This recipe for All-Natural Hibiscus Simple Syrup adds a delightful subtle floral, lemony, and slightly tangy flavor to craft cocktails. You can also use it for Italian sodas, iced teas, buttercream, pancakes, yogurt, ice cream, and more.
Simple syrups are the best because they are…SIMPLE! 🙂 You can easily infuse sugar and water with your favorite florals, fruits, herbs, and more! This simple syrup makes the most delicious drinks and the prettiest pink cocktails.
My basic All Natural Cane Sugar Simple Syrup, is great for sweetening cocktails, drinks and hot drinks too!
Why you will love this hibiscus simple syrup recipe
- Use a splash to sweeten your favorite drink! You might especially love this hibiscus tea!
- Simple syrups are the best way to sweeten cold drinks, since the sugar dissolves while making this beautiful syrup.
I’ve been waiting ALL summer for my beautiful hibiscus plant to bloom, it brings a little bit of the tropics to Colorado, I love it!
All you need for this beautiful simple syrup are dried hibiscus flowers, now I haven’t tried drying my own, I bought these wonderful All-Natural Dried Flowers.
I love making passion tea concentrate with them as well, SO GOOD FOR YOU! High in antioxidants, these flowers are amazing, in fact it’s the primary ingredient in Tazo’s Passion Tea bags. And so very flavorful.
Simple Ingredients Hibiscus Syrup Recipe
Full recipe and measurements in the printable recipe card at the end of this post.
- Hibiscus Flowers | Dried hibiscus flowers can be found online as well as in grocery stores like Whole Foods and Natural Grocers, try your local health food store.
- Sugar | For this simple syrup, I like to use organic, unbleached cane sugar.
- Water | Told you it was simple!
How to make Hibiscus Syrup Recipe
Start by placing organic cane sugar (honey or agave), water and dried flowers into a medium pot and bring it to a boil, slowly, over medium heat. Stirring occasionally to help the sugar dissolve.
As it comes to a boil, reduce the heat to a simmer and cook on low for 15 minutes, until slightly reduced and thicker.
Remove from heat and cool completely on the stove. It took about 45 minutes to an hour in the middle of summer for me. Once cooled, place a large glass bowl in the sink, fit with a fine wire-mesh strainer and strain the homemade hibiscus syrup from the liquid into the bowl.
Fresh Tip
Placing the bowl in the sink will reduce your chances of staining your counters or splattering/spilling all over you. Pour slowly. Don’t ask me why I know this, I just do! (wink-wink)
Using a jar or other airtight container (a mason jar would work great too), placing a funnel on top of the jar, slowly pour your cooled hibiscus syrup into the jar.
If desired, label the jar, I love cute labels and these chalkboard labels work perfectly. I love jars, I’ve had this jar for 9 years, I picked it up at a little dairy store while on vacation in Maine!
How to store Hibiscus Syrup
Can hibiscus syrup recipe go bad? Sure, they can get moldy, so it’s best to store your simple syrup in the fridge. I’ve had them last for up to 6 months.
Variations
- Mint (fresh, 1 cup) | same ratio of sugar and water
- Lavender (dried, 1 tablespoon) | Food grade lavender
- Lemon (about 4 lemons, squeezed for ½ cup juice, zest from 1 lemon reduce to ½ sugar, omit water)
- Replace the sugar with equal amounts of agave or use honey
Ways to Use Simple Syrup
Here are a few of our favorite ways to enjoy this floral flavor:
- A replacement for grenadine syrup in a Shirley Temple or other drinks, iced teas, punch and craft cocktails
- Pour over ice cream, sorbet or sherbet (perhaps over Old-Fashioned Vanilla Bean Ice Cream, or a lemon gelato, or rose pistachio??)
- Freeze it into small ice cubes for iced tea’s and other drinks
- Flavor Italian Sodas, it’s the prettiest pink color!
- Make a Skinny Cocktail | Add a touch of sweetness to a glass filled with ice and club soda or sparkling water with a squeeze of lemon juice and/or lime juice.
- Bottle some for hostess, teacher, Christmas and food gift baskets. Don’t forget the gift tags!
- Drizzle a little into your buttercream for both flavor and pink coloring, naturally!
- But probably my favorite is in a hibiscus cocktails, such as this amazing Hibiscus Mojito, Hibiscus Margaritas.
