You’ve seen fall flavors on every coffee chain’s menu: Starbucks’ infamous pumpkin-spice latte to Dunkin’s pumpkin spice latte to Peet’s pumpkin latte… the repetitive list goes on. It makes a girl wonder: is there any originality left in the coffee world? On Instagram, the answer is coffee syrups.
Coffee syrups are basically simple syrups — sugar and water simmered together to form syrup — with your own mix-ins and flavorings of choice, designed to be added to your coffee. Because of their versatile nature, you can create an infinite number of flavor combinations (your local coffee shop can’t do that). Most of all, they can customize your coffee to suit your unique preferences. Here are five coffee syrup recipes to get you inspired, because if you want to spice up your coffee, you might want to try spicing it yourself.
Spiced Pear Syrup
A more sophisticated relative of the classic apple cinnamon flavor, this recipe from Asia Lui Chapa (@ac_homecafe) combines brown sugar and pears with a blend of cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. Rich, spicy undertones balance out the pear’s slight tartness to create a coffee syrup that will add warmth and depth to your fall drink of choice.
Banana Bread Syrup
If you’ve ever wanted to bottle up the flavor of freshly-baked banana bread, this is for you. Holly Anne Silva (@hollyannesilva) uses mashed overripe bananas, much like the original baked good, along with cinnamon and nutmeg. Vanilla bean paste also adds a more intense flavor, but Silva says you can also substitute in vanilla extract or maple syrup.
Earl Grey Syrup
Why have to decide between tea and coffee when you can have tea-flavored coffee? This Earl Grey syrup by Kim (@athomewithkimmm) finds the common ground between the earthy flavors in tea and coffee. Simmer together sugar, water, and five bags of Earl Grey tea (you can add more bags if you want it even stronger) for a coffee syrup that’s simple to make and complex in taste. It really is the best of both worlds.
Blueberry Pie
While blueberry might sound on the summer-ier side, there is nothing more autumnal to me than stewed fruit and homemade pie, which is exactly what this syrup brings to the table. Rachael (@foodwithhardt) combines blueberries, brown sugar, vanilla, and cinnamon into a syrup that is as vibrant in color as it is in flavor.
Pumpkin Spice
Pumpkin spice may be on every menu, but that’s because it’s timeless. So to level up what your local Starbucks offers, here is a recipe from Sara (@living.withsara) that uses both pumpkin puree and pumpkin spice, along with vanilla paste and brown sugar for a rich sweetness (without any of the artificial flavors). And now, for a fraction of the price, you can make as many pumpkin spice lattes as your heart desires.