Homemade Peach Syrup
Homemade Peach Syrup
This homemade peach syrup is sweet, fruity, and bursting with fresh peach flavor. Made with juicy peaches, sugar, water, and a little lemon juice, it’s an easy way to turn fresh summer peaches into a delicious syrup you can use in drinks, breakfasts, and desserts.
Drizzle peach syrup over pancakes and waffles, stir it into iced tea or lemonade, add it to homemade coffee drinks, or pour it over vanilla ice cream. It’s also delicious in sparkling water, cocktails, mocktails, and homemade peach sodas.
If you have a basket of ripe peaches to use up, this is one of the easiest recipes to make with them.
Why You’ll Love This Peach Syrup
Homemade fruit syrup tastes so much fresher than bottled flavored syrups, and you only need a handful of ingredients to make it.
This recipe is:
- Made with fresh peaches
- Ready in about 30 minutes
- Easy to make on the stovetop
- Perfect for drinks and coffee
- Delicious on pancakes and waffles
- A great way to use ripe summer peaches
- Easy to keep in the refrigerator for whenever you need it
Ingredients
- 3 large ripe peaches, about 2 cups chopped
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup water
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, optional
What Peaches Are Best for Peach Syrup?
Use ripe, flavorful peaches for the best homemade peach syrup.
Yellow peaches are especially good because they have a wonderful balance of sweetness and acidity. White peaches can also be used, although they’ll produce a slightly different flavor.
The peaches should smell fragrant and give slightly when gently pressed.
If your peaches aren’t quite ripe yet, leave them at room temperature for a day or two before making the syrup.
Do You Have to Peel Peaches for Peach Syrup?
No, you don’t have to peel them.
The peach skins add extra color and flavor while the syrup simmers, and you’ll strain out the solids at the end anyway.
Simply wash the peaches well, remove the pits, and chop them into pieces.
If you’d rather peel them first, you certainly can.
How to Make Homemade Peach Syrup
Wash the peaches and remove the pits.
Cut the peaches into small chunks and place them in a medium saucepan.
Add the sugar and water.
Stir everything together and place the saucepan over medium heat.
Bring the mixture to a gentle boil, then reduce the heat and allow it to simmer for about 15–20 minutes.
As the peaches soften, gently mash them with the back of a wooden spoon or potato masher to release more of their juice and flavor.
Remove the saucepan from the heat and stir in the fresh lemon juice.
Add the vanilla extract if you’re using it.
Allow the mixture to cool for about 10 minutes.
Pour the peach mixture through a fine-mesh strainer into a bowl or glass measuring cup.
For a clear syrup, allow the liquid to drain naturally without pressing too hard on the fruit.
If you don’t mind a slightly cloudier syrup with more peach flavor, gently press the peaches against the strainer to extract additional liquid.
Transfer the finished syrup to a clean glass jar or bottle and refrigerate.
Don’t Throw Away the Cooked Peaches
The soft peaches left in the strainer are delicious, so don’t automatically throw them away.
Spoon them over oatmeal, yogurt, pancakes, waffles, French toast, cheesecake, pound cake, or vanilla ice cream.
You can also blend them into a quick peach puree or stir them into a smoothie.
How Thick Should Peach Syrup Be?
This recipe makes a pourable simple syrup that’s ideal for drinks as well as breakfast foods.
It will look relatively thin while it’s hot and become slightly thicker once refrigerated.
If you want a thicker syrup specifically for pancakes, waffles, or desserts, return the strained syrup to the saucepan and simmer it for several additional minutes until it reduces to your preferred consistency.
Remember that it will continue to thicken slightly as it cools.
Peach Syrup for Iced Tea
Peach syrup and iced tea are a perfect combination.
Add 1–2 tablespoons of homemade peach syrup to a glass of freshly brewed iced tea and stir well.
Add ice and fresh peach slices for an easy homemade peach iced tea.
Start with a small amount of syrup and add more depending on how sweet you like your tea.
Peach Syrup for Lemonade
Turn classic lemonade into peach lemonade by stirring a spoonful or two of peach syrup into each glass.
For a pitcher, add the syrup gradually until you reach your preferred balance of sweet peach and tart lemon.
Serve over ice with fresh lemon and peach slices.