- Try creating a new cocktail by adding a splash to your Moscow Mules or Gin & Tonics.
frequently asked questions
Keep this sweet, tart, basic simple syrup in the fridge from two weeks-3 months. I’ve had mine last longer, as long as it’s not growing fuzz or smell funny it’s good to use!
Hibiscus itself is very healthy, it is great for your liver, now in a simple syrup, I”m not really sure, but it’s healthier than say a store bought high fructose corn syrup.
The hibiscus plant is rich in antioxidants such as beta-carotene, vitamin C and anthocyanin and it fights inflammation, is known to lower blood pressure and lower cholesterol. It can promote weight loss, fight bacteria and supports liver health, so yes, I am saying that adding hibiscus tea to your diet can be very beneficial.
More simple syrups:
- Blueberry Syrup | Another naturally flavored and colored syrup! WOW! Try it over pancakes, waffles, on ice cream and yogurt!
- Cranberry Simple Syrup | Again a WOW looker to add pizazz to any drink, even non-alcoholic drinks like this Cranberry Spritzer.
- Mint Simple Syrup | Wouldn’t this be amazing in any Mojito or Mint Julep?
- Gingerbread Simple Syrup | Now we are talking! You can become a barista in your own home with this all-natural and delicious syrup.
- Lavender Simple Syrup | I think I could just sit and smell this delicious syrup. I could see drizzling this in a cup of Earl Gray tea or brushing on a lemon cake.
Have you made some unusual simple syrups, if so I’d love to hear what they are?
If you made this new recipe I’d love to hear what you thought of the hibiscus flavor.
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Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 cups filtered water cold water
- 1 cup all-natural cane sugar honey or agave syrup may be substituted
- ¾ cup dried hibiscus flowers
Instructions
- Add water, sugar (honey or agave) and dried flowers to a medium pot. Slowly bring to a boil while stirring occasionally, over medium heat. Once it reaches a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer on low for 15 minutes until slightly reduced and syrup like (it won’t be very thick).
- Cool completely in pan, about 45-60 minutes. Placing pourable measuring bowl in sink, fitted with a mesh strainer, slowly pour liquid into bowl. Fit a small jar with a funnel and slowly pour the hibiscus syrup into the jar.
- Secure with lid, store in refrigerator 2 weeks to 3 months.
Notes
- A replacement for grenadine syrup in a Shirley Temple or other drinks, iced teas, punch and craft cocktails
- Pour over ice cream, sorbet or sherbet (perhaps over Old-Fashioned Vanilla Bean Ice Cream, or a lemon gelato, or rose pistachio??)
- Freeze it into small ice cubes for iced tea’s and other drinks
- Flavor Italian Sodas, it’s the prettiest pink color!
- Make a Skinny Cocktail | Add a touch of sweetness to a glass filled with ice and club soda or sparkling water with a squeeze of lemon juice and/or lime juice.
- Bottle some for hostess, teacher, Christmas and food gift baskets. Don’t forget the gift tags!
- Drizzle a little into your buttercream for both flavor and pink coloring, naturally!
- But probably my favorite is in a hibiscus cocktails, such as this amazing Hibiscus Mojito, Healthy Hibiscus Margaritas {Cocktail or Mocktail}.
- Try creating a new cocktail by adding a splash to your Moscow Mules, Gin & Tonics, Hibiscus Margarita.
Nutrition
Ted Winterfeld
I’m requesting that you change the images associated with Hibiscus simple syrup. You are displaying “Hibiscus rosa sinensis” ( NOT used for teas/flavorings).
You want to use images of “Hibiscus sabdariffa ” aka Roselle used around the world for lots of different kinds drinks.
I will be trying your recipes with the Roselle (Hibiscus sabdariffa) that I’m growing.
Thank you
Thanks Ted, good info. I’ll take your advice under consideration!! Hope you love the simple syrup!
Olive
Hello I love this idea. I have fresh hibiscus flowers all year round. Do you think I could use fresh flowers in this recipe instead of dried ?
I have never tried it with fresh, but I’d imagine it works, you will probably need more than you would dried since they tend to concentrate when they are dried. Let me know how it turns out!
Lynn B Spencer
OK, I”m making this! But I’m going to encourage you to can it, this would be a great product to can!!
You are right, it really would be great for canning, will you come out and show me! 🙂