Peach Simple Syrup

This Peach Simple Syrup is a delightful and sweet syrup created by simmering fresh peaches with sugar and water. It captures the juicy, fragrant essence of ripe peaches, infusing beverages, desserts, and culinary creations with natural sweetness and a touch of summer.

This semi-rich peach syrup is a versatile and delightful addition to any kitchen. It brings the sweet, fragrant essence of ripe peaches to various culinary creations. Easy to make and even easier to use, this syrup can elevate your favorite drinks, desserts, and dishes with its natural fruitiness and vibrant flavor.

Whether you want to add a touch of summer to your cocktails, sweeten your morning coffee, make a homemade peach lemonade, peach mocktail, or enhance your baked goods, peach simple syrup offers endless possibilities. Plus, it can be customized with different infusions and varying sweetness levels, catering to all taste preferences and culinary styles.

For other syrup flavors, try this raspberry simple syrup, strawberry simple syrup, blackberry simple syrup, blueberry simple syrup, and brown sugar simple syrup.

To try fruity cocktails and beverages, try this strawberry martini, raspberry martini, blueberry gin cocktail, skinny spicy margarita, raspberry mule, blackberry mocktail, blueberry matcha latte, and raspberry mocktail.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• Versatility: Peach syrup is incredibly versatile and can be used in many recipes, including cocktails, mocktails, iced teas, lemonades, and baked goods. Its adaptability makes it an indispensable addition to any kitchen.

• Aromatic Flavor: The syrup perfectly encapsulates the essence of fresh peaches, infusing a delightful aroma and a hint of summer into any dish or drink. This aromatic quality significantly enhances the sensory experience of consuming the item.

• Ease of Preparation: Crafting peach simple syrup at home is straightforward and requires minimal ingredients and effort. This enables individuals to savor a gourmet touch without the necessity of advanced cooking skills.

Ingredients

• Peaches: Peaches are undeniably adored for their sweet, juicy flavor and delightful aroma, offering a refreshing and gratifying taste. They are undeniably nutritionally rich, providing vitamins A and C, fiber, and antioxidants that unequivocally support overall health and well-being. Undoubtedly versatile in the kitchen, peaches can be enjoyed fresh, dried, canned, or cooked in various dishes, from desserts to savory meals. Their low-calorie and high-water content undeniably make them a healthy, hydrating snack, particularly during the summer.
• Sugar: I used organic cane sugar for this recipe, which has a more sweet flavor. The sugar you pick will affect the syrup’s color, sweetness, and taste, so please note that when choosing the sugar. I tried this recipe with light brown sugar, which has a less sweet and more caramelized taste due to molasses and also results in a much darker color.

See recipe card for quantities.

Substitutions and Variations

• Use different fruit: Berries such as strawberries, raspberries, or blueberries create a vibrant and tangy syrup, with each berry bringing its distinct flavor. This is perfect for summer drinks and pastries.

• Use different sugars: You can use any sugar you prefer, but the flavor, sweetness, and color might differ, as shown in the image below. One syrup has been prepared with light brown sugar and another with organic cane sugar. Some options are brown sugar (light or dark), turbinado, demerara, granulated, etc.

• Adjust sugar/water ratio: You can follow several different sugar/water ratios. There is a rich syrup (2:1), semi-rich syrup (1.5:1), which I used for this recipe, then traditional syrup (1:1), and light syrup (1:2). The first number is related to the sugar quantity, like 2 cups of sugar for 1 cup of water for the rich syrup, etc.

• Spiced peach syrup: Adding spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, or ginger to the peach syrup creates a warm and spicy variation ideal for autumn-themed beverages, baked goods, and holiday recipes.

• Herb-infused syrup: Enhance the complexity of the peach simple syrup by adding herbs such as mint, basil, or rosemary. These infusions add a refreshing and aromatic element, perfect for elevating cocktails and gourmet dishes.

• Caramelized peach syrup: Cook the peaches and sugar until they caramelize before adding water to achieve a richer, deeper flavor. This method produces a syrup with a slightly smoky, caramel-like taste.

How to Make Peach Simple Syrup

Step 1: After thoroughly washing them, cut the peaches into quarters or smaller pieces, and discard the pits.

Step 2: Add water, sugar, and peaches to a medium-sized pot.

Step 3: Heat over medium-high heat, bringing to a light simmer, stirring often until the sugar dissolves. Simmer for 15 minutes (lower the temp to low/medium after sugar dissolves).

Step 4: Remove from heat and let cool for 10 minutes.

Step 5: Strain the syrup using a fine mesh strainer, gently pressing the peaches with the spoon.

Step 6: Let cool completely.

Step 7: Attach a label and store in either a jar or syrup dispenser, then refrigerate for up to two weeks.

Pro Tip: Always pick high-quality and ripe peaches. The quality of the peaches will make or break this syrup recipe. Also, you will get approximately 1 ½ cups of peach syrup with these ingredient quantities.

Expert Tips and Tricks

• Use Ripe Peaches: Choose fully ripe peaches for the best flavor and sweetness. Overripe peaches release more natural sugars and greatly enhance the syrup’s taste. Peach quality and ripeness play a vital role in overall syrup flavor.

• Wash the Peaches: As we are not peeling the peaches, wash them thoroughly.

• Simmer, Don’t Boil: Simmer the mixture gently instead of boiling it to extract the peach flavor without breaking down the fruit too much, which can result in cloudy syrup.

• Strain Carefully: After simmering, strain the syrup through a fine-mesh sieve or cheesecloth to remove solids. Press gently on the peaches to extract as much liquid as possible, but be careful not to push too hard to keep the syrup clear.

• Adjust Sweetness to Taste: Taste the syrup while cooking and adjust the sugar level to your preference. Add more sugar if you want a sweeter syrup, or reduce it by adding more water if you prefer a lighter taste.

• Add Acid for Balance: A small amount of lemon juice or citric acid can balance the sweetness and enhance the peach flavor, so add it towards the end of the cooking process.

• Store and Label Properly: Let the syrup cool completely before labeling and storing it in an airtight container. Refrigerate it to extend its shelf life, which should last about 2-3 weeks.

How to Use Peach Simple Syrup

• Cocktails: Enhance your favorite cocktails like Peach Bellini, Mojito, or Whiskey Sour by adding a splash of peach simple syrup for a burst of fruity sweetness.
• Mocktails and Lemonades: Stir it into non-alcoholic beverages such as iced tea, peach lemonade, or sparkling water to create a refreshing, peach-flavored drink.
• Desserts: Drizzle the peach-infused simple syrup over pancakes, waffles, ice cream, or yogurt, and use it to sweeten and flavor whipped cream or frosting.
• Baking: For optimal results, incorporate it into cake batters and muffin mixes, or use it as a soaking syrup for cakes to enhance moisture and peach flavor. It’s also highly effective in glazes and fillings.
• Marinades and Sauces: This syrup is perfect as a base for marinades for grilled chicken, pork, or seafood. Additionally, it can be reduced to create a sweet and savory glaze for roasted vegetables or meats.
• Coffee and Tea: Sweeten your hot or iced coffee and tea with a spoonful of peach simple syrup to add a tasty twist.
• Smoothies: Add this syrup blend to fruit smoothies or milkshakes for extra sweetness and a burst of peach flavor.

How to Use Leftover Cooked Peaches

The leftover peaches will be cooked and sweet, so there are plenty of options for how to use them:

• Spread them over toast.
• Add them to smoothies, like this pineapple peach smoothie.
• Add to the ice cream, oatmeal, or yogurt.
• Use it as a filler for homemade crepes.

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