far the yummiest pancake syrup ever! Perfect consistency, and perfect maple sweetness. Thanks so much for sharing this recipe! ?
I will never go back to store bought syrup. This is by far the best syrup. I simmer on a light boil for 10-15 minutes gets so thick and yum.
I’m so glad you liked it!
One of the reasons the mixture solidifies after being in the fridge is because it has been brought to a boil rather than simmered for a longer period of time. If you are using 2 cups sugar and 1 cup of water, this can be brought to a simmer then covered. Continue to simmer for 10 minutes. This will keep the mixture from crystallizing for 2 weeks after being placed in the fridge. There is a great article about this here: https://www.cooksillustrated.com/how_tos/8617-preventing-sugar-crystals-in-simple-syrup
Add a little molasses. I go with all dark brown sugar and less water, too. Sherri is DONE with store bought :-).
Hi, can’t wait to try this recipe. It looks so good. Just not sure of one thing. Can you let us know if by Maple in the ingredients, you mean Maple extract, Maple syrup, Maple flakes or sugar. Sorry, not sure what you mean by Maple. Thanks a bunch! P.s. I love Divas Can Cook!!!!!`~
*Excellent* results! Thank you so much for sharing your wonderful recipe!
I used cider vinegar in place of the cream of tartar b/c that’s what we had in the house. I used half dark and half light brown sugar and doubled the recipe. I used 1/2 tsp vinegar, but ended up decreasing the (imitation) maple flavoring by half a tsp.
It’s so good my sweetie is making pancakes for supper!
Absolutely amazing
Update…I made the syrup 2 weekend ago. It stayed in the fridge during that time while my son used it for pancakes and waffles. It got thicker after a day or so, and there were no sugar crystals at all????. As I mentioned before, do not stir while simmering. Just let it simmer for the specified time. In the past, I did all that stirring, and always had crystals. Anyway, the best syrup so far. Thanks Divas.
Best home made syrup thus far. Came out great! The brown sugar makes the difference in the thickness because there is less white sugar used. I didn’t have cream of tartar, but I don’t think it made a difference in taste. I did not stir it (per a comment on another blog) except to blend the sugars at the beginning. It’s been in the fridge for a few hours, and so far no crystals????
p.s. is that Divas home made turkey breakfast sausage on the plate?
Hey Monique! This recipe is the bomb!! Thank you for sharing your recipes, I have made this twice. This homemade syrup saved the nite ! ☺
Wonderful recipe!!! Never buying store brands again!! Thank you.
Hi there! Thank you so much for the recipe. It’s awesome to see us???? on Pinyerest, I have been a fan of Divas long before I discovered Pinterest. I found you all on my quest to find homemade breakfast sausage, and I have been using your turkey sausage for about 4 years now. I’ve made syrup in the past, and it was always too thin and too sweet for my liking. I read to add Karo Syrup to thicken it. Today I read to add less white sugar and more brown sugar to make a thicker syrup. And also NOT to stir to avoid crystals, which I always have a problem with. I didn’t have the cream of tartar so i left that out. It came out nice and thick. I didn’t stir it, so we’ll see if it crystallizes.
Thanks again.
Hi Monique
What can one use in place of the cream of tartar?
Where I am they don’t have this ingredient,
Hope to hear from you soon thanks
I used corn starch & didn’t have Maple so used Pecan & Vanilla. Amazing, going to try more flavors
Cream of tartar only serves to keep sugar crystals from reforming in syrup and candy making. it’s only a problem if the syrup is stored. You can leave it out with no problem and the syrup will be just as good. Technically, you can add another form of acid (which is what cream of tartar is), like lemon juice for the same chemical effect. But I don’t really want that flavor in my pancake syrup. If you store leftover syrup in the fridge, after a few days it may start crystallizing without the addition of an acid. I usually make just enough syrup to use in one day or one weekend, so I never use the cream of tartar. Hope this helps!
go on Amazon
You can use *double* the amount of creamof tartar and either lemon juice or white vinegar. I’d recommend fresh lemon juice or a good-quality vinegar for something like this. I’ll be using vinegar when I make this up after lunch!
Hi
For every 1/2 teaspoon of cream of tartar in the recipe, use 1 teaspoon lemon juice or white vinegar.
Hello Rafeeqah, in place of cream of tartar you can add a little lemon juice… I think it helps to ensure that the syrup doesn’t get crystallized as it cools. I substituted that as well when I made it too ☺️ Hope that helps!
Manisha.
This is absolutely amazing! Great flavour! Much better than store bought. Thank you!!!
Hey Monique!
Do you use the imitation maple extract or the pure maple extract?
How long is shelf life? How should it be stored?
Really excellent recipe. My first time visiting this site but I can’t wait to come back. If this is any example of the quality of the recipes, you can’t go wrong. This syrup is a winner on so many levels. The flavor is great and no corn syrup. Additionally, the price is right. Thank you so much!
OMG!!!! Is all I can say. Better then the stuff that comes in the bottle!!! Thanks again for another tasty recipe
Hi, just made the pancakes today, but I haven’t tried the syrup yet—but if it’s as good as her grandmother’s pancakes, I can’t wait to try it!
Never buying the stuff in the bottle again unless I’m in a pinch. This was so easy, economical, and most importantly…. DELICIOUS! Who knew you could make pancake syrup so easily from scratch? Thanks Monique!