Coffee syrups have long been a popular addition to coffee drinks. The trend started with the big coffee chains like Starbucks, Dunkin’, and Tim Hortons. However, the recent pandemic has seen a rise in demand for flavored syrups at home. The ability to purchase a bottle of flavored syrup means you can recreate your favorite drinks at home; Caramel Macchiato? Pumpkin Spice Latte? You name it, you can find a syrup to recreate it.
There are hundreds of different flavors of coffee syrup available from your classic chocolate, caramel, or vanilla flavors to wild and wacky ones like eggnog, pumpkin spice, or even lavender. The sheer range of flavored syrups available makes it hard to know which brands or flavors to go for. We have compiled this list of the best coffee syrups to help you get started.
What is a Coffee Syrup?
Coffee syrup is a simple syrup that is used to flavor a beverage while sweetening it at the same time. It is created by adding sugar (or a sugar substitute) into water and then heating it until the sugar dissolves. After that different flavors and colorings are added. Coffee syrups are formulated to be used in warm beverages instead of cold ones. If you are looking for a flavored syrup to add to an iced coffee or frappuccino it is better to opt for a coffee sauce. Likewise, syrups for cocktails usually have a higher concentration of sugar to balance out the spirits so cannot be used for coffee.
Suffice it to say, these syrups are typically laden with sugar and artificial flavorings, so they aren’t the most healthy option. Thankfully there is a growing range of sugar-free, natural syrups to choose from, allowing you to enjoy your favorite drinks without worrying about your sugar intake.
Best Coffee Syrup of 2023
So without further ado, here is our list of the best coffee syrups to try in 2023.
Torani Variety Pack- Caramel, French Vanilla, Vanilla, Hazelnut
Best Overall
2-year shelf life | 25 servings per container (serving size 2 Tablespoons)
Torani is a popular coffee syrup brand with a reputation for creating delicious syrups. In fact, Torani syrup was used to create the world’s first flavored latte. This variety pack is an excellent starting point with four of their most popular flavors; caramel, french vanilla, vanilla, and hazelnut. With these four syrups, you can create hundreds of different drinks. The Torani syrups are sweetened with pure cane sugar (not high fructose corn syrup) and have all-natural flavors.
For ease of use, you can also purchase a Torani syrup pump to make dispensing easier. Each pump dispenses a ¼ ounce of syrup.
The Torani Variety Pack is a great way to sample a range of flavored syrups from one of the best coffee syrup brands. The only downside is that purchasing four bottles at once does have a large up-front cost.
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Monin Organic Vanilla Syrup
Best Organic
60-180 day shelf life | 25 servings per bottle (serving size 30 ml)
Monin is another acclaimed coffee syrup brand that is used in many coffee shops worldwide. The French company has been around for over 100 years and produces a vast range of products (with over 150 different flavors) to be used in coffees, frappes, smoothies, and cocktails.
The Monin Organic Vanilla Syrup for coffee is one of their most popular syrups that is both delicious and versatile. The syrup produces a rich and smooth flavor when added to a latte. In fact, Vanilla is one of the top three flavors to add to coffee, with the sweet flavor pairing well with strong, dark coffee.
The syrup is made from vanilla bean extract, organically grown cane sugar, and natural flavors with no additives or preservatives. The one downside of this syrup is that it has a short shelf life, once the bottle is opened it must be used within 2-6 months.
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Jordan’s Salted Caramel Syrup
Best Sugar-Free Coffee Syrup
3-6 month shelf life | 25 servings per bottle (serving size 30 ml)
If you want to add sweet syrup to your coffee without worrying about your waistline, you could opt for one of Jordan’s Skinny Syrups. These syrups are sugar-free, with zero sugar, zero calories, and zero carbs. All the goodness without the guilt!
Jordan’s Salted Caramel coffee syrup is one of their best-selling flavors. It has a rich caramel flavor with a slightly salty finish to cut through the sweetness. Their syrup is sweetened with sucralose making it Keto and Atkins diet friendly. While it is a popular sugar-free coffee syrup, if you are accustomed to normal flavoring syrups, you may find the flavor a little off.
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Monin Gourmet Flavorings Coffee Collection- Caramel, Amaretto, French Hazelnut, Irish Cream, Vanilla
60-180 day shelf life |3 servings per bottle (serving size 15 ml)
The Monin coffee collection is a good option if you are wanting to sample a range of flavoring syrups, or looking for a gift for that coffee lover in your life. The coffee collection comes with a small bottle of five of Monin’s best-selling coffee syrups- Caramel, Amaretto, French Hazelnut, Irish Cream, and Classic Vanilla flavors. The syrups are all made with cane sugar and natural flavorings. Each bottle contains 50 ml of syrup, enough for up to 3 drinks.
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Ghirardelli Squeeze Bottles- Caramel, Chocolate, and White Chocolate
3-month shelf life | 12 servings per container (Serving size 2 Tablespoons)
Ghirardelli is the gold standard when it comes to flavored sauces. As America’s oldest operating chocolate maker, it’s safe to say they know what they are doing when it comes to chocolate! Their variety pack is a great way to sample their top-selling sauces with Caramel, Chocolate, and White chocolate flavors.
The Ghirardelli sauces can be added to coffee, hot chocolate, milkshakes, and frappes, or even used as dessert toppings. A delicious addition to creating cafe-style drinks. The only downside is that they have a short 3-month expiry date after being opened. However, the versatility of these syrups means you can use them in a range of ways.
