Homemade Golden Syrup is a rich amber colored, versatile liquid sweetener. All that is needed is sugar, lemon juice and water. It’s easy and satisfying to make. Use it when making sweet and even savory foods.
The inclusion of lemon juice produces a syrup that is not cloyingly sweet. However, the lemon juice is not added for flavor, scroll down to see the importance of its inclusion.
What is Golden Syrup?
Golden Syrup is the versatile sweetener you didn’t know you needed!
It is a thick, amber-colored syrup made from refining sugar cane or sugar from sugar beets. It is somewhat sweeter, with a less pronounced taste when compared with honey. Golden Syrup has a smoother texture than honey but has a similar viscous consistency. It has become a staple in British and Irish baking and in various other cuisines.
The company Tate and Lyle, located on the banks of the River Thames, in the east end of London, invented Golden Syrup in 1881. Tate and Lyle Golden Syrup is sold worldwide. It is sometimes referred to as light treacle syrup.
Science Behind the Production of Golden Syrup.
Making Golden Syrup is nothing more than a scientific miracle! Well not really, but there is science involved!
The primary ingredient in Golden Syrup is sugar – plain, white table sugar. Sucrose is the chemical name given to table sugar. It is a disaccharide, meaning it is made from two monosaccharides – glucose and fructose. Sucrose is combined with water and heated. This causes the chemical bonds in the sucrose to break apart to its basic state of glucose and fructose. When these bonds break, the result is the formation of an invert sugar. All invert sugars exist in liquid from. An acid (in this recipe lemon juice is used) is added as a catalyst, meaning it will speed up the process.
Sucrose (table sugar) + hydrolyzation (water and acid added, heat applied) = glucose + fructose (sweet, liquid, invert sugar).
How does Golden Syrup compare with other Syrups?
This table is only to give an idea of comparison, it is not an accurate scientific analysis of the sweeteners.
- Color is shown as a shade and the sweeteners are translucent (clear) or opaque (not transparent).
- Brix shows how much sucrose is in a solution as a percentage by mass. The unit of measurement used is ‘degrees Brix’ (°Bx).
- Density measures how tightly packed a substance is. It is calculated by dividing the mass of a substance by its volume and the result is noted as grams / cubic cm.
- Viscosity is measured in Centipoise (Cp). A liquid with a low centipoise value flows easily and quickly. A liquid with a high centipoise value flows more slowly.
- Temperature shown in degrees Celsius, shows the temperature the sweetener was when viscosity was measured.
Ellsworth.com and sciencedirect.com are the primary data sources for the table above.
Any of these syrups can act as a Golden Syrup equivalent in recipes. Due to the differing sweetness levels, do not substitute 1:1.
On the left is honey, middle is homemade Golden Syrup and on the right is Tate and Lyle Golden Syrup.
How to Use Golden Syrup
Here are some Golden Syrup recipes and uses:
- As a sweetener when baking:
- Gingerbread and ginger snaps.
- Golden syrup cake (sponge cake, similar to a Victoria Sandwich with syrup in and on the cake.)
- Sticky toffee pudding.
- Treacle tart.
- Flapjacks: (Irish / Scottish style granola bars)- for binding and sweetening these oat-based bars.
- Cookies (biscuits) as a sugar alternative. Use 3/4 of the amount of sugar required in any particular recipe.
- Rice crispy treats as a substitute for marshmallows.
- Steamed Golden Syrup pudding.
- Overnight Pecan French toast – omit the brown sugar and use the same quantity of syrup.
- As a sweetener when making muffins, especially these Lemon Drizzle Muffins.
- Replace sugar in tray bakes.
- Use it to make a Golden Syrup mug cake.
- As a pour over syrup on:
- Pancakes, waffles, and ice cream.
- As a topping on:
- Scones, English muffins, American biscuits, toast, bread and bagels.
- Mousse, cakes, and sweet pastries.
- Porridge and other hot cereals.
- Use as an ingredient in savory foods such as:
- Marinades, brines, salad dressings, and condiments such as BBQ sauce.
- Use to sweeten sweet foods in:
- Preserves, jams, jellies and marmalade.
- In ice cream, gelato and sorbet production.
- When making toffee, fudge, brittle or ice cream.