Peach Syrup for Coffee
Peach might not be the first flavor you think of for coffee, but it can be delicious in creamy iced coffee and latte recipes.
Add a small amount of peach syrup to an iced vanilla latte for a peaches-and-cream flavor.
You can also combine peach syrup with flavors like:
- Vanilla
- Brown sugar
- Cinnamon
- Honey
- Caramel
- White chocolate
- Cream
- Maple
Try it in a peach cobbler latte with espresso, milk, peach syrup, brown sugar, vanilla, and a sprinkle of cinnamon.
Peach Syrup for Cocktails and Mocktails
Homemade peach syrup is an easy ingredient to keep on hand for summer drinks.
Use it in sparkling peach lemonade, peach iced tea, peach mocktails, spritzers, margaritas, sangria-style drinks, or other cocktails.
For an easy nonalcoholic peach spritzer, combine peach syrup with sparkling water and fresh lemon juice over ice.
Peach Syrup for Pancakes and Waffles
Warm peach syrup is delicious poured over a stack of fluffy pancakes or homemade waffles.
For an extra-special breakfast, top your pancakes with fresh sliced peaches, warm peach syrup, whipped cream, and a little cinnamon.
It’s an easy way to make an ordinary weekend breakfast feel like brunch at a restaurant.
More Ways to Use Homemade Peach Syrup
Once you have a jar in the refrigerator, you’ll find all kinds of ways to use it.
Try peach syrup with:
- Pancakes
- Waffles
- French toast
- Biscuits
- Oatmeal
- Yogurt
- Vanilla ice cream
- Cheesecake
- Pound cake
- Iced tea
- Lemonade
- Coffee
- Lattes
- Sparkling water
- Mocktails
- Cocktails
- Milkshakes
- Smoothies
Can I Make Peach Syrup with Frozen Peaches?
Yes.
Frozen peaches are a great option when fresh peaches aren’t in season.
There’s no need to completely thaw them before cooking. Add the frozen peaches directly to the saucepan and allow a few additional minutes for them to soften.
Because frozen fruit can release extra liquid, you may need to simmer the finished syrup slightly longer if you prefer a thicker consistency.
Can I Use Canned Peaches?
You can also make peach syrup with canned peaches in a pinch.
Drain the canned peaches before measuring and choose peaches packed in juice rather than heavy syrup when possible. Since canned peaches are already soft and may contain added sugar, the flavor and sweetness will be somewhat different from syrup made with fresh fruit.
How Long Does Homemade Peach Syrup Last?
Store homemade peach syrup in a clean airtight container in the refrigerator.
For best quality, use it within about 1–2 weeks.
Always use a clean spoon when serving the syrup, and discard it if you notice mold, bubbling, an unusual odor, or other signs of spoilage.
This is a refrigerator syrup and is not intended to be stored at room temperature.
Can You Freeze Peach Syrup?
Yes.
Pour the cooled syrup into a freezer-safe container, leaving some room at the top for expansion.
You can also freeze peach syrup in ice cube trays. Once frozen, transfer the cubes to a freezer bag.
Individual peach syrup cubes are especially convenient for iced tea, lemonade, sparkling water, smoothies, and cocktails.
For the best flavor, use frozen peach syrup within about 3 months.
Recipe Notes
The syrup will become slightly thicker after it cools.
For a thicker pancake-style peach syrup, simmer the strained syrup for a few additional minutes to reduce it.
For a clear peach simple syrup, don’t press the cooked fruit through the strainer.
For stronger peach flavor, gently press the cooked peaches against the strainer to extract more juice.
The vanilla is optional. Leave it out if you want a pure peach syrup for iced tea, lemonade, and cocktails.
This recipe is intended for refrigerator storage, not shelf-stable canning.
Easy Homemade Peach Syrup
Making peach syrup from scratch is one of the easiest ways to capture the flavor of ripe summer peaches.
Keep a jar in the refrigerator and you can turn ordinary iced tea into peach tea, make homemade peach lemonade in minutes, sweeten an iced latte, or transform a simple stack of pancakes into a special weekend breakfast.
Sweet, fruity, and incredibly versatile, this homemade peach syrup is one peach recipe you’ll find yourself using in just about everything.