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Starbucks Hazelnut Coffee Syrup
40month shelf life | 12 servings per bottle (serving size 30 ml)
If you are a Starbucks fan, we have good news! You can purchase the signature Starbucks syrups for use at home- so now you can recreate your favorite drinks yourself. Starbucks Hazelnut syrup is a popular addition to a latte, adding a rich, nutty flavor. Starbucks also offers its famous Caramel, Vanilla, and sugar-free Vanilla Syrup for coffee available to purchase individually or together as a variety pack.
All Starbucks coffee syrups taste sweet and delicious, blending perfectly with coffee, and are naturally flavored. They can be added to a wide variety of drinks; macchiato, latte, hot chocolate, and even cold drinks like iced coffee. The downside of these syrups is that they are expensive- as you are paying for the brand name.
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DaVinci English Toffee Syrup
2-year shelf life | 25 Servings (serving size 30 ml)
DaVinci originated in Seattle in the 1980s and has since built up a large following. They offer a wide variety of flavoring syrups from classic caramel, white chocolate, or cinnamon to more wild options like Amaretto, Apple, Cake Batter, and Red Velvet.
The DaVinci English Toffee is a popular syrup flavor, adding a sweet and creamy taste to your favorite coffee drink. The syrup is made from cane sugar and has a strong flavor. DaVinci also offers sugar-free syrups if you want a healthier option. Overall, the DaVinci syrups are delicious with a strong flavor and long shelf life, but they are on the more expensive side.
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Torani Brown Sugar Cinnamon Sugar-Free Syrup
2-year shelf life | 25 Servings (serving size 30 ml)
The Torani Brown Sugar Cinnamon Syrup is a popular sugar-free coffee syrup perfect for fall. The syrup is made from all-natural flavorings with sucralose as the sweetener. The hint of cinnamon is reminiscent of apple pie. If you are after a seasonal flavor or something to add to that brown sugar-shaken espresso give this flavor a go.
The best news- being sugar-free you don’t need to feel guilty about adding a splash to your coffee.
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Buying Guide
Now that we have given our guide to the best coffee syrup to flavor your coffee with, it comes down to you. Ultimately choosing which flavor to go for is a very subjective decision that boils down to taste preferences and how you like your coffee. We have compiled a buying guide below to help you narrow down your choices.
Flavor
This is the most important consideration when deciding which coffee syrup to go for. What flavors do you enjoy adding to your coffee? Or are you unsure and want to sample a range of flavors? As you can see above, there are a ton of different flavor options. Some of the most popular flavors to blend with coffee are Caramel, Vanilla, Chocolate, and Hazelnut. Sampling some of these is a good place to start.
If you are looking for something out of the box there are plenty of options! Apple? Amaretto? Cinnamon Dolce?
Strength
The next thing that should be high on your list is how strong the coffee syrup is. Some syrups, especially the cheaper ones, are very weak and you end up needing to add large amounts just to taste them. A good coffee syrup should have a strong flavor and delicious taste.
Type of Syrup
It goes without saying, but make sure before you purchase that the syrup is designed for coffee. Coffee syrups are designed to dissolve in hot drinks and blend well with strong, rich coffee.
There are a lot of different types of flavored syrups available to be used in cocktails or cooking, but these aren’t crafted to blend well with coffee.
Ingredients
Consider what ingredients are used in the syrup. If you are wanting an all-natural syrup, organic syrups are your best bet. If you are a vegetarian or vegan there are a lot of options.
Sweeteners
Coffee syrups are packed full of sugar and intended to be sweet, if you are using them, you will also know that they can add a lot of calories to your morning fix.
There are now other alternatives with a growing variety of sugar-free coffee syrups on the market. These flavored syrups are suitable for keto or Atkins diets. Sugar-free coffee syrups are typically flavored with one of two artificial sweeteners; Aspartame (or Equal) and Sucralose (or Splenda). While both of these sweeteners are viable options, Sucralose is the more popular option with less risk of side effects.
Packaging
What sort of packaging does the syrup come in? If you are going to go through a lot of syrup a bottle that comes with a dispenser is going to be the more convenient option.
Price
Last but not least you need to consider the price. There are plenty of options to suit any budget. If you are not going to go through a lot of syrup, it is worth just paying a couple of extra dollars and getting a bottle from a good brand like Torani or Monin, which you know will taste good.
If you are going to be going through a lot of syrup there are options of buying in bulk, or buying bundles to cut down on costs.
Best Coffee Syrup- Final Thoughts
If you have a sweet tooth or just want to experiment with different flavored drinks, adding coffee syrup to your drink is a great way to do it. We think the best starting place is to get the Torani Variety Pack which allows you to try four popular flavors; caramel, french vanilla, vanilla, and hazelnut. With this pack, you can create hundreds of different drinks and find your favorite flavors.
We hope this article has helped you find delicious coffee syrup to recreate your favorite drinks. Whether you are after caramel, vanilla, cinnamon, or chocolate there are plenty of options to choose from!
After A Specific Flavor? See our recommendations
Our top 3 picks for the best vanilla syrup for coffee are Torani Vanilla Syrup, DaVinci French Vanilla Syrup, and Starbucks Vanilla Syrup.
Our top 3 picks for the best caramel syrup for coffee are Torani Caramel Syrup, Starbucks Caramel Syrup, and Ghirardelli Caramel Sauce.
The Best Sugar Free Coffee Syrup brands are Jordan’s Skinny Syrups and Torani Sugar Free Coffee Syrups. Both of these brands offer a wide range of sugar free syrups that taste delicious and have no sugar or calories. A win, win!