Ingredients
Sugar:
Use cane sugar if possible. Cane sugar is less refined and will provide a slight molasses flavor.
If you want to add a deeper color to the finished syrup, add in some brown sugar to the ratio. Do not use more than a third of the ratio of brown sugar, the goal is for a golden color.
Granulated white sugar will work, use it if that’s all that is available!
Do not use any type of sugar substitute either natural or artificial, it simply won’t work.
Lemon Juice:
Fresh lemon juice is preferable, but bottled lemon juice is also an option.
Lemon pieces (wedges or slices) can also be added and then removed when the Syrup is done. The only problem with using pieces rather than the juice is not knowing exactly how much juice has seeped into the sugared water. As this is a scientific process, the sugar to water to lemon juice ratios must be in a certain proportion.
Use citric acid or cream of tartar in place of lemon juice. Both of these substances are acidic.
If you prefer to use either of these acids, you will need the following amount for this recipe:
- a little less than half a teaspoon of citric acid OR
- one and a half teaspoons of cream of tartar.
Water:
Plain old tap water is what I used, but to perhaps improve flavor use purified, filtered or even distilled water.
Do not use flavored or carbonated water.
What Can Go Wrong?
Let’s face it, things can go wrong –
- If the syrup cooks too long, the syrup can become a deep amber and be too thick. Remember when it cools the syrup will thicken.
- When the syrup is cooked at too high a temperature, this lessens the cooking time but it will cause too much water to evaporate and the syrup will not take on a golden color.
- Stirring the mixture will cause sugar granules, that have hardened around the sides of the pot, to reenter the syrup. These sugar granules act as “seeds” encouraging any loose sugar crystals in the syrup to combine and cause crystallization. Sugar molecules naturally want to return to their solid crystalline form. The result will be a hard, grainy syrup.
- Any form of agitation (stirring or swirling the mixture) can result in hard, tough syrup.
A Tip From Me
DO NOT STIR at any stage of this recipe. There is also no need to swirl the contents of the pot. The bubbles produced during the boiling and simmering process are enough to mix the sugar, juice and water. Stirring will cause crystallization of the sugar around the side of the pot. The water will evaporate quicker if the mixture is stirred. This loss of water will prevent the sugar from entering into the golden color stage. The mixture will have dried out and you’ll be left with a pot of damp white sugar.
Adhere to the optimal temperature range being between 240-250 degrees F. Use a digital or sugar thermometer.
As this is a scientific process, do not omit the addition of an acid. The acid helps inhibit crystallization by altering the sugar molecules. I prefer using fresh lemon juice. Bottled lemon juice or citric acid will also work.
If you are concerned that sugar crystals have ended up on the side of the pot, simply brush some lemon juice around the pot where the level of the syrup reaches. Alternatively clean the sides of the pot with a clean damp cloth.
So to recap:
- Do not stir.
- Desired temperature is 240-250 degrees F.
- Don’t skip on adding an acidic ingredient.
- Clean sides of the pot if needed.
Got Questions?
I’ve got answers -hopefully!
A unopened, airtight container of Golden Syrup should last for about a year when stored in a dark place. If the seal is compromised mold will form. Once opened, store in the refrigerator and use within two weeks.
Honey in any form will always surpass Golden Syrup. The most nutritious honey is raw local honey.
Golden Syrup has no health benefits, except that it provides the body with readily available energy. Honey is a better choice if you want to coat the throat from the harshness of a cough. If honey is unavailable, then use Golden Syrup but understand from a health standpoint it provides no medicinal value.
Yes, only 1 teaspoon is the quantity permitted on a low Fodmap eating regime.
Homemade Golden Syrup
Equipment
Ingredients
- 18 oz cane sugar 3 cups
- 1½ tbsp lemon juice
- 12 oz water
Instructions
- Pour water into a pot and add sugar. Do not mix.
- Once the sugared water comes to a boil, reduce the heat to a low / medium and add lemon juice. Do not stir.
- Allow the mixture to gently bubble until a temperature of between 240 -250 ℉ / 115 -121 ℃ is reached. Use a sugar or digital thermometer.
- Gently simmer the syrup until the temperature and color is reached. This can take between 45-60 minutes.
- Allow to cool a little before pouring the Golden Syrup into a jar.
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