Throw together this homemade Keto Simple Syrup Recipe in minutes! It’s a must-have when making low carb cocktails and drinks. Plus, you only need 2 easy ingredients! It’s sugar free, keto-friendly, low carb, grain-free, and gluten-free.
Raise your hand if you want an adult beverage from time to time. It’s fun when you have friends or family over and want to entertain and enjoy a cocktail. Regular cocktails are filled with tons of sugar and aren’t suitable for a low carb keto diet. One drink will kick you out of ketosis rather quickly. So, I was on a mission to create a simple homemade syrup that tasted good and didn’t have sugar. This is where my simple keto syrup was born.
I’m pretty confident you are going to love this gluten free simple syrup recipe. It takes no time to make, and you don’t have to feel like you are missing out while all your guests are indulging in a drink. You can join them without any care in the world. It is amazing in my keto pina colada, strawberry gimlet, and keto mojito recipes.
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Ingredients
I am willing to bet that you have what you need on hand for this keto simple syrup recipe. It’s seriously the easiest recipe ever. And since it is just sugar free sweetener and water it has 0 net carbs. Even if you are brand new in the kitchen you shouldn’t have any issues with this recipe. Let’s take a look.
Boiling Water - You can just heat up tap water in the microwave, tea kettle, or a small saucepan.
Sweetener - I recommend using my homemade sugar-free sweetener for this syrup. All you need for that is erythritol, xylitol (or allulose for a pet-friendly version), and pure stevia powder without any added ingredients. I think this combination of sugar alcohol based sweeteners plus stevia because you use less sweetener in total and it has no aftertaste.
You can really use any of your favorite keto sweeteners, such as monk fruit sweetener. For a syrup consistency though you do need a granular sweetener that dissolves in liquid. Liquid sweeteners will not yield the same result.
How To Make Keto Simple Syrup
Step One: For this keto syrup, all you need to do is combine the boiling water with the sweetener. Stir until all of the sweetener has dissolved.
Step Two: Add it to all of your favorite drinks and cocktails and enjoy!
Variations of Sugar-Free Syrups
Berries - Squash your favorite berry into the simple syrup and let it steep for 10-15 minutes before straining out the chunks and seeds. Blackberries, blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, and even cranberries work well.
Citrus - Add some citrus zest to the simple syrup and steep until it has a great flavor. Lemon zest, lime zest, orange zest, and grapefruit zest are nice choices. You can balance the sweetness to the tartness of the citrus by add more sweetener if needed.
Fruit - You can even add other fruits like peaches or mango. Chop them, add to the syrup, let sit, and then strain out the pieces from the mixture with a fine mesh strainer. The carb count with increase a bit but not to the same amount as actually eat the fruit. This is a great way to enough those flavors without a lot of added carbs.
Extracts - Vanilla extract is delicious. For a maple syrup flavor add maple extract.
Spices - Add a cinnamon stick, a few cloves, star anise, or nutmeg to the syrup along with the sweetener. Strain before adding it to a glass jar to save.
Herbs - Lavender, basil, rosemary, thyme, mint, and sage taste great when added to simple syrup and used in your favorite cocktails. One of my favorite cocktails is a Lavender Lemonade Cocktail. This is easily made keto by using keto lavender simple syrup.
Common Questions
What Is Simple Syrup?
If you haven’t made a lot of cocktails, you may find yourself wondering what simple syrup is. Well, it’s basically made with equal parts of sweetener and water. Traditional simple syrup is made with sugar and it not keto friendly. Dissolving the sweetener allows it to properly mix into the drink and you aren’t stuck with chunks of it.
How Long Does Keto Simple Syrup Last?
Pour the syrup in a jar or container with a tight-fitting lid and keep it in the fridge. It will actually last up to 1 month in the refrigerator.
You can even freeze it to have it on hand all the time. It will last 6-8 months in the freezer and should be kept airtight. Pour it into a freezer bag and freeze flat or place it into a jar or any other freezer-safe container. Then when you are ready to use it, place it in the fridge to defrost.
How to use this keto simple syrup recipe
Okay, so we covered that simple syrup is a huge asset to cocktails, but you can actually use it in other drinks as well. Coffee, sugar free lemonade, and a diet sweet tea recipe are a few things that come to mind. Consider adding in a splash or two to any drinks you want to sweeten up. That cute drink in my photos is really just a raspberry iced tea!
It even makes a great gift idea for friends too. Just put it in a cute bottle and add some ribbon!
Can I Thicken Keto Simple Syrup?
Yes, you can thicken it, but it’s not really necessary. It will be the perfect texture and consistency for all the drinks you want. If you really want to make it thicker, you can add ¼ teaspoon of xanthan gum to it.
Why Is My Syrup Forming Crystals?
The reason why your low carb simple syrup may form crystals is that the water wasn’t hot enough to dissolve it all the way. That’s why it is very essential to use boiling water. Otherwise, it’s not going to work properly and you may end up with crystals as it cools. The crystals won’t hurt you, it’s just not that appetizing when you are sipping on your drink.
You may also get some crystals with longer storage. But don't worry the simple syrup is still fine to use, the crystals form on the bottom like rock candy! They actually looked pretty cool and I want to try this technique soon to make a sugar free rock candy.
What Does It Taste Like?
I worked hard to develop my homemade sweetener to taste as close to real sugar as possible. Because of this, you end up with a keto simple syrup recipe that mimics traditional recipes. Give it a taste and let us know what you think.
Can I Add Other Ingredients?
While I haven’t tested adding additional ingredients to this sugar free simple syrup, it shouldn’t be an issue. Cinnamon, citrus zest (lemon, lime, orange, tangerine, grapefruit), other spices (nutmeg, cloves, black pepper), and even edible flowers like lavender would all be options to try out.
You can even add some spice by making jalapeno simple syrup.
📖 Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup Joy Filled Eats Sweetener (or see alternatives in recipe notes)
- 1 cup boiling water
Instructions
- Mix together until the sweetener melts.
- Use in your favorite cocktails.
Notes
Nutrition
More Keto Cocktails and Low Carb Drink Recipes
- Frozen Raspberry Cheesecake Cocktail Mocktail
- Low Carb Orange Creamsicle Frozen Cocktail
- Vodka Cranberry Spritzer
- Apple Cider Sangria
Originally Published April 19, 2021. Revised and Republished January 10, 2023.
Beth says
Does it crystallizes like any other? Thank you I wasted sooo much syrup and none of the sugar substitute worked.
Taryn says
Any sugar alcohol will recrystallize eventually. But this keeps for a couple of weeks in my fridge before that happens.
Marian says
I'm a little confused. You mention that Simple Syrup is 1:1 water and sweetener and yet you are using twice as much sweetener (assuming it's the same as Gentle Sweet) so it's 1 part water to 2 parts sweetener. Is this what you are intending to do? Thanks.
Taryn says
In my recipe testing, I preferred using a 1:1 ratio for simple syrup even when using my sweetener. You can use less if you prefer.
Karin says
I've used this recipe to make a sour mix for margaritas. Add 1 cup fresh lemon juice and 3/4 c fresh lime juice. I store this and making a margarita is easy.
johnna says
I love having this simple syrup on hand for iced coffees and lemonade!
Suzy says
Went perfect in our lemonade! Delish!
Sarah Moeller says
I have been wanting to save money on those little purple bottles of liquid sweetener...I think this should do the trick! Thank you!
Nellie Tracy says
Love this recipe! Perfect in so many beverages