This homemade maple syrup is simple and easy to make and costs a heck of a lot less than store-bought pure maple syrup.

Syrup. The great conundrum of my breakfast life. Between this oatmeal pancake mix, simple french toast, and waffles, we eat hot breakfast nearly every morning of the week.

For years I’ve been agonizing over our syrup solution. Which makes me even grumpier in the mornings than I already am.

A jug of maple syrup in front of a plate of french toast.

I can’t bring myself to use the thick, pancake syrup from the store because it is laden with additives and high fructose corn syrup.

That leaves me with pure maple syrup or homemade (or begging our neighbor who taps his own maple trees for some of his precious liquid gold he’s boiled down himself!).

For the last year I’ve been buying pure maple syrup from Sam’s Club, choking down the high cost every time but lately, in an effort to shrink our grocery budget a bit, I’ve had to give it up.

Other homemade syrups I’ve tried are decent but what holds me back from adoration is the film that forms on top of the syrup (with many of the buttermilk recipes) or the fact that they have enough corn syrup in them I might as well be buying the stuff from the store.

I want a maple look-alike without the high cost of pure maple and without the other junk. Is that too much to ask?

Ok, enough with my complaining, on to the solution! This homemade maple syrup is simple and easy to make and it tastes like…maple syrup! Hooray!

Because of the lack of corn syrup, it is on the thinner side, but that’s ok with my family because we have gotten used to the taste and consistency of pure maple syrup, which is quite thin.

A plate of french toast with maple syrup being drizzled on it.

This syrup is probably a tad bit thicker than pure maple. I worked out the nutrition facts on this syrup (mainly sugar content) a while ago when I was tweaking it and if I remember right, pure maple syrup has about 50g of sugar for 1/4 cup and this syrup worked out to be right around 48 or 49g of sugar for the same amount.

I haven’t bought pancake syrup from the store in years so I’m not sure how it compares. I’m guessing the “light” or “low-sugar” brands have less sugar – although beware of the processed additives in the mix.

I buy my pure maple extract from here. If you can find a brand locally where you live, even better!

Hopefully this homemade maple syrup will make you as happy as it has me! Has it converted me into a morning person? Ha! Not even close, but it does help me look slightly more forward to rolling myself out of bed to make breakfast for the fam.

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Homemade Maple Syrup

4.58 stars (45 ratings)

Ingredients

  • 8 cups granulated sugar
  • 1 cup packed light or dark brown sugar
  • ½ cup honey
  • 4 cups water
  • 2 teaspoons pure maple extract
  • 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Instructions 

  • In a large 5-6 quart pot, combine the sugars, honey and water. Bring the mixture to a boil and reduce the heat to low so the mixture gently simmers.
  • Cover the pot and simmer the mixture for 15 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat and let it cool for 20 minutes before stirring in the maple and vanilla extracts. Let the syrup cool in the pot for another 40 minutes, or so, stirring occasionally, before filling jars/containers. Once the containers are filled, let them cool to room temperature uncovered.
  • Store covered in jars or other containers in the refrigerator. It will keep for up to 2 months in the refrigerator. Gently reheat before serving, if desired.

Notes

Maple Extract: I like to use pure maple extract because the additives are minimal (I think it has caramel coloring in it and that’s it) but if you can’t find it, you can use the artificial Mapleine extract from the store with similar results.

Recipe Source: Mel’s Kitchen Cafe