Homemade Apple Syrup - Made From Pure Apples

Delicious and sticky homemade apple syrup. This is a great way to preserve excess apples.

Homemade apple syrup makes a perfect drizzle over pancakes and waffles. It is great when mixed into drinks or used in sauces. This is an easy apple syrup recipe to use up your apple glut.

Pure Apple Syrup

That's really all that's in here! Pure apples. They are juiced and simmered down until a lot of the water has evaporated. What's left is sticky concentrated, sweet apple syrup that's a healthy alternative to refined sugar.

What Apples to Use

Calling all unloved apples! All the bird-pecked apples, the bug-bitten, and the ugly apples. This simple, sugar-free apple syrup is a brilliant way to use them.

Though most apples can be used, the largest and sweetest apples will make the sweetest syrup. Cooking apples won't make as sweet of a syrup.

If you use apples that are under-ripe and very starchy, sometimes the syrup can become more like jelly once cooled. It's best to use ripe, sweet apples.

How To Make Syrup from Apples - The Method

First, you'll need apple juice which is made with a fruit juicer. 3kg of apples makes approximately 1.5litres of apple juice. Once this is simmered down it makes around 200ml pure apple syrup.

If you've made fresh juice with a juicer before, you know that there is a lot of foam that forms on the top. Let it sit for 5 minutes so the foam splits from the juice, then use a spoon to scoop it off.

Pour the juice through a cheesecloth into a wide frypan or saucepan. The cheesecloth is going to hold back more of the foam. Don't worry if some get into the pan though. As it cooks, later on, the foam will accumulate around the sides of the pan when you make the syrup so you can scrape the bits you missed off then.

The wider the pan you use, the faster you will have syrup as more water can evaporate. If you juice a lot, you can divide it over two saucepans to speed things up. I use a cast iron pan which holds the heat really well.

Bring the juice to a simmer and keep it simmering, on medium heat. Stir it occasionally and use a spoon to scrape off the dregs that accumulate around the sides of the pan.

Simmering the Syrup

After about an hour the juice should have reduced considerably. Pop a plate in the freezer for 5 minutes to test if the syrup is ready.

Pour a dollop of syrup onto the cold plate and leave it for a few seconds then run a finger through it. If it leaves a line that doesn't run back right away the syrup is ready.

The longer you leave the syrup simmering, the thicker and stickier the syrup will get. Don't leave it too long or it will become too thick.

Storing Apple Syrup

The apple syrup can be poured into a clean bottle and stored in the refrigerator for up to three months. Alternatively, it can be frozen by pouring it into ice cube molds and freezing it in small portion sizes.

Use for Apple Syrup

Homemade apple syrup and other natural syrups make a great refined sugar replacement. Drizzle it over sourdough pancakes or homemade waffles, or swirl it through yogurt.

Add it to water and make your own apple juice from concentrate or use it to add sweetness to dressings and sauces.

Related recipes

Try these other apple recipes and preserving ideas!

• Healthy Apple and Berry Fruit Leather
• Apple and Cinnamon Muesli
• Homemade Apple Cider Vinegar